Dipping Into Together

Ch 2

"Sweetie," my mom said, "I think it's about time you got to your homework."

I sighed and got up from my place on the couch, where I had been curled up reading a book. "I guess you're right," I said. Putting my book down I got up and walked over to my book bag which was lying on the floor. I tugged my binder out and walked up the stairs to my room. Once inside, I closed the door and sunk down in my chair. I opened my binder and stared at it for a while. I did not feel like studying today. I sighed. I stretched. I rolled my shoulders. I yawned. I stared out the window. I played with my hair. I stared at the wall. I stared at the ceiling. I stared at the dust on my window mantle. I stared out the window some more.

I did not want to study.

I glared at my binder and willed it to disappear.

It didn't.

Groaning, I decided to suck it up and just do it. So, for the next hour, I studied and did my homework. After I was finished, I moved onto the next subject and kept going. I didn't stop until I heard my mom calling me for dinner. Getting up, I walked downstairs.

Two hours later I snuggled further into my bed and tried to fall asleep for the thousandth time. I turned on my back and closed my eyes, forcing myself to be completely still. Ignoring all the general normal night noises, I tried to drift off. I tried counting to a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, but I was still awake. I groaned into my pillows and glanced at the clock. It was now midnight. Fantastic. I turned onto my stomach and shoved my face into the pillows. My thigh started to itch. I tried to ignore it and focused on falling asleep, but it was soon the only thing on my mind. Reaching down, I scratched it, and then I flipped back over onto my back. Staring at the ceiling, I wondered what everyone else was doing at this moment. Most people were probably asleep. Turning on my side, I stared at my light blue walls. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about anything at all. I stayed like that for what felt like forever. Giving in and opening my eyes, I glanced at the clock. It was now two o'clock. Two hours had passed? I sighed and sat up fully, realizing that I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep any time soon.

I quietly tip-toed across my room and downstairs, careful not to make too much noise so that I wouldn't wake my mom. Padding across the living room, I eased open the front door and stepped outside. I was immediately hit with a cold blast of air. Shivering, I walked down the driveway until I reached the end. I glanced down the street, and was pleased to see that I was absolutely alone. Sitting down on the curb, I wrapped my arms around myself and blew my warm breath on my hands. I closed my eyes and leaned up against the mailbox. Letting the cold air close around me, a small smile played across my face.

***

Closing my locker, I turned and began walking down the hall. Suddenly, I was aware of yelling behind me. I turned my head slightly just in time to see someone coming towards me fast. The force against the left side of my body knocked me off balance and I found myself flying forward, the binders that I had been holding slipped out of my hands and scattered across the floor. I landed on my side, bouncing into a row of lockers before actually making contact with the floor. I lay there for a couple of seconds absorbing what had happened. I could hear laughing. Even though I knew what had happened wasn't planned and probably wasn't exactly intentional, I still felt mad at whoever had done that. Pulling myself up off the ground, I looked around for the person who had run into me. I found Alec Michaels standing in front of me with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Sorry, babe, I didn't see you there," he said, laughing.

Ignoring him, I kneeled down and began picking up my binders and various papers. He laughed again and started to walk away, stepping on one of my papers in the process. "Dick!" I yelled out at his retreating back. Glaring at the ground, I finished picking everything up and stacked it into a messy pile. Picking it up again, I glanced around the hall. It was still filled with kids who were laughing and talking, not realizing or noticing what had happened. I looked across the hall and found a boy staring back at me. His hair was messy and black, like mine. He was tall, but not awkwardly tall. He was frowning at me. I narrowed my eyes at him and turned away, making my way to my next class.