Waking Dreams

L

Layne

Guest
Original poster
"Alyssa, seriously. I don't know why you don't just hang a sign around your neck that says 'I give up!' You're turning eighteen in three days and in your senior year of high school. Can't you at least pretend to try to look nice? You could be so pretty if you put a little effort in, dear. I love you, sweetie, but you look like a grub."


The girl in question said nothing, just sat at the kitchen counter and munched her cereal. There was no point in arguing since her mother made the same speech almost every morning. The older woman sighed, gave up, and left for work. Alyssa was left on her own to clean up, grab her bag, and leave. She had her license but it was stupid to waste the gas when she lived close enough to school to walk. So, she set out, her messenger bag slung over her right shoulder. She knew that her mother had a point. Instead of straightening out her blonde curls, she let them hang naturally and get frizzy. She never wore an ounce of makeup, and never went tanning despite being 'horribly' pale. At least she was slender, though her mother - a woman of considerable weight - was sure to point out once a week that Alyssa should stop being so 'anorexic'.


There was no way to win.


She sighed and glanced down at her outfit out of habit. Oversized black hoodie, because the morning was chilly. Beneath it she had a gray blouse that was out of style and a bit too large, along with a pair of washed out jean shorts. Add plain sneakers and a ring her father gave her years ago, and that was it. She certainly wasn't out to impress anybody. In fact, rather the opposite. All Alyss wanted out of life was to blend in and avoid detection. Surviving high school with good grades was easy. A good reputation, not as easy but not difficult. It was surviving without being humiliated that she was failing at. This morning, it started the second that she walked through the door. She ran into a girl who was carrying a huge stack of paper fliers for prom, and they both went down. The paper flew absolutely everywhere.


"S-Sorry.." Alyss stuttered, scrambling to help pick them up even as the other girl cursed.
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Somewhere, an alarm goes off, immediately followed by a hand shooting out from under the covers and slapping the snooze button. Five minutes later, it buzzes again, but to Nick it only feels like a few seconds. He groans and rolls over, letting the buzz run to sober him up from his sleep-drunkedness. He rubs the crusts from his green eyes and sits up, his short black hair a mess. He turns off his alarm and shuffles out of bed, then goes about his morning routine to get ready for school.

His parents were still asleep as usual. They had night shifts at their respective work-places, so they don't typically wake up until around noon. Nick popped some bread into the toaster and pulled the lever down, making the almost ceremonial 'click' when the spring sets in place. He got everything else ready and glanced at the clock.

"SHIT, What happened!?" Nick panicked. He didn't have a license, or a car for that matter, and needed to take the bus to school. He stopped the toaster short and pressed the abort button, ending Colonel Toasts journey to the crispy golden brown universe. He rushed out the door with his backpack, almost knocking over a vase by the door. He made it to the bus stop right as the bus wheeled up, sighing in relief. He took his place in the back, away from the loud freshman and obnoxious teenage girls.

Speaking of obnoxious teenage girls, when he arrived at school, He just barely dodges a girl that bounced back after running into another. The girl she ran into was angry, her eyebrows furrowed into a nasty expression and frantically snatching papers up from the ground. The girl that ran into her was trying to apologize. He bent over to help pick up the papers, letting his backpack slide off his shoulder and thump on the ground.
 
Alyssa tuned out the curses of the other girl, though she did feel her pale cheeks heat up with a shameful blush. So much for going unnoticed this morning. She continued to scramble to pick up a messy pile of fliers, pausing only when she went to pick up the same flier as somebody else. Looking up out of pure surprise, she saw that it was a boy she had noticed a few times. He wasn't one of the ones that was always taunting her or purposely looking anywhere but in her direction. She froze for a long moment, then quickly straightened up and handed the pissed off girl the fliers she had collected. Without another word, she vanished into the crowd of students and went to her locker.


