Darren jolted awake, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest, sheets tangled around his legs and damp with sweat. The room was pitch black, the only light coming from the faint glow of his alarm clock: 3:47 AM. He switched the light on,he sat up gasping, rubbing his eyes, trying to shake off the nightmare that clung to him like fog. In the dream, it was vivid too real. The sky cracked open with a roaring fireball, an asteroid the size of a mountain plummeting toward Earth. Cities crumbled, oceans boiled, people screaming as the ground shook and fire rained down. He'd been standing on a hill, watching helplessly as Montana's fields turned to ash, his family vanishing in the chaos.
"No," he'd yelled in the dream, but it was useless. The impact hit, and everything went white.
He shivered, even though the night was mild. It wasn't the first time he'd dreamed about space disasters, books on dinosaurs and the Chicxulub crater had fueled his imagination but this felt different, more ominous. Darren swung his legs over the bed, feet hitting the cool floor, and fumbled for his phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up his face in blue light. He needed to talk, to ground himself.
Opening the group chat with Alex and Lisa his ride-or-die friends from the science club, he typed quickly, thumbs flying despite the grogginess.
"Hey, you guys up? Weird dream. What would you do if a huge asteroid hit Earth? Like end-of-world stuff". Darren typed hurriedly.
He hit send, staring at the "delivered" notification. It was stupid, messaging at this hour, but the dream lingered. Alex replied almost immediately the guy was a night owl, always tinkering with circuits till dawn.
"Dude, wtf? It's 3:50 AM. Asteroid? I would build a bunker with my robot army lol. Or hack NASA's systems to nuke it. Go back to sleep, man" Alex replied.
Lisa chimed in a minute later, her typing bubble popping up.
"OMG Darren, nightmares again? I'd grab my fam and head to the mountains. Stockpile food, learn survival stuff. But seriously, stop reading those doomsday books before bed. You okay?".
Darren smiled faintly, the normalcy pulling him back. He typed back:
"Yeah, just freaked me out. I saw everything blow up. If it was real, I would want to be the one spotting it first, warning everyone. Like a hero or something".
"Nerd hero. Now sleep, the bus comes early" Alex said
"Night, worrywart. Dream of puppies instead"
He set the phone down, chuckling softly, but the unease didn't fully fade. Glancing at the window, stars twinkled mockingly outside. One day, he would understand them all, work at NASA, explore planets, make sure nightmares stayed dreams. For now, though, exhaustion won. He crawled back under the covers, the clock ticking toward 4 AM, and let sleep claim him again, this time dreamless.
Morning came too soon, the alarm blaring at 6:30 like an enemy attack. Darren groaned, slapping it silent, his body heavy from the interrupted night. Mom's voice echoed up the stairs as usual: "Darren! Breakfast!" He dragged himself out of bed, splashed water on his face in the bathroom, and stared at his reflection—pale, with dark circles under his eyes. "Get it together," he muttered.
Downstairs, the routine kicked in. Emily was already at the table, swinging her legs and slurping cereal. "You look like a zombie," she said with a grin.
"Thanks, squirt." Darren ruffled her hair, grabbing toast and eggs from Mom. Dad was out early at the garage, but left a note: Kick butt today, son.
The bus ride was the usual bump and grind, Darren zoning out with earbuds in, listening to a podcast on black holes. It helped distract from the dream's remnants. School loomed, and with it, the crush of hallways and classes.
Lincoln High buzzed with pre-bell energy. Darren met Alex and Lisa by the lockers Alex with his wild curly hair and gadget-filled backpack, Lisa tying her ponytail and chatting about biology homework.
"Dude, that asteroid text dream sounds epic," Alex said, punching his shoulder lightly.
"We should make a comic about it. You as Asteroid Avenger."
Lisa laughed. "Yeah, with me as the doctor saving everyone post-impact. But seriously, Darren, you obsess too much over space stuff."
He shrugged, smiling. "It's my thing. Better than worrying about pop quizzes."
First period English dragged, then math where he aced a pop quiz on quadratics. By lunch, the nightmare felt distant. But then came the moment he'd been low-key anticipating all week: talking to Kayla.
Kayla Reynolds senior, cheerleader, with long auburn hair and a laugh that lit up the cafeteria. They'd bumped it in science last year literally, when he dropped his books near her desk and since then, Darren couldn't stop noticing her. She was smart too, in AP classes, and didn't mock his astronomy rants like some girls did. Today, he spotted her by the vending machines after fourth period, alone for once, fiddling with her phone.
Heart thumping, he approached casually or tried to.
"Hey, Kayla. Uh, you heading to the assembly later?"
She looked up, smiling that smile. "Oh, hi Darren. Yeah, the one on college apps? Boring, right? What about you?"
He leaned against the wall, hoping he looked cool.
"Same. I'm thinking astrophysics programs. NASA internship dreams and all that."
