It was completely dark everywhere. The sirens were blaring and the flashing red and blue lights were blinding. Everything was moving so fast. People were talking, but what they were saying was muffled. There was a man in the distance. The only person that was visible. He had his hands behind his back and he was thrashing and screaming. It was a gut wrenching sight. Behind him a stretcher was wheeled out with a body bag on top. The sirens and voices were getting louder. The man was becoming blurry. His brown eyes pierced into his soul.

Ferris leapt out of bed, gasping for air. It was another nightmare. He had not gotten one for years, but they came back every now and then. His heart was hammering at him. He looked out the window; it was still dark outside. He tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. Those brown eyes were imprinted on his mind every time he closed them. Ferris finally gave up and got out of bed. He checked the time. It was only four in the morning. He sighed and sat at his desk. He was still shaken by the nightmare, but he already knew how to ground himself.

He reached into a desk and pulled out a black composition book. He flipped through the pages, stopping near the end of the book. He sang to himself quietly.

As new as dawn, the water shimmers.

It glows for you and my love.

As new as dawn, the clouds will part

The sun will shine on our intertwined hands.

It was not a lot, but it did help him calm down. He grabbed a pencil and started brainstorming the next line.

"As new as dawn…" He thought aloud. "The…voices whisper?" He shook his head. "Um…the colors brighten? No, that's stupid…" Ferris would spend the next hour trying to rack his mind for ideas, before falling back to sleep on his desk. This time without nightmares.

The alarm on his phone was blaring in his ear, and his once peaceful nap was interrupted. He shot up and glanced around the room. The lamp at his desk was still on and his notebook was open in front of him. In his hand was his pencil and a pool of drool beside it. Ferris dropped the pencil and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He did not remember getting up in the middle of the night, but he remembered the nightmare. His body shuddered at the thought. 

He got up from his chair and lumbered to his closet mirror. He looked himself up and down. He was in a black t-shirt and black basketball shorts, his chestnut hair fell over his face messily. Ferris grimaced at the sight and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it to one side. Satisfied, he reached for the uniform inside the closet and tossed it onto his bed. He thought about getting back in bed. Missing the first day of school would not hurt anyone, especially him. As he crept under his blankets and his head was about to hit the pillow he heard shuffling from outside the door. 

"Damn!" He jumped out of bed, and hurriedly took off his pajamas and put on his uniform. It did not take long for him to pull on the black slacks, but he struggled to button the white shirt in the dark. As he finished the last button the door across from him opened, and a bright light from the hallway breached the darkness in his room.

An older woman was at the door with a gentle and satisfied smile. She had on a black robe and purple slippers, her gray hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She was not very big, in fact she only made it up to Ferris' shoulder. She walked deeper into the room and picked up the navy blue jacket from the bed.

“Good morning Ferris.” Her voice came out hoarsely. Ferris was not too worried, seeing as she was getting over a cold still. However, he could not shake the thought that she should be in bed resting. 

He kept his thoughts to himself and smiled gently. "Morning Nonna. How'd you sleep?"

She shrugged her shoulders and quickly turned on the lights in his room. Ferris squinted, but he did not say anything. She sat down on his unmade bed and held out the jacket to him. He chuckled and took the jacket from her. As soon as he put it on she started buttoning it for him.

“You know I’m perfectly capable of buttoning my shirt.” Ferris looked down at her, a smug grin on his face.

She looked up at him and replied, “I’m just doing the things your mother would’ve done.”

Ferris' smile fell for a moment, but he forced it back and nodded his head. "Right."

Nonna got up from the bed and kissed his cheek. "I'll be in the family room. Don't take too long getting ready. You don't want to be late on the first day back."

As she left Ferris waved slightly. "I know, I know. I'll be out in a minute." As soon as the door closed he fell back onto his bed and groaned. He laid like that for a while before grabbing his socks and shoes and going to the bathroom. He did all the usual things he did in the morning. Brushed his teeth, wet his hair, and put on his blue-color contacts. Once that was done he walked down the narrow hallway, past his bedroom and into the family room. 

As he grabbed his backpack by the door he received a text message. 

Cole: See you at the diner. Might run a little late.

Ferris quickly put his phone back in his pocket and opened the door. He waved goodbye to Nonna who was drinking a cup of coffee while watching the news. She grinned and waved back. He quickly grabbed his house keys from the key rack and left the house. 

Ferris quietly walked down the sidewalk, glancing around at the clean cut lawns. He walked for a while before making it to a bus stop. He peered down the street, but there was no bus in sight. He grinned and turned toward the diner that was a few feet ahead. He walked inside, the bell above the door jingling as he entered. 

