“What are you doing here?”
I closed my eyes even tighter. Was I dreaming? I was pretty sure I had just fallen asleep. But I was also pretty sure I was still standing up because my legs were tired. Why was I standing in bed?
“Brooklyn.”
The voice sounded real. And it sounded like Matt. I opened my eyes. I blinked because he was way too close. His face only a few inches away from mine. I was definitely dreaming.
“Sorry, what was the question?” I asked even though I was asleep. My body was all warm like when I wore my flannel pajamas. And he was blurry like I still had sleepy in my eyes.
“You told me you’d stay away from Felix.” He looked mad. Like he had in class when he yelled at Charlotte. I remembered the sound his pencil made when it snapped in half. He was so strong. And a dick.
“That’s not a question,” I said. “And I never said that.”
“Nunca. Remember?”
“I don’t speak Spanish, weirdo. My friend does. Kennedy. She’s my best friend. You probably know her because she’s been going to the same school as you for a while now. Not that you care about scholarship students. She’s here somewhere but she’s taking pictures because I think she’s mad at me for some reason. How long ago was that? Never mind, I’m just dreaming anyway. Because in real life you aren’t speaking to me.” I put my hand on his face. The scruff on his jaw line was rough against my palm. “I do remember that. You pretending I don’t exist.”
His Adam’s apple rose and then fell. “How much have you had to drink?”
I moved my fingers to his lips. They were so soft compared to his scruff. “A couple glasses of punch.”
“You’re drunk.”
I laughed. “No. I’ve only had punch.”
“There’s alcohol in the punch, Brooklyn.”
“Psh. No. Besides, I’m asleep. I dream of you a lot. You actually talk to me in my dreams. It’s nice.” I moved my fingers to his hair. It was soft too. Maybe it really was spun from gold.
“Let me take you home.”
“I don’t need a knight in shining armor, Matt. And even if I did, it wouldn’t be you. Because you don’t speak to me, remember? Why are you even talking to me now? Because your girlfriend’s not here?”
“What are you talking about?” He grabbed my hand and removed it from his hair.
I felt the same spark I had in the bathroom as he cradled my hand in his. Like I was a dumb baby that had just stuck my finger in an electrical circuit. But I wasn’t a baby. And he was just a handsome boy, not a super complicated electrical circuit. I pulled my hand away from him. “I’m talking about Isabella.”
“Isabella is not my girlfriend.”
“But you stopped talking to me after you talked to her at lunch.”
He didn’t respond.
“So if it’s not because of her…why aren’t you talking to me anymore?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Complicated? Really? You know what’s complicated? My mom is dead. She’s dead and I’m all alone. I’m alone.” I sighed. I was getting sleepier by the second.
Matt opened his mouth again and then closed it. “I’m really sorry, Brooklyn. I didn’t know.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “Well, like you said. Life is complicated. I don’t have any parents. You’re kind of dating Isabella and ignoring me. Whatever, whatever. It’s life. And I don’t care anymore.”
“I’m not dating Isabella. I’m not dating anyone.”
A Backstreet Boys song that I used to listen to when I was little came on. I used to dance to it in the kitchen with my mom. She’d turn up the radio as high as it would go. The memory made me smile. Now I really wanted to dance. If my tired body would allow it.
“What about your father?” Matt asked.
