A Summer's Disruption

Dark Void

"Now, where the hell did all the fruit disappear to?" I heard my mom ask as I walked in.

"Huh.. That's so weird." I scratched my head. "Where did it all go?"

My mom shot a sharp glare at me and shook her head in silent disapproval. I smirked and rushed upstairs to my room.

In my room, I sat quietly at my window sill and closely observed Michaela's window that was across from mine. My eyes shifted from the large blue plant standing in a corner of her room to the small bookshelf nearby it.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't figure out her vibe.

My observations were interrupted when she entered her room. I quickly looked away and started chipping at the paint on my wall as if I was utterly fascinated by the texture and hue of it.

When I eventually looked up, I saw that Michaela was standing at her window, facing me. She had a notebook in her hand and was writing something in it.

You're doing it again. You're staring. She wrote.

I chuckled softly. I then rummaged through my room, looking for a pen and paper. After a moment of frenzy, I found some loose-leaf paper and wrote, You caught me.

She smiled and mouthed a soft "good night" and closed her window curtains. I couldn't control my excitement. After that interaction, she obviously didn't hate me, right? As long as she didn't hate me, that was enough. Enough for me to get closer. Enough for me to start breaking free from my boring life.

The next day, I went for a jog early in the morning. Staying active is one thing that keeps me sane. It makes me feel like I'm actually doing something with my life. Anyway, during my jog I felt a strange feeling in the air. The sky was clear but something grim lingered. I took a few steps, and the thick sensation grew.

Trying to ignore the feeling, I increased the pace of my steps. I jogged aimlessly for fifteen minutes before I stopped at the community lake. I turned my head to the right and saw a girl sitting on the grass near the body of water. I squinted my eyes, moving strands of sweaty hair out of my face. When my eyes eventually focused, I noticed the girl was no one other than Michaela.

In a long, patterned green skirt that matched the shade of the grass and a black tank top, she sat peacefully. She resembled an image in a painting. There was a certain calmness in her composure that made me not want to bother her. However, I couldn't help but to feel drawn. Before I knew it, my feet began moving towards her on their own.

"Hey," I said, standing over her.

Her body jumped. "Oh, it's you."

I laughed and took a seat next to her. "I didn't mean to startle you. My bad."

She looked at me sternly and said, "don't pop up on me like that again." Then looking away, she let out a soft "please."

While she maintained her calm composure, I could tell she was serious. I apologized and then turned to watch the lake with her. A few moments of silence passed and she asked, "What do you see when you look at this lake?"

I contemplated for a moment and said, "I see water. With a glassy surface." I then faced Michaela and looked deeply into her brown eyes. "It's beautiful."

Slowly looking away she mumbled, "that glassy surface is merely a mask."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"It appears flashy on the surface, so that people can admire it from afar. But, really, It's trying to hide a dark void that swallows people when they get too close." She paused, picking at pieces of grass. "See, where we're sitting right now could even be too close. One mistake and we'd see what is hiding behind this lake's mask."

I sat in silence and waited for her to finish her remark. I was appalled and amazed at the girl sitting beside me. She interpreted things at such a deep level, and honestly, I found it so attractive. All I could respond with in that moment was, "Are you not just eighteen?"

Michaela froze. "Eighteen?"

"Wait. you're not younger than that right? Because if you are, I'd be even more shocked."

Michaela quickly answered, "No, I am very much just an eighteen year old."

"Damn. I'm like here," I said, using my left hand to show my level. "And you're like all the way up here." I said, raising my right hand way higher than the left.

"You're exaggerating," she laughed. At that moment, I felt a desire for her smile. I felt a desire for her.

Suddenly, emergency sirens began blaring. I noticed a cop car approaching and wondered if Ms. Santos got locked out of her house again. I don't know how she does it, but the old lady always misplaces her keys every time she goes out.

Michaela wrinkled her eyebrows and slightly tilted her chin. She then carefully stood up and dusted her skirt. "We should head back now," She said.

I frowned. I wanted to spend more time with her, but if we went our separate ways now, who knows when I'd get to talk to her again. I pleaded, "oh come on. The weather's pretty good. We should stay a little longer."

As the sound of the siren drew closer, I noticed urgency in Michaela's expression. That is when she grabbed my hand and looked at me intently. "My parents aren't home," she smirked. "Do you wanna come over?"