Cassandra and I have been spending so much time together for the past few months. I never thought Arpie High’s entrance exams would bring the two of us so close together. And although my feelings for her have grown more and more with each and every passing day, I know that there's still no way in hell that an average guy like me has a chance with a girl like her. But still, I like to hope against hope that I do. I have faith in myself because Cassandra has faith in me. Because she believes in me, I can believe in myself.

It's nighttime and I'm in my room peacefully sleeping in my messy bed like a sloth, dreaming the same dream as always. Cassandra and I are at the beach, enjoying the sunset while listening to chill music and eating cake. During times like this, I really wish I could sleep forever.

“Hey, Belly?”

“Hmm? Yeah, what’s up?”

And in a very shy voice, Cassandra all of a sudden asks, “What do you… think about me?”

I think hard for a few seconds, and remember everything that’s happened with her for the past year. All the memories her and I have made together, the good ones and the bad ones.

I scratch my head and answer her question, “What do I think of you? Hmm… Well… Oh, I know!” and with a proud smile on my face, I tell her, “You oddly enough remind me a lot of the real Cassandra!”

She gets impatient, “What-What the hell sort of dumbass answer is that?!?!”

Oblivious, I answer, “Hm? What do you mean? Aren’t you just a dream?”

She thinks to herself, This kid… he’s a total idiot!!

“Ugh!! Fine!! What the hell do you think about the real Cassandra?! Jackass.”

Still unaware that the Cassandra in my dreams is actually the Cassandra in real life, I answer, “Ahhh, the real Cassandra…”

Cassandra gets flustered, and her face turns red, “Yes!... So… What-What do you think about her, Belly?... If-If I were the real Cassandra, what would you think about me?... And be honest!”

“The real Cassandra… Yeah… I think I’d know what to say if you were the real Cassandra.”

I put down my plate and turn my body to face Cassandra’s, but I avoid making eye contact with her by looking below at the sand instead.

I answer her question, “Cassandra, I-I’ve never had any friends and I was always so alone as a kid. But-But you still chose to befriend and help a loser like me. You’re undoubtedly the kindest person in the world. Whenever I see you, I know that it’s going to be a good day. Cassandra, you’re my absolute everything.” Both our hearts begin to beat louder and louder, and both our faces blush, “I want to do my best and become a knight so that one day I can impress you. When we’re together, I feel like I can do anything. You make me so happy, and-and I hope some day, you’ll feel the same way about me as I do about you.” My chest starts to ache, “Cassandra, I think… I think I’m really falling in love with you.”

Cassandra is speechless, all she can do is stare blankly at me after all those words. However, all I can do is think to myself how pathetic I’m being.

This is stupid. Why am I even saying this? This is all just a wishful dream anyway. Not real. Not real at all.

But then I hear Cassandra pressing down the sand, approaching me to where I’m sitting, and she gently whispers something.

“Hey, Belly, look up.”

“Huh?”

Cassandra places her warm hand on my cheek, and without warning she kisses me. Her lips on mine feel so soft and smooth. I’m completely frozen, and yet her kiss is melting my heart.

Cassandra, is… kissing me…

We stop, and her eyes meet mine.

She giggles at my expense, “Fufufu. Abella, you really know how to talk to girls, huh? Hahaha Why aren’t you saying anything? Did I surprise you that badly?” She wipes a tear away and smiles, “I gotchu, Belly!”

“... Cassandra…”

“Huh?”

I grab her waist and kiss her.

“Mm!?”

The sun vanishes into the sea, and the sky lights up into millions of starry nights. In the shadows her face was so close to mine that I could smell the sweet ropy fragrance of the strawberry cheesecake she had been eating, and then her tongue was in my mouth. She slowly begins to move her body on top of mine as she continues holding my face steady with her hands for her to embrace. She carefully unbuttons her shirt to reveal her amazing breasts only inches away from me. For every second that passes, our breathing gets heavier and heavier and my body starts to tremble from the excitement. We stop kissing for a moment and begin gasping for air with our tongues out while a thin bridge of saliva connects our mouths as we erotically look at each other desiring for more.