The smell of grease and French fries were swimming in the air. Ferris took a seat at the counter in front of an older large man. He was wearing a white apron over his clothes. He had a thick mustache over his lip, but very thin and wiry hair on his head. Ferris knew the man as Marvey. He had been coming to the diner since he was eleven and he had become close to the owner ever since. 

“What’s up Marv? How’s the day so far?” Ferris leaned on the counter, sliding fifteen dollars toward Marvey.

Marvey rolled his eyes and snatched the money away. "What do you need kid? Chocolate I assume?"

"Chocolate and vanilla." Ferris held up two fingers. "Please."

Marvey nodded his head. "Assuming the vanilla is for Cole?"

Ferris nodded his head. "Yep. You know us too well."

"Unfortunately." Marvey had his back to Ferris, but Ferris could practically hear the smile in Marvey's voice. 

Within a matter of minutes, Marvey slid two glasses of milkshakes toward Ferris. One chocolate and the other vanilla. He leaned over the counter and glanced at the door. "Where's your friend Wheels?" "Wheels" was the nickname Marvey had given Ferris after finding out that he was named after a specific Ferris Wheel in town.

"He's on his way, don't worry." Ferris glanced at the door and almost as if on cue, Cole walked through the door. 

Cole was around the same height as Ferris. He had short messy blonde hair and vivid hazel eyes. He was wearing the same uniform as Ferris, except his looked more wrinkled. He had a large grin plastered on his face as he sat down beside Ferris.

He nodded his head toward Marvey. "Hey Marv, what's up?" He grabbed the vanilla milkshake and took a quick sip. "Thank you for the best drink yet." He playfully winked.

Marvey rolled his eyes again and walked away into the kitchen. Cole laughed and turned to Ferris. "So how much do I owe you?"

Ferris shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. I owe you for last time anyways."

Cole smiled and nodded his head. "How'd you sleep?" He took a long sip from his drink. 

"Oh, you know…" Ferris shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his shake.

"That bad, huh?" Cole turned to him. "Nightmare, or?"

Ferris shook his head. "Doesn't matter." 

Cole was about to say something else, but he stopped as Ferris' attention was drawn elsewhere. He was focused on the door. Two people had entered the diner, both girls. They were both around Ferris and Cole's age. Ferris completely ignored the first girl and gazed at the second one. His heart skipped a beat as she walked past him. She had short black hair, glowing green eyes like fireflies, and an adorable timid smile. She was in a similar uniform to Ferris and Cole, except she had on a plain black skirt. She glanced at Ferris and he quickly turned away, feeling his face flush with embarrassment.

He looked again but this time only saw the other girl. She had long thick curly blonde hair and very soft nomad eyes. They were similar to the other girl's eyes, but hers were bolder making them prettier. She had on the same uniform as the girl with black hair, except she was wearing black shorts. Ferris did not know the blonde, but he did know they were in the same grade and that she was the girl with black hair's older sister. That was all Ferris knew and all he really cared to know about her.

Cole rolled his eyes and looked at his drink. "Here we go again…"

Ferris ignored him and peaked over his shoulder to see the girl with black hair. They were not friends, so he could not just walk up to her. He was always too nervous to talk to her. It did not help that they did not have any classes together since she was a year younger than him. He had only really liked her from a distance but he wanted so much more. 

Cole nudged Ferris. "Are you going to talk to her this time?"

"Oh, um," Ferris glanced back at her and could already feel his nerves shaking. He sighed in defeat. "Probably not."

"Of course." Cole rolled his eyes. 

Ferris smiled awkwardly and took a sip of his drink. "I wish there was a way I could get closer to her though."

Cole looked at Ferris confused. "Yeah, that would mean talking to her."

"Aside from that." Ferris glared at Cole.

"I don't know then, unless her sister introduces you to her." Cole looked back at his drink.

Ferris stopped. "That…That could work, right?"

Cole turned to Ferris. "What?"

"What if I became her sister's friend and then from there became her friend? Maybe then she'll come up to me, too." Saying it out loud, it sounded like the perfect plan.

"Uh," Cole on the other hand did not look like he agreed. "I'm pretty sure that means using her sister, right?"

"What?" Ferris shook his head. "No! I'll be her friend, it doesn't bother me."

Cole shook his head. "I don't know about that, Ferris. Sounds like a messed up thing to do to someone. But you do you."

Ferris frowned. He needed Cole on his side for this plan to work. He spent the rest of their conversation trying to explain to Cole why this plan was perfect. How it would benefit everyone including her sister. Ferris needed this to work. He had already spent the year prior crushing on her from afar. He needed to step up his game and this was the perfect way to do it.