Airel - Aaron Patterson [2]
“Thank you! I, um…” There they were. My first words to him—oh, wow… what a line of brilliance. What words to utter in this moment. I stood holding my empty cup and he rose and nodded with a smile. Before I knew it, he was gone. Poof! Whoosh! Just gone. I somehow ended up back in my car and on my way to hell, and yes—today it was just about guaranteed to be hell. Argh!
I pulled out my phone and saw that I was not late after all. I was actually two minutes early. How did that happen? Weird. I considered the coffee splatters on my shoes and dismissed the idea that the coffee shop was all some kind of hallucination. I pulled my little Civic into the closest parking space and shook my head. What was that? It was like he had this aura or something that reached into my very soul. I didn’t believe in love at first sight. Well, not necessarily. But this morning was making me think twice about a few things.
His eyes, so blue, and the way he looked at me! It was as if he knew me or knew what I was thinking—how I was feeling.
I ran my fingers through my hair, interlocked them, and pressed my thumbs into my temples. I didn’t get headaches often, but I could feel one coming on.
Two boys that I never talked to... and never would... walked by, staring. Ugh. Some boys are just born clueless. I glanced at myself in the rear view mirror one last time, smoothed my hair, and took a moment—since I had one—to finish my eye makeup. I guess I do feel pretty today. Just clumsy, that’s all.
I headed toward the main building of my school. Lip-gloss could be done on the way… if I didn’t trip trying to walk and do something else at the same time.
The smell of golden leaves and morning dew filled the air, and I closed my eyes and took in the sweet fragrance as I walked. I loved fall. The colors, the smells, the fresh rain in the morning made me want to break out into song. Lucky for anyone within earshot I kept my composure. No one wanted to hear my melodious voice. Just the idea of cooler weather made me forget my embarrassing morning. I was glad that I would never see that boy again.
I was not what some might call a beautiful girl but I could hold my own if the need arose. The invention of make-up was a great thing, and I was an expert in the use of it. My skin was pale. I guess a nice way to say it would be that my complexion was fair. I had a few too many freckles, though, not to mention the fact that I was short. Not like, "Wow, dude! Check out the circus freak!" But I was just short enough that I got teased relentlessly. I felt self-conscious, but would I ever admit to that? “Cheeya!” I said, out loud, and then checked to see if anyone had heard. I would never admit to it. The teasing would only get worse if I did.
My frame was petite and I had delicate features. On a bad day I would break the hundred-pound mark, so that was at least something. I might not be the hottest girl in school, but I never had to worry about my weight.
I was a little smarter than I let on. I didn’t want to be the smartest kid in school. That was never good. The last thing I needed was to be labeled as a geek, even though I did adore a good book, and had my quirks. I stood out when I wanted to stand out, but blended in most of the time.
I liked to learn and I was a good student for the most part. I got A’s and every now and then a B. None of my friends were interested in their grades because they were all too interested in their boyfriends or girlfriends and who was doing what with who, or who broke-up with who... Blah, blah, blah.
The walk from my car to my locker helped to clear my head. The walk and fresh air made me feel better about my day.
I had a few friends that I hung with but for the most part I used them like camouflage. I flew under the radar. I mean, I liked my friends, but only one or two of them were real. Everybody knows this except for dumb guys who can’t even buy a clue. Sometimes I watched all the popular girls, wondering if they actually had brains