[h1][center][color=darkcyan] Blake Warren[/color][/center][/h1]

“[color=RosyBrown]What did they tell you?[/color]” A soft monotone voice echoed through a small sterile white room. Blake could feel his lips moving in response, but no sound came from them. He tried to look at the person who was speaking, but his eyes remained fixated on the ceiling of the room no matter how hard he tried. He tried to speak louder, move his body, shift his view, anything, but nothing changed. He was shackled there, helpless, feeling the room slowly closing in on him with only the subtle sound of a pencil scribbling on paper to fill the room. 

“[color=RosyBrown]I believe you.[/color]”

That voice again, filling his chest with a crushing amount of anxiety. He tried to gasp for air under the crushing weight on his chest, but it was useless. The gasps only served to shoot pain through his body head to toe, causing a splitting headache in his temple. The room began to crumble around him and whispers began to spill through the cracks in the walls. Quiet at first, getting progressively louder. He tried to scream, but his voice refused to be heard.   

Palpitations. Shallow breath. Nausea. Choking!

“[color=Silver]BLAKE![/color]”

Chocolate brown eyes shot open, searching the room frantically before settling on his father’s figure hovering over his bed, a strong hand gripping Blake’s shoulder. Breathing heavily, the frightened boy slowly sat up in bed and wiped away the few strands of blonde hair clinging to his forehead from sweat. 

“[color=Silver]You were talking and gasping in your sleep again.[/color]”

“[color=darkcyan]S-sorry…[/color]” His heart still beat fast in his chest, causing his hands to shake as he pulled away his blankets. “[color=darkcyan]Another nightmare.[/color]” Blake took in a deep breath to steady himself, looking up at his father’s steely blue eyes riddled with worry.

“[color=Silver]I know.[/color]” His father let go of his shoulder and walked over to Blake’s attached bathroom, going through the cabinets to find a tiny orange bottle filled with dozens of prescribed medication. “[color=silver]Here.[/color]” He took out a small green colored pill, closed the bottle, and walked over to his son to hand him the medication. “[color=silver]Your mother wants you out of bed and doing something today. Say’s you’ve been loafing around too much this summer.[/color]” His father’s scruffy face smiled as Blake took the pill and grabbed a water bottle sitting on his night stand. “[color=darkcyan]I don’t have anything to do though.[/color]” He protested, throwing back the pill and chasing it with water. His father shrugged, “[color=silver]You know how she is. Mom wants you out of the house today, so you’re going out. Find something to do. You know, like I did in the old days before video games existed.[/color]” He ruffled his son's hair playfully before he made his way out of the room. “[color=silver]Make sure to get your butt down there before Mom has to come up here.[/color]” 

Sighing, Blake relaxed into the headboard of his bed and set his water bottle back onto the nightstand. “[i]That stupid nightmare again…[/i]” He thought, closing his eyes. It felt like he hadn’t slept in ages, yet he spent most of his days asleep now that school was out. What was he even supposed to do today anyway? He didn’t really have friends that he hung out with during the summer and he preferred to stay home anyway. Nonetheless, Blake knew his mother could be relentless when she wanted to be. She’d have him sit outside on the curb playing with a stick and just be happy that he was breathing fresh air and being in the sunlight for once. Of course, Blake knew that it was because she cared, but his mother really could be a pain in the ass. 

[hr]

“[color=darkcyan]Where is Chris?[/color]”

“[color=PeachPuff]Your brother’s at work.[/color]”

Blake melted into his seat at the island in the kitchen, sinking his face into the marble counter pathetically. “[color=darkcyan]What do you want me to do, mooooommm?[/color]” He whined, staring back at her matching chocolate eyes. 

“[color=Peachpuff]Oh, stop.[/color]” She shook her head, unphased by her youngest son’s act. “[color=peachpuff]What about that Lynn girl… Lynn.. is that her name?[/color]” She thought for a moment on it, “[color=peachpuff]Lynette![/color]” She grinned as her son sat up straight again, horrified by the offer. “[color=peachpuff]I know you two have hung around at school sometimes.[/color]” She leaned onto the counter near Blake, “[color=peachpuff]I see the way you look at her, Blakey-boy.[/color]” She teased, a triumphant smile on her face. Blake lit up red with embarrassment, “[color=darkcyan]Mom![/color]” He whirled away from her and out of his bar stool chair. “[color=darkcyan]Fine, I’m going![/color]” He didn’t want to sit around and listen to any more of what his mother had to say. She already knew more than he wanted her to. Ugh. 

“[color=peachpuff]Have ffuuuunnn!![/color]” 

[hr]

[center][h2]10am[/h2][/center]

Having thought of absolutely nothing to do, Blake took his bike and rode to the Cherry Blossom Park which was only about a twenty minute ride from his house. This area was at least peaceful, and he couldn’t be teased by his parents or his brother. They were too much sometimes, so completely different than him. 

With his bike leaning up against a tree just a few minutes off of the regular jogging trail, Blake laid in the grass and stared up at the clouds passing him by. Taking out his cell phone to check the time, he groaned. Only 10am. “[i]How am I supposed to pass the entire day by out here?[/i]” It was easy enough to get lost in the video game world, but in the actual world? This could take centuries, and just to please his mother. Setting the phone back down next to him, he continued watching the clouds pass for a few minutes until it rendered him bored to death. 

Although his mother’s notion had mortified him, the idea did pass through his mind a time or two. Chris, his brother, would have wanted him to at least try to hang out with her. Along with a pickup line and a "smooth move" or two. Chris was a ladies man after all. Taking a deep breath to gather up some sort of courage, Blake grabbed his phone and scrolled through a short list of contacts until he came to Lynnette’s name. His fingers hovered over a text box as he opened up a text message to her, wondering what exactly he should say. Lynette wasn’t exactly his closest friend, but she was probably the one that talked to him the most during the school year. Despite how awkward and antisocial he could be, Lynnette never seemed to mind. Her incessant nature had somehow grown on him after a short time of knowing her. 

“[i]Hi Lynette! Wanted to see if maybe you were as bored as I am this summer… Want to hang out or something? I’m just hanging out at the Cherry Blossom Park right now so I figured I’d ask.[/i]” 

He stared at the message for a moment. Was that weird? Did normal people text that way? He never had many text message interactions so… 

“[i]Whatever.[/i]” He thought, pressing send before he could stop himself. “[i]If she doesn’t want to hang out… who cares?[/i]” He tried to convince himself that he wouldn’t be at least a little defeated if she denied his first attempt at a real friendship outside of class. 

[@Gowi]