Birds. I hear them singing, and I find myself in a lush, green forest with exotic flowers and brightly-colored birds flying between the branches of tall trees. This is a dream, I know that much already. Suddenly, I feel a heavy weight roll onto my right leg, and I realized that this whole time, I've been staring into the clouds, not bothering to look down once. I slowly glanced at the ground.
Only to find that my right leg was engulfed in quicksand.
My eyes snapped open, my breath coming fast, and I looked around, relieved that instead of a jungle, I was on the floor of Caleb's bedroom. I saw a watch sitting on a table, and I tried to move so I could see what time it was. Funny enough, I still felt that weight, which had now spread to both of my legs and my stomach, pinning me to the floor. Feeling a wave of warmth go across my face, I looked down, having a strange guess of what might be on me. And I was right.
It was Caleb.
He was curled into a ball, most of his body on my legs. But his head rested on my stomach, and when I saw all of this, I shivered uncontrollably, hot flashes racing all over my body. His face caught my eye, though, and I leaned in closer. Caleb's face was serene, and it made me hate what I had to do, but I knew I was probably going to break something if I didn't.
I had to wake Caleb up. I wondered if he would freak out, discovering where he was. Or maybe... I don't know what will happen. I thought for a moment, contemplating how I should wake him up. What happened next took care of that question. I heard the doorknob turn, since the bedroom door was closed all this time, and I panicked. Hoping I looked somewhat like I was asleep, I squinted my eyes, rolled my head onto one shoulder, and let my arms go slack. The door opened, making me see a sheen of sunlight cut through to the once-dark bedroom. I heard light footsteps and a quiet giggle, confirming my suspicions that the person was Caleb's mom.
After a minute, I felt Caleb's breathing slightly quicken, showing me that he was finally awake. He started to sit up, still not realizing what was under him, but his mom stopped him, gently pushing him back down. As I sent a silent thank-you to his mom, Caleb became fully awake and he whispered,"Where's Emma?" His mom pointed below him and he looked at me. A blush covered his face, and he carefully got off of me. I took this moment to "wake up," rubbing my eyes groggily and murmuring a "good morning." Caleb's mom slipped out, saying that she was going to begin making breakfast.
Caleb turned to me, his eyes soft and his smile gentle, and said,"Morning, Em." The nickname he gave me made my skin tingle, and I grinned back at him. He stood up and held out his hand. "Here, let me help you." I hesitantly took his hand and stood up, wincing as a dull ache reverberated through my legs. Caleb saw this, and concern flashed in his eyes. "Are you okay?" Caleb asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, my legs are just a little stiff," I replied, winking at him and grinning. He blushed and looked away, but then turned to me again. I sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing my calves, and then, all of a sudden, Caleb went down on his knees in front of me.
What is he doing? I blushed profusely when I thought of people proposing to each other, but he can't be doing that... right? But then Caleb surprised me. He wrapped both of his arms around my legs and rested his head on my knees. I know my face must've gotten as red as a firetruck when he did that, but then I got an idea. I can't really hug Caleb like this, yet I can do something to make him blush as hard as I did. And no, it does not involve kissing.
I took my hand and started to run my fingers through his soft, dirty blonde hair. Feeling Caleb's arms stiffen, I smiled, and we stayed like this for a good bit. We broke out of it, though, when Caleb's mom called up to us, saying that breakfast was ready. Both of us stood up, and Caleb clutched my hand gently, holding it until we reached the base of the stairs.Quickly eating the blueberry muffins that his mom made, Caleb and I cleaned up and ran back upstairs.
"We've got a full agenda today," he said, catching me off guard.
"Oh?"
"Don't kill me, but I'd like to introduce you to a few of my best friends. I think, with their help and my help combined, you can say 'goodbye' to depression."
I definitely was nervous about meeting new people- I always am- but if Caleb knows they're good, then I'm totally fine with it. Plus, I thought it was pretty sweet that he was thinking of me and how to help.
"Okay. So, what's going to happen?"
