That morning I awoke with butterflies in my stomach. It was Monday, the day I would be going to the doctor. Although I thought about it, I didn’t tell Skylar about the dream I’d had last night. It somehow felt personal. During breakfast it felt like Mr. Mark didn’t really like me. I tried to ignore this, but later I asked Skylar in private. “I don’t think your dad likes me very much,” I told her.
“No, I’m sure that’s not the case. He’s a stickler for rules sometimes, but he’s really nice and funny once you get to know him.”
“I’m sure he is,” I agree, “I just don’t know how much he likes me.”
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t. Maybe just give it time?”
“Yeah, alright.”
“Hey, we should get going. We’re going to be late.” We rushed to our first class where I sat next to Heather just like usual.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“You’re not worried about after school, are you?”
“What? No.”
“Good. Because I explained your situation to my parents and they understand.”
“They do?”
“Yes. We all know you didn’t do it.”
“I know, but still. It could be dangerous for you guys.”
“Please chill out. Everything will be fine.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t completely convinced, but I did feel a bit better. The day inched by, and all I could do was try hard not to think about it. Finally, after school did come and my stomach was nervously doing flips. I wondered what would happen. I wasn’t sure what kind of explanation they might have for my strange dreams. If there even was one to give.
Skylar’s mom picked up Skylar and me and took us to Heather’s dad’s clinic. Since he was the psychiatrist, he was the person who would most likely be able to help. As we walked in the building Heather and her mom caught up to us. “Hey!” Skylar said when Heather ran up.
“Hi, guys!” She replied. “This is my mom.” She gestured to her mom next to her.
“It’s nice to meet you,” her mom says, “My shift at the hospital ended about an hour ago, so I thought I would come too.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Davis,” I told her, as Davis was their last name.
“You must be Robin.”
“Yes.” I smile at her.
“I have to admit,” she says, “I am curious to learn more about these dreams of yours.”
“I think we all are!” Skylar responds.
“Mmm-Hmm,” I said distractedly.
We all walked into the office together as I tried to calm my nerves. On the way inside I caught a glance of a teenage boy. When I looked closer I recognized him as being the boy from my dream. Josh. The one who hated me. My heart skipped a beat as I registered what he might be doing here. He and his father wanted to track me down. I instinctively pulled my hood over my head and ducked behind a wall before he could get a good look at me. My pulse sped up and I could feel my senses accelerating. Everything seemed to come more into focus. I pushed this down and forced myself to keep walking. Just because he’s here doesn't mean he’s after me, I lied to myself. Act casual! My brain screamed at me.
I entered the building with my friends as calmly as I could. It felt like my nerves were being overloaded. I took in a shaky breath. “Robin, you good?” Heather asked. I tried to answer, but it came out as a squeak. I nodded instead and shoved my hands into my pockets to hide the fact that they were shaking. Every step was forced and I was relieved when we got to Heather’s dad’s office where I could sit on the black plush couch.
Mr. Davis was waiting in a soft chair across from the sofa. “Hello, Robin,” he said when I walked in.
I took a deep breath before I answered. “Hi, Mr. Davis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine,” He responded formally and smiled. “So tell me more about your dreams.” At first I bit my lip and hesitated, but decided against it. There were too many people in this room watching me. Besides, Skylar would know if I didn’t answer truthfully. She already knew everything about my dreams. Well, almost everything. I didn’t feel like telling her about Josh yet. It was just another thing to make her and everyone else more worried. So before anyone noticed, I told the truth. About as much of the truth as I could force myself to. I explained every single dream, except the one about Josh and his father.
After I finished my explanation my throat was dry from so much talking. “So you think that perhaps your dreams are indications of what might happen?” Mr. Davis asked. I could only nod.
“Is that possible?” Skylar asked eagerly.
“As far as I’m aware, no,” Mr Davis said slowly.
Skylar’s face fell. “Oh,” she said.
“I do have a theory though, would you like to hear it?” He glanced at me. I nodded again, so he continued. “I think that these dreams are a reaction to the traumatic and stressful experience of getting framed for crime.”
“Is there a way to stop them?” I asked.
“Well, theoretically, a good way to ease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress can be to face your fear in a safe environment, but in your case, that may not be such a good idea.” I looked at Sklyar, silently asking her what she thought about his theory. She shrugged in response. I sighed and turned my attention back to Mr. Davis.
“Thank you for your help,” I said.
He smiled. “Of course. If you ever need anything else don’t hesitate to ask.” Then he started to stand to open the door for us, but I jumped from my seat first and left the room ahead of everyone else. I had to see if Josh was still out there. When I burst through the doors I ran over to the bushes where I had seen him before. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath when I finally breathed it out. Josh wasn’t there anymore.
Skylar ran over to me, looking worried. “Robin, what on earth are you doing?”
“Umm… I thought I saw a bird.”
“Okay?” She cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows slightly.
“I’m fine, Sky.” I repeated. “I just needed some fresh air.”
“Okay.” She said again. Then she walked me back to the car where we drove to Skylar’s house. Skylar and her mom were having a casual conversation, but I didn’t participate. I stared intently out the window in silence. As we neared Skylar’s house, I caught a glimpse of Josh again. He had a green hoodie pulled over his eyes and was standing outside a grocery store. I restrained the impulse to duck out of sight and instead watched him closely. As I looked I thought I saw him stare at our car for a few seconds. Hoping it was only my imagination, I swallowed hard and looked away from the window.
When we arrived back at Skylar’s house and walked up to the door I was so distracted with Josh, I didn’t notice the shiny black police car parked in front of the house.