Dreamscape: Saving Alex Read Free

strayed to the
ceiling.
    “There’s something I need to tell you, but I don’t
know how,” she said.
    The pit in my stomach opened. Natalie always knew
how to tell me everything. I took a deep breath. “What is it?”
    “It’s about Brian.” She exhaled deeply and met my
gaze.
    “About Brian?” I took another breath and traced
his face in the picture.
    “He knows.”
    “He knows about what?” My voice, even as a
whisper, shook. With one look, I understood exactly what she meant.
    “I’m so sorry,” she said, squeezing my hand. “Like
I said, we saw the truck stop by your house.” Natalie looked back at the
ceiling.
    “And?” I asked in a whisper.
    “Melissa saw it too, and you know how she is. She
called her mom, her mom called yours…” She stopped talking and gave me a sad
smile. “She found out that you were moving this weekend and told him.”
    My mind spun. I looked at the walls and the
ground, desperate for something to stabilize my thoughts, but nothing worked.
Everything was a blurry mess. Including my heart.
    Natalie bit her lip and winced. “There’s more.”
    “Just tell me.” I flipped the frame upside down so
I didn’t see his smile.
    “He asked her to the dance.” Natalie cringed.
    My breath quickened. I couldn’t decide which
betrayal hurt worse.
     

Chapter Two
 
    He asked Melissa.
    Those three words rang in my ears. How could he do
that? Ask me out one minute and someone else the next, without even talking to
me? It felt like some sort of cruel joke, and I was the punchline.
    I looked at Natalie, her face scrunched as she
waited. I didn’t know what she was waiting for. A reaction, maybe? I wanted to
run and hide, cry, shout, hit something, but I couldn’t. I was frozen from the
inside out. Every inch of my mind stuck on those words.
    His words. My mom’s words. Too many words that
weren’t mine deciding my life.
    “Are you okay?” Natalie asked.
    “No…yeah…I guess,” I mumbled.
    “I thought you needed to know,” she said sadly.
“But hey, it’s not all bad.” She squeezed my hand and put on her best
cheerleading smile.
    “Not all bad? In what world?” I rolled my eyes and
frowned.
    “Look, you know I think Brian’s a player. He’s
always been one. You can do so much better than him anyway. Speaking of…think
of all those new guys in Portland.”
    “Yeah,” I scoffed. “That’s exactly what I want to
do.”
    “I’m just saying. You’re going there. You might as
well have something to look forward to. So what do you think?” She plopped down
on the bed beside me, her ponytail swishing over her shoulders. “Lumberjack or
grunge?” she asked, bringing up an old joke we’d made when my parents first
told me we were moving.
    “Are you serious?”
    “Come on, come on, come on,” she urged. “Make a
choice.”
    Her words struck me. I looked up with wide eyes.
“Make a choice,” I whispered, and then louder, “you’re right. That’s exactly
what I’m going to do.” I shuffled back into a sitting position, arms tucked
around my legs, and bit my lower lip. “Definitely the lumberjack. I’ve always
loved the forest.” A small smile grew at the edge of my mouth. How could she do
that? Turn the worst news into a joke. I guess that’s one of the reasons she’s
my best friend.
    “Awesome. Lumberjack it is, then. Let’s get these
boxes packed so you can go hook up with Paul.”
    “Paul?”
    “Uh, yeah, don’t tell me you haven’t heard of Paul
Bunyan. He’s big, strong, and probably just what you need.”
    “Stop it!” I laughed, throwing my pillow at her.
“Just watch out or I’ll send his ox down to get you.”
    “I’m scared.” She trembled. “Now, give me a box.”
    Just like that, my room started getting packed.
Piece by piece, shirt by shirt, trophy by trophy, everything found its way into
one of the boxes. Before long, my safe haven slipped away, transforming into a
blank slate. The tears stung, painfully clinging to the