The Difference Between Dreams and Reality[CHPT 10]

A/N: YAY! Few more reviews and I’m back all ready! Lol. I am all ready really enjoying writing this story and I’m surprised how often I’ve updated. Usually, I’d just update once a week…but it’s nice to feel inspired!

Anyways, enjoy! And if you really like it, please send your reviews my way!


Chapter 3: Enter Toby, A second visit from a stranger

Sunday was a blur of Re-runs and being an all around couch potato. Hearing from my mystery man, as I’ve come to call him, was the best news I had heard in a while. Sadly, I was too tired from crying and pouting the night before to feel inspired enough to get off my lazy ass and do something.

Monday followed soon after…

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Driving to school on a Monday after a long weekend took all my strength. I moved the hair out of my eyes so I could see the road better and sped up a little.

Apparently the speeding didn’t help, I was late anyways. Instead of “attempting to skip” like I had previously, I just gave in and walked to English late.

When I walked in everyone was sleeping during the lecture as usual and I just took my seat without a word. After Mrs. Grind finished her lecture on people not turning in their homework she came up to me, towering in front of my desk.

“Ms. Dale, nice of you to decide to come to class today,” she began. “And might I ask where you’ve been lately?” I miss first period a little (okay, a lot) more often than most.

“You may ask,” I replied rudely. I was all ready getting fed up with this old bag.

Mrs. Grind Looked insulted. Gathering her thoughts, she replied, “I believe I all ready did. It would be nice if you would come on time for once.”

I gave her a look and asked, “What does it matter to you?”

Mrs. Grind just gave me a rude look and headed to the front of the classroom to continue her teaching and attempt to make me look childish (she failed at that).

It wasn’t often that I had an argument with a teacher. I just don’t have enough respect for adults, I guess. I’m kind enough on the surface and the surface is as far of a relationship I’d ever plan to have with a teacher.

My thoughts shot back to the storage stranger, and I day dreamed throughout the remainder of first period.

The bell rang and we all rushed out to get out of class. I, of course, was the first out.
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Second period and so on took forever to pass by. When It was finally time for lunch I was more prepared to take a nap than eat, but I found Hannah and Darcy anyways.

Today Darcy was wearing these ridiculously pink fluffy boots. They were over these “stylish” tight jeans and a pink sweater with some brand name scribbled on it that wasn’t legible to me. I didn’t say anything, though, because Darcy was the only person cute enough to pull it off, and the rocked her outfit. She’s such a character.

It took longer to find Hannah. She’s always mingling and by the time we found her we had hit most tables in the lunch room. Hannah can adapt to any group. She could hang with the preps or skaters, even gothic kids. She was more than a social butterfly. More like a social dragon.

If I had Hannah’s people-person skills and Darcy’s cuteness, I just might succeed as an actress. I never feel ugly, but ordinary…that’s me. Melissa the medieval, ordinary girl.

“Wake up, Melissa!” shouted Darcy. “Do you see that guy over there?”

I snapped away from my thoughts and looked at Darcy like she was crazy. When I looked over to see who she and Hannah kept saying to look at I saw him. It was my brother, Kenneth, and he was talking to my childhood friend, Toby.

“Wow,” I said aloud as my jaw broke open with a gasp. He was a lot taller now, and cuter, and just an overall wow to me. I was defiantly impressed with how much he had changed.

Toby used to be a little snitch growing up. He was my best friend through grades 1-4. I met Darcy in 4th grade, which is how she recognized him. Hannah had been told the story of our friendship time and time again so she new all the details, even though both Darcy and I only met her in seventh grade.

Toby and I hadn’t seen each other for years because he had moved away at the end of fourth grade. His family was moving because his father had a job transfer to Hawaii, of all places. He was in the sixth grade when I was in the fourth. My brother’s age, and also my next door neighbor since birth. Talk about memory lane.

“Melissa, maybe you should stop your trip down memory lane and look who’s coming your way,” reminded Hannah.

“Oh, shit,” I gawked. Toby and my brother were coming this way.

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“Melissa,” Kenneth stated factually. “You remember Toby, right?”

I was surprised to see Toby now. But even more surprised my dear brother Kenneth broke his own vow of not talking to me in public at school. Lots of people were staring because my famous basketball star brother was talking to someone like me and addressing me by name. If only they knew the half of it.

“I remember Toby, of course. But who exactly are you and how do you know my name?” I asked with the best smart-ass voice I could muster.

Toby started laughing hysterically. He had known us for a very long time, and knew how we were. Hannah, Darcy and I took our things and left. Toby followed behind us and Kenneth just stood in silence and shock for a moment before he turned around to his fans and explained I was just joking and that I was his sister.

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Toby caught up with us just as the bell rang. “Melissa, wait!” he shouted as I turned to leave for class. I came back toward him.

“Do you need something?”

He smirked wide as he could and looked at his feet and began to laugh lightly. His brown hair that was at his ear fell wildly across his face. He brushed the hair out of his face as he looked me back in the eye.

“Welcome back home,” I laughed with him.

We hugged, right there in the hallway. Toby was back and looking better than ever. It was so amazing that I almost forgot about drama class. I was late there, too. But thoughts of Toby and our childhood clouded my vision, and the rest of the day went by as fast as it ever had.

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I talked to Toby after school. Apparently his father was transferred back because his mother was pregnant and it would be better if his father was here, where their entire family was. They wanted the baby to grow up around everyone. They even got the house next to our, again. People who had moved their since Toby’s families absence usually only stayed a year or two, which is lucky for Toby, because they got their old house back.

I gave him a ride home, and dropped him off in front of his house, remaining in the car.

“Aren’t you going home?” Toby asked.