"Oh my god.." she whispered to herself, watching her slender hands still shaking as she put away her bag and pulled out the books that she needed. Slamming her locker shut, she scurried down the halls and up the stairs with her head down, not even glancing at anybody else. Nobody noticed her or cared about the little ugly blonde girl, which was what she wanted. Invisibility. Her ultimate goal. If only things could go as well as they did in her dreams.. But this was reality. Time to accept that she couldn't change things, she figured, flinching inwardly.


She slid into her seat in World History, taking the one in the far back corner by the window. This way, she knew there was nobody behind her watching her, and she could also stare out the window and daydream. Most of the teachers didn't bother her when she zoned out, thanks to her perfect report card. Class participation just wasn't necessary. Which was great, since she tended to stutter and blush horribly every single time she was called on to speak.
 
Nick looked on to the girl that scurried away as she gets eaten by the crowd of students, getting digested until she's nowhere in sight. He remembers seeing her before. She was noticeably plain. She was so plain that one would be able to point to a crowd of people and say, "Yeah, that normal looking girl over there". He sighed and turned to the poptart straightening her papers next to him.

"Oy. You alright?"

She sighed and furrowed her brow. "I'm fine. Just a little irritated. I'm behind schedule on these papers, and I-"

"Sounds rough. Good luck," He interrupted, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. It's so irritating talking to people and pretending to be interested. He made his way to his first class, English, and slumped down in his seat. Soon after he sat down, he buried his face in his arms on his desk. He was going to sleep. He stayed up too late playing Monster Hunter last night, and barely got any sleep. Damn you Capcom. It was only English, anyway. He couldn't be bothered with an easy class like that.

((Oy, mind if I switch to present tense? I keep typing it automatically, and I had to re-write this like, 5 times xD))
 
[[I don't mind, I just can't do it xD]]

World History passed by quickly, as did Chemistry and Calculus. There were few seniors in her classes with her since they all tended to choose the easier classes in their final year. Her classes weren't required, but she didn't want half a day of nothing but study halls. Fluff classes didn't interest her. If she had to be at school, she might as well learn something and bulk up her transcript so that she could pick any college that she wanted. That was her dream - college. In college, she would be the girl that she wanted to be. She wouldn't need to be invisible anymore. That's what she told herself, anyway. Just a few more months until summer vacation. Almost free.


"Miss Montague, if you're going to do nothing but stare out the window, you can do it in the principal's office," a voice snapped, catching her attention. She straightened up and realized that the teacher had been speaking to her. The other students were laughing, making a deep blush color her cheeks with shame. She looked down and picked up her books, then trudged out hurriedly. Once in the hallway, she took her time wandering through the empty spaces to the office. Halfway there, the bell rang for lunch and students flooded the hallway.
 
((Sorry. Just got back from a trip. I'm too mentally exhausted to write anything good, so I'll respond later when I can actually make a coherent sentence. Just posting to let you know I'm not dead (physically). ))
 
Nick's dream plays out like a movie. He's holding a sword, and facing a giant worm-like monster, towering at least 30 feet. It has two muscular arms that it uses to pull itself forward, and it's tail whips destructively behind it, leaving a trail of slime on everything it comes into contact with. It opens it's maw, showing it's large jagged teeth used for grinding. It slams the ground, sinking it's fingers in and drags itself toward Nick, giving out a furious roar. The ground quakes as he moves, and Nick shifts his body to get ready to parry the first attack. The monster lunges forward and outstretches one of his arms, knocking Nick away. He flies into a cliff side, and slams his head against the rock. The tang of pain violently jolts him awake, and he sits up straight, a trickle of drool on his chin. The students laugh as Mr. Hepler, the English teacher stands over him with his book in his hand. It's clear to Nick that he's the one that woke him up.

Nick rubs the drool off his face and looks up at him guiltily. "Yup. You know exactly what I'm going to say," Mr. Hepler says before walking back to the front of the room. He has a sort of slouching walk that's pretty distinguishable, and he's relatively portly. He's not one of Nick's favorite teachers. Nick gets up and heads out the door, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. Despite the rude awakening, that was a pretty sweet dream. He's always had a passion for dreaming, and desperately wants to control them. He's known about lucid dreaming for a while, but no matter what, he just couldn't make it happen. He started his dream journal, but all that did was make him able to remember his dreams with no trouble at all. He has never actually succeeded in lucid dreaming. Nick rounds the corner of the hallway, and smiles.

