Little Moments

Chapter 3

After getting ice cream from Dairy Queen, we head to the park. When we get there, Taylor and Mom jump out of the truck and start running towards the playset filled with screaming little kids. I get out of the truck and walk towards a bench, where no kids are. As I sit, still eating my cookie dough blizzard, I watch Mom help Taylor cross the monkey bars. I then look down at my half eaten ice cream and see that the bright, scorching sun has melted the rest of it. So I get up to throw it away, but as I turn to the right, a person bumps into me, causing me to spill my ice cream all over my shirt, soaking the front.

"I am so sorry! Are you okay?" A boy says with concern in his tone. I feel a slight pang of anger, becuse this is one of my favorite shirts, but I decide to let it go.

"It's okay, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." I say as I look up at him. The boy has sun kissed skin, with dark brown and slightly tousled hair.

He looks at me in embarassment as he says, "No, really, it was my fault. I'm so sorry. Here..." He says as he tries to wipe the ice cream off of my shirt.

I back away annoyed and say, "It's fine! Really, i'm okay. Just, stop touching me!" That came out kind of harsh. I meant to be polite, but I can't stand it when people are all over me. Especially strangers.

His face becomes red as he throws his hands up in the air as if he's innocent as says, "Okay, okay. Sorry. I'm just... sorry... about your shirt."

He stuffs his hands into his pockets as I back away even more and say, "It's fine. I can wash it. It'll be okay."

I turn around towards Mom and Taylor, throwing the ice cream cup away on the way. Before I get to them, I turn around and see the boy still staring at me, with his face still red. As soon as he realizes i'm looking at him, he quickly turns on his heels and walks away.

I then turn around to see Mom and Taylor walking over to the swings, and I catch up to them. "Mom, can we go home now?" I ask. She looks me up and down with a confused expression. "Katrina, what happened?" She asks, her eyes lingering on my shirt.

"I accidentally spilled my ice cream. Can we just go now please?" I was starting to get really impatient.

Taylor gives me her signature death glare as she yells, "No! I don't wanna go home. I'm having fun!" Ugh. She could be such a brat sometimes!

"You can have fun with your stupid stuffed animal friends at the house!" I yell back. I could feel the anger bubbling up inside of me again.

"Katrina, enough. Just give us five more minutes." I roll my eyes and walk away until I reach a shady tree and sit under it, my back against the hard bark.

"Ugh!" I grumble as I toss an acorn to the side. I just wanted to get away from this stupid playground and out of the unbearable heat of the sun. And, if I see that creep I bumped into again, it'll be too soon.

The memory of the boy bumping into me rewinds in my mind as I look down at my ruined shirt.

"You okay?" A girl asks as she approaches me. She looks down at me with a concerned face as she flips back some of her perfectly straight, dark brown hair behind her right ear.

I look up and say, "I'm fine. Some guy just bumped into me while I was holding some ice cream. It's oka-"

I'm unable to finish my sentence as she sits down next to me on the grass and says, "Ooh was he cute?" Wow. She's a perky one, isn't she?

"I don't really kno-"

I'm cut off again as she says, "Oh, that's too bad. That's pretty much how every couple meets in chick flicks and books, you know?" I let out a light chuckle as she says that.

"Well, that doesn't usually happen in reality."

She looks at me with a crestfallen expression and responds with, "Boo. You're depressing."

She continues to stare at me with her perfect looking face that consists of olive tanned skin, and dark brown eyes for about five awkward seconds. Then she breaks the silence by holding out her hand and saying, "My name's Violet, by the way." She flashes a smile with perfectly straight and white teeth. She has got to be a bleacher, I thought as I extended my arm and shook her hand.

"I'm Katrina." I respond.

"That's a nice name." She says with a smile.

"And those are interesting shoes..." She says as she points to my two year old black Converses. I look over and see that she's wearing what looks like brand new gold sandals.

"Thanks..." I say, not really knowing if I should take that as a compliment.

Suddenly I see a red jeep pull into the parking lot, and a very tall, tan, and muscular guy hops out and waves in our direction. "Hey babe! You coming or what? I don't have all day!"

"Be there in a second, babe!" Violet yells back.

She flips her hair over her shoulder as she stands up and says, "It was nice meeting you."

I smile and respond with, "You too," as she runs to the guy and they share a very unpassionate, yet long kiss. A little too long of a kiss, for being out in a public children's park. She then hops into the jeep, and they drive off.

What just happened? I think to myself, replaying in my mind what just happened in front of me. Violet seems like an interesting girl. There were a lot of girls like her at my old high school. I'm meeting all sorts of interesting people today.

"Katrina? Are you ready to go?" Mom asks as she approaches me.

I stand up and brush some dirt off my jeans and say, "I've been ready to go the minute we got here."

Taylor scowls at me as mom asks, "Who was that girl you were just talking to?"
"I don't know..." I respond with as I turn around and start walking towards the truck. Mom and taylor then climb into the truck after me, and we finally start to head back to the house.