HOW TO FALL APART AND GET STITCHED BACK TOGETHER // DALLAS WINSTON

3

Six Days Later... 

Over the next few days, Dallas consumed every inch of my brain even more than he did before. I was absolutely obsessed, and it probably bordered on the point of being weird. Every day in school I would space out in my classes thinking about him, stopping myself from texting him too much, and trying to stop the love songs that would play on repeat in my head. But who could blame me? I was just a happy teenage girl in love. There's nothing wrong with that.

Well, actually, I didn't know if I was really in love at all. Ever since I began to question it, it repeated like a broken record in my head. Was I in love with Dallas? It was so easy to say that I was before, but now it felt so complicated. I didn't know what true love was supposed to feel like. I knew I liked Dally, which is arguably more important, but love? It felt like a big word. At least I was questioning it at the start of the relationship, and not after six years of marriage or something.

At school, there were only a few weeks until Christmas break. All of the hallways were decorated in red and green. It felt weird walking down the hallway and seeing all of those high school sweetheart couples. Dallas and I wouldn't ever have something like that. Everyone was cheerier than usual, and it seemed like everyone had something to do for the holidays. Since Dallas and I were keeping everything a secret, I didn't tell anybody in school about our encounters. The only people that knew were the two of us, Ophelia, Johnny, and my mom.

Speaking of Dally, It felt like I hadn't seen him in ages. I couldn't stay at his place on school nights, because I had to get the bus to get to school in the morning. He couldn't come over to my place because my parents were still skeptical of him. So, we were limited to weekends. I had too many assignments in AP Art to hang out on most afternoons, plus I ran a club on Tuesdays and attended another club on Thursday afternoons, and I was also the secretary of my class and had to attend all class events.

The club that I had on Thursdays is what my school calls Polaris. Polaris is the school's art, photography, and literature magazine. During the meetings from September to February, people would share different photos they took, the art they made, or stories they wrote. I considered myself to be friends with most of the kids there, so it was really hard not to spill all of the information I had about the weekend. One of the kids there writes really long poetry, and she read off a sweet, soft, love poem.

I pulled out my phone and sneakily texted Dally from under the table: i miss you.

Dally replied a few minutes later: i miss you too. you got any plans later?

I started running through the homework I had to do in my head. I had nothing in English, nothing in AP Art, nothing in Phys Ed (we never had anything in that class), nothing in Interior Design, nothing in Intro to Songwriting, and nothing in any of my other classes. I had no class events, no powerpoints I had to make. Nothing. Surprisingly, my schedule was clear. 

I texted Dallas: i don't actually have anything. i could study, but i don't really want to do that. so, do you wanna hang out when i get out of school?

Dallas replied: sure

I sent: okay, where?

Dallas: your parents home?

Me: yeah

Dallas: damn

Me: what if we went downtown and just walked around for a little while? it's still pretty early, if we meet up at 2:45 there won't be that many people. it is a thursday afternoon in december.

Dallas: that sounds fine. what corner do you want to meet on?

Me: pickett and sutton?