Her eyes sparked interest. "That's awesome! My dad's in the Air Force, always talks about space. You know about that new Mars rover, discoveries and stuff?"
They chatted easy, flowing. About Perseverance's findings, her interest in engineering, his telescope setups. Darren felt on fire, words tumbling out without stumbling much. Alex watched from afar, giving thumbs up. This was it, progress!
Then, a shadow fell over them. Alexander Brock school bully extraordinaire, quarterback with muscles like a truck and an ego to match. He sauntered up with his crew, smirking.
"What's this, nerd boy chatting up my ex?"
Kayla rolled her eyes. "Brock, we're done. Leave it."
But Brock ignored her, grabbing Darren's collar and yanking him away from the wall.
"Stay away from her, space freak. She's out of your league."
Darren's stomach dropped, adrenaline surging. "Hey, let go I was just talking!"
Alex rushed over from the lockers. "Brock, back off! He's not doing anything."
Brock shoved Alex hard, sending him stumbling into a row of lockers with a clang.
"Mind your business, geek squad."
The hallway wasn't crowded yet transition time but a few kids stopped to watch. Darren tried to pull free, but Brock was bigger, slamming him against the metal doors. Pain shot through his back.
"You think you're hot shit with your stars and crap? Girls like Kayla don't waste time on losers."
Kayla protested: "Stop it, Brock! This is stupid."
He turned to her briefly, then back to Darren, fist flying. It connected with his gut, knocking the wind out. Darren doubled over, gasping, then a knee to the thigh. He swung wildly, grazing Brock's arm, but it only enraged him. Another punch to the shoulder, then a kick when he fell to the knee.
Alex tried again, grabbing Brock's arm. "Teachers coming, man!"
But Brock pushed him off once more, snarling. The beating lasted maybe thirty seconds eternal in the moment punches bruising ribs, kicks scraping knees. Darren curled up, protecting his head, mind flashing absurdly to asteroid impacts: force equals mass times acceleration, yeah, this hurt like that.
Then, a voice boomed: "What in God's name is going on here?"
Mr. Hargrove, the history teacher, barreled down the hall, whistle around his neck from coaching duties. Brock's crew scattered like roaches, Brock himself shoving Darren one last time before bolting.
"This ain't over," he hissed.
Kayla knelt beside him. "Darren, oh god, are you okay?"
Alex helped him up, face pale. Mr. Hargrove hauled Darren to his feet gently. "Infirmary, now. You two, names?"
"Brock," Kayla said angrily. "And his idiots."
Alex,who was injured but not as Darren,helped him up gently.
The teacher nodded grimly. "I'll report it. Come on, son."
Darren limped to the clinic, pain throbbing everywhere, ribs aching, lip split, a bruise blooming on his cheek. The nurse, Mrs. Ellis, clucked her tongue, cleaning cuts and icing swells.
"Bullies," she muttered. "Need to call your parents?"
"No!" Darren said quickly, wincing as she dabbed antiseptic.
"Please, Mrs. Ellis. It's embarrassing. I don't want them worried Mom's got enough on her plate, Dad too. Just... say I fell or something if anyone asks."
She eyed him. "School policy, Darren. Fights get reported."
Mr. Hargrove chimed in from the door.
"Kid's tough. But yeah, parents should know."
Darren pleaded."Give me the day. I'll tell them tonight. Promise. Don't want Brock getting more ammo. My dad's a mechanic, he will march down here and make it worse."
They relented reluctantly, Mrs. Ellis giving him painkillers and a note for excused absences.
"Rest here till lunch is over. And ice that bruised eye."
Lying on the cot, staring at the ceiling tiles, Darren's mind wandered back to the dream. Chaos from the sky, chaos in the hall,world felt fragile.
Text from Lisa. Heard what happened. You ok? Brock's a jerk.
Yeah, bruised but alive. Like surviving an asteroid graze. Darren replied.
Wanna plot revenge with robots? Alex chipped in.
He chuckled hurtfully, then winced. Kayla texted too and somehow got his number from a friend
"Sorry about that. Hope you're ok. Coffee sometime? Minus jerks".
His heart flipped despite the pain. Maybe good came from bad.
The rest of the day blurred: easy classes skipped for rest, then bus home early with a doctor's nurse's note. Mom fussed when he walked in limping, but he spun a tale of tripping on stairs.
"Clumsy me."
She bought it, mostly, serving soup and lecturing on watching steps. Dad got home late, grunted approval at the lie guys' code or something.
That night, in bed with ice packs, Darren stargazed through the window. The dream asteroid loomed in his thoughts again. If real, bullies like Brock would be nothing. He would face bigger threats to save the world, maybe.
But for now, bruises healed, dreams persisted. And school tomorrow? He'd tough it out, ambitions intact.
Little did he know, the shadows from his nightmare were closer than he thought, waiting to eclipse his future.