“Hah, hah. Abella… I’m sorry, but… I really want you bad. Hah, hah.”

“Hah. R-Really? Hah.”

Cassandra smiles and answers my obvious question, “Yes, Abella,” She places my hand on her breast, “I really, really do.”

Cassandra and I kiss once more. Her body, her breasts, her lips, her tongue, her hands, they all feel so incredible. I couldn’t resist my primal instincts any longer. I gently place her on her back and slowly caress her leg.

I'm kissing the girl of my dreams. I’m kissing the girl who means absolutely everything to me. Is this okay? Is this normal? Is this… love?

As I slowly move my leg forward and mentally prepare for what’s about to happen. Cassandra moans a bit, and speaks these words I’ve never heard before.

“Please, Abella. gasp… be gentle.”

I felt like my heart was going to explode from that one line alone.

Cassandra…

But then I wake up in the middle of the night, breathing heavily, sweating and with an unquenchable thirst. It was all just a dream.

I sadistically smile and laugh at myself, “Hahh… hahahah… Just a stupid dream like always. Life… Life really is cruel sometimes.”

I sit up in bed so I can go look for something to satisfy my thirst. But then I hear it--I feel it.

Slosh.

“Hm?!...”

I slowly lift my covers, terrified over what I might find. But you all can probably guess what it is.

“WHA-WHA-WHA-WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?! YOU-YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING MEEE!!!!”

I accidentally wake up my neighbors.

One demands, “Hey, shut the hell up!! Some of us have work tomorrow!!” Another one threatens, “I’m calling the police if you don’t SHUT THE HELL UP!!”

NooOOOO!!! This is too embarrassing!!

I yell back,“I-I-I’M SORRY EVERYONE!! I’LL SHUT UP!!”

I facepalm, and look down at my covers, “Aw, geez. What should I do??”

Meanwhile this is happening, Cassandra is waking up in our middle school nurse’s office. She’s hugging her pillow for dear life, and can’t stop thinking about what happened in the dream.

“A-A-Abella?! I-I kissed Abella?!?! Aw, jeez! This is so embarrassing!!” She starts rolling in her bed from one side to another, “Dammit! Dammit!! I think me waking up woke him up, too!! I got too carried away with him!!” Her face turns red at the thought of me, and her heart begins to skip a beat, “I wonder… I wonder if he's thinking about me right now…”

She remembers the words she told me in the dream.

I'm sorry, Abella… but I really want you bad.

“Aaahh! I'm so embarrassing! I'm so embarrassing! I'm so embarrassing! I can't believe I… we… kissed! Kissed! Dammit! Ugh! And why? Why did I have to wake up when it was getting sooo good, too?! And how in the hell am I supposed to face Belly tomorrow?! Suicide. That’s my only option at this point.”

And while this whole mess is going on, back home, I’m cleaning my dirty pajamas in the washing machine next to the the bathroom.

Whirr, Whirr, Whirr, Whirr…

I squat in my boxers while double facepalming, shamefully facing away from my washing machine.

This is too embarrassing, I can’t watch my washing machine clean such filth! All we were doing is kissing! KISSING! It wasn't even that serious! Ughhh!

I stand up, and face my groin like every man does at some point in their lives.

“You're so weak!”

But it pokes up in my boxers and somehow answers me in a very deep and masculine voice.

Hahaha. Yes. You. Are. ~♪

"Kill yourself."

You can say that tonight was a lost for both Cassandra and me. But, honestly, this truly is the happiest I’ve ever been. I still believe that this was all just a dream, too, so I just continue on like how I normally do in life, without giving the dream much of a second thought.

Arpie High’s entrance exams are one month away. I really hope that by then my magic awakens so that I can become a full-fledged knight and finally make the real Cassandra proud.

I grin and think to myself how much I can’t wait for that day to come.