“I have some things to do. I’ll help you guys unpack a little later and I might even bake a pie and do the ‘neighborly thing,’” I reassured him.

We gave a partial hug through the window and I continued to drive. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I didn’t want to go home yet. Having Toby back was great, but I still couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger I longed to meet once more.

I almost forgot about him at lunch because of Toby, and maybe that was a good thing. Obsessing over someone you never met could be a bad thing, after all. But I just felt like I knew him. I know now, thanks to my questioning journal, that he isn’t just a dream. He’s real.

Ever since Saturday night, when I had found my questions answered, I have been carrying it with me. I pulled up to a Starbucks and stayed in my car, digging through my schoolbag.

When I found my Question Journal, I pulled it out and a pen.

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Entry 3:
When will I see you next?
Do you attend my school?
Can we ever meet face-to-face?
Can you at least give me a name?

Can I touch your lips?

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Part of me was a little afraid to put the last question in my entry. I felt that I should be expressive, though. I’ve always felt like I could say a million more things to someone through a letter, so why not a journal entry?

Leaving the journal in the car, on my seat, I hopped out. Before I shut the door, I picked up the journal and gave it a peck on the front page. I left the car unlocked and grabbed my purse. I was going to have some hot chocolate at Starbucks and then I was going to walk a ways down the street to the local market to grab a few things I could use around the house and to buy a pie for Toby’s family, Like I’d said I would. Toby knew better than anyone, I couldn’t bake pie for my life, so he knew he was getting something store-bought.

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Starbucks was relatively busy today. It was a nice day, so it was common to see people at Starbucks. I took my time ordering, as if I had something else on my mind and ended up getting hot chocolate and a muffin. I wish I could bring myself to change my tastes, because if I could I’d have coffee. I’m still so childish in so many ways.

After taking my time at Starbucks I headed over toward the market. I didn’t look back at the car to see if anything had happened with my journal. It was hard not to, though.

I walked through the entrance to the market and hardly anyone was there. It had been pretty empty since Wal-Mart had been built two blocks down the road. This market was a little one that was locally own by Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, an old couple that had worked hard for their own business. I always felt it was my duty to continue to shop here, because they were here since I was a little girl.

I didn’t even see Mr. Brooks at the cash register, as he usually was, so I just headed back to look for some cereal. We were out of cereal and mom forgot to buy some more. I headed to the dry food section and picked out Cheerios.

“Perfect,” I commented on my choice. Kenneth hated Cheerios.

When I turned around to look for the frozen food section, all the lights went out. From my previous battles with no lights, I just stood still.

“Mr. Brooks?”

No reply.

It was getting to be a little weird with their being no one around and it being dark…so I sat down. I sat and waited.

Closing my eyes I said “If you’re out there, I’m right here waiting for you.”


A few moment later I felt someone’s lips on mine. I opened my eyes and all I could see were those oh-so-famous teal eyes I had come to long for.

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I reached up to his hair and stuck my fingers in it. Thick, I noted. I stood up and brought him with me. I pushed him against an isle of cereal boxes and a few tumbled down as I intensified the kiss.

He was right to begin with, I wanted it after all.

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He pushed me back onto the floor and laid me on my back. I gave no objections and laid there while his fingers roamed over my shirt and under it. His lips never left mine, except in between breaths as his hand slowly roamed up to my back and unhinged my bra.

I was pretty curious as to why he did this with my shirt still on. It must have been difficult, but he played it as if taking off my bra was as easy as snapping his fingers. He tucked the bra somewhere and brought his hands toward my mounds. I gasped as his fingers roamed over my nipples slowly.

“Tender,” He whispered in my ear as he broke the kiss to caress my neck with kisses. I continued to be awed by his hands on my porcelain skin. His hands felt rough against my breasts, but nice. It was another sensation, only this was an even better sensation than the kisses he had given me before.

I felt cold as he removed his hands from underneath my shirt and I didn’t know where he went for a moment when I felt his presence had gone.

“Don’t leave me,” I pleaded in a soft whisper.

Suddenly I felt him beside me. “I won’t,” he breathed “And I’ll come for you again tomorrow.”

Before he could leave, I pulled on what I thought was his shoulder and pulled him toward me. I saw those dazzling Teal eyes again and before he could turn away again he handed me my journal and I pulled his face near mine and kissed his lips with infatuation.

He left, but I didn’t feel lost. I grabbed my cheerios off the floor, among other boxes that had fallen during our passionate rampage as the lights turned back on. Mr. Brooks came in talking about having troubles with animals getting into the trash out back. He asked if everything was all right in the store and I said everything was fine. He rung up my cereal, and I headed on my way with my cereal and my journal.

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When I got in my car, I opened up my journal.
It read:

Entry 3:
When will I see you next? You just did
Do you attend my school? In a way
Can we ever meet face-to-face? We have, just without the lights on
Can you at least give me a name? For now, you can call me nine. That’s my lucky number

Can I touch your lips? Anytime you please

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I was very enthusiastic to read his replies. Nine. I would call him Nine from now on. It was nice to have something other than “stranger” to call him.

For the time being I had completely forgotten about the pie and Toby and just drove home in a daze. When I got inside my mother was baking. A pie was all ready baked and it looked like she was working on some cookies now.

“Hey mom, can I help with anything?” I asked politely.

“Oh, yeah, if you know where the butter is,” she replied.

I had forgotten the butter.

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A/N: I hope this chapter sounds better than I feel it does. It’s a bit longer than the others. I didn’t mean to focus as much on Toby as I did. I’m trying to bring in more characters and create a more realistic feeling for this story.

If you’d like to see another chapter, please drop me a review! Thanks a bunch to those of you who have reviewed me!

- Jenna