Dustin Finley

Dustin Finley is a fictitious character in the Dreams to Reality continuity, having appeared in all three incarnations of the series. During the course of the series' evolution, Dustin has gone from being an extremely minor character in the novellas to a more prominent character in the web series, but will likely play more of a minor role in the novel series. Not much is known about his family life or his past, but does make quite an impact in several storylines in the web series.

Not an Ordinary School Day
On a late spring day at Eagle Creek Junior High School, Dustin Finley met up with his friends Jarrid Harlen, Jack Brock, and Mandy Marin in between classes, where Dustin asked Jarrid what he was planning to do about the upcoming school dance. Jarrid said that he didn't want to go alone, and when Mandy apologized for his pain, Jarrid said it wasn't her fault that his ex-girlfriend, Nicole Halloway, did what she did. Jack asked Jarrid if he was sure that Melinda Flint hadn't lied to him, because Michael Bennett, Nicole's best friend, had said that Nicole was swearing that she and Josh Poncek didn't have sex the night the two of them went on a date while Nicole was still dating Jarrid. Jarrid wanted to believe Nicole, but she had plenty of opportunities to tell him about her date with Josh and didn't, so he has little reason to believe that Melinda, who was the one who told him about their date in the first place, was lying when she claimed she saw the two of them having sex. Dustin asked Jarrid what he planned to do about this, and Jarrid said he's simply going to get on with his life, figuring that if he and Nicole were meant to be together, then they would be together, and besides, Nicole is now in a relationship with Josh. Nicole arrived to defend herself to Jarrid, and when Mandy tried to step in and play devil's advocate, Nicole snapped at her to butt out, much to Dustin's amusement. Mandy smacked Dustin on the shoulder for laughing at her, and Jack ushered the two of them away from the scene so that Jarrid and Nicole could talk in private. (DtRW #1)

Later in the day, after Jarrid, Jack, and Mandy failed to meet Dustin at his locker as they had planned, they told him that Nicole had been pushed down a flight of stairs by Melinda following an altercation the two of them had in science class, and that Nicole was still unconscious when she was taken out of the school by the paramedics. Dustin asked what happened to Melinda, and Mandy told him that Brandon Danber said that he saw Melinda in the office, and that she may be getting suspended for the remainder of the school year, perhaps even part of next year, or even expelled. (DtRW #1)

At the end of the school day, Dustin, Jack, and Jarrid met up with Rachel McCarey and Michael at Rachel's locker. After Rachel noticed that Jarrid seemed concerned about something and asked him what was wrong, Jack told them about how Mark Shane  and Nicole were injured earlier in the day and were both taken to the hospital. Rocky Fronset arrived at Rachel's locker at this point, having overheard Jack's explanation. Michael asked them what had happened, and Jarrid told him that Brandon Danber  had told them that he hit a baseball during gym class that struck Mark in the chest and knocked him unconscious for a few minutes, and he was taken to the hospital. Rocky asked if Mark was okay, and Jarrid told him that he probably was. Michael then asked about what had happened to Nicole, and Jarrid was visibly worried about Nicole without trying to show it. Jack explained that Nicole and Melinda had a fist fight during their class together and were sent to the principal's office, but while they were going up the stairs, Melinda attacked Nicole and pushed her down the stairs. Rachel was shocked by the story and asked if she was okay, and Dustin told her that Nicole was still unconscious when the paramedics took her away. Michael asked where the paramedics took her, and Jack told him probably to Portage General. Michael said that he's got to see Nicole and asked Dustin, Jack, and Jarrid if any of them were going to the hospital right now. Jarrid said that he was and asked if he wanted a ride. Michael asked Jarrid if he was sure that his parents wouldn't care, and Jarrid doubted that they would. Rachel then asked if they could take her, as well, and Jarrid agreed. Michael then excused himself to call his father to ask him for permission to go with Jarrid to the hospital. Rachel wondered why Melinda would do something like this, and Jarrid supposed that Nicole "must have pushed her too far or something, and she just snapped or something." Rocky asked if they knew what happened to Melinda, and Dustin told him that she had apparently been suspended for the test of the school year. Jarrid added that she deserved to be. Rachel then asked if Josh knew about this, and Jack explained that Danielle Grayson had found Nicole first, and then Josh showed up. Rachel realized that Josh would be "really ticked" and said that Melinda had better watch her step today if she knew what was good for her. Michael then returned to the group and told Jarrid that he was ready whenever he was. Rachel asked Michael if he had any problems getting his father to let him go with Jarrid, and Michael replied that he just needed to be ready at 5:10 to go home, because his father's girlfriend, Jeannette, was cooking dinner and gets "really ticked if she gets the impression nobody wants to eat her precious cooking." Rachel asked if that was the case even if he was at the hospital checking on a friend. Michael said that he'd only known Jeannette for seven months, and that "she is nice and everything, but she is rather... I don't know. Let's just go." Dustin, Jack, and Jarrid then walked away from Rachel's locker, not having heard Rocky stop Michael to speak with him in private. (DtRW #2)

