Beyond Infinity's Forever

Sari and Jeremy

Chapter One

Sari’s POV

November 27, 2009

It all started in a boring Thursday afternoon.

I was impatiently waiting for Lynne, my carpool-mate and one of my closest friends. She belonged to the Theatre Club which had an extra hour for their technical dress rehearsal this week. Meanwhile, I was sitting here, daydreaming and regretting not waiting for her in the library. Instead, I was stuck here at the lunch counter to wait for her.

Lynne, you’re already ten minutes late. I still have to finish my word search book! I thought, even though it sounded nerdy. For someone like me, finishing word search books while sipping my favorite lemonade is something that could calm my senses and keep me sane. Girls next door don’t seem to enjoy a peaceful day after school. They either want to shop or hang out with their friends. But I’m not one of those typical girls next door. Not even close.

Just when I was about to sigh deeply, I heard Lynne’s slightly deep voice.

“Sari!”

I stood up, grabbing my backpack and walked towards her. I volunteered to carry her costume and eyed it. It was a Pocahontas-like dress, complete with the headdress and the bow and arrow. It really suited Lynne's personality, since she’s a bit girly and adventurous in some ways.

“So, how was practice?” I asked Lynne as we walked in the midst of our schoolmates, with their parents, guardians, and/or drivers.

“It was fine, except for the pretty sensitive parts,” she shared.

“Like what? Does it involve a kissing scene or an act that leads to a wicked make-out session?” I teased.

“Sari, no! What I meant was…you know how I act when he’s around!” she said through gritted teeth in frustration.

I shook my head in ridicule. I’ve heard her gush repeatedly about this boy in her club during our rides to and fro the school but she never had the guts to say his name and I never had the time to think about her love life.

“How can I even assess or even know him when I don’t really know who he is and when he’s around?” I said.

Just when she was about to reply, her eyes flickered and waved, looking past me.

My forehead wrinkled and my eyes followed to where she was looking. I saw two boys walking towards our direction but they were still a little bit far from us. I waved at them too just for fun. I could use some guy friends after that, you know.

They were approaching faster, and I could see that our path has changed too. We were supposed to be on our way to the van, but now we were closer to the guys than ever. Well, I suppose that word search could wait.

“Hey, Lynne! Hi –” he paused, looking at me from head to toe. Clearly, he didn’t know my name. I cringed, knowing that me being stared at at this time of the day isn’t my best view; My hair was dry, unruly, and frizzy; my clothes were already kinky, and my face was sweaty and tired.

“Oh, right,” Lynne giggled nervously, “Sari, this is…Jeremy. Sari…Jeremy.”

“Hi…Sari,” Jeremy said in his light voice, giving me his sweet and genuine smile. Really, Sari? What makes you think that’s his sweet and genuine smile? Get over yourself!He extended his hand, waiting for me to shake it.

“Uh, hi,” I said softly and shook his hand. I looked up at him and took every detail that I could – his dark brown eyes, porcelain-white skin, neatly trimmed hair, and his angelic face. There was something about the way he held my hand that made me feel troubled and safe at the same time. I took back my hand hastily, which surprised him.