In The Dreaming: Chapter Thirty Two "Bagels and Beaches" (Fantasy Y/A Novel)

-I wrote the following novel nearly two decades ago. In the years between then and now I've honed my craft, and my perception of this world; my thoughts and ideas; have changed dramatically. However, I still enjoy the premise and have decided to do an overhaul of revisions and rewrites, though likely not until sometime next year. (Though I'm sure I'll do a little as I post chapters)

For now I hope you will enjoy a glimpse into my book writing beginnings...

They are the closest of friends though they have never met in waking life.

Prologue-PT1 Prologue-PT2 Chapter 1

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13

Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16

Chapter 17
Chapter 18 Chapter 19

Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22

Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25

Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28

Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

The following morning Aliyah woke to Amy staring at her, a smile plastered across her face.

She rubbed her eyes, “What?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“No, but you were thinking something at me so hard you woke me up.”

Amy pushed her playfully. “I was not. I was thinking to myself.”

“Thinking to yourself while staring intently and mentally shouting “Wake Up!”

“Okay fine, I was hoping you’d wake up. I just wanted to ask if you think he’ll try to see me tonight.”

“First of all, yes, I think he will, but it doesn’t matter, because we are going to seek him out anyway.”

“What do you mean, seek him out?”

“The boat, remember?”

“He’s going to the boat with us?”

“Yes.”

“Goody!”

“Goody? Did you actually say goody? I’m sorry, but I don’t know if a girl who says goody is ready for alcohol and boys, I mean seriously…”she smirked and Amy laughed attempting to push her off the bed.

They were interrupted by Mrs. Hurnard.

“Good morning girls! Giggling already? Ah to be young again. Well we have breakfast downstairs, bagels and doughnuts.”

“Yes, bagels! Fantastic, wonderful Long Island bagels!”

“Oh my God, more fantastic food? Are you actually drooling over bagels? With all this spectacular food, I’m seriously thinking I might move here.”

“Just wait until you see the ocean, you’ll be packing your bags when you get home.”

“Well…maybe. But I kinda think I would miss the woods.”

“Yeah, but you could always visit the woods.”

“Wait a minute Am, do you want to live here?”

“Oh jeez, I don’t know, of course Mike’s here, and if you moved here then definitely, definitely yes.”

“Okay well, I’ll go home and count the change in my piggybank, you do the same, and maybe we’ll have enough to rent an apartment…for one day, and then I’m at a loss because nobody hires fourteen-year-old dropouts, in fact nobody hires fourteen year old's period..” Amy was really punching her arm this time.

“Stop teasing! But maybe someday.”

Aliyah nodded thoughtfully, Dark eyes flashed inside her head. “Maybe.”

“Come on, let’s go get some bagels.”

They trooped down the stairs and swung up on the bar stools situated around the counter.

“Okay, don’t pick quickly. You may think that you want a raisin bagel because that’s what you normally like, but I’m telling you it’s better to eat one that’s not sweet. In fact even plain would be a good choice. Actually, why don’t we each pick one and switch halves.”

“I do still get to have cream cheese right?”

“Definitely, the cream cheese is awesome.”

“It’s not Philadelphia?”

“No, they make it themselves,” Amy stated with pride.

They settled on one plain and one everything bagel, it seemed the logical way to get the full experience. Aliyah was not disappointed as she imagined she never would be with these particular Long Island foods.

Afterwards Aunt Jane told them to start getting ready, she wanted an early start so they didn’t have to park in the next county and walk four miles to the beach.

“Weekends are crowded, especially holiday weekends,” Amy smiled, most likely thinking of all the cute boys that would be running over the sand. She was officially changing into a girly girl right in front of Aliyah’s eyes.

“All right, should I shower first or you?”

“No, actually don’t shower.”

Aliyah raised her eyebrows.

“No really, you’re going to be swimming in salt water and laying in sand, showering is for afterwards.”

“Okay, then the getting ready part should be pretty fast.”

“Yup.”

They went back upstairs to get their suits and beach clothes.

Amy frowned down at her clothes.

“Something wrong?”

“Actually I was thinking that we’re going to be gone all day, when will I have the chance to tell Mike about our plan?”

“Silly, we’re going to be back in the evening, and remember we’re sneaking out for that. We can probably walk over to his house after dinner, hang out and tell him, and then meet him later.”

“Oh yeah,” Amy brightened, “This is gonna be so fun!”

Aliyah smiled, but she found herself wishing she didn’t have to be the third wheel. But who else could they invite?

Amy seemed to read her mind. “I promise I won’t ignore you. Actually, Mike has a few really good friends, and his one friend Chris is nice and cute and lives around the corner, maybe he could come.”

“Amy! I’m seeing somebody in case you have already forgotten, plus I love someone else, I have my hands full as it is.”

“Oh come on, seeing someone? He kissed you one time. And as for Dark eyes, you can’t even consider him right now, or you wouldn’t be able to date anyone else at all.”

“Okay, so when we get back upstate, I will get Dave to find some cute guy to hook you up with when we hang out.”

“Would you?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Well, it’s not like we would have to like the dates, but it would make it more comfortable. We could become really good friends and have fun while you two, or in this case us two, were staring into each other’s eyes.”

“I hardly think that I could conjure up a friendship, let alone a good one, in one night.”

“Oh come on, are you telling me that if he brings Chris, and you do find him really attractive, you will be wishing he wasn’t there so you could just hang out with me and Mike?”

“Good point. Okay, get Chris.”

“Yes! And if you like him, then I could arrange for you to come with me every time, or at least the times that aren’t real holidays, and we could have so much fun.”

“So essentially I could have a boyfriend upstate, and a secret fling down here, and then if I introduce you to someone you like up there you could do the same?”

