Short Stories

Short Story 23- Dreams

Bex fell asleep at nearly midnight, like every night, to a dreamless sleep. Although there was a girl. She sat at a picnic set in front of a setting sun, her fire colored hair flowing loose down her back. She turns around and waves at Bex. Feeling the calm and serene energy the mystery girl gives off consume them. Bex joins her on the picnic blanket. The girl's strawberry colored dress was placed delicately on her, the girl with the fire hair. She held out her hand, Bex grabbed it carefully.

"I'm Viana, who are you?" she asked sweetly, her voice sounded as if it was dripping with honey.

"Bex."

"Nice to meet you Bex. I hope you like cucumber sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies."

"Um... I've never had a cucumber sandwich. I didn't know that was a thing." Viana pulled one out of the vintage basket. She handed one to Bex.

"Thank you." they said. Viana just smiled. It wasn't that bad, Bex thought but they would much rather have a pb&j. That was more their style.They spent the night together. Finding out small things about each other. Viana is a family name and Bex really likes peach jam. Viana loves tea and hates coffee but drinks it to fit in with her friends. She thinks bitter even with sweetener. Bex was born during a blizzard in Texas. Viana thought that was hilarious. Viana was from Virginia. Bex's favorite subject is art which is Viana's least favorite. Viana faked a boyfriend so her friends would stop making fun of her. Bex now hates her friends. Then, they wake up. Viana poofs out first, then Bex. Their alarm went off at 7, a blaring loud noise that doesn't keep them from the thoughts of the girl with the fire hair.

They kept like this for a while, falling asleep to see the other in their picnic dreamstate.

"You're late." Viana said jokingly.

"I know, I had trouble falling asleep." Bex said automatically, defensive coming out in their tone.

"Hey, it was a joke, Bex. No need to get defensive. What's going on?"

"My mom called."

"Okay?" Viana questioned. Bex never talked about their mom.

"She left me when I was 14."

"What happened? If you don't mind."

"She didn't like that her daughter was gay. She left when her daughter wasn't her daughter." Bex didn;t look at her. Viana didn't say anything letting Bex have their moment. They spoke again, "She called me today. Said she had a nice young man who could straighten me out. Called me an ungrateful brat when I said no. Said I was no daughter of hers. She still calls me Rebecca." They were crying in the end. Viana wraps her arms around them.

"Come sit down." Viana said gently. Bex sat on the same blue checkered picnic basket, they've seen a million times over. Viana sat with Bex's head in her lap. The steady rhythm of Viana's hands running through their short puff of blond hair, Viana played with the shaved sides and back. Bex calmed at the feeling. Their heart racing at the touch, a small blush on their cheeks. They stayed like that, the two of them, the comforted and the comforter. Bex woke up, heart still racing, blush still present, the butterflies fluttering in their stomach. But you can't have a crush on a dream character right?

More nights go by, enjoying the company of the other. Little did they know that their time was getting less and less each night. Then there was no Viana. At first Bex thought it was just their brain playing tricks on them. When it was a week of Viana gone, Bex got angry. Angry at their brain for taking away the only thing that made them happy but also their heart for falling for a figment of their imagination. They dreaded falling asleep now, because of the empty picnic and the never ending sunset. Viana wasn't there anymore, and for Bex, that was the ultimate betrayal.

"Ms. Gardener." their teacher shrilled, "Ms. Gardener." They never paid attention in algebra. Mrs. Ackman constantly misgendered them no matter how many times they or their father told her to call them Bex and use they/them pronouns. The homophobic bitch. So when Bex didn't answer due to pure spite and daydreaming, it caused Mrs. Ackman to scream in her pinched high pitched voice.

"Rebecca Gardener! Are you even listening?!" Bex jumped half a foot in the air at that.

"Sorry, Mrs. Ackman." Bex said sheepishly.

"As I was saying, we have a new..." Bex zoned out again, they didn't even care what she had to say anyway. The doodles in their notebook took their attention again. All Bex comprehended was a swish of fire color hair. It wouldn't be until lunch when they find the real extent of that float of fire hair.

Bex sat at the circle table alone, the school lunch tray discarded beside them, food still on it.

"Rebecca right?" they heard someone say. They looked up through the fringe of their hair, seeing someone standing in front of the,.

"Don't call me that, it's a deadname."

"Oh, sorry. I'm new here and that's what Mrs. Ackman called you. Anyway, may I sit here?"

"Sure, I guess." Bex said.

"Did you draw that? It's really good." The new girl asked, "Bex, is that you name?"

Bex paused for a moment. They knew that voice. That was Viana's voice, the voice Bex fell in love with, but that was a character from their dreams, how is she real? Bex looked up slowly, Viana sat in front of them, the same round face, same long red hair, same emerald eyes that sparkled.

"No way." They whispered. Both their eyes blew wide.

"Bex?"

"Viana?"

"How is this possible, you're from my dreams."

"I'm going crazy. You're not real, you're not real."

"But Bex, I am real."

"No, you're not, the girl I fell in love with who is a figment of my imagination is not in front of me in real life."

"Bex, I'm real."

"No you're not."

"You were born in a snow storm in Texas. You love peach jelly more than any other food. Your mom left when you were 14. You love art. You hate my friends from Virginia. Bex, I am real."

"How do you know that?"

"Because, I'm not a figment of your imagination."

"But you went away for weeks."

"No you did. I spent weeks looking for you."

"How is this possible?"

"I don't know. Did you really fall in love with me?" Viana asked softly. Bex nodded, "Good, because I fell in love with you too."