Story Projects

"I Once Knew You" Part One

Looking through the upstairs glass window down at the library, seeing a sea of blue-uniformed students starts turning my stomach. I clutch my anatomy book against my chest then walk towards the main staircase, looking down at the steps. At the last step, I turn right to head over to the library, avoiding eye contact with students I walk past. The right door of the entrance is fixed open. Today is the beginning of our highschool bookfair event, which is rare for our district to have. Students flow in out frequently that I have to stand across the hall, waiting till I can have a clear window to enter in. Right as I see a gap in the traffic, I jog through the door and accidentally slam into someone coming from the left closed door. I drop my anatomy book to the ground alongside my glasses.

"Oh, crap! My mistake," I say, gripping the metal frame that divides the doors. I look down, trying to spot my black glasses on the dark-colored maroon floor. Whoever is in front of me closes my book. "Hey, um, can you find my glasses for me?"

"Here," he says, putting my glasses in my hands. I recognize his voice. His name is Jason Reid. We have science, math, and English class together.

"Thank you," I say, then immediately averting my eyes because of how cute he looks. The quick glance is enough to spike my heart. His dark brown long hair, light brown eyes, and moisturized lips are so attractive to me.

"No problem." I watch him head up the hallway to the social study classes for a good ten seconds, daydreaming of a day I'll ask him out before heading into the computer lab to start on my homework.

I sit behind a computer in the corner of the lab, far from the students in here. It's a bit peaceful here, despite the rumbling voices in the library. To my left is a giant long window that stretches the entire length of the room. The clouds cover the sun sending enough warmth to counter the freezing temperature this stupid school loves to have. As soon as I open my anatomy book, two girls sit next to me with an empty chair between us. I keep my eyes focused on the pages; I even plant my right hand on my face to block their view.

For minutes, they don't stop whispering to each other. Their inaudible words are making it hard for me to read the terms in my book. I don't want to give up this lovely spot, but I don't want to hear their bickering.

"Um, hey. Can you quiet down a bit?" I softly ask. They continue to whisper like I didn't exist. I lean my head forward to get the furthest girl's attention. She has long, dark brown curly hair. I can't see her face because the closest girl's puffy orange hair is blocking most of it. The one with dark hair leans back in her seat enough that we make eye contact. She stops talking then starts patting the other girl's arm.

"Is that?" The furthest one whispers.

"Oh, hey, Sabraela," Charlotte says, waving her fingers in a wavy motion.

Charlotte? How did I not see it was her before?

I give them a short wave and hold my hands tightly together.

"Hi," I say.

"Sabraela, meet Rosemary. Rosemary, meet Sabraela." Rosemary and I stare at each other. For some reason, she looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on where I've seen her before. She kinda looks like me if I dyed my black hair brown, shorten it to her length, and didn't wear glasses.

"Have we met before? You look so familiar." Her eyebrows lower closer to her eyes. She looks down, smirks then rubs her right brow with her thumb.

"Charlotte, I'll be right back. I just remembered I got to do something," Rosemary says.

"Okie Dokie." I watch Rosemary walk out of the labs feeling like I said something terrible. She stops at the door, looks at me then walks down the hallway.