The Walking Trail

The Leah Effect

I called Leah from my messy room every Monday night since she moved away. I constantly gave her my updates and she would help me feel better or celebrate with me. 

"And then this girl was like fully in a bikini no other clothes and the administration went insane!" I continued with the summary of my week that always took about an hour. Leah just became allowed to download facetime, and she was always placing her phone on her desk like it was a zoom meeting. I leaned back on my bed, and she started smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked beginning to smile myself. Leah could make anyone smile effortlessly. 

"That's that oversized jacket I got you for your 14th birthday," she said sweetly.

"They keep it very cold in the school," I sighed, "I might have to wear it every day,"

"How are you cold in August?" she giggled.

"My teachers hate me! If you still lived here, you'd know what I mean,"

The expression on her face turned more bittersweet.

"Remember when we planned out all our fall outfits on August 31st," she remembered.

"I just remember you spilling your coffee on my white sweater!" I joked with her.

"Hmm what does that remind me of?"

"The Gilmore girls marathon we had that September!" I basically shouted. Sometimes just for a split second I forgot the entire last year happened and I could run down the block to her house right now. Leah saw the light leave my face and began to look concerned.

"Look Yasmin just know I miss you too. I love you,"

"I love you too. And please don't worry about me," I lied. It felt really good to have someone care but that felt embarrassing to say. 

"You still have that Rosie girl from camp, right?" she said hopefully.

"Yeah, and Hudson," I smiled.

"Has anything happened with him since camp?"

"He's not coming back to school until next week because he's at a festival or something,"

"A festival?"

"For music. You know like that time I tried to see the offspring and you called them 'springs'"

"Oh right. Those tickets are insanely expensive do you think he's rich?"

"Not after the money he's spent on concerts this year," I laughed.

"I mean he must like you so something will happen eventually,"

"How do we know that for sure?"

"That boy literally grabbed your arm and write his number on it. And he kind of copied your clothing style,"

I looked down at my baggy Metallica T-shirt and baggy dark wash jeans and sighed, knowing she was right.

"And you haven't sent me a picture, so I don't even know if he pulls it off!"

"Just trust me...he's attractive," I thought back to that first day I saw him at camp. Sure, I had seen him in the hallways, but he was different now.

On the first day he already had attracted a whole friend group to eat breakfast with. Everyone around him was laughing and hitting the wooden bench tables, that's when I first noticed his smile. You would think with the way he dresses he would be sad, but it turns out he just has Pinterest.