Dream Lover - Extended - 8. Chapter 8

It was a scary feeling, still experiencing that irresistible 'tug' on my senses throughout the rest of the afternoon. Always wondering if that was Caleb attempting to seduce me back into the darkness again, or if it was just the lack of sleep that was causing me to feel so numb inside. I felt my head nodding and bobbing every ten minutes or so, my concentration way off base during each and every class that I went to. And my clothes....my clothes never felt so damn comfortable...so warm and snuggly. Like early morning blankets made to be worn on the skin. I fought so hard to stay alert, but my efforts were all in vain. I eventually gave in to keeping myself awake by gently stabbing myself in the center of my palm with my pen tip. The tingle of it helped a little bit, but it was a temporary fix. The dream was calling me again as soon as the sensation of self inflicted pain was gone. If this was Caleb's doing...he was working fast. Really fast.

I tried to force myself to believe in Chucky's golden solution to the situation. I really did. My mind was constantly going in circles, telling me that it was just sleep deprivation and a heavy dose of unfounded paranoia that was making me believe that any of this 'haunted dreams' shit was real. I mean, what he told me had to be the obvious, logical, explanation. Right? This kind of thing doesn't happen to people. Not for REAL.

I had gone way too long without a solid night of restful sleep. I had been filling my head with pictures and detailed information about Caleb's life on a daily basis. And now I was dreaming about him, night after night, because my subconscious mind had been flooded with him and his essence for an extended period of time. That's all it was. It had to be.

Maybe it was just my ego that was making me think that it meant something more. Who knows? Hell, I must have been sleeping pretty lightly over the last week or so, and today I got up and left the house even earlier than usual. That's why I'm unfocused. That's why I'm tired. I just...I need to go to sleep and NOT think about him. That's what I need. Some self control. If I can just get him out of my head, then he won't exist anymore. And I can go back to having sweet, innocent, dreams about cute celebrities begging me for sex and me giving it to them. That's really all I wanted in the first place, you know? So...I'm just going to ignore him. Block him out. Force him so far out of my thoughts that he can't bring me any grief at all. Yeah...that's what I'll do. I'll ignore him. The next time he shows up, and I'm aware of it...I'll push him aside and just think of something else. Something that I ca control. How hard can it be? It IS my dream, after all. Am I right?

Some time around my lunch period, April and Jeff caught up to me and told me that they were concerned when they came by my house this morning and nobody answered the door. Especially April, who asked, "You haven't been spazzing out over this Caleb Jordan thing again, have you?"

"No. Not really. I think it was just some stupid dream. It felt real, but I'm starting to think that it just seemed so potent because of all the dreamweaving work I've been doing recently. Nothing more.” I said. “I talked to Chucky about it and I've just been making up big excuses for totally random events. I just need some sleep. That's all."

"Hellooo? That's what I've been trying to TELL you." She replied.

Jeff looked me in the eyes, and although he wanted to keep his rational thinking in tact, I think he could tell that I wasn't totally convinced that this was all make-believe. At least, not as convinced as I pretended to be. He started to call me on it when Baxter came over to join us.

"I did it! I actually found out who my date for Cory's party is going to be!" Baxter said proudly.

"Well this should be interesting." April replied. “Who's the unlucky lady, perv?”

"Jessie Turner!" Baxter grinned. "Now...I know what you're thinking! She's totally out of my league. But I'm thinking that I've actually got a shot here! It's all about timing, you know? She's crazy hot, she's a cheerleader, she's not with her loser boyfriend anymore...it's perfect. This is my big break!"

Jeff wrinkled his forehead a bit. "Wow...I've got to admit, Bax...she's actually pretty high up on the standard list. You must have worked some real magic to get her to say yes."

"Well, I haven't actually asked her out yet...but when I do, she's gonna be all mine." He said with confidence. "Another super hot babe to add to Baxter's list of future ex-girlfriends!"

That comment definitely got a swat in the arm from April, who purposely stepped in front of him with her back turned to block him out of the rest of our conversation. "I'm glad that you got that craziness out of your system, Donnie. It'll be good to have you back to acting normal again."

Bax leaned in over her shoulder, and pointed a finger at me. "Hey, you owe me two bucks worth of gas money for driving over to pick your ass up this morning when you weren't there." Which got April to elbow him in the stomach. “What? It costs moolah to drive over to his house. You know it's true.”

"Alright, are we sliding out of here, or what? Hey Donnie, are you riding home with us today or taking the solitary confinement approach?" Jeff asked me.

"Yeah, I'm coming.” I said. “I'll meet you guys out back after school. K?"

"Deal." They all walked off to go to their next classes, and something about the ease with which I told them that everything was going to be ok...it soothed me somehow. Maybe I really was ok. Maybe I'll be even more 'ok' when I find a way to get a decent night of sleep when I get home. It would be so awesome to know that I was finally getting myself balanced out again.