"Today's the day I get those pills... God, I can't wait," He says to the empty hallway. He read about pills that had the perfect concentration of certain drugs, and worked as a sort of catalyst for lucid dreaming. He ordered them online almost immediately. Today was the day they finally came in the mail. The bell rings while he's lost in his thoughts. He scratches his head and continues on toward the office. Among the group of students, he notices the girl from the morning, headed the same way as him. He looks for a moment, but then turns his attention back forward, deciding there wasn't really anything he needed to say.
 
Alyssa made her way through the students, keeping her head down and her books clutched tightly against her chest. It seemed to be a million miles to the office, but finally she made it inside. Her pulse was going a mile a minute and she was even more pale than usual. Crowds. The bane of her existence. She had begged and pleaded for her mother to send her to a private school, but her mother had refused even though they could afford it. Apparently, she thought that her daughter could benefit from integrating with the 'normal' students. Alyssa knew that all her mother wanted was for one of the 'popular' crowd to rub off and for her to become a walking piece of plastic like the rest of them.


"Come on in, Alyssa, dear. Mr. Fenner already called down and let us know to expect you. Principal Niles is eating lunch and will be with you in just a few minutes," the secretary said brightly, gesturing to the hard plastic chairs that were set out for people who had to wait.


Nodding slightly, she sat in one in the corner and glanced out the window. Students passed by in dozens, most laughing and pushing their friends around. She heard the office door open again and glanced up to see the boy that had helped her that morning. Quickly, she looked back down at her shoes, trying desperately not to fidget as she hoped he wouldn't expect her to strike up any sort of conversation.
 
Nick walks into the room and raises a curious eyebrow at the girl in the seat. He didn't really expect her to be a troublemaker. Maybe she pushed the girl from this morning down on purpose? He shakes his head, sending the assuming thoughts flying. The receptionist barely looks up from her work to see who it is. Nick was in here a lot, for the very same reason he's in today. He likes to sleep. A lot. He sits down a few seats away from the girl and tries to casually sit back and relax. He looks around anxiously, and fidgets a little bit, before finally giving in to temptation, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Sooo. What are you in here for?" He asks interrogatively, giving a not-so-casual glance over to the girl.
 
At first, Alyssa thought she'd be fine. The guy walked in, not even getting a greeting from the secretary. From that, she assumed that he was in here a lot, but maybe she just figured that he had already heard the explanation of the principal being busy with stuffing his chubby face. She relaxed a tiny bit after he had been silent for a minute after sitting down, assuming that he didn't want to talk either. Good. She thought about pulling out her notebook to doodle when he suddenly spoke up. It was undeniably directed at her, and she had to really concentrate to not blush.


"Dreaming. Uh, d-daydreaming, in class. I don't like paying attention," she admitted, her pale cheeks flushing a bit as she stuttered. She looked up for just a moment, her bright blue eyes meeting his fleetingly before she looked back down nervously. Of course, she had also just explained the mess this morning. She didn't like paying attention and it had cost her when she collided with the girl. Sighing inwardly, she wished with all her might that she wasn't so awkward around anything that breathed. She didn't even feel a connection with her dog.


"Y-You?"
 
Nick sighs and hums simultaneously, brewing up an airy, "Hmmmmmmm...." He closes his eyes and scratches his head, opening his mouth to reply.

"Same thing, I guess. I sleep. A lot. Gets the dreams goin' y'know. Paying attention is such a pain."

As soon as he says that, the principal comes into the room. He scans the seats and sighs when he sees Nick. "Alright, Nick. I'll talk to you in a second," He breathes, "Let me take care of this one, first." He points to the girl and beckons her to his office.
 
