See You Next Saturday

Fractured Glances

There was a brightly colored banner that hung from a familiar lamppost, advertising the city's upcoming annual spring fair; one of the most celebrated events of the year.

It was Alex's favorite advert, but the spring fair had nothing to do with it.

The banner, which had been hanging for months, signaled something more meaningful to her; she'd made it to the end of the week. Every time she passed it, she knew she was en route to one destination; Saturday school.

She was going to see him again. The thought made her heart leap with anticipation.

Alex had been used to having uneventful weeks and weekends, and she was okay with it, not knowing any better than the life she already lived.

Her routine was predictable and safe, without much excitement or disappointment. It worked.

But lately, her days had become a series of ups and downs, with the highs mostly experienced over the weekend—on Saturdays to be exact, when she would see Ezra.

Suddenly, the weeks weren't so bad either. Because, for once, she had something to look forward to.

The anticipation of their secret meetings, the stolen glances, and the moments that made her heart race brought a new thrill to her otherwise monotonous life.

Based on their interactions, one thing was consistently clear, she couldn't be more different from Ezra. But maybe that was a good thing.

Maybe their differences were what made them potentially compatible. Didn't opposites attract, after all?

The truth was, she was in trouble. She had failed at the one thing she had promised herself she wouldn't do: fall for him.

She had tried her best to ignore her heart's erratic beating in his proximity, but Alex could never seem to effectively convince herself not to fall for the boy with a 'caution' warning sign on his forehead.

Nothing good was going to come from it, she knew that, but her heart refused to cooperate. It wanted more—more of him.

So as her father rambled on that morning about the weekend's long-awaited football match, her mind ran a marathon, right on schedule.

The closer she got to her destination, the more erratic her thoughts became.

She could barely focus on her father's words, every thought consumed by Ezra's piercing eyes, his playful smirk, and the way he made her feel alive.

"Alex, are you even listening to me?" her father finally called, breaking through her thoughts.

She snapped out of her reverie and looked at him, managing a sheepish smile. "Football is overrated," she said, causing her father to dramatically gasp and clutch his heart.

The man was a big football fan and Alex knew where to poke the bear so he wouldn't ask any more questions.

She laughed at his theatrics, causing him to smile warmly. "You look... happier," he observed, clearly pleased. "Whatever it is, I hope it stays. I haven't seen you this way since..." he stopped himself.

They both knew what he meant to say but none of them cared to explore the subject. Both had unresolved feelings and the wound was still fresh.