They were driving me home once school let out for the day. Bax went on and on about this Jessie Turner girl and told us all of the wonderful things he would like to do to her once he got her alone. Hehehe, April had to put her iPod earphones in and look out the window for the entire trip home, just to fight the sinister urge to beat him to death with a blunt object for talking the way he was talking about his new 'sweetheart'.

It was always so funny to me, the way she could be so shocked by Baxter's womanizing comments, but could still separate them from each and every other lovable quality that he had within him. She loved and adored Baxter. We knew that. We all did. And besides, Baxter's thoughts were always more entertaining than harmful. So there was no offense that we wouldn't have all unanimously forgiven him for if it ever came to that. It was just who he was. As a person. And I really appreciated that.

By the way, did I mention how turned on I was hearing him talk about sex? I honestly think that Jeff cursed me for life by getting me to notice Bax as more than a good friend. Now I find myself thinking about the softness of his eyes, and the smooth skin on the sides of his neck, and his strong hands, and the way the fabric of his pants stretches so teasingly over his ample thighs and round, juicy, butt. And did I mention the way his kissably, light pink, lips perfectly matched the golden color of his soft blond hair? Bax was still Bax, don't get me wrong. But I still found myself gazing dreamily at him from time to time. I just couldn't help it. I develop serious crushes on the strangest people sometimes.

Jeff and Baxter were talking, going back and forth about him actually asking Jessie Turner out before it was too late and somebody beat him to it. The party was just a few days away. She was going to get invited by somebody before the weekend rolled around. It was inevitable that she find someone who wanted her as much as Baxter did.

April was involved in her music at the moment not paying much attention at all. So as I sat back, still tired from the day, the quiet hum of the car and the scrolling scenery around us, I closed my eyes for a second to keep them from burning. I didn't sleep, I could still hear everything going on around me at all times...but it felt good to give my dry and tired eyes a rest.

"What do you think, Donnie?" Baxter asked.

"Think about what?"

"Do you think I can get Jessie to give me a handjob on the first date?"

I couldn't help but to giggle to myself. "Hehehe, dude...don't even involve me in that particular plan of action. Not on any level whatsoever."

"You guys are such pussies. I thought gay men were supposed to be sensitive." He said.

Jeff laughed out loud, "What the hell is there to be 'sensitive' about when it comes to getting a handjob on the first date from a girl that you hardly know?"

"I've got all night to get to know her, Jeff. And then, after the date is over, while we're kissing and making out with each other some place quiet, I figure...if I just unzip my jeans and bring out the old reliable 'baloney pony', she might just...you know...reach in and give me a little beef tug. That's all I'm saying." Suddenly, April sprang forward from the back seat and smacked Baxter, hard, on the side of the head. "OWWW! What the fuck, April? I'm DRIVING!" He wailed.

"You are SUCH a pig, Baxter Trent! You know that?"

Baxter rubbed the side of his head, grinning a bit from the sting of the impact. "Jesus...hehehe! I thought you couldn't hear me with those things in your ears."

"Of COURSE I can hear you! As if me NOT hearing you would be much of an excuse for you being a total slimeball!" April said, giving him another shove on the back of his shoulders as he apologized with a playful smirk.

"I'm SORRY, April! I'm sorry! Geez..."

She pouted for a moment as Jeff, Baxter, and I, all looked at each other with goofy smiles on our faces. We all wanted to say something, but we knew that the next person to open their mouth was going to get slapped, big time. Still, holding in the snickers proved to be a difficult task. She looked over at me while I tried, desperately, to keep a straight face.

"Oh, I see! You think this is funny, do ya?"

"No.” I said. “I just remember how much fun you used to be before you turned into an actual girl on us." She reached over and pinched my arm, causing me to cringe and quickly pull away from her. I took my fair share of lumps just like everybody else, but I was happy to see the hint of a grin return to her lips. Albeit a frustrated one.

April looked out the window and mumbled to herself, "If that girl gives you a handjob on the first date, I swear to God, I'm gonna break both of her arms."

Which Bax followed up with, "If that girl gives me a handjob on the first date, you can photograph it and I'll let you put it in the yearbook. And THEN you can break both of her arms."

That reminded me, "Oh yeah, the yearbook thing! How did that go yesterday? Did you get in?"

"Don't even get me started on that." She huffed.

Jeff told me, "It seems that the results are coming in a bit late while they try to decide which ones they want. All of the pictures haven't even been turned in yet. So now our little shutterbug has to wait until Friday."

She grinded her teeth, saying, "I've been on pins and needles about this project for God knows how long. And now I have to wait until Friday because some procrastinating slackers decided to wait until the last minute to get their shit in. Like I NEED more lingering frustration in my life right now."

"You almost say that like you won't get the green light. That's just silly. You're the best at capturing those golden little moments, and you know it." I assured her, and she gave me a simple half smile in response. "Come on. You KNOW you're in. You're pictures are awesome, I'm sure they noticed that right off the bat. So...quit worrying about it and just wait for them to tell you how great you are. Alright?"

"Heh...look who's telling somebody else to stop worrying." She said, hoping to deflect the compliment. But I saw a playful blush in her cheeks anyway. Compliment received.