"Well, in about an hour, my two friends from the football team, Adam and Dave, are coming over. They are going to bring their girlfriends, Victoria and Crystal, who, if you're cool with it, are planning on taking you on some sort of shopping spree. I think that with those two, you'll have lots of fun."
I'm not the biggest fan of shopping unless it's for books, but today, I'll keep myself open-minded. "Alright. Well, I'll go get ready, then. I don't want to keep them waiting," I responded. Caleb got the hint and went to the bathroom, leaving his room for me to use. Changing into black jeans, a dark green shirt, and knee- high black boots, I knew I looked ready for October, not late April. But I shrugged it off and walked out of the room.
Finding the bathroom empty, I had just enough time to brush my hair and teeth and wash my face before I heard a car honk its horn briefly outside. My heart fluttered in my chest, and, for the first time, I as excited to see Caleb's friends.
I rushed down the steps and followed the sound of voices into the library. Caleb was speaking to two guys and girls that I knew were from our high school, but couldn't quite place who exactly they were. One of the boys had floppy, platinum blonde hair, with pale skin and ice-blue eyes. The other one was tan, with spiky black hair and hazel eyes. They both stood up as I walked in, and I saw that they were both tall and muscular.
The one with the blue eyes held out his hand shyly and said,"Hi, I'm Adam. It's nice to meet someone I've heard so much about!" I shook his hand and smiled.
The other one, with the hazel eyes, shook my hand fervently and exclaimed,"So you're Emma! It's marvelous to be able to put a name and a boat load of information to a face at last! I'm Dave, by the way." It was funny to see the two boys sitting next to each other, since they seemed like polar opposites to me. But what I found even funnier was the fact that they have heard quite a bit about me, most likely from Caleb. I caught his eye and raised an eyebrow, after which he went a little pink in the face.
The four friends saw this and tried, but failed, to cover their grins. I changed my view now to the girls. The first had long auburn hair, with emerald eyes and olive skin. The second, whom I noticed was the only one here that was wearing glasses, had chin-length, milk-chocolate hair, sapphire-like eyes, and a fair skin tone. They jumped up, ran over to me, and began talking.
"Oh my gosh! It's so awesome to meet you! I'm Crystal," the green-eyed girl said. She proceeded to whisper in my ear,"Dave's my boyfriend, just so you know."
The other girl said to me,"It's so wonderful to meet you! I'm Victoria." With a pang, I realized that she was the captain of the dance troupe at school. She's really popular; actually, everyone in this room is really popular, excluding myself. Victoria politely excused herself, and Crystal and I sat down and talked.
"Hey, Emma!"
I eyed Crystal, who looked like she was ready to explode. Victoria was by the bookshelves, reading a book, and Caleb, Adam, and Dave were having a conversation with each other. "Yes?" I asked.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Sure, if you are."
Crystal called over her shoulder to Victoria, saying,"You ready?" I caught Adam glancing out of the corner of his eye at Victoria, and I smiled. She sighed and put the book back in its place, staring at it wistfully.
"I was at quite a suspenseful part, but Sherlock Holmes will have to wait until this afternoon,"she replied, flashing a grin in my direction. I think I'll really like Victoria; she seems so nice.
"Great." Crystal flew off the chair she was sitting in and went over to Dave. "Alrighty, guys, we're heading off. See you in a couple of hours!" she said, pecking her boyfriend on the nose. Victoria kissed Adam's cheek, and he kissed her back. Caleb squeezed my hand, and I squeezed his hand harder, oblivious to the people around us.
Soon enough, the three of us were on the road, Crystal in the driver's seat of Dave's car, a black 2012 Chevrolet Corvette convertible. The radio was blasting the male version of "Burnin' Up" by Jessie J, and as we were cruising along, my companions told me more about themselves. Victoria and I had similar likes; Crystal, not so much. Regardless, I could tell that we were going to be really good friends. Crystal told me to call her Chris, and Victoria said to call her Vic.
