Teen Romance Fantasy

Act 27 (Ch)

"You're late. Eric had already thrown a tantrum because you didn't answer his calls."

Sarah was outside, lying on a bench and staring at me from upside down. Her dark tanned skin was sparkling, as the sun rays fell on it. Some of which were reflected by her golden earrings or by the similar pendant on her black choker necklace and others absorbed by her dark eyes. Nevertheless, she was smiling. It wasn't a cold smile. It was kind and sincere.

"Did Eric talk to you?"

"Did he talk to me? He was basically interrogating me. As if I would know what you're up to. You should better tell him that you came after all, before he decides to burn the school."

Even though we were outside, the smell of her perfume was clearly noticeable. Roses. At least that was what I thought, when I saw her. A thorny and yet beautiful red rose. Perhaps it was a mistake to come closer but when I saw how her hair got stuck on the bench, I couldn't help myself.

I gently told her to lift her head, as I sat down. When she tried to get up, I carefully put my hand on her forehead and pulled her back, so that she would lie on my lap and look directly at my eyes. I noticed how I lost myself inside her deep dark eyes that could have very well been marbles.

"Why?", she asked nonchalantly, as I embarrassedly stared into the distance. We were lucky that nobody we knew had been playing on the basketball court. Even though we were hidden by the shadows of the trees, we weren't exactly isolated from the rest of the world. Some of the students did in fact notice us but they were too focused on their game.

"You looked uncomfortable.", I answered, as my brown hair blew in the wind, despite it not actually being that long.

It was a weird sensation to be here with her. I acted on instinct, instead of thinking about what I was doing. Somehow it just felt right. Perhaps I had already gotten too used to being around her. In the end I even forgot about myself.

"Why are you here alone? Where is Luna?", I asked, once it had gotten a little quieter. Initially Sarah didn't answer me. She simply closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. I was quite sure that she had fallen asleep until she finally answered me.

"I like being alone sometimes. I can get my mind off a lot of things. Why are you here? Shouldn't you run after Eric?"

"Same here. Just wanted to have some peace and quiet."

Once again our conversation fell flat. Sometimes it felt as though I didn't know Sarah. She was mysterious and honest at the same time. It's hard to describe but there were moments where I thought that there were two Sarah's. How could a person as nice as Sarah suddenly become cold and distant? I had only noticed recently but her eyes changed sometimes. They would become as cold as death. It scared me.

"Say, is there something you want?" Only when I spoke out those words, I realised how stupid I sounded. Rather embarrassed I added "Don't get met wrong! Someone I knew recently asked me this question and I didn't know what to answer so I'm searching for some inspiration!"

For a moment all Sarah did was silently staring at me. Her expression didn't change at all from before. She was frozen but then, all of a sudden, she broke out in laughter. I didn't know how to react. Gosh was this embarrassing. Was it really that funny?

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. Actually, I just think I won't be much of a help to you. Something I want you say... I guess it would be running away from here."

"Running away?"

"Exactly. I want to go somewhere far away."

"And what kind of an address is far away supposed to be?"

Instantly, Sarah rolled her eyes. Nevertheless, she still smiled gently. Her smile was comparable to the one of a princess or perhaps even a queen. It was bright but yet classy. It was elegant and yet silly. It was lovely.

"Really funny. Well, to answer your question, I don't know yet. I guess just anywhere, as long as nobody knows who I am."

"What about your family then?"

All of a sudden, Sarah's expression changed. She looked hurt and perhaps even a little anxious. I wondered to myself why that had been. Was something the matter with her family? I always thought that someone like Sarah must have had a healthy family that supported every decision she made, since she had been nothing but kind to me.

"My family loves me. Especially my brother. He does everything he can to protect me but sometimes it feels as though he's slowly killing me.", she sighed, before she put on that innocent smile again.

How could she smile at the end? Why would she hide her true feelings? Her expression was nothing more than a mask. She acted as if what she told me had been the most normal thing in the world. Every time I thought about what a disappointment I must have been to my mother, I would start crying but she smiled. The sadness and the sorrow were written all over her face.

"That doesn't sound like love at all."

"It is though. I know because it's the same kind of love he shows his fiancée."

"Love isn't supposed to kill you."

"Then nobody has ever loved me."

She began coughing again. It sounded awful and heartbreaking.

When she apologised to me for saying all this depressing stuff, I wanted to shout at her that there was no reason for her to be sorry. I was glad that she opened up to me. It made me realise how much she must have trusted me to say all those things. I felt special at that moment.

Nevertheless, I was unable to speak. Someone had cut off my tongue. All I could do was to push away every strand of hair that might have ended up covering a part of her precious small face. It did not seem to bother her either. The cool wind was blowing harder than before. Even the leafs were dancing to the rhythm of the breeze. Underneath the trees, only few rays of sunlight painted her face.

We stayed like this for a while longer. Neither one of us said anything. We simply enjoyed the moment of sincerity until we were suddenly interrupted by a familiar person. To my demise Louis had to be the one to find us. He must have been as shocked as I was, when he saw us. He couldn't utter a single word at first but then he got all his courage together and started talking.

"Christian! Good to see you. I thought you were going to skip the entire day. Listen, can I copy your chemistry homework? I promise I'll pay you back."

Louis didn't even acknowledge Sarah. He acted as if she wasn't with us. Sarah on the hand acted accordingly to how Louis wanted her to act. She got up, took her bag and left, leaving Louis and me alone, who was eagerly waiting for my homework.