Alone

Chapter 3: Eliza's POV

Chapter 3: Eliza

The girl from yesterday was on my mind all night. Lying on my side, my hand under my head, I silently picked at the loose threads on my blanket. Picking up my vibrating phone, I bit my lip, reading the notification next to the orange and white W, from almost ten hours ago. Message from lovelylucy.

I slid my finger across the screen, letting the app load.

@lovelylucy: Hey, I'm sorry about being nosy. If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine! I just wanted to make sure you were okay :)

Why was she talking to me? It was so weird, her asking if I was okay and if I wanted to talk. Hesitating, I replied.

@lxnelygirl: I'm sorry I just left like that and ignored you :/ It's just that you were the first person to ever actually talk to me about it. Anyone else who read that just said how they felt bad for me and stuff, and I hate the pity! But you were the first to ask me if I wanted to talk about it! I'm really so sorry for ignoring you :)

Knowing she probably was not online, I left the app. It was only eight in the morning right now, and I smiled. My parents had probably left for their trip, and Elisa was probably still sleeping. After brushing my teeth, I got dressed into running shorts and a matching tank top. I slipped on my sneakers, tying my hair up into a ponytail. With my phone tucked into the waistband of my shorts and my favorite playlist on shuffle, I continued out of the house. Every day, usually every morning, I would run a mile around the neighborhood before stopping at the local café a block away from my house. My house was the only house located at the end of the street, on the cul-de-sac. Running down the street, I let my leg muscles stretch. Smiling, I felt at home.

Ever since Elisa had started bugging me about my weight, I started running every day. Honestly, I'm glad I did because I felt great. Running gave me a sense of pleasure. In less than ten minutes, I had completed a mile, according to the distance calculator on my phone.

The bell rung over the door as I opened the door to the café I always went to. It was always pretty empty when I got here. Today, there was an old couple at the table by the door and a single boy towards the back, with his back towards me. I headed towards the register to order my usual vanilla latte and slice of coffee cake. The sweet old lady behind the counter smiled. She knew me as a regular; all we ever did was make small talk. I guess she knew I didn't talk much, so she didn't try to start an actual conversation with me. I simply handed over a ten dollar bill and she handed me my change. Picking up the cup of hot coffee and plate of cake, I turned around to find a seat for myself. "Hey!" On my left, I saw a familiar face. It was Elliot, the new kid. "Eliza, right?"

I smiled tightly. "That's me," I said dryly. I was about to turn around and leave him when he stopped me.

"Come sit with me," he offered. Sighing, I followed him to his table. "So, what's up?" he asked.

Realizing I was going to be here for a while, I decided to try and enjoy it. "Nothing really. I was just out for a run. What about you? Isn't it a bit early for you?"

"Not really. I used to live on a farm, and I'd be up by six every morning, so this is nothing. Besides, I've been trying to catch up on the Biology homework, but I haven't gotten far."

"Oh, how fun. Biology homework," I said, sarcasm evident in my voice.

He laughed lightly. "Would you mind helping me catch up?"

I didn't want to be a rude person, and I could tell he was really lost with all the new lessons, so I nodded. "How about we meet later today and I can help you?"

"Sure! Do you want to meet at the library or something? That's like the only other place I know about in this town."

"Yeah, okay. What time?" I asked, forking the last bit of cake into my mouth.

"Is one okay with you?" he asks. I nod. "Great!" he exclaimed. "Can I get your number so, y'know, in case there's a change of plans or something?" He seemed a little nervous, his pale cheeks tinted pink, fingers twiddling, foot tapping.

I agreed to give him my number and he gave me his. "Cya later, I guess," I said before standing and smiling. He waved goodbye to me, smiling in return.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I headed towards the trash. After throwing my garbage out, I stepped out of the café. Humming the tune to my favorite song, I quietly sang as I made my way home. "This is for all the girls, boys all over the world. Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold. So hold your head up high, it's your time to shine. From the inside out it shows, you're worth more than gold..."

When I got home, I ran upstairs, not making too much noise because I didn't want to deal with a grumpy, rude Elisa. I took a long, hot shower and dressed in a spring outfit for the nice weather today. For me, a typical spring day outfit consisted of denim shorts and a simple tank top with my worn-out Converse. It was only nine o'clock right now, so I loaded up my laptop and was immediately met with my homepage, Wattpad. I noticed my inbox had seven new messages. Most of them were different fans, complimenting me on my writing, and of course, one was some negative, harsh feedback. But the most recent message really surprised me. It was from lovelylucy. Taking a wild guess, I assumed her name was Lucy. I clicked on the message, seeing it was sent two minutes ago.

@lovelylucy: Really? Wow. I feel special :) But I know what you mean. I hate when people pity me too. It makes me feel so terrible! I can only imagine how you feel :( But really, if you ever want to talk, you know where to find me! :)

Smiling, I realized I really liked talking to this girl. Out of all my fans who message me, she seemed different; she really wanted to talk to me.

@lxnelygirl: It's terrible, right? But thanks, I'll keep that in mind ;) and you should feel special because you are!

She responded almost immediately.

@lovelylucy: Well, aren't you sweet? ;) So, I read Me, Myself, & I last night!

@lxnelygirl: And what'd you think? :)

@lovelylucy: I thought it was really deep and emotion-filled, really well-written! The whole time while Rose is alone and has no one to turn to, I really felt like I was Rose. I know that sounds weird, but that's how good it was!

@lxnelygirl: Well, I'm really glad you liked it :)

@lovelylucy: I did! Now, I'd love to keep talking to you, but I have to go to work :/ I'll talk to you later?

@lxnelygirl: Definitely! Bye! :)

I had spent almost twenty minutes talking to Lucy, still leaving me with four hours before I had to meet Elliot at the library.

Curious, I found myself clicking on Lucy's profile. Her profile picture was a logo, my favorite singer's logo: MisterWives. This automatically made me smile, knowing we had something in common! I learned that her name, indeed, was Lucy, she lived in Florida, and she was a huge bookworm. Her bio consisted of a few quotes that I liked, her mentioning her love for writing, her love for MisterWives, her love for cliché events, and how much of a hopeless romantic she was.

She had one story under her works titled Next Door. From the description, I realized just how much Lucy enjoyed cliché stories. It was the story of a girl who fell in love with her next door neighbor, who was also her best friend. I spent the next hour or so reading what she had posted so far. I noticed the last time she had updated was almost a week ago. I left a comment on the latest chapter. I really enjoyed reading this, so I can't wait for the next update :) Keep up the great work! I hit Send after typing it out.