Rachel met back up with Dustin, Jack, and Jarrid outside, and they walked towards Jarrid's mother's car, where Jarrid asked Dustin and Jack if they'd meet them at the hospital. Dustin said that his mother was waiting for them in another  part of the parking lot. Jarrid then asked Rachel where Michael was, and Rachel told him that Rocky had to talk to him about something and that he'd be coming in a few minutes. Jack then wondered if Mark and Nicole would be able to have visitors when they get there. Jarrid figured that Mark would, at least. At this point, unseen by Dustin, Jack, Jarrid, and Rachel, a man wearing a skull mask was concealed by some bushes outside of the school building. The man armed a crossbow with an arrow with a note attached to it and aimed it at Dustin, Jack, Jarrid, and Rachel and fired the arrow at them. The arrow smashed into the side of Jarrid's mother's car, startling the four teens and prompting Jarrid's mother to get out of the car and ask what had happened. Jarrid saw the arrow with the note attached to it sticking out of the side of the car and pointed it out to them. At this point, Michael rejoined the group and asked them what had happened. Rachel told him that they had just been talking, and someone shot the arrow at them. Michael asked who it was, but Rachel didn't know. Dustin studied the angle of the arrow in the car door and traced its trajectory back towards the bushes where it came from, but the skull-masked man was nowhere to be seen. Jarrid then dislodged the arrow from the car door and read the note attached to it. He was upset by what it said, and Jack asked him what it said. Jarrid simply handed the note to Jack, who then handed it to Michael when he asked him what it said. Michael read the note aloud, which read, "Jarrid, your girlfriend Nicole is dead. Get in my way, and you'll be next." Rachel asked who would do this, and Michael said he didn't know, but intended to find out. Dustin wondered if Nicole was really dead, and Jack said that she must have been murdered. (DtRW #2)

