Chapter Fourteen

"Sleep with your eyes open for a change. Then your dreams will feel real."

CLAYTON

Blue. . . Red. . . Yellow. . .

Yellow. . . Red. . . Blue. . .

My mind spun as my hand glided along the canvas; the abstract image vaguely showing up like I had pictured. It was supposed to be a dramatized face of Grete, since her eighteenth birthday was coming up and I wanted to send her something as a surprise, but that wasn't going to do. It didn't do her justice at all.

I took my paint brush by the handle and bit down on it while I tried to think of a fix.

"Clayton?"

I turned around briefly to see Mateo standing in the doorway. He was dressed in his running clothes and had his headphones lying around his neck. By the sweat beading his forehead and red tint in his face, I knew my house was a temporary stopping point in his five mile run. Unlike me, he found running fun. He said it took off his stress. I was not sure what rich boy Mateo Raeken ever had to worry about; well, that was until then.

"Uh, hey," I greeted him through a paint brush. Quickly spitting it out and placing it back on the paint stand, I stood up and wiped my hands down on the back of my jeans. We exchanged a brief handshake. "What's up dude?"

Mateo's slight smile minimized. He maneuvered around me without a word until he settled himself on my bed. "Look, I know we're not exactly," he moved his hands around as he exasperated for the right words, "--the closest of friends. But well, something happened today and I need to tell someone. I tried calling Zeke but he said he was busy with that J.K. girl, so, um. . . yeah."

He rubbed his hands together, popping each finger eventually. His eyes casted across my room until they landed on a picture of our baseball team from freshman year.

"I overheard coach talking on the phone this morning. He was talking to Coach Carter about how we look this year." Mateo started off, his lip being taken by his teeth every moment he took a pause. He seemed in no hurry to let whatever he overheard out. Almost as if he were embarrassed to share it with me.

I grabbed the Coke off my desk and took a sip. The fizzing of the suds were a good counter act to silence.

"He said I am the dead weight on the team," Mateo finally got off his chest. "He said I haven't grown since freshman year like he had hoped and thinks if I don't get better real quick, I won't be able to play ball for the team once the real season comes along."

My face scrunched together. "What?"

I had always seen Mateo as the weak link on the team, but I never thought our coaches would act on it. He was apart of the team after all - flaws and all. Before every game we always shared the same handshake since he was a big stickler for superstition.

Mateo ran his hands through his hair, sighing loudly. "I guess he didn't think anyone was in the locker room so early in the morning." His eyes met mine. "What am I going to do? My dad is going to disown me or something. Ugh."

"No way, that isn't going to happen." I said with the utmost confidence. Mateo might not have been good but he tried really hard. It wasn't as if he was doing a half ass job. That in itself is admirable. "Maybe if I talk to him--"

"That won't change the fact I suck--"

"You just need to be coached, that's all." I placed my Coke down to talk down to him. "It isn't your fault our coaches don't know how."

Our coaches knew how to train players that already had the skill sets, but they never coached someone a day in their life. We never got better because of them. The little progress Mateo and Zeke had had over the years was because of the extra practice they put in alongside me.

Mateo was mumbling incoherent things under his breath.

I understood why he was so shaken up - hell if I overheard my coach saying that about me, I would probably be too embarrassed to ever play again. Mateo didn't need to give up though. He had plenty of time before the season actually started.

"I can coach you," I said before thinking about it. It was an impulsive thing to say, since my schedule was already as full like it was, but I felt like Mateo could get better. Would he be the best baseball player since Babe Ruth? Of course not, but he can at least be considered a baseball player. When I received confused eyes, I nodded more. "Yeah, we'll do sessions and stuff. Mostly for hitting though," I added in a soft voice. He wasn't good at hitting. At all.

Mateo stood there stunned, his eyes scanning my face to see if I was serious or not. I wasn't sure what he had expected. I wasn't like Zeke; I wouldn't have tormented him.

"Seriously." I chuckled, the silence becoming absurd. "It's no big deal." Okay, maybe it was a little.

Before I went and dropped my offer jokingly to make him speak, his frown suddenly lifted, and he laughed. It was traced with relief and so much surprise. It was as if I made his day, which made me smile brighter.

"I can't believe you'd do that, man." He gave me another serious stare before smiling to himself. "Thank you. Seriously."

Surprisingly spending my afternoon with Mateo wasn't that bad. In fact it was great, actually. That was until he became rather persistent with the idea of me taking Lucy to the dance.

"I just got this bad vibe when Wesley told me he was going to ask Lucy to the dance. Nothing personal against him. . . but you definitely know how guys are. How you are."

Mateo pointed an accusing finger. "Don't forget about yourself. You act like a few months ago you weren't going around partying and finding babes left and right." He took a handful of popcorn and dropped it into his mouth. "But I don't get it; why don't you just ask Lucy to the dance if it's bothering you so much?" Mateo asked immediately, as if it were an obvious answer to my problem. "Would you rather her go with a friend or a guy looking to get it on by the end of the night?"

That was such a good way to putting it. "Alright, I'll go and talk to J.K. or someone and get them to take her." I smiled wide only to receive a frown. "Thanks for the advice, I feel a lot better about the dance now."

"Clayton--"

"I know, I know. Dammit." I rubbed my face with my hands. "I just don't want her to get the wrong idea, okay?"

Mateo smirked. I hated it when people smirked at me. "Yeah, because texting her all the time and wanting to hang out isn't giving out the wrong idea." I pushed him, cracking a grin. When he put it that way I sounded like a desperate love struck boy. "She's cute. I don't blame you for liking her."

