The arousal dies quickly as I realize how humiliating my fantasy could be if it didn’t work out exactly as I planned. Hurrying out of the shower, I dry myself off and almost run back to my room. I curl up on top of the covers, wrapping my arms around a pillow.
My body is so tense, and my thoughts are so chaotic, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fall asleep. But the next thing I know, I’m plunged into a deep dream.
Lucid dreaming has always been one of my talents. A higher form of magic. I must have gone out like a light to be so deep so quickly.
Lights and colors swirl around me before they begin to form shapes and solidify into an all-too-familiar location.
School. I’m back in high school.
Fuck, no!
I look around the bright hallway, seeing crowds of students around me as we make our way to class before the first bell.
Why am I here? Dreams have a purpose. What is my subconscious trying to tell me?
“Oh my lord. Check this out!”
Jenks’s voice rings out above the murmuring of the crowd. I feel like a shaft of ice has just gone straight through my chest, freezing me into place with fear.
Oh no. It’s that day. That horrible fucking day!
I look down at myself and see the tight, black mini-dress hugging my figure. I’m wearing cute little wedge heels with straps. My long blond hair is swept up above my neck in a sophisticated twist.
Please, God, don’t make me relive this!
This was the day I decided to do what I want, wear what I want, and fuck the people who teased me. I loved this little outfit so much, I just wanted to show it off and express myself.
I was sick of being tortured. I really thought I could overcome it.
“Are you going to a funeral?” Jenks calls out. “Hey, ice queen, I’m talking to you!”
I turn around slowly, clenching my fists as I face Jenks. Bae and Jack are in the crowd, too, but they’re behind him.
Jenks is your court jester, isn’t he? Bae, the king who gets away with anything, and his second-in-command, and the fucking clown they keep around for entertainment!
“I said, what’s with the dress?” Jenks says. “Are you going to a funeral?”
“No,” I squeak, barely able to push my voice through my throat.
“Oh, thank God,” Jenks says, covering his face with dramatic flair. “If you showed up at the graveyard like that, they’d think you’re the ghost, you’re so pale! Better watch out, they might try to bury you.”
Retorts begin to blister my tongue because I’m not a little girl anymore, but I’m trapped in the dream. I can’t react.
“Pale as fucking milk,” Jenks goes on, shaking his head. “Do you blend into walls? Is that why you went for such a dramatic look?”
Fuck you, you asshole! As if you know a goddamn thing about fashion. What difference does it make to you what I wear?
The thoughts flash through my mind, but I can’t speak. I just stand there like a rabbit on a plain, waiting for the wolf to sink his teeth in.
“Seriously, though, it does make you stand out,” Jenks says, tapping his chin and wiggling his eyebrows. “But that might be the problem. I mean, you’re out of place enough on any given day. This is just embarrassing yourself. I barely have to do any work at all.”
Finally, the confines of the dream loosen, letting me run down the hall to the girls’ bathroom. Before I can get there, I wake up, almost throwing myself off the bed as I wrench myself back to consciousness.
Fuck!
Tears trickle down my cheeks as I stare at the ceiling. I ran home that day and buried the dress in the bottom of my closet underneath piles of things I’d never wear. From that day on, I only wore faded old jeans and loose shirts, anything that made me blend in with the crowd.
And he still teased me. I can’t ever forget this. I know who he really is.