Band-Aid

Distraction

When he remembered her smile for the sixteenth time that day on his way to class, Alec finally acknowledged that there was possibly something wrong with him.

Who else would keep a stranger (no, not stranger, for she had told him her name - Celeste) in their head almost two weeks after meeting said stranger?

It was one meeting. A chance meeting, really, considering where he lived and where she resided. Not to say that she was out of his league; in fact, it was quite the opposite. But even the cold logic of it all couldn't keep his mind off the beautiful stranger and the gorgeous smile he had a chance of witnessing.

The image of the smile was an image permanently burned in his brain, and it itched when he shoved it aside. It was getting annoying, really.

The itch, not the smile. No, the smile would never get old, even as it replayed a thousand times in his head, small as it was. Visualizing it made him sad and yet... There was just something achingly beautiful about it, like it carried a sort of hidden pain while being bright enough to show off its strength. It was a sort of... broken smile.

This was getting serious. Any minute now he was gonna start belting out some poetic verse about the beauty of armpits or the sophistication of peanuts.

So were the wise words of his best friend, Pierce Kodaline. Apparently, he was the voice of reason at the moment, as Alec was obviously "mentally unstable."

"Bruh."

Ever since Pierce had "discovered" vine, he was always trying to fit in with the new-fangled nonsense kids came up with. Last week it was, "Or nah" every two sentences, much to the annoyance of Alec and a couple of their friends.  

 "It was a girl." Lockers slammed and sneakers squeaked as students rushed to their classes. The warning bell had rung. The two boys continued at a slow pace. "You met her at a bus stop, helped her out, went your separate ways, never saw her again. Never will see her again. The end."

Alec rose to protest, unsure why he was so quick to defend a girl that had probably forgotten about him. "She wasn't just a girl." He hesitated, scrambling for words but finding none that could accurately describe Celeste. "She was... different-"

He stopped when his friend guffawed, loudly and obnoxiously. A few freshmen girls in their vicinity looked up in alarm and Alec gave them a quick smile. They went off giggling and whispering. Alec turned back to his friend, who had calmed down minutely, a light frown on his face.

"W-What? Al, you should hear yourself right now. Have you been reading those sappy classics again?"

"No," was Alec's short answer as they reached the last door in the hallway. Thankfully, the professor wasn't in the classroom as the two entered. As always, they ignored the stares and giggles from the female population and took their seats.

"I'll tell you straight up," Pierce continued, reaching over and clapping Alec's shoulder. "You've been hanging out way too long with Jan these days. You need to have some fun. Come hang with me and the rest of the squad after class, yeah?"

Alec shrugged off his friend's hand, shaking his head. "Got a project to finish up with Jan. And about Cele-"

"Bro! Forget about the girl! You met her once, saw her 'aching' smile, whoop-dee-doo. You've been talking about her all month-"

"It's only been two weeks," Alec interjected.

"-even though you guys only talked for what, five minutes? You're probably never going to see her again and she probably forgot about you. I know I would."

The last part was said in a joking manner, meant to lighten the atmosphere, but Alec still scowled at his friend's words.

"Celeste. Her name's Celeste." He let some irritation slip into his tone, frustrated at his friend.

"Whatever." But Pierce's voice got a fraction softer as he spoke his next words. "Look. Me and the guys have just been noticing ... something's off about you, man. You space out when we talk to you, you smile at random moments ... it's creepin' us out, bro."

Alec just stared, stunned into silence. Was he really that bad? Had a freakin' smile affected him so much? Enough that his friends were worried about him?

Actually, this wasn't the first time someone had told him about it. Jan often teased him for staring out into space while they were working on their English Final project.

A project he was researching the day he met her.

Dark, curly brown hair, bright green eyes, tinged red as if she had been crying , small button nose, slightly chapped pink lips that revealed glossy teeth as it spread and -

He shook his head, then looked almost desperately to his best friend, who was patiently waiting at his right, one eyebrow cocked as if knowing exactly what was going on through his mind. It wasn't hard to guess.

"Okay, maybe you're right." Pierce smirked smugly and Alec rolled his eyes before continuing. "Maybe I need a distraction from this distraction. Just something to get her out of my head. But like I said, not tonight."

Pierce thought for a moment. "What day is it today? Thursday? How about Saturday, then? Plenty of time for you and your buddy Jan to read those sappy novels, too."

Ignoring the last comment, Alec nodded. "Evening. Have to volunteer at the hospital in the morning."

The professor came in just as the last bell rang and the matter was settled. For the next 45 minutes, Alec tried hard to focus on the lesson and succeeded for 20 minutes before letting his mind drift to Celeste and the conversation he had with Pierce.

It was crazy. It was weird. How did one girl that he barely spent 15 minutes with (including the bus ride) and only met once two weeks ago make him spend all this time thinking about her?

Maybe Pierce was right. Not about the books, (which were not "sappy," but quite intriguing, mind you) but about it being "the end." It was over before it even started and honestly, it was pathetic the way he was acting.

Get your act together, smart-Alec. He shoved the dark, intruding voice out of his head and scowled.

The bell rang, class over, and with it came his new resolve.

Pierce glanced over at him, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he got up and out of his seat. "Saturday?"

Alec nodded.

"Saturday."

xxx

End of Ch. 2

xxx

Soundtrack(s): | Colors - Halsey |