Lovestruck (EDITING)

25: Pizza Hut

"Going somewhere?" my mom asks me from her spot at the breakfast table as I reach the bottom of the stairs.

She's wearing her thick rimmed black glasses and is flipping through the pile of paperwork in front of her. She looks up at me expectantly and I smile, walking over to her and giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Just for a walk. I need to clear my head," I say softly and pick up her empty coffee mug, walking into the kitchen to put it in the dishwasher.

"Is there anything you want to talk about, sweetheart?" she asks me and I almost break down at the last word.

"No, everything's fine, mom. I'll get us some dinner," I smile at her, adjusting my bag on my shoulder and she nods hesitantly before returning her focus to her paperwork.

I leave through the back door and jump the low fence into a narrow alleyway where the neighbors' overgrowing trees provide somewhat of a shelter from the rain. Alleyways have always made me nervous, so I focus on the sound of my boots on the rocky ground as I walk quickly towards the opening on the other side. I pull the hood of my army jacket over my head and walk out onto the street, crossing the road and taking large strides down the hill towards the somewhat busy intersection at the end of my street. Standing under a large tree for shelter, I wait for an opening to cross the street where there is a row of small boutiques, a library, several fast food places and my favorite coffee house, The Hideout.

There's a gap in the cars and I rush across the street, the rain hitting me hard, and pull open the creaky old door of The Hideout. I walk inside, smiling at the young man behind the counter with whom I seem to have become friends without actually speaking. It's warm and quiet inside, apart from the quiet chatter of a young couple at a table in the back corner and a small group of teenagers in one of the booths. I take a seat in my usual booth in the far corner where no one can see me and pull my copy of Wuthering Heights out of my bag. I was meant to read it over summer for English but never got around to it until now.

I struggle to concentrate on the world of Catherine and Heathcliff's forbidden love, mostly because I find myself having to look up every second word in the dictionary. Classics have never been my thing. I give up on the book only about thirty pages in, although it feels like I've been reading for hours. I glance up at the large clock on the wall behind the front counter and I'm confronted by the time. It's 7:46. I've been here for a lot longer than I intended to stay. I shove my book back into my bag and I feel eyes on me as I rush out the door.

The rain has stopped when I get outside but it's starting to get cold so I pull my hood back over my head. I decide to pick up a pizza for mom and I because I don't have the time or money to go anywhere else.

I walk into the Pizza Hut next door and order a pepperoni pizza before sitting down on one of the small plastic chairs to wait. I look into the kitchen at the chaos of making pizzas and my breath catches when I see a pair of blue eyes and a heap of messy blonde hair under a black cap. I want to run out the door before he sees me, but it's too late. My order is called and I almost jump out of my seat. I walk up to the counter, digging in my pockets for money and meeting Landon's sparkly blue eyes when I finally look up.

"One large pepperoni pizza, that will be $15," he says, clearly trying to stay professional but I can see a hint of humor in his eyes.

"Uh... Yep, okay," I stutter, handing him a $20 note and wondering if he'd notice me run away while he fumbles around with the cash register to give me change.

He hands over my $5 and I could swear he pauses for a second when our hands touch, but I just take the pizza box and turn around to leave.

"Have a good night, Skye," he says, his voice deep and sincere.