Love In Destin ✔

13 - nice to meet you

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𝑹𝒊𝒄𝒌

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I FELT CONFLICTED, and I still do. Yet here I am, making my way to a girl I am not interested in. It's like a whirlwind occurring inside of me, except it's not a whirl of wind but a whirl of my emotions. I have to worry about doing well in today's game and bother with some girl I don't care about.

When I spot her, I quickly stop behind a car. I expected to find her shedding tears, but she appears calm. Her face has gone pink, possibly from the slap earlier.

Brown hair flowing with the wind, she takes small sips of milk from a little plastic bottle. She's sitting cross-legged on the grass, and seeing that only makes me think about how much my body itches every time after football practice cause we're always falling on the grass.

I don't want to be here or near her. But what choice do I have? Brent's never going to leave me alone about this.

I wonder why she let those girls treat her like that? If she could talk back to Ruby the other day, why not do the same today?

She throws her head back, biting her lip and creasing her forehead in thought, taking deep breaths every few seconds. I wonder where her friends are?

I take a deep breath myself, before heading over to her. She jumps a little when I approach, her big brown eyes staring into mine.

"Rick?" she arches her eyebrows in surprise.

"It didn't look good watching you run out like that," I tell her, settling beside her, careful not to step on her hands on the grass.

She twirls her head back to the sky, the sunshine bathing her face in a warm, snug glow. It makes her face appear so much more alive.

"Why did you do that?" she asks, still facing the sky.

Crap, what do I tell her? "I uh...um, it felt like the right thing to do,"

"The right thing to do?" she swivels back to me, her forehead creasing. "You didn't think it right to tell me how you got that black eye, yet you think it right to defend me?"

"Why are you questioning me? From what I've seen about you, you seem like the type who would help any random person,"

"I'm not questioning you. I'm...I'm just wondering," she bites her lip. "It's weird seeing you out of your cold zone,"

I shrug, unsure what to say.

"Thank you," she gives me a firm smile, but her eyes still lack that ethereal radiance.

"Um, listen, I have a game tonight. You can come, and maybe that'll take your mind off things?"

I need to get closer to her, even if I don't want to, but it's hard trying to seem interested in someone you don't even find attractive. She's not my type of girl. Though, I know if I want to get closer to her, I've got to take things slow.

"I don't know—"

"You don't have to come but think about it,"

"Maybe,"

"Maybe," I sigh. I stand up, dust dirt off my jeans, and begin to make my way back to the cafeteria when I hear her voice.

"Hey, Rick?" she calls, and I turn to look at her. Maya's smile is back. The smile that defines her as a person and extends to her eyes and deep into her soul.