Alyssa looked up, startled by his response enough to actually show her interest. The way that he mentioned dreams instead of just saying that he had been sleeping in class made her think that maybe he had the same ability that she did. It wasn't that she controlled her dreams on purpose, it just happened. She had been a lucid dreamer ever since she could remember, and she used sleep as a getaway from the real world. Before she could ask him about it, the principal came in and she flinched, looking up at him as she was pointed at.


She stood quickly and carried her books to his office, her gaze pointed at the floor. It was only the second time in her entire high school career that she had been sent here, but everybody in the office knew her well thanks to constantly getting on the high honor roll and perfect attendence. At one point, she had been an English tutor, but she was forced to give it up when her student had started flirting with her and she was so uncomfortable that she fled the room. Sighing softly at the memory, she took the seat in front of the massive wooden desk and waited nervously.
 
Mr. Niles exhales as he takes his seat at his desk. He leans back, which makes the large office chair creak, and presses the pads of his fingers together. He stares off into space for a while, then adjusts his pencils in his mug on the desk. Finally, after what seems like ages, he looks up to Alyssa, as if he's surprised to see her. This was his routine. He thinks it makes them more nervous, and therefor more likely to be honest. It doesn't always work out that way, and ends up just being a giant waste of time.

He turns his chair and looks to his computer. "Daydreaming in class?" He shifts an interrogative eye to Alyssa.
 
Carefully watching the principal as he sat down and proceeded to ignore her for a few minutes, Alyssa realized something. It was the exact same thing that he had done to her the last time she was in here. She still felt anxious and had to restrain herself from fidgeting, but her worst problem was that the window behind the man was huge and offered a stunning view of the sky. It was sorely tempting to start daydreaming about what it would be like to have wings. Maybe fangs too, like one of those vampiric angels in the book she had been reading last night.. No, no. Focus. Do that dream later in bed. Daydreaming in front of the principal after getting sent here for just that reason was a bad idea.


"Y-Yes," she stuttered as he questioned her, startled out of her thoughts by his voice. Nodding a little, she looked down at her hands in her lap and frowned anxiously. "Mr. Fenner was covering the homework and I already knew all the answers so I stopped paying attention," she admitted, not bothering to lie since he likely already knew anyway.
 
Mr. Niles holds his curious gaze for a moment longer before cracking a smile and chuckling heartily. "Yes, yes I know. I'm really only doing this as a formality," he says while resting his arm on his desk and leaning into it. "Listen, Alyssa. You're one of our best students. I know you know your stuff. Just don't let this daydreaming nonsense get the best of you. You're wasting potential." He sits upright, and waves a hand dismissively. "Now go on to lunch," he frowns, "and tell your friend Nick to come on in." He said the "Nick" part in a particularly sour tone. Nick was always in trouble for sleeping, and whereas Alyssa's grades get her off the hook, Cs and Ds don't exactly pull any strings.
 
Alyssa blinked in surprise and looked up, listening closely as Mr. Niles seemed to carelessly brush aside her wrongdoing. He didn't seem to care. What did bother her was that he called daydreaming nonsense. It was hardly nonsense. Without daydreams and dreaming at night, she probably wouldn't have anything worth living for. That thought struck her deeply, but she realized then that it was true. Her dreams kept her going when nothing else could. She managed a small smile and nodded as he waved her away to lunch, scrambling up out of the chair. Nick? Was that the boy's name?


"Your turn. Good luck.. and, thanks.. for earlier," she said as she passed by the boy, stuttering slightly but managing to speak in a somewhat normal tone. Giving him a faint smile, she fled out the door and made her way down the hall to the cafeteria. She was late enough that there was no line, but there was also no seat or empty tables so she went outside. The picnic tables were full as well, so she sat on the wall surrounding the garden and kept her gaze down, just hoping that she'd be able to finish eating today before somebody noticed her and bullied her around.
 
Nick looked up as he heard the girl exit the office. "Eh? Ah, right," he replied, barely getting a word in before her hasty retreat. He ruffles his hair and slumps into Mr. Niles' office, emotionally groaning over the lecture he's going to get.

