Ameliorate

Red Hoodie

I always watched from afar.

Never did I have the guts to walk up to her and spark up a conversation.

Through my years of observation, she always has her journal, iPod, and Beats headphones in hand. That's all I ever saw. Past her bright red hoodie, I didn't know what mysteries were concealed.

Something about her just intrigued me.

I sat at a booth today and waited.

Everyday after school at five she would come to this diner, and stay here for hours. I come here everyday after school just to watch her.

I wait ten minutes. Then ten turned into twenty. Next thing you know, I have been here for three hours.

Maybe she isn't coming.

I stood up, grabbed my jacket, and began to exit.

"Goodnight sweetheart."

"Goodbight Mrs. Adie." I replied to the owner. We had grown acquainted over the past few months.

Clumsy me hadn't been paying attention to where I was going. I opened the door to leave and collided into someone.

Picking up some things they had dropped due to the crash, I stood up and began to hand it to them.

They were pictures, sketches to be exact. Kick as* sketches too.

"These are amazing." I complimented.

"Thanks." The person mumbled. Barely audible.

That's when it hit me. Under that red hoodie, there she was.

"You."

"No, actually it's Kylie." She shocked me by taking off the hood of the jacket.

Her appearance took me off guard. Flaming red pixie cut hair with streaks of orange, and piercings on her nose, ears, and left eyebrow.

"Hi." I stuttered.

She laughed. "Hi to you too stalker."

My eyes widened.

She knew this whole time.

"Don't worry. I love it. My very own stalker. It makes me feel important somehow, if you get I mean. So what's yours."

"My what?"

"Name?"

"Oh that, it's Jake."

"Nice to meet you Jake, other than from across the room."

I let out an uneasy laugh. "Yeah I guess."

"I gotta go, see you around stalker." She began to walk away.

Still holding some of her art, I called for her. "Wait, you forgot-"

She turned and paused for a moment. "Keep 'em."