Bax's car came to a stop in front of my house, and he said, "James residence. You...out!" I guess it doesn't get much more simple than that. I climbed out of the back seat and waved goodbye to everybody in the car. For a while there, I almost felt...normal again. How cool is that? Finally getting back to myself after such a bizarre series of creepy events. I must have seemed so crazy to them over the last week. I just look forward to putting it all behind me. The sooner, the better.

Dinner with my parents that night was a bit strange. Whatever weirdness my dad thinks I have about this house, he evidently passed it on to my mom in some sort of private conversation before dinner. A few more not-so-subtle questions were asked about whether or not I was happy with the move, or if I was feeling homesick for our old neighborhood. It's not like we moved to Phoenix or anything. And since Bax has a car, I can see my friends pretty much any time that I want to. I didn't know why that would be an issue. But they're parents, and I'm a teenager, and we've kind of reached that stage in our relationship where we just don't know what the hell to do with one another most of the time. The only difference is, I'm not the one constantly trying to make some kind of awkward connection. Sheesh, the quicker I'm done with dinner, the quicker I can escape the uncomfortable cloud of tension hovering around that table.

I soon trotted upstairs and started yawning pretty early. I guess after so many days of me having trouble sleeping, it was to be expected. I finished all of my homework in a flash except for one little piece that I was sure I could easily knock out in a study hall period tomorrow at school. There really wasn't any reason for me to stay up late, so I told my parents goodnight and climbed into bed. I knew that they concerned about the dark circles under my eyes. When I looked in the bathroom mirror that night, even I had to stare at them. They were getting really baggy now. Layered. My eyes didn't even look like they were the same color as before. I hope this goes away soon. Otherwise, I'm going to end up looking like I'm 80 years old by the time I reach my 18th birthday.

I turned out the light next to my bed, and relaxed myself into the warm comfort of the sheets and blankets surrounding me on this near Winter night. My spirit was already being dragged into the depths of sleep, and there were a few brief moments...where I have to admit that I was scared to let it take me.

I woke up with a bit of a stretch, my face frowned up as I realized that I had been yanked out of my sleep by an annoyingly intrusive noise. That pounding. That repetitive thump, thump, thumping on the other side of my bedroom wall. Right behind my headboard, it seemed. I tried to roll over in bed and not pay it any attention, but it only got louder. I felt the burn of frustration entering my bloodstream as I attempted to figure out what the hell it was. Thump...like a rock hitting the wall. Thump...as if someone was throwing it to deliberately create some kind of goddamned ruckus. Thump....followed by the familiar roll on the hard wood floor, as the object slowly traveled back to the hand of its owner. Finally, I couldn't take anymore and sat straight up in my bed, tossing the covers down in a huff.

I rubbed my eyes free of exhaustion and put my hand against the wall to see if I could feel any vibrations. Nothing. I never felt anything at all. I looked at the clock, and it clicked over to read 3 AM on the dot. Sighhhh, great. Just fucking great. If I can read the numbers on the clock, that means I'm not even dreaming this time.

I put my robe on with a grunt and went to see what the noise was about. I stepped out into the dark hallway to hear my parents snoring in their bedroom, their door closed. I pulled my robe together on as the late October night chilled the air around me. It takes forever to heat this damn house. It's like.....it's....

And then, a moment of clarity. I've seen this before. I've done this before. This whole routine was a carbon copy of the one from last week. My mind had fallen into its unusual pattern of dream logic...and yet, I suddenly found myself fully awake again within the dream. But how does that explain me being able to read the clock. Something was different about the dream this time. More clear. More concrete. My so-called control over what was happening around me was completely nonexistent. Even when I tried to change things. Or at least get the thumping to stop. I was merely a witness. A prisoner of the images in my head. It was identical to what's been happening to me every week at this same time. Late Tuesday night, early Wednesday morning. 3 AM.

The thumping noise continued, even louder than last week. Which was louder than the week before. And as always...as soon as I passed a certain point in the hallway, my bedroom door slammed shut and the sound began to emanate from behind me instead. I turned around to investigate the noise further, my bare feet shuffling nervously across the floor. Just as before, the sound seemed to be slowing down as I approached...and then, the familiar scratch and pop of old vinyl, and that haunting song in the background.

"Somewhere, someday...we'll be close together, wait and see. Oh, by the way...this time the dream's on me..."

I listened at the door. I heard the sniffles. A boy crying. Crying from the depths of his very soul. Lost, and heartbroken, and alone. You could practically feel the pain seeping through the door like radiation. And then...something different was added to the familiar recipe this time around. The sound of footsteps. Heavy ones. But not coming from behind the door. No, these footsteps were coming up the stairs. And they were headed in my direction. I leaned over the railing to see if I could see anybody on the steps.

I didn't.

But what I did see caused my breath to get caught in the back of my throat.

Instead...I saw foot shaped wet spots appearing on every step. First one, then another, then another...climbing their way up to where I was standing. No physical body to be seen. Just the phantom footsteps...and the weighted pounding of their impact as they got ever closer.