Lucy Walker wasn't like any other girl I had met before. She enjoyed keeping to herself rather than going out and partying. She actually liked the game of baseball, not only the so called perks that came with the baseball pants. I had barely even gotten to know her that first month, yet I was completely in awe of the way she handled her sleepwalking.

"Yeah. . ." I breathed out, finally. "She's pretty remarkable."

His brows raised.

"I don't, like, like-like her, though," I suddenly shot out, forgetting about that delicate little detail before Mateo got the wrong idea.

It looked as though that idea was already planted in his mind though, because all I received was a knowing grin.

- - - - - - -

Finally the autumn weather was rolling in which meant cool breezes when you needed them the most. Mateo ended up staying at my house the rest of the afternoon and for once we talked. We talked about a lot of things, but they each somehow revolved around Lucy and her sleepwalking.

Surprisingly Mateo was curious about her condition. He asked logical questions any sane person would have - not ones that involved whether or not she would sleepwalk after spending the night with someone. I told him everything I knew, minus the description of how she looked on the night she walked to my house. She was barely wearing anything - something meant for only her eyes only, and it didn't feel right to share that with Mateo. I barely even allowed myself to reminisce of Lucy's tiny shorts and top before hitting myself with guilt.

"Hey you should come over to my house sometimes. My mom's been asking about you." Mateo began heading down the driveway when he gave me the invitation. The last time I had been to his house was a little over a year ago for his raunchy Halloween party. "Unless you're too busy trying woo Lucy. You know me, I don't cock block."

Yep, there is the guy I know so well.

Even though it was poor in taste, I found myself laughing. "Sure, I'll keep that in mind. Maybe next week after our hitting sessions I can go over."

He nodded in agreement. "Well, I'll talk to you later. Good luck with Lucy!" I couldn't exactly tell because it was so quick, but Mateo looked to have winked before he waved me off. Then like that he was beginning his run back home.

The cold breeze began to pick up so I rushed to my car and quickly turned it on so it could start heating up. Then I headed back inside and prepped for my dance formal proposal - if that's even what is was called. I knew I was going to use the teddy bear, thanks to the genius idea from mor, but other than that I had no idea what to do.

This would be so much easier over text, I thought.

In efforts to keep the plan going, I figured it would be best to decide on my way over to Lucy's house. That would give me a few minutes to come up with something without the option of backing out.

I could always turn around. . .

No, no, no. This is happening. It is.

So I hopped into my car without a hitch - even managed to flick the radio on my favorite station without my hands shaking. I was exuding confidence; which consisted of a composed appearance but shit scared mentality.

Those few minutes flew by as I found myself parking in the Walkers' driveway. I didn't see her older brother's car, which was a good start, so I breathed out easier.

I could do this.

I got out of the car.

I could.

Before I reached the porch the front door swung open and out popped Mrs. Walker.

Abort. Abort. Abort mission.

She didn't notice me at first as she locked up the house, but since I didn't exactly have the speed like The Flash, I didn't have anywhere to go. So I awkwardly stood there, awaiting a painful exchange of greetings.

"Hi, Mrs. Walker." Finally she took notice of me and a smile braced her face. She walked down the porch steps. I sucked in a breath. "I was wondering if Lucy was home?" I held on to the Halloween bear tightly, cuddling it against my chest.

Her eyes went from the bear to me then back and forth between the two. When her friendly smile fell a tiny bit, I knew Lucy must not have been home. "You just missed her. She headed to Panera to study for a test with friends."

Great. That's just great.

"What is this about?" Mrs. Walker gestured towards the stuffed animal.

"Oh, um," I shuffled in my spot, "To be honest with you, Mrs. Walker. . ." It wasn't as if we were going to go as dates, right? I was simply saving Lucy the trouble of having to with Wesley or some other sleaze. "I was going to ask Lucy to the fall formal next month. As friends, of course. But if you don't want me to to ask her then I understand perfectly. I'm sorry. I'll be going no--"

"Why wouldn't I want you to ask her?" Mrs. Walker suddenly interjected on my rambling. Her green eyes locked on me when all I wanted was to run away. "You're a good boy, Clayton. Nothing like that other guy who asked her a few days ago. Thank the lord she turned him down," she breathed out, wiping nonexistent sweat from her forehead.

My brows sparked up at this news. Wesley already asked Lucy. . . and she turned him down. The strange feeling in my gut passed instantly, but another soon replaced it.

If Lucy rejected him then I had no reason to ask her to the dance. She was probably planning on going with her group of friends anyways. Yet there I was standing in front of her mom, saying I was going to ask her. I couldn't go back on my word now - could I?

"Oh," I said, dumbfounded.

Mrs. Walker waved her hands in the air. "You have no reason to worry though. I am one-hundred percent positive she will say yes to you." She winked towards me then laughed lightly.

I attempted to chuckle, but I failed.

"Did you want to come inside? I just finished making a huge thing of soup. I was only heading to the store to get some french bread." She offered kindly.

I smiled graciously then shook my head. My parents were expecting me back home for dinner since mor had today off. Plus I needed to think of a way to get me out of this mess.

"No thank you, Mrs. Walker. I have to go back home." She let out a disappointed awe. "And if you don't mind, could you keep this conversation between us?"

She was quick to nod her head. "Of course!" Her fingers pretended to zip her lips. "My lips are sealed."

I could only hope.