Rolling over to face away from the sunlight, I yank the covers up over my head. The white duvet glows above me, defusing the brightness, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I was having a nice dream before my excitement woke me. In this dream, I happened to be back in Florida at the beach. It was the beach that all of my school friends went to after school, large boulders coated in spray paint lead up to a cliff where they would jump off.

In the dream, I was sitting in the sand beside Jana. She was tanning and laughing, a beach goddess draped in sunshine. I laughed with...