My heart seemed to stop beating entirely as I crept backwards away from the railing. I could hear my bedroom door slowly creaking open as the footprints reached the top of the staircase....where they stopped completely.

And eerie silence was to follow. The air became thick with an air of menace. I felt as though someone...some 'thing'...was watching me. And it was close. So close. I could feel it. The whole experience made my skin crawl. And suddenly...in the darkness...in the silence...I swear that I could hear it breathing.

I panicked! I just took off running as fast as my bare feet would allow towards the other end of the hall to my parents' room. I banged on the door with my fist, trying desperately to turn the knob, but it remained locked. "MOM! DAD! LET ME IN!!! PLEASE!!!" The footsteps started to move again, now coming down the hall after me. I watched as blood began to drip from the walls around me, the steps now heavy enough to shake the floor. "LET ME IN!!! MOM!!!" There was no use trying to escape the sound, so I did everything I could to concentrate on changing the dream around me. I tried to place myself somewhere else. Tried to think of another dream topic. Tried to focus on images so involving, so powerful, that it would instantly bring an end to this nightmare.

But...it seems the harder I tried, the tighter the dream wrapped itself around me. The walls began to shake as I used all the brain power I had to regain some kind of control, to break through the barrier and stop what was taking place. But I don't think this was my dream anymore. Not this place.

A howling shriek seemed to travel right through the very walls of the house, my vision blurring from the quake beneath my feet. There was this strange feeling that rose up inside of me. So much pain. Never-ending torment. I almost couldn't bear it. In fact, I could hardly stand.

More screams flooded the hallway, and the lights began to flicker on and off, an ice cold wind frosting my lips and fingertips as I sank to the floor. I was trapped. Shivering in a corner. Helpless.

No. I can stop this. I can stop it. I just have to focus.

The blood on the walls had turned cold. Freezing. Forming long red drips that hardened and cracked and fell to the floor in razor sharp shards of ice. This is my dream. I have control. This is MY dream. I have control. This is...

My....dream.....

And I....have....

With a sudden jolt, I felt my awareness being slammed back into my sleeping body. I awoke with a loud gasp, clutching my heart through a dampened shirt.

It was daylight outside. Glorious morning. And I was back in my bed, safe and sound.

I quickly looked over at the clock. Exactly three minutes before my usual morning alarm was set to go off. I made sure to feel the mattress with my finger tips, feel the sheets, listen out for any strange noises. Some level of stability. Everything seemed real enough. The dream had been so tangible in its execution that I could still feel the soreness of the chill in my fingers. I swung my feet around and stared down at the floor for a minute or two, unable to really merge myself back into reality just yet. Then, I jumped suddenly as my alarm sounded off beside me. It scared the ever loving SHIT out of me! I pounded on the snooze button, knocking it off of my bedside dresser, and took a moment to get my breathing to calm down. But little by little, my senses returned to normal, and I struggled to get back up on my feet.

This has to stop. Why can't I make it stop?

I didn't tell April and the guys anything about what happened last night. I was trying to tone the whole 'freakazoid' vibe down as much as possible. They were worried enough as it was. No, I remained cool. I had my friends again, I was a little sleepy but not as numb from it as before...things were back to normal. We made jokes, we laughed, we took shots at each other at every given opportunity...this is what I wanted. This is what I missed. So I didn't ruin it with talk of the dream from last night. Chucky was right, all I had to do was try harder to break the cycle. The more I think about it, the worse it's gonna get. So I ignored my every memory of it. Blocked it out. Kept it from invading my mental space. I don't think I've ever been so focused on my school work.

"Hey, Donnie." I heard his voice before I got a chance to see him. But once I looked in his direction, my insides began to squirm and wiggle with delight. I had to casually lean against the lockers to keep from floating away from him. "What's up?"

"H-h-hey, Austin." I replied, trying hard to hide my dreamy smile from his hypnotic gaze. God...being surprised with even the most mundane of comments from him was such an amazing rush for me. One of his blond curls was hanging down over his forehead, brushing over one of his light blue eyes like a soft golden noodle. The urge to brush that one stray curl out of his aqua blue pools was almost unbearable.

"So, we're still on for Friday night, right?" He asked me. Wow...his teeth are so white. And his smile is so...soooo...oh man.

"Um...yeah. Hehehe, definitely." I sighed. My knees threatening to buckle if he kept talking to me in such a friendly manner. The lockers were the only thing really holding me up at that point. "So...like, when should we pick you up?"

"Well, I've kinda got practice after school. The coach is putting pressure on us to not slack off during the holiday. So I have to do my laps and stuff first." He had the cutest voice ever created, you know that? And his breath smelled so sweet that it was intoxicating. "I think I'll still get done pretty early, though. So...as soon as I go home and shower and get all dressed up, I should be ready to go. Maybe about 7:30 instead of seven?" Omigod...he's gonna shower! Like, warm water and soap, glistening and sliding down over his hot naked body...candy scented shampoo running down his backside and between the sweet cheeks of his wet naked ass...dripping off of his 'equipment'...everything being all loose and sopping wet...and tasty... "So...is that ok, or...?" He asked me as my mind involved itself in a passionate frenzy of extracurricular activities of its own.