“You make it sound so terrible.”

“I think that we are officially becoming boy crazy. Or you are and I am being dragged along.”

“Lighten up, we are supposed to be boy crazy at fourteen!”

“You know I am not even going to attempt to argue with that!” Aliyah giggled and started to change.

Her suit was modest, a one piece, turquoise blue with a tye dye type design. Her over clothes consisted of a pastel green shirt with pink writing and matching shorts. She walked over to the full length mirror and put her hair up in a ponytail. She stared at herself for a moment, trying to picture how she might look in a few years when she was fully developed. She was blessed with a great metabolism, the ability to tan easily, and startling green eyes. She had to admit that her future self would most likely be very attractive. She shook her head in dismay at her own vanity. She was of course happy to be easy on the eyes, but she hated the idea of people getting caught up in her looks, especially with her blonde hair-the subject of many air headed jokes even this far in her life.

“You look gorgeous, my turn at the mirror.”

Amy on the other hand, was already developing so much so that her body made her appear to be 16. She was also extremely pretty with her black hair and big blue eyes. She was almost the opposite of Aliyah, fuller and dark, but equally attractive. She was wearing a dark green..bikini!

“Whoa, when did you get a two piece, you didn’t wear that this summer!”

“Actually, I had it, but then none of my friends except Misty had one, and I felt too exposed.”

“I could see that.”

“You hate it?”

“No, actually you look really good. Too good, you’ll have the lifeguards checking you out.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, but they’ll be embarrassed when I yell “Quit looking at my fourteen year old friend you pervs!”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Oh, probably not,” Aliyah grinned. “Actually I’m jealous, it will be at least two years before I look good in something like that.”

“Oh stop, you have boobs.”

“Not enough to say so.”

Amy shook her head and then pulled on her burgundy half shirt and tiny matching shorts.

“You look so good in dark colors.”

“And you look awesome in bright ones.”

“Yeah, we look good.”

They stood side by side smiling at each other in the mirror.

“What would I have done if you never moved upstate?”

“You know, I was just thinking the same thing. I may love boys, but I LOVE you.” Amy hugged Aliyah tightly and they smiled widely.

“Mushy moment!”

“Shake it off,” They danced comically around the room and were startled by tittering coming from the door.

“Cody! What if we were still changing!”

“Nah, I listened at the door before I opened.” The tall sixteen year old boy stood there grinning. “Oh come on, don’t stop dancing around on my account.”

Aliyah blushed and Amy through her towel at him, smiling. “What do you want, are you actually coming with us?”

“Kiki and I are going to follow in my car, we’re meeting up with some friends there.”

“Kiki?” Aliyah tittered.

“Yeah, and guess what his nickname is?”

“Umm, Coco?”

“You got it!”

Aliyah turned to him “And you were laughing at us dancing around the room?”

“Ohh, touché. I like you. Actually it was funny, but not nearly as funny as Kiki’s funny pants dance.”

“I have to see this.”

“Just wait until he’s had a couple beers and then ask him, it is worthwhile entertainment.”

“A few beers? How old is he?”

“18,” Cody and Amy responded in unison.

“Well, when might I see him drinking a couple of beers?”

“Oh probably later, dad stocked the cooler this weekend. In fact, if we can get Aunt Mary to drink some, I would bet you guys could sneak a couple and she wouldn’t notice.”

“So I guess you drink beer?”

Cody laughed.

“Here? You drink beer here at home at sixteen?”

“Mom and dad have always been a little relaxed about such things. And with the way mom feels about you, being so old for your years, and Amy, being so mature her sweet little niece, I have no doubt that she wouldn’t mind.”

“You do know that we’re only, um, fourteen right?”

“Oh fourteen, shmorteen. Anyway, I just came in to tell you that the parents are ready when you are.”

Cody disappeared, and Aliyah shook her head in amazement. “Well if that’s the case..”

“Oh don’t listen to him, there is no way that my mom or Aunt Jane would let us drink! Him, yes, but he’s sixteen and a boy, it’s different. However, in a few years when you come down here with us, it will definitely be another story.”

They left the room and went outside, waiting only moments before the rest of the family appeared. Aliyah took a second to soak it all in, these people, this place, she was really glad she came.

“Hey girls, you can ride over with us if you want.”

“Yes, cool!”

They climbed into the little sports car and were greeted by extremely loud music, Aliyah recognized the Rolling Stones as she had recently begun checking out classic rock.

“I can’t get no, satisfaction,” Aliyah sang.

“You know the stones?” Kiefer shouted over the music

“Oh, somewhat, I know their famous songs anyway,” she shouted back.

“Do you like them?”

“Are you kidding, how could you not like them?”

“Nice! I like your friend Am.”

“I’ve been hearing that all weekend, I think it says something about my taste!”

Aliyah nodded emphatically.

He put the car in reverse and sped out of the driveway and down the street. He took off so fast the girls were plastered against the seat.

“Whee, this is awesome!”

“I know, I love sports cars, I think I’m going to own one!”

The rest of the ride was lost in a blur of hard rock, Aliyah herself was unfamiliar with most of the artists, but found that she rather enjoyed all of them. It was almost funny, she had grown up thinking that hard rock was somehow bad, and now she was thinking that it was becoming her music of choice.

There was one band she liked in particular, it was called Pearl Jam. Of course she had heard it before, some of their songs had been playing for decades, but she had never heard an album. She asked, and found that it was a collection of some sort, a greatest hits album. In fact after just a few songs, “like” was the wrong word, it was more like Love. She couldn't say why, but at that moment she felt certain it was a band that Dark Eyes also loved.

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