After a little bit, we arrived at a mall. Now, I've never been to a mall before, so this is foreign territory to me. Nonetheless, we went in and found our way around pretty quickly. The two told me that they knew about my depression and wanted to help me out. Chris told me,"I know that when people wear brighter colors, their spirits shoot up. What's the brightest color in your wardrobe?"
"Teal. Other than that, my clothing consists of black, dark green, dark blue, dark red, and brown."
"Well the, we need to get some brighter, lighter colors in there, don't you think?"
"Sure..."
Us three went to store after store, and it turned out that we had a lot of fun together. However, at the third store we visited, I heard a particular snarky voice heading our way. It could only be Lisa. Crystal and Victoria glanced at me, knowing full well who it was, and shoved me into a dressing room. "If you hear this-" Crystal snapped her fingers,"-then unlock the door, but do not come out," Crystal hissed through the door. Thirty seconds later, Lisa gasped and exclaimed,"Crystal! Victoria! How are you?" The two murmured 'good' back, and then Lisa proceeded to go into a full-blown conversation about the clothing in this store. Chris tactfully diverted Lisa's attention away from the dressing room and to a spot where she wouldn't see me.
I heard the signal, and I unlocked the door immediately. Someone from the other side opened the door quickly and beckoned me out. Darting behind a clothing rack, I saw that it was Vic. She whispered,"Hide yourself in the clothing rack. I'll come rescue you when the coast is clear," and winked. Nodding, I dived in between a bunch of dark maxi dresses that would definitely keep me concealed.
Five minutes later, when my knees were about to give from crouching for so long, I listened to Lisa say,"Ta-ta!" and the two said bye to her. Sighing in relief, Chris and Vic came over and saved me. I stretched as I stood up, shaking each of my sleeping limbs.
"Thanks, guys. I know that Lisa isn't exactly fond of me."
"No problem. Lisa may look the part of popular cheerleading captain, but underneath her cover is a lot of sinister things. She's been talking about this girl that 'threatens her position' with Caleb, whatever that means, but we both know the girl is you. So,we've got to keep you out of harm's way, right?"
"Sure."
We all laughed and continued our conquest through the mall. Now, I have clothing, shoes, and accessories of all colors of the rainbow, including white and a little bit of pink. Victoria wanted to stop by a book store real quick, so we each got a book; I, Matched by Ally Condie, Victoria, Attack on Titan-Volume seven by Hajime Isayama, and Crystal, Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander. I wanted to surprise Caleb when I came back, so I changed into a new outfit. It was a purple, knee-length skirt and a yellow shirt with short, puffy sleeves. With a white belt, white watch, and white sandals, I completed the look. Even though it was a tad girlier than I was used to, I actually really liked it.
The three of us went back to Caleb's house, and I was happy when he said he loved the outfit. About a hour after we came back, Adam, Victoria, Crystal, and Dave said their goodbyes and left. Thirty minutes later, I made sure all of my belongings were packed, and then Caleb walked back to my house with me, carrying my bag like last time.
"You look really pretty, Em," Caleb murmured, both of us blushing at the same moment. I was ecstatic that he thought I looked pretty. It was the kindest thing someone unrelated to myself ever said to me.
"Thanks," I said, holding his hand. This time, I didn't let go until we reached the front of my house. Caleb pulled a piece of slightly wrinkled paper and handed it to me. Unfolding it, I saw ten numbers written on it. My eyes widened as I realized I now have Caleb's phone number. Wow.
"If you ever need or want to talk or text me, here's my number, just in case," he said. He squeezed my shoulder and said,"I'll talk to you soon." But, before he left, he drew close to me. Putting his mouth next to my ear, he whispered one last thing:
"Sweet dreams, Em."
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Dear Readers,
How are you today? (*pretends you actually said something as I typed this*) Well, it's snowing for the ten-millionth time this winter, and I swear that I'll say "hallejuah" the first day I encounter warm air and can walk around outside without looking like I'm ready to go to Antarctica. But I am going to the state of Florida next week, so it's going to be great. Well, I'll send you a postcard with 'hallejuah' written all over it once I get there. Be prepared! Goodbye!
-Levilove6289