"Huh?" I stammered. "Oh! Yeah! Dude, that's totally fine. You go and...take all the shower you need." Austin gave me a puzzled look. "TIME! I meant to say 'time'. You take all the 'time' that you...uhh...yeah. My bad." I grinned with an awkward blush in my cheeks, and that's when Jeff sort of just appeared out of nowhere and leaned against the lockers right next to me. "Jeff! Um...hey!"

Jeff didn't even look in my direction. Instead, his gaze focused in on Austin's amazing blue eyes and didn't let go. "Hello." He said to him with a huge smile.

"Austin...this is my friend, Jeff. He's...he's coming with us too." I said, as Jeff continued to stare shamelessly at the curly blond boy in front of us.

"Yeah. I'm cumming too. Believe me." He grinned, practically batting his lashes at him.

"Cool. Well, it's good to meet you, man." Austin answered.

"And you have no IDEA how good it is to meet you, Austin." I would have nudged him hard in the gut with my elbow if Austin wasn't looking directly at us.

Austin opened up one his folders and tore a piece of paper in half, handing me the top part. "Here. It's got my address, phone number, and everything on it." It was one of those printouts from the school library. They always made us type in our school ID number and our assignment headers always included our information at the top of every first page we printed. I guess it's supposed to let people know who printed what in order to deter us from downloading porn stories at school.

Psh! Please! Just standing this close to Austin for more than thirty seconds was all the porn I needed.

"Thanks." I grinned.

"Hehehe, yeah...thanks." Jeff repeated, tucking some of his dark hair behind his ear in a shameless attempt to flirt. Thank God, Austin didn't make much of our gawking at him.

"Anyway, I've gotta go. But...like I said, I'll be quick, check out of practice, and get dressed up as soon as I can. Just give me a call on Friday when you guys are ready. Cool?" Austin nodded in Jeff's direction who was still 'eye raping' him for all he was worth.

"Yeah. Right after you...um...shower." I grinned. God, I can't believe I just said that again. Austin giggled a bit at my strangeness and walked off down the hall as I turned towards the lockers and just pressed my forehead against them, closing my eyes tight as I tried to contain my excitement.

"Omigod, dude...look at his ass! Look! LOOK!" Jeff whispered while frantically pulling on my shirt. I didn't want to look at first but realized that I couldn't resist. I opened my eyes as Jeff looked on over my shoulder and caught a good sight of it in his jeans. Those sweet sweet melons...so ripe and so full. Just....tight, and round, and bouncing with the most playful of movements while he gracefully strutted away from us. Jeff and I both had to squeal at the same time as we dipped at the knees and fought to keep from screaming like a couple of toddlers with a sugar rush. "Mmm, sports have certainly done that boy a lot of good." Jeff said. "Oh wow, Donnie, you have seriously outdone yourself with this one. His body is, like, built for hours of hot, passionate, man-sex!"

"Sigghhhhh....I know!" I whined under my breath. "Dude, I am such a DORK whenever I'm around him. What the hell am I gonna do?"

"Give him to ME! That's what!" Jeff quipped, still leaning over to see Austin disappear around the corner at the end of the hall.

"Not a chance! Coward, hehehe! This is MY big fish, thank you very much."

"Shit, baby...I would suck him SOOOO hard!"

"Me too! Just grab onto his ass and just....mmmmph!" Just then, a couple of teachers walked past us and gave us a slightly offended look. I don't know if they actually knew what we were talking about, or if they just overheard our sexual statements and thought them inappropriate, but Jeff and I had to 'butch up' quick. "And then...we could go watch...SPORTS!" I said, puffing out my chest a bit.

"Yeah..." Jeff grinned, deepening his voice. "...And renew my subscription to Maxim magazine. Sure are some hot chicks in there, man. With big ol' boobs!" The teachers didn't really stop to pay us any further attention, but I had to turn to Jeff and laugh out loud at his fail of an impression.

"Did you just say Maxim magazine? Big ol' boobs? Hahahaha, dude...seriously? Just stop..."

"What? That's a straight mag, isn't it?"

"You overdid it, man. Way over the top." I said and hoisted my backpack up to walk to my next class.

"That was over the top? Really? I'd like Maxim if I was straight." I didn't answer him, but he chased behind me anyway. "Well, I would. And guys call them 'boobs' don't they? Right? Or is it 'tits'? I should've said 'tits', right? Breeders say 'tits'..."

"Hopeless."

"Hey! Come back! Hey, I can be hetero, too, dammit!"

The day went pretty well after that. I was thankful for the lack of excitement, considering the way I woke up. Even though April was still biting her nails over the whole photo project thing, she managed to suffer in silence for most of the day. It was one of those days where we just needed to leave her alone. Sometimes it's healthier to just let her worry herself silly than it is to make her deny the fact that she's stressing about it at all. It's one of the very first personal things that I ever learned about her. When they dropped me off at my house that afternoon, I gave her a quick hug to let her know that I was well aware of her 'condition', but deliberately giving her the space she needed. I think she appreciated the gesture. I could always tell by her smirk when she said goodbye what she was thinking. She couldn't hide it if she tried. I loved that about her. It was so...pure, you know?

