Word has it that opposites attract. Jessica Keith would give the pithy expression two middle fingers because a wild party girl like her and the prim do-gooder, Matthew Parkinson are opposites hopeless to attract, let alone breathe the same air.
Howe...
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Jessica
My phone's battery died. I thought it was finally going to give me peace of mind because then I wouldn't have to look at my phone to see if Matthew was going to call. It didn't. If anything, the urge to be with Matthew has gotten so overwhelming that I kept tossing and turning.
When I realized getting some sleep was hopeless, I shrugged on my grandmother's furry coat and went out for a walk into my old playground. I was pacing back and forth, stopped dead in my tracks when I heard keys jingle. I dipped my hand inside the coat's pocket and found my grandmother's car keys. I groaned. Now I really want to go back to Matthew's apartment.
I chewed on my lip as I was torn between hopping into my grandmother's car and... well, anything else, really. I spotted my old slide. Desperate now, I jogged toward it and decided to give it a try after all these years.
Despite the years gone by, the slide was still surprisingly slick and I slid down all the way to the ground with a very loud thud. I yelped in pain. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye.
I blinked once. And then twice.
Shit.
Matthew stepped into the light. "Are you okay?"
"You saw that, huh?" I stayed on the ground, my butt still burning a bit.
"Heard it too." He walked to me and offered me his hand.
I stared at it. "How'd you know I was here?"
"I called, I think, practically everybody when I didn't find you in my apartment."
I looked up at my parents' bedroom. The light was still on and there were a couple of shadows peeking behind the window. When they noticed I was looking, the slimmer shadow elbowed the masculine one. He then panicked, tripped, and then finally turned off the light.
I sighed.
My dork of a dad.
"I got worried when you didn't answer my calls."
"Sorry," I murmured as I took his hand and got on my feet. "I thought you won't be back until morning."
Matthew watched as I sat on the bench and crossed my arms over my chest. If I could've sunk into my grandmother's coat, I would've. If there's any way I could skip this breakup talk, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Matthew's brows were furrowed together, his face riddled with worry. He walked toward the bench but didn't sit next to me. I just noticed he was holding a brown paper bag with the logo of my favorite burrito place on it.
I felt a squeeze in my heart, so intense that I couldn't breathe. Why couldn't I just get this one thing that makes me the happiest girl ever? Most of all, why can't I just childishly scream mine, mine, mine?
