“NO!” I SHOUTED AS I AWAKENED FROM MY NIGHTMARE in a frenzy. Jason was instantly upon me, pleading with me to remain calm.
“It’s just a dream, Adam! Adam, snap out of it!” Jason shouted as he slapped me hard across the face. I barely felt the blow, but it was enough to free me from my delirium. Jason stared strangely at me as I tried to catch my breath.
I stood and gazed around the room, trying to remember where I was. The room was dark, but when I noticed the large screen that Monica and I had watched the Travis concert on, I realized that I must have been back at 3D. I slowly started to remember running to the Third Dimension after the skirmish with my father.
“What are you doing here, Jason?” I asked.
“I was working on an expansion room and came in here to get some supplies. What are you doing here? It’s two o’clock in the morning.”
“I just needed some air,” I lied as I diverted my eyes from his gaze. Something about the way that he was looking at me let me know that he didn’t believe me. I pretended not to notice, but as I looked away, I saw what appeared to be military grade body armor and combat gear lying on the couch behind us. Looks like I’m not the only one who’s hiding something, I thought.
“Anything you want to talk about?” Jason asked, his voice dripping with concern.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Well, you don’t seem fine. What’s going on with you, buddy? You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“I said I’m fine. Why do you care anyway?” I demanded as I turned my back to him. He was right. I was acting differently. I was changing too suddenly and I didn’t know why or how to control it.
“Adam, I’m your Ace, bro. You know you can tell me anything, right?”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Ace. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later,” I said flatly as I left the Third Dimension. Jason didn’t deserve the cold shoulder that I was giving him, but I wasn’t feeling very sociable at that moment. I wanted to speed off into the night once more, but I didn’t know if he was watching or following me.
IT TOOK ME ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES TO WALK TO MONICA’S house. It was a quiet night and there were no lights on in any of the suburban houses in Monica’s neighborhood. I looked at my watch and scratched my head as I stood across the street, deciding whether or not to stop by.
Finally, I took a deep breath and crossed the street. I stopped just as I reached the front lawn because I realized that I didn’t know which room was her room, and I wasn’t exactly prepared to walk up and ring the doorbell at 2:42 in the morning.
Better luck next time, I thought as I prepared to leave. Just as I was about to make my exit, a light was switched on in the front room of Monica’s home. I was frozen in place as I considered peeking through the window.
What if it’s one of her parents? I thought. What if a neighbor sees me? Sure, I had topped 85 miles per hour on foot earlier that night, but I was starving at the moment. I doubted if I could have even hit 40 miles per hour with what I had left in the tank. The thought of only being able to run 40 miles per hour made me chuckle a bit.
I convinced myself that even at forty miles per hour I would be able to escape if I needed to. I took a deep breath and made my way over to the window of the lit room.
My palms were sweating profusely as I raised my hands to the window. I placed my face against the glass and peered inside just in time to see a female switch off the lights and head toward the stairs. I couldn’t tell if this was Dr. Kate or Monica due to the absence of light as well as their striking similarities. My heart pounded as I contemplated knocking on the window. What if it’s Dr. Kate? I thought. But what if it’s not?! My conscious fired back.
Screw it, I thought as I raised my hand and lightly tapped on the window just as she started to climb the stairs. As the shadowy figure paused, my heart skipped a beat and I considered dashing away.
My heart thumped harder as the individual whipped around and faced the window. Her face was still shrouded in shadow, but something told me that this was Dr. Kate. Run! My mind screamed at my legs, but my legs wouldn’t listen.
I’m not sure why I closed my eyes. A natural reaction to fear, I suppose. I stood there for a moment with my eyes clinched shut until I heard her muffled laughter. My face grew warm as I opened my eyes and saw Monica snickering at me through the glass. Relief and embarrassment washed over me all at once. She smiled warmly and motioned for me to move to the south side of the house.
HER ROOM WAS EXACTLY HOW I IMAGINED IT WOULD BE. The warm color scheme of her wallpaper and the covers on her large, comfortable bed blended perfectly with her warm personality. The room was so neat and clutter-free that I’m sure I could have searched for hours without finding a single speck of dust.
“Has anyone ever spent any time in this room?” I asked, smiling.
“Of course. This is my room.” Monica grinned.
“This can’t be your room. It’s too clean. It’s like a museum in here!”
Monica laughed and placed her index finger over her mouth, indicating that I was talking too loudly.
“Sorry. I can get a little carried away at times,” I admitted.
“Tell me about it,” she grinned.
“You’re one to talk, Mrs. O.C.D.”
“What makes you think I’m O.C.D.?” she asked, smiling even wider.
I scanned her room for a few seconds and then looked directly into her golden eyes.
“I will bet you $3.67 that the books on that shelf are in complete alphabetical order,” I said pointing at the bookshelf to the left of her bed.
She bit her bottom lip in a failed effort to keep from smiling. We both burst into laughter, then pressed our hands against our mouths to drown the sound. As we continued to struggle to suppress our laughter, I realized that I was as happy as I had ever been in my life. There was something about her that lifted my spirits beyond measure. I knew that she would never believe it, but most of the way I felt about her had nothing to do with the fact that she is drop dead gorgeous. Of course, I didn't mind that part either.
“So, I’m thinking about trying out for basketball on Monday,” I said with a silly grin. I had been thinking about putting my new physical abilities to use on the court but I was really only half serious. I just wanted to see what she thought about the idea.
“Really? I had no idea that you played basketball. I love to watch but I couldn’t play if my life depended on it.”
“Maybe you could come and watch me play if I make the team?” I asked, bracing myself for rejection.
“Sure. I’d love to. Let me know how tryouts go.”
“Will do. Do you want to meet up afterward?”
Monica smiled and nodded her head. “Sure. I’ll meet you in front of the gym.”
If her offer to meet in me front of the gym was a gesture to show me that she wasn’t ashamed to be seen with me in public, it had definitely worked.
A rustle in the hallway outside of her room startled us both. I stood and quickly scurried over to the window as silently as I could. I can’t describe the degree of disappointment that I felt as I realized our rendezvous was about to come to an end. We could both hear footsteps approaching outside her room as I lifted the window and prepared to venture back out into the night.
I climbed out of the window and looked back at Monica who, by the look on her face, was apparently just as disappointed as I was that I had to leave. My palms grew sweaty as she slightly leaned toward me.
Go for it! I screamed inside my head as we silently gazed into each other’s eyes. It didn’t take long for my body to respond to my brain’s request. As our faces neared, I closed my eyes and smiled as I felt Monica plant a kiss on my right cheek. It was cute. Not what I was hoping for, but cute nonetheless.
I turned to dash away but stopped and looked back at her once more. “Monica, what are we? I mean, are we a couple now? I just-”
A knock on Monica’s door silenced me. She quickly whipped around and faced the door. By
the time she looked back to reply to my question, I was already 900 meters away dashing back to my house at 35 miles per hour. There was no way I could have known that as she peered into the darkness before her, she uttered the word, “Yes.”
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