I got out of the car and walked inside. I was really looking forward to a night of light homework and some television. A somewhat sane form of reality. No ghosts, no paranoia, no ranting and raving or screaming and running. Just a teenage boy and his need to be a total slacker every now and then.

Dinner was much less uncomfortable this time around. And going to sleep...even though I half expected things to get weird once again, I dozed off with much more confidence that I had the last few times I attempted to forget about him.

Who knows? Maybe confidence is the key. If I don't believe in my ability to keep things under control, how can I expect to beat Caleb at his own psychotic game?

I won't let him terrorize me. Not anymore. He's just a part of my stupid subconscious. Nothing more. This time, I'm not going to let him burst in and sink his dream claws into me like before. No more. I went to sleep that night with a determination to personally orchestrate every last detail of the dream world from beginning to end. Enough is enough. I was so stubborn on the issue that it kept me awake for a bit longer than I was hoping. But, eventually, I drifted off to sleep. Ready to do battle with any ghostly entity that came my way. You want to go blow for blow for control of my fucking dream domain, Caleb? Ok....let's do it, then. It's time he figured out who was boss around here.

I carried that same attitude with me into the dream. I was aware of what was happening almost instantly, and I refused to give in. I refused. I found myself waking up on my front lawn, the sun shining down upon me, the sky as blue as it possibly could be. I didn't fall in to a state of warped dream logic. I knew exactly where I was and what was going on around me. It felt good to know that I had some true creative power built up for this whole experiment.

I stood up on my feet, looked around, and noticed that same mist that usually existed further in the background had now swirled up tightly around my house. It blocking my view from everything that wasn't a part of my front lawn in fact. Even the house located just across the street was lost in a foggy haze. But I stood strong, waiting for my so-called dream lover to make his appearance. I felt strong. I felt ready. Hopefully, he doesn't disappoint me tonight.

I didn't call his name, or even bother to mentally push the mist back for more space, for that matter. I simply waited. He'd be there. I was sure of it.

I walked further along the street, the fog automatically moving aside for me to clear a path, until I saw a grey silhouette standing there in the distance. A boy with blond hair...and a baseball glove.

"Donnie...please don't be mad at me." His voice was so much softer, so much more sympathetic, than what I remembered from the last time we met. "I know I did a bad thing. Sometimes...I just get so angry. I know that I lost my temper, but...I just...I love you soooo much. I'm terrified of losing you again." I stopped walking when I got close to him. Only a few feet away from the grayish form. The fog maintained the murky barrier between us for a moment...but with a wave of my hand, I pushed it away to talk to him, face to face.

I saw Caleb's bright green eyes misting over with a real sense of guilt for frightening me earlier. He always created such open expressions with his eyes. One could read his every thought and emotion through their vulnerable stare alone. But, as he lowered his head and waited for me to speak...I simply shook my head, turned...and walked right around him.

I think my reaction confused him at first, but he turned to follow and walk beside me anyway. All I have to do is ignore him. Ignore him, and he'll go away. He doesn't exist. None of this is real. If I just stop feeding him with attention, he won't be able to remain in this place anymore. That's when I'll be able to sleep again. "Donnie? Where are we going?" He asked, but I didn't answer him. I didn't even look in his direction. He kept talking, "I've been exploring in here for a while now, figuring some things out. You know, it gets easier and easier to move around this place once you practice. The way you made it...it's just perfect." Still, no answer from me. "Well...I figured...maybe if you slept a little bit longer each night...you might get good at it too. I can teach you stuff, if you want. I mean...I could...'help' you sleep longer. I don't think it would be all that difficult." Sleep longer? What was he talking about? "Donnie, I found a gateway. I could...I could pull you through it. Over to my side. And then you can sleep. really sleep. And we can stay in here together. Just you and me. Forever." Despite my determined walk and need to ignore him, there was something about that statement that seriously chilled me to the bone. It was hard to dismiss. "No more pain, Donnie. No more homework, no more expenses, no more nagging parents...just our love and all the free time we could ask for. A whole eternity spent together in the blink of an eye. Together, we can make this place whatever we want it to be. Make our own rules. Build our own house. Never grow old, or weak...never get sick. Think about it, Donnie. It'll be awesome." He smiled, and leaned over to kiss me lightly on the cheek.

This time I stopped walking and jerked away from him. "Don't you have a baseball game to get to, Caleb?" I sneered.

