Where Two Sides Meet

The Sandwhich

Dear Diary,

I met Rowan behind the shop. If somebody saw me walk into a sketchy place like that, they probably would think I'm some kind of teenage boy doing...well...dirty stuff.

Anyway, a part of me felt excited to meet this new boy. Even if he only said a few sentences to me, something about his personality and the sound of his voice makes me nervous and shaky. But not in a bad way, in a way where I can't talk straight.

I have so many questions for him but it's to the point where it's creepy; I don't want to be that creepy dude.

So I met Rowan behind the shop. I imagined it as a dark alleyway where somebody might sell drugs. Instead, there was a small box-like area where the dumpsters are.

Rowan was sitting on a slick, red picnic table, eating a sandwich.

A tomato fell out of the bottom as he took a bite. He spotted me and quickly cleaned the sandwich up.

"Hey, Felix!" he waved at me and shoved the sandwich into his backpack. "Sorry, I was just finishing my lunch."

I sat down on the other side of the bench and nervously chuckled.

"So....what school do you go to?" I asked, hoping it wasn't too creepy to ask. Creepy?! Really Felix?! Why the heck would it be creepy to ask that?

"I go to Freeman High. What about you? It would be cool if we went together," He smirked.

"Actually, I do too!" I said a bit too excitedly. "I guess we got really lucky!"

"Yeah, and we probably wouldn't be sitting here if you didn't run into that door!" He joked and laughed.

Things seemed to loosen up and as we talked more, I realized we had a lot in common.

Under the table, I was still fidgeting with my fingers and they were sweaty from nervousness.

"But I might not go anymore if my grades keep dropping..." His left eyebrow raises and he bites his lip as if he is saying "oh well."

I asked if he could hire a tutor but he shakes his head and tells me that he doesn't have enough money to spend. He tells me most of it goes to his savings for college and that he lives alone.