Dream Chaser

Anchors Up

"Yo, dude, when are we supposed to get there?"

Knowing that they had been in the car for less than an hour Sam was trying to get a reaction out of his sleep-deprived driving friend.

"Can you just shut up for a second and a half? We haven't even left the county yet you idiot."

Sam laughed. Shaquille had never been in his prime in the morning, and especially now since he had gotten no sleep.

"Shaq, bro, don't take it out on me! I told you that staying up to talk to Ireland wasn't a good idea, but you just HAD to say one last goodbye."

"Okay shut up. We're not even dating yet, and at least I have someone to say goodnight to."

With that they both let the silence envelop them, it was a long drive from Knoxville, Tennessee down to Miami, Florida. There was plenty of time to talk later, when both of them were actually awake and coherent. In the silence though, Sam's mind was filled with thought. Sophomore year of high school was over, and now Summer was on the back end. It almost hurt to think that Summer Break had already reached and surpassed its half-way point. Sam tried to recall a single significant memorable thing he had done thus far, but could only recollect the various pages of AP Biology Summer work he had already finished. Unlike his friend in the driver seat, there was nothing romantic or exciting about his Summer. He had long anticipated the time when a girl would waltz into his life, and make his Summer one he always wanted to return to. However, no such thing had happened in his sixteen years of existence.

Sam, realizing his path down a pity party, decided that sleep was the best option for now. It only being 4:36 A.M. he still had a few hours of dark to rest. After notifying Shaquille of his decision, he put in his earbuds, selected shuffle on Khalid's American Teen. Closing his eyes he tried to shut out his lonely feelings. Maybe the trip South would yield something for him.

---

"Wake up. Sam wake up. Samuel Walker Lee wake the hell up right now."

Sam woke up to a gas station, and Shaquille standing with the passenger door ajar rattling him out of his dreams. Slightly annoyed at his rude awakening, Sam rolled out of the car and trudged over to the driver side of Shaquille's 2014 Honda CRV. Forcefully closing the door he settled in, put on his seatbelt, and pushed the button to start the SUV. Looking into the rearview mirror as a reflex, he noticed that the third passenger, Eli, was still asleep.

"Shaq what the hell dude. You already woke me up and Eli hasn't even driven yet. You dumbass."

"Hahahaha, Sam, you're stupid. Eli literally drove his part already. We're almost into Florida already dude, just get us the rest of the way there."

Bewildered at the fact Eli had already driven his part, and that he could go back to sleep that quickly, Sam shifted the car into drive and departed from the gas station. As the monotony of the road began to set in, silence once again filled the car. Eli was still passed out, laying across the back seats. Shaquille on the other hand had his earbuds in deeply focused on his cell phone, and most definitely texting his girlfriend. Once again the idea of some kind of romance filled Sam's brain. What was it even like to have someone that completely reciprocated your feelings?

Of course Sam had girlfriends before, but they were never able to give back what he gave to them. His most recent girlfriend had ended things simply because she was too quiet. Sam, being the person he was, loved to show his affection while his counterpart at the time was not so keen on the idea. And, of course, there were flings here and there, but there was never anyone that truly caught his attention like his first attempt at high school relationship. Freshman year, Sam had moved to a new school. The school, being an application based transfer school meant that all freshman were new. This meant new faces, new people, and a new start for the next four year. Eager to make friends at their new school, everyone quickly branched out and made quick friends. Sam in particular befriended a girl named Morgan. At first he thought nothing of her, she was just a friend. However, as time passed, he and his "friend" grew closer and closer. Nonstop texting, sharing secrets, and even holding hands led to Sam falling hard for Morgan. Never before had he been so enveloped by a girl. Just being around her was enough to make him smile, but of course it only made his feelings towards her stronger. Halfway through the year he told Morgan how he felt, and she couldn't say she felt the same. Looking back on his first year in high school, maybe their friendship was based on hopes to begin with. Maybe the eagerness to become comfortable in a new place made them skip over the important parts of friend selection. Nonetheless, he lost one of his closest friends, and a handful of others, because of his feelings. If he had just held them in, or maybe tried to push them away, he would still have his ex-best friend. Truth be told, Sam missed Morgan, and as much as he dreaded admitting it, he still had some kind of feelings for her.