Mr. Niles doesn't look up from his computer, starting off his lame little charade. It doesn't work on Nick. It never did, really. After his act is played through, and his moment of mock surprise is over, Mr. Niles starts tapping his fingers on the desk. "How many times has it been this week already, Nick?" He sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand.

"Ah. Three, sir." Nick replied coolly.

"And what day is it?"

"Tuesday, sir."

Mr. Niles says nothing, and just hands him a detention slip. "Go to lunch, Nick. There's really nothing left to say to you." Nick takes the slip and reads it as he leaves. "It's a pleasure as always, Mr. Niles," he calls back to the man waving him off from his chair. Nick leaves the office and crumples the paper into his pocket. He heads to the cafeteria and grabs whatever is for lunch that day. Pasta and bread sticks. Definitely not Nick's favorite lunch. He's not much of a fan of Italian food, and he picks at it as he heads to his table. He sits down among his several friends and eats his side dishes with peace of mind.

(Wow! Sorry about that. We switched to cable internet so it was down for the longest time. 'Hope you're not mad.)
 
[[No worries! ^^]]


Alyssa had just picked up a breadstick when her tray was knocked from her lap and landed upside down on the walkway. It splattered and she froze, then slowly looked up. Standing there with a smirk was Nikki, the girl who made it her mission to make Alyssa's life a living hell. Head cheerleader, captain of both the field hockey team and the softball team, and class president. The blonde had it all, including the reputation of a cold-hearted slut who was going to community college since sleeping with her teachers wasn't working this year.


"Oops, sorry. Didn't notice you," Nikki said, and the girls who constantly followed her around giggled.


"No problem," Alyssa muttered, not rising to the obvious bait. She slid off the wall and bent to pick up the tray, and Nikki stepped forward and kicked her in the side so that she fell over on her hands and knees and got sauce all over her jeans. The girls left and she sighed, sitting back against the wall and just wishing she could go home.
 
Nick looks out the window as his friends chat about the game last night. Sports wasn't really his thing. He'd rather play games, personally. He starts to daydream about a giant drill tossing up dirt in the middle of the soccer fields outside the window. He chuckles to himself as he imagines the players shielding themselves from flying dirt and mud. Out of his peripheral vision, he sees one of his friends ex-girlfriends facing the window.

"Yo, dude. Isn't that Nikki?" Nick said, pointing meekly toward the window. His friend David squints to look. He has awful vision but refuses to get glasses. "Uhhh... Yeah. I think that is. What is she doing? That freak." He dismisses it and goes back to listening to the other boys. Nick continues to watch curiously. She opens her mouth, apparently talking to someone. Was there someone against the wall that he couldn't see? He stands up a little to look, craning his neck to be able to see over the wall. Nikki kicks something, and messy blonde hair blurs into his vision, and catches itself with it's hands. Nikki and her crew leaves, and he notices a tray face down, red sauce staining the grass around it. He sighs and stands up with his tray, his friends not minding him.

Nick walks outside with his tray and approaches the girl. "Yo. Still hungry? I don't like Italian," He offers, extending the tray with one hand, his other in his pocket. This was convenient. He wasn't going to eat his, and it's a damn waste to throw it away. He hates wasting things.
 
Eyes closed as she imagined how awesome it would be if the entire school just blew up and she never had to go back, Alyssa didn't even realize that she had been approached again until Nick spoke up. Startled, she looked up at him and saw the tray that he was offering her. He was being nice to her? Again? Before today she had barely seen him in the halls and now she had run into him three times, and every single time he had been kind to her. It was.. bizarre. Definitely not something that she was used to. She took the offered tray uncertainly and set it in her lap, not getting up from her seat on the ground.


"I.. uh.. Thanks.." she stuttered hesitantly, not really knowing what to say. She wanted to ask why he wasn't acting like a prick like everybody else, but there was no way to phrase that in a way that didn't make her look like an idiot. Looking down, she fidgeted a little and finally nodded to the spot next to her. "You can.. sit with me if you want to.." she offered softly, shocked at herself for even suggesting it.
 
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