Five

I told my parents my stomach was bothering me the next day so I wouldn't have to face Sam or my friends. I left my phone on the ground where I threw it last night, not wanting to interact with anyone or do anything. For the first time in a while, I felt really depressed. And though my heart feels the pain, my brain isn't completely sure why I'm feeling this way. After all, I went on one date. It shouldn't feel this bad.

I lay in my bed for most of the morning. My alarm clock tells me the time, but it seems to drift away.

Come 2 o' clock, I haven't eaten anything all day. I do, however, hear my ringtone of Austin's cell. I sigh and walk over to my phone to pick it up, and I answer it.

"Dylan, are you okay?" he asks as soon as I pick up.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"You weren't answering any texts and didn't show up, you had me worried," he says, a little panicked.

"I'm sorry. For some reason this whole situation has got me a lot more down than I was expecting. I just couldn't bear seeing Sam and having my friends think of me as a loser."

He sighs. "Dylan, you're not a loser. All of us were worried about you, you know. Even Sammy. We all care about you and we wouldn't make fun of you for something like that."

I pause and frown. "Sorry for worrying you. Thanks for checking in. I do appreciate it."

"Of course. You're the only best friend I've got. I can't lose you," he says, a little more lighthearted. I smile.

"I'll be staying around. Don't you worry."

"Good. I have to drive home, so I'll talk to you later, okay? I hope you're feeling better soon."

"I'll talk to you later. Bye, Aus."

Once we hang up, I put my phone down on my bed next to me. After hearing from him, I become even more confused as to why I felt so down. I knew well that my friends are always there for me, no matter how sarcastic they may be. So why did I have to avoid them?

No, there has to be something more to this. Something else is bugging me, but I can't pinpoint it at all. I just feel off, and can't get out of this slump.

I finally check my phone after half a day of ignoring the world. Unsurprisingly, I have a lot of text messages and social media notifications. Austin worrying about me, Marie wondering where I was, Sammy...

Sammy feeling terrible.

I couldn't help but feel guilty when I see her texts. The amount of times she apologized was ridiculous, and it was clear she felt like she hurt me. And even though she did, my heart wrenched to see my close friend feeling terrible because of me.

A big part of me wanted to just snap my phone in half and go off the grid for a month. The level of stress I've felt well up inside of me the past week has been enormous, for no reason other than me going on an unsuccessful date and embarrassing myself. What's wrong with me? Why am I so heated?

The rest of the day goes by in what feels like a minute. I find myself in the same place I stayed the rest of the day, in my bed. Deciding to just give it up, I finally end up going to sleep after a full day of ignoring my friends and my parents, as well as my responsibilities.

*

I hear wind all around me, feeling the breeze give me goosebumps. Part of me hears my name being called in the distance, but no one is in sight. I fall backwards into grass, feeling as though I'm floating, despite being on the ground. After laying for a short while, I peer up ahead of me and see a figure walking my way. Their form was really blurry and obscured for some reason, but the presence felt recognizable.

I stand up again, waiting for the person to come closer. As they make their way toward me, a sense of warmth runs through me, despite not seeing what they look like. The wind blows away from me in all directions, warming me, much like a blanket.

Once they make their way to me, I feel even more warmth. It's indescribable. It's not a suffocating outer warmth, but a warmth inside, running through my veins.

They hug me. I hold on tight, not wanting to let go.

"I'm here for you," they coo.

"Thank you."

I look at their face and my heart melts. Their smile emits even more warmth, engulfing me further. "I..."

*

I wake up, my heart swelling. The dream felt so real, despite not even knowing who the subject was.

I take a look at my clock and see that it's 2:39am. I let out a sigh and try to go back to sleep, realizing that affection was on my mind because of all the Sammy drama. By morning, I didn't remember having any other dreams besides that.