Later, Dustin, Michael, Jarrid, Jack, and Rachel met up with Josh, Mandy, David Richards, and Travis Sirlon at Portage General, where Jack asked Travis what he was doing there, as Travis had been absent from school today and wanted to know how he'd found out about Nicole and Mark. Travis explained that Josh hadcalled and told him about the accidents and that Josh's mother picked him up, and here he was. Michael then asked Josh how his confrontation with Melinda went. Josh asked him how he knew that he had confronted Melinda. Michael simply said that he figured Josh would, and Josh revealed that Michael had figured right and that he nearly pushed Melinda down the stairs. Dustin whispered to Jack that it was no wonder that Melinda thought that she and Josh belong together, as they were both complete psychos. Jack told Dustin to shut up, and an agitated Josh was sick of defending himself and said he tried to scare Melinda, and he succeeded. Michael changed the subject to the note that was fired at Dustin, Jarrid, Jack, and Rachel back at school, and handed Josh the note to read. Josh asked who did this, but Jarrid didn't know, and asked if Nicole was really dead. Josh said that he had just seen Nicole a couple of minutes ago and revealed that she had regained consciousness. Jarrid was visibly relieved by this, but Michael asked Josh when exactly he had seen Nicole. Josh said it was just a couple of minutes ago, at about 2:55. Jack said that they recieved this note right after school, so whoever shot it was lying. Rachel wasn't so sure, saying that she didn't want to think this, but whoever shot the note at them had to have been at the school at the time, and suggested that the person shot it at them, thinking it would scare them to death, then came to the hospital, killed Nicole, and got out of there before they came to check on her. Jack told Rachel she had seen too many horror movies, and said they shouldn't worry about this until they saw Jason Voorhies or Freddy Kreuger skulking arould Eagle Creek, and wrote this off as a stupid prank. Michael said they couldn't be sure about that, because whoever shot the arrow at them obviously had no qualms about hurting someone, pointing out that they could have hit one of them, and probably wanted to hit one of them anyway, or else he's a sharpshooter. Josh agreed with Michael, that there may be a full-fledged psychopath running around Eagle Creek, and may want to hurt one of them. Mandy suggested that they call the police, but Travis agreed with Jack that this was just a stupid joke, albiet a sick one, but nobody was going to kill Nicole or Jarrid. Travis said that unless they start seeing Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette in Eagle Creek, they shouldn't worry. Josh then agreed, saying they should wait and see if this was just an isolated incident. However, the teens then heard Nicole screaming from her hospital room down the hall, and Michael and Josh trotted off to check on her. (DtRW #2)

Soon, Dustin, Jarrid, Jack, Mandy, David, and Rachel went to a waiting room in the hospital and watched an episode of ''The Jerry Springer Show. ''The group made fun of the guests on the show until Danielle arrived and asked the group how Mark and Nicole were doing. David told her that they hadn't heard anything about Mark yet, but Nicole had regained consciousness. Rachel then took Danielle aside to speak to her in private. Soon, Danielle loudly exclaimed that she couldn't believe that Michael asked Rachel to the dance, and David was immediately nervous. Danielle soon exclaimed that she needed to talk to David, then came over to David and asked to speak with him. David protested, saying that Jerry Springer was about to bring on a man's sister that he had been sleeping with, but Danielle literally grabbed David and dragged him away from the group, much to Dustin, Jack, and Jarrid's amusement. A few minutes later, David returned to the group, and Dustin asked him what that was about. David told him not to worry about it, but Jack said that Danielle had just came in there and dragged David out of there like she was his mother and demanded to know what was going on. However, before David could answer, Rocky arrived and asked the group what was new with Nicole and Mark. Dustin greeted Rocky as "Rocco," and told him that Nicole had regained consciousness. Rachel then added that they may have a psychopath running around trying to kill people. Rocky asked her what she was talking about, and Jarrid explained that he had gotten an arrow and a note from "a deranged Cupid" in the side of his mother's car that told him that Nicole was dead and that if he got in the way, he'd be the next to go. A confused Rocky asked if they hadn't just said that Nicole was conscious, and Jack revealed to him that Nicole wasn't dead, and that they thought and hoped this was just a sick joke, but they didn't know. Jarrid then had an idea about who might have done it and excused himself to make a phone call. Soon, Jarrid returned to the group, and Rachel asked him who he had called. Jarrid revealed that he had called Melinda, thinking it might have been her, but it wasn't. Jack asked Jarrid what the matter was, and Jarrid said that while he was grilling Melinda, she had told him something pretty strange, and proceeded to tell the group about a mysterious message left on Melinda's answering machine, supposedly from her father, who wanted to get rid of Nicole forever. (DtRW #2)

Background & Trivia

 * Dustin was originally an extremely minor character in the series, making only a couple of appearances in the novellas. In the web series, he remained a very minor character that started making more and more appearances, and was becoming more prominent in later episodes than he had been at first. In the novel series, he is likely to play only a limited role in the series, but will likely remain as a background role player for a good portion of the series' run.