There's No Time

Chapter 7

I learned that Andrew plays soccer and has been playing since he was 5-years-old. I also learned that he's good at reading, writing, and science, but sucks at social studies and math. He's half Canadian and has dual citizenship. His dad was born in Canada, and his mom in the US, and he'd come to hate it when people asked if he could speak French, since his dad is from Toronto (Quebec is the only place in Canada where they speak French!). He doesn't consider himself very artistic, and he can play the piano, guitar, and ukulele. He has a little brother and a little sister who get on his nerves, but he still loves, as well as a golden retriever named Goldie (His little sister named him). He also plans to stay in state for college, to stay close to family, and doesn't yet know what he wants to major in.

I also told him the basics about me: I'm a well-rounded student, and I play the piano and saxophone. I don't consider myself athletic at all, and I hate taking part in most sports. I'm half Mexican and I've come to hate when people ask me if I'm Spanish. I have an older and a younger sister, and a Maltese named Pillow. I haven't thought much about college, even though I probably should have.

In the midst of learning about each other, we also talked about stupid stuff, like how many pennies Andrew could throw into the tip jar at the Subway nearby without missing (37, and I removed all of them just so no one would notice our presence), or the worst circumstances to be frozen in time, like when you're picking your nose, or right before you hit the ground from falling.

Even though I was so used to being alone when time was stopped, I'd come to enjoy Andrew's company. He was nice, and funny, and, I had to admit, cute. My first impression of him was not a good one, but I've pushed that aside.

I'd also learned that although Andrew has brown eyes like most of the world, his irises right around his pupils, are golden. His brown hair also flips up a little bit at the front (reminding me slightly of Justin Bieber), his smile is really wide, and when he finds something funny or if he's really happy, his top and bottom teeth don't quite touch. Of course, he didn't tell me this. I figured this out on my own after talking to the guy about endless topics.

Our long conversation ended with Andrew saying, "I know, right? The size of their nostrils are ridiculous." I don't think I'd laughed that hard all year.

I took a deep breath. It occurred to me that although we were both now comfortable with each other, I hadn't talked to him at all about whether he'd keep my secret or not. Oh well, I thought, I can take my time. There's nothing rushing me...

I stood up from my chair. "So," I said watching Andrew get up as well, "Anything else you need to do at the mall?"

He looked around, then shook his head. "Anything you need to do at the mall?"

I looked around, and although I wasn't really looking around, I saw that an H&M was open, and figured I'd take a look. "Actually," I started hesitantly, "Do you think we could stop at H&M on our way out?"

I felt embarrassed to ask, since I had been so against coming to the mall. Hypocrites were probably around number five on my most hated list, and I felt like my actions were almost worthy of such a title.

Despite my worrying and embarrassment, Andrew just smiled, "Yeah, sure. It's not like anything's rushing us." I smiled back easily.

Not surprisingly, no one was in the store. There was only one employee out, and she was frozen on her phone.

I maneuvered my way passed racks of clothes until I reached a section dedicated to hats.

I've always appreciated hats. Hats, for me, are like helmets; they keep me safe. They can hide my face from all the judgmental teenagers I encounter. They can shield me from the scary, outside world. Hats, although simplistic and typical, are what make me feel at ease. They are my protection.

As I browsed the hat rack for something that might make me feel secure, Andrew took a glance at a price tag.

"Why..." he said, "Would you buy a hat for twenty-five dollars?"

"Umm," I didn't really know, so I frowned as I tried to come up with a decent answer.

He laughed. "You don't even know!"

"Well," I said, flustered, "I guess I wasn't really going to buy a hat anyway." I blew some hair out of my face. "And where could I get one any cheaper?"

He smiled a little. "I can get you one for free." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a worn red and white baseball cap. The bill of the hat was a faded red, and the actual hat part was white, although it had a grayish tinge to it.

Before I could say anything, Andrew put the hat on my head. I froze. Although my body was completely still, my heart was beating faster than ever. I couldn't help but realize how close he was.

"There," He said, looking at my new hat with satisfaction. "Now you have a hat that cost nothing. You look good."

I took a deep, shaky breath, and looked in a nearby mirror, smiling at my reflection. "It really looks good on me?" Although I wasn't especially pretty, I looked my best when I smiled.

"Oh yeah," Andrew said looking just a tad disconcerted. "Yeah, that too."

It took me a minute to understand what he meant, but when I got it, I struggled to hide my enormous smile.

-

We were now back outside, and at the motorcycle. "Thanks for the hat, Andrew." I said. "I love it."

He put on his helmet. "I'm glad." I could see him smiling through the tinted glass of the helmet. He leaned against the bike, waiting for me.

As I was about to put on my helmet, I realized that I'd have to take off my hat. I put down the helmet and stuffed the hat into the pocket of my hoodie. I reached for the helmet, only to discover it was gone. I began to look around in confusion, but realized that there was only one place it could have gone. I frown at Andrew, seeing as he took my helmet. "Hey! What're you-" But I was cut off by Andrew, who laughed and took the liberty of putting on the helmet for me.

I took a sharp breath, and didn't know what to do. My heart was racing, and it was getting stuffy and uncomfortable in my helmet. I said that hats were like helmets, but hats are way better.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked worriedly.

"I, uh," I didn't know. I didn't know I if I was okay. What I felt then was unfamiliar. I felt nervous, and self-conscious, but weirdly, this wasn't a bad feeling. "I'm- I'm, yeah. I'm fine."

"Alright," He said. "If you're sure." We both mounted the bike, and Andrew started driving.

"Wait!" I said, stopping Andrew. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, I was heading to the park. You okay with that?

The park. A walk in the park sounded like the perfect opportunity to discuss Andrew keeping my secret. And that's exactly what I planned to do. "Yeah, totally... Do you know how to get to the park?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. The park is the only place I know how to get to."

"Alright. Then let's go to the park."