His smile changed dramatically. He looked down at his glove, still holding a bloodstained baseball in its grip, and he tossed it to the ground. Almost as if he forgot he was wearing it. "I hate baseball.” He said. “I don't care what 'he' says, I'm not staying on that team, and he can't make me." The glove bounced slowly off of the imaginary concrete, and floated up again as if there were no gravity pulling on it at all. "I need you to love me, Brett. This wasn't just some stupid internet fling. Not to me. I TRUSTED you. I believed in you. In us." I had lost him to some form of confusion again. Or...maybe he just lost himself. It might have seemed like a completely crazy theory at the time, but I was beginning to think that Caleb was losing his grip on his own reality. The same way I had been losing mine. It's like...the closer our two worlds get, the more his reality and mine were beginning to merge in to one surreal existence that didn't really appear sane to either one of us. We didn't belong. Reality's logic to him was like dream logic was to me.

Wherever he was, wherever he was from, his hold on that world was beginning to slip away completely. The only middle ground we could share...was the dream.

I looked at him closely for a minute, but remembered what Chucky told me. Don't encourage it. Don't even acknowledge it. I have to get myself right again. Caleb can't stay. This is my subconscious, my dream world...and I want it back.

I defiantly turned my back on him and closed my eyes, transporting myself back to my front lawn. I created a warm sunbeam that coasted down through the clouds and covered my house in a dazzling shaft of bright light. Caleb appeared beside me only seconds later. "Do you wanna play a game?" He asked, but I stepped away from him. Change the weather, change the location. Take my control back. "Donnie? Donnie, talk to me." I changed the sunlit sky into night, and with a little concentration...I felt a few snowflakes fall on my shoulders. Caleb got even more confused as he watched it happen. He can't do it, can he? He can't stop me from changing things. It's still my dream. My thoughts. He's just 'visiting'. "I don't like this game, Donnie. What are you doing?" He asked.

Without saying another word, I walked into the front door of my house, and shut it behind me. Right in his face. He's powerless here. Completely powerless. I have to remember that.

I heard Caleb knocking at the window. Calling my name. Asking me what was wrong with me and wanting to open the door on his own. But I wouldn't let him. In fact, after hearing him rattle the door handle a few more times, I decided to wipe the door clean from the side of the house. Leaving just a solid wall standing in Caleb's face with only the house windows to look through. Caleb began to sniffle and whimper sadly, telling me that he was sorry and that he loved me more than anything in the world.

But I didn't listen.

Not at all.

Ok...somebody else to focus on. Let me think. A strong image. A cool dream character. Someone who will easily outweigh and overpower any further thoughts of Caleb Jordan.

Sure enough, with a simple blink...there he was. Sitting on my living room couch, with one stray blond curl covering his right eye. A breathtaking representation of Austin's beauty, if I do say so myself. Hell, I had been staring at him long enough to know every last detail for memory. Right down to the cute little mole on the bottom left side of his neck. My GOD he was hot. Even in a dream world without rules or limitations of any kind, I found myself holding my breath and swooning helplessly in his presence. I was definitely going to enjoy myself tonight.

The noises outside continued with increasing desperation, but I was only concentrating on making my true dream boy as real and authentic as he possibly could be. Finally...a chance to just stand back and stare in awe without any fear of consequence. Did I mention how much I absolutely LOVE this dreamweaving stuff?

Austin smiled warmly at me, and I felt a strong blush building up as my eyes drifted down to look at the floor. The entire room seemed to be affected by my feelings of raw puppy love, and I grinned as I watched the walls began to glow with the radiant rose colored light of infatuation. He didn't say anything, he simply stood up from the couch and walked over to gently take my hand. His eyes stared into mine, making me weak inside, and he gradually leaned forward to kiss me sweetly on the lips.

I was left so breathless. Instantly swept away. I knew that I was making this all up as I went along. I knew that it wasn't real. But my heated mind completely gave itself over to the sensation, regardless. I swear...it was just as real as anything else that I could ever imagine. Maybe even more so. It was sooooo easy to believe.

I felt his hands slide around me to rest affectionately on the small of my back. I felt the silken texture of his bright blond curls as I tangled my fingertips in their shiny mass. I could taste the flavor of him as his tongue slipped erotically past my own, and we kissed passionately as the very warmth of him was pressed against my chest.

It was then that I heard a loud banging at the window, and at the door, and on all of the walls...simultaneously. The pounding was so violent and angry that it began to shake the whole house. I heard another shrill scream rip through the very air around us, echoing with a demonic rumble of utter hatred.

Still...I didn't give in.

I won't let Caleb frighten me into giving up my control again. Instead, I broke my kiss with Austin and lightly gave his hand a tug...heading towards the stairs so that we could go up to my bedroom and get more comfortable.

This made my haunted little intruder...very angry.

Caleb had never been so hurt. So destroyed. He went from window to window...watching me go up the stairs with another boy. Smiling. Holding him. Touching him. Willingly giving myself over to him, while Caleb remained locked outside in the cold. His frantic protests were so strong that they rattled the framework of the house itself, plaster dropping down around us, the paint cracking and swelling, the railing turning to barbs and splinters.

”Donnie!!! Please, don't do this! What about US? What about ME???” He wept.

