His Departure

Part Eleven.

I walk into the school halls as if I never left. Everything is still the same. The green lockers on both sides of the hallway, each one having a student trying to remember their combination. Some lockers have ads and stickers on them, others merely kept simple. The school walls are plastered with posters for the upcoming elections, parties, and different activities. I walk down the halls quietly, careful not to capture anyone's unwanted attention. I wave casually to old friends and acquaintances , and slightly nod to others. I run into Alex and her new group of friends, and get the same treatment I'd gotten used to over the past three weeks. Nothing. It is actually quite funny, we used to be so close, like two peas in a pod, but now, just nothing. Nada.

I reach my locker. My plain old locker, Locker number 298. I enter my combination quickly, and open it. The door is decorated with Beatles and Rolling Stones stickers, and some pictures of me and Wanda, alongside some other friends. I used to have pictures of me and Alex in here, but we all know how that chapter of my life has ended. " Good morning, mate. We are finally back, and yes, I am totally ready," Wanda prances towards me , her hair tied in a perfect bun, and her dark brown eyes accentuating her face perfectly. " Good morning to you too, what are you so happy about?" I tilt my head slightly, astonished by her weird behavior. She is a happy soul, but not THAT happy. There must be something behind all of this joy. " Oh nothing, I'm just glad to be back, finally. Home was so boring! How were the holidays?" her smile is so genuine it makes my heart warm up, and all of a sudden , I am actually kind of glad I am back. " Haha, my holidays were just magical. Lots of family time and food, you know. Same old," I wave my hand casually. " Alrighty then, I gotta go now, I have history first period, and you know how Mrs. Nicole gets cranky when someone's late, ciao!" she leaves mid-sentence, and yells the rest of it on her way to class.

I casually toy with my books inside my locker, trying my best to look busy. Attention students, Mr. Baker isn't coming today, first period is off. Whoa! my luck is awesome today, and the timing is impeccable! I had two consecutive Spanish period today , and now the teacher isn't coming, which means I get to relax!

Vinie took Spanish with me , which could only mean one thing. If he shows up, emphasizing on the if part, he might come and spend some time with me! I close my locker and decide to head out to the football field. None of the jocks took Spanish , so I suppose it'd be devoid of any of them running around. I walk very slowly, making sure to waste as much time as possible. My head down, not wanting to run into some of my Spanish period classmates, or else they'd want to hang out with me , which means no Vinie time.

I am now out of the hallways, in the football field. As soon as I raise my eyes, there he is . Standing with his same old group of friends, a huge grin fixated on his warm face, his buzz cut still the same. He is wearing his blue Converse hoodie, with some jeans. I completely adore his sense of style, just my type . He turns around, and smiles at me. As if set on timer, my heart starts beating rapidly, and my palms sweaty. I cannot believe he has grown on me in so little time. " Hey there ." he sounds just as nervous as I am . " Hey!" I smile, trying to conceal any sign of shyness . " I think I'm late for Spanish..." he says it so slowly, it makes me laugh. " Baker's absent! We have two periods off!" My excitement sets him off into a fit of giggles, and I reluctantly join him. " I am glad! So, what were you planning on doing in the mean time?" My heart skips a beat as soon as I hear his question. He wants to spend time with you! That little voice in my head is yelling. " Hmm, I was going to hang out on the bleachers for a while, and then go grab some proper breakfast, how about you?" he hesitates for a while , and then asks , " Can I join?" I smile, and nod. I cannot believe he is that sweet!

We walk slowly towards the bleachers , and I can feel the tension between us build up. The chemistry is too powerful to be denied, and I could've sworn I actually felt some sparks fire up between us , but no one would believe me , obviously. He guides me up the bleacher stairs, and into the middle row. He gestures for me to sit first, displaying how much of a sweetheart he is . He then sits next to me , but not too close, and I kind of appreciate my personal space.

We spend an hour just talking about stuff we did during the vacation. I kind of admire the fact that we have so much to talk about, even though we are in contact , almost everyday. For the first time ever , I feel like I am myself around someone, and that person appreciates my true self. Vinie spends almost 30 minutes talking about how he partied on New Year's eve , and he mentions how much he'd wished I were there with him. I , on the other hand, only take about 10 minutes to tell him about EVERYTHING I'd done , plain old me .

" Should we head over to the cafeteria for breakfast?" He suddenly asks, as soon as there is a moment of silence between us. I blush. I actually convinced myself that he is asking me on a date, although I know this is as far from a date as the Sun is from Earth. Stop it, Lindsay, this IS a date. It is plain as day. My inner voice snarls at me , but I choose to ignore it. Last time I listened to that voice, I got my heart broken. " Actually, I have a better idea," I reply in a voice that is no louder than a whisper, with a mischievous grin slowly spreading across my face. " Should I be scared?" He taunts sarcastically, " Haha, very funny, Vinie. Now, come on." I grab his hand impulsively , and almost drag him towards the parking lot. " Oh, you are driving?!" He asks with a visible look of horror in his eyes. " Yes, unless you would rather do it...?" I bat my eyelashes rapidly, and I could clearly see how that made him nervous. His whole body tenses up, and he shifts his weight to his other leg. " Sure, Lindsay, come on." He is the one to grab my hand this time, and leads me towards his car, a black convertible. He opens the door for me , and smiles at me . I look him in the eye, and smile sincerely. He waits for me to climb in, and then closes the door behind me . He hops in too, and we speed off onto the highway.

" Where exactly are we going , Lyn?" I smile at the fact that he is giving me nicknames. " Well, you know the BowTie bakery? They have the BEST donuts ever, we are going to go there, and..." " Wait," he cuts me off, and gasps dramatically. " I LOVE BowTie bakery, and I totally know the way there , so just sit back,and calm down, " he jokes, and then smirks at me . I just do as I am told . He turns on the radio, and pops in a C.D.

The magical music of Keane numbs my brain, and I find myself immobile as I focus on the words of Somewhere Only We Know, and oddly, I feel like the band is adressing Vinie and I, as if the song was written for us. Vinie starts humming slightly to the sound, and I decide to sing along with him. As soon as he hears my voice, he raises his, going tremendously off-key, just to annoy me . I laugh, and follow in his lead. The car is a convertible, so as we pass people by, we are surrounded by glares and stares. I cannot be bothered by the spectators, for I am having a blast with him, in our tiny little bubble, and that is all that matters.

A darling little bakery is across from us, and I am standing in the parking lot, waiting for Vinie to park, lock is car, so we can go in. I stand there and marvel at the pink cottage-like bakery, and soon enough, I could feel his presence behind me . " Shall we ?" He whispers , and a chill is sent down my spine immediately. I nod, speechless. We walk side my side, no one saying anything. He opens the door for me, and I smile again at his chivalrous manner. We choose a table in the very corner of the bakery, making sure to have our privacy. " I'm gonna go get our donuts and coffee. What did you want ?" He says before sitting down. " Just a chocolate-sprinkles donut and a latte , thank you," I answer rapidly, without contemplating my order. I always come here and order the same thing. " Very well, can I trust you with my car keys?" He teases , and I can't help but blush. " Haha, you tell me ," I answer , and my inner voice yells proudly. I give myself an invisible pat on the shoulder, for I had done good . He grins and hands me his car eyes. On his way to the cashier, he mouths don't run away , and smiles playfully.