But Austin and I just ignored his cries and kept going. My sexy young blond fetish, as Chucky would put it. He walked up the stairs directly in front of me while I followed close behind. My face just inches from that deliciously round ample bottom of his. I took a hold of his hips and held him steady as I pushed my face against it, smashing the spongy soft cheeks with my nose and lips. He smiled as he looked back and pulled me further up on the stairs and quicken my pace. This was happening. Can you believe it? I wonder what dream sex will be like with Austin. I wonder what my hormone crazy mind has planned for me up there. I guess I'm about to find out, huh?

When we reached the top of the stairs, the hallway was cluttered with plaster and debris. The screams and the pounding and the begging for me to stop...I ignored it all. Let Caleb have his childish little tantrum. I just don't have the patience to care anymore.

I could see Caleb's shadow floating outside some of the windows, and mentally willed them all to fog over so he couldn't see inside. He'd swiftly fly to another window, and I'd block him there as well. I was too close to my boy toy to let him stop me now.

Strangely enough, I noticed that my bedroom was completely unaffected by Caleb's turbulent outburst. It remained untouched. In tact. In my room, he held even less power than he did throughout the rest of the house. When I closed the bedroom door, even the noises from outside seemed to become muffled and distant before coming to a complete halt. I didn't know what it was that I was doing different at the moment, but as I watched Austin pull his shirt over his head and undress in front of my hungry eyes...that ceased to be of any real importance.

I, honestly, couldn't strip out of my fucking clothes fast enough! I wanted him so badly that I could TASTE it! Every last inch of him was a smooth, warm, temptation of the flesh. One that caused me to lose all control over myself. And when we connected again, my naked skin against his, I actually felt goosebumps being raised on my arms and legs. Jesus...he felt so real. So yummy. So hard. He got on top of me as he laid me back on the bed, kissing me on the lips as my craving for him reached levels that I had never experienced for another boy before. We rolled around on my bed, back and forth, our lips locked in the most intimate embrace. My hands all over his body, his hands all over mine. It was the most explosive, most erotic, teenage fantasy that I had ever dared to create. And when I shifted positions and moved down to slowly suck the hardness of his straining shaft into my mouth...I nearly came all over myself.

Wow! It even tasted like Austin! Or so I would assume...

I bathed him all over that succulent area with the flat of my tongue. His long, hard, inches. His profusely leaking, circumcised, tip. His full orbs, dusted with the finest wisps of soft blond hair. And then, I gently nibbled at the warm meat of his inner thighs. I sucked on the skin hard enough to leave a temporary hickey wherever my lips found another smooth, tantalizing surface to conquer. My brain was electric with activity. My body excited beyond its usual limits.

Austin. My Austin. It felt like him. Moved like him. Moaned like him. Smelled like him. This dream representative was an exact replica of everything that I always dreamed he would be. I should have made him my dream boy from the very beginning instead of wasting my time with 'you know who'.

Outside...the rumble of lightning and thunder. A black storm swelling into a malestrom of Biblical proportions. And when I glanced over to the bedroom window, Caleb was floating there. His eyes a deep shade of red, surrounded by thick black circles of rage. His tight lipped expression and burning stare was almost enough to worry me, but not quite. This is exactly what Chucky was talking about. Taking my control back. He can't come in. He can't stop me. Not unless I allow him to. And that just proves, hands down, that he's merely a figment of my mixed up imagination. A product of an exhausted mind that was working dilligently to make sense out of something that had no basis in logic whatsoever. After a few more nights of ignoring him like this, I was certain that he'd have no choice but to disappear once and for all and never come back.

I went back to my sexy blond in bed, using my oral vacuum to pull him deeply back into the wet, heated, confines of my mouth. Taking comfort in knowing that this 'Caleb' creation was helpless to do anything but watch from the window. Hurt and alone. Sorry for trying manipulate me in staying with him forever. I let my saliva slicken Austin's hardness as it pumped his hips in and out of my face, his knees bent slightly over my shoulders, my hands rubbing up and down his slender sides, occasionally running over his belly. I felt surrounded by his body heat, and whimpered to myself as I took full enjoyment out of this golden opportunity to deliver the kind of boyish worship that Austin deserved.

Caleb saw the whole thing, but he never once tried to enter that room. Not once. It was almost as if it was the one place that he was afraid of. He merely hovered outside that bedroom window in silence, his face frowned up in the most hateful expression imaginable. It was hard to ignore, even during moments of pure sexual bliss. But I managed to do so. And when Austin reached the point of orgasm, filling me up with jet sprays of his honey sweetened nectar...the entire world outside turned to an unfathomable degree of total darkness. Black with red streaks of lightning crawling back and forth through the dark clouds spinning wildly overhead. To say that it was apocalyptic would be a severe understatement. Caleb had never been so broken. So enraged. And the entire dream world, even while under my control, was deeply affected by the fires of his fury. Every inch of it...except for my bedroom. As long as I was in that room, I was safe.

Again...so I assumed...

The last thing that I remember before waking up the next morning was the wrath and envy that flared up in his once alluring eyes. Mentally chewing me up with its glare. That's when I knew...

I had officially challenged him now. I have made my stand.

Now...let's see if he'll make his.