Opposites Attract

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Annabelle

I stare at the screen of my phone, hoping. Come on, come on, come on, come on! Suddenly it lights up. I jump up and almost squeal. But, sadly, it isn't the person I wanted it to be. I sigh.

It's only one of my friends - Ali - saying hi. I let a stream of air push my hair out of my face, and slowly text hi back. My life is the dullest, most boring in the entire world. Booooooooooooring. I send the text. Only about ten seconds later, I get one back. Hi. Ugh. Is this going to be one of those conversations where we just go Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Back and forth until one of us stops or has to go? Hello, stranger. I send back. Maybe THAT will start a conversation. I need something to distract me from worrying.

No such luck. Hello, stranger is all I get. I'm so bored. SO BORED. I've been sitting on the front porch, locked out of the house for an hour so far. My parents aren't supposed to come home until seven, and it's five. This is AWFUL. All I'm wearing is a t-shirt, jeans, and fuzzy sucks. I slammed the door behind me on my way out, forgetting my key. And, being an only child with no parents home, the back door locked, and the back house also locked, I didn't have a way to get back in. So that's how I got out here with just a phone as a communication device. I leave another voicemail on both my mom and dad's cell phones. I should have their work phone numbers, but I don't.

Oh, great. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, just when I thought this was as bad as it was going to get, It starts drizzling. And the thing is, when it starts drizzling, then it starts raining after that. And, sure, I mean, I like the rain, but I like it when I'm inside or have an umbrella or SOMETHING to keep me from getting absolutely, completely SOAKED. SOAKED SOAKED SOAKED and that is what is about to happen. There's a flash and I cover my eyes as I had been looking into the sky. Lightning. A huge boom rumbles through the air a little bit after. Thunder. The rain starts pouring down, but not in those nice, fat drops. In small drops that come at once, so then, when the wind starts blowing, they all fly at me easily. That nice rain-smell starts coming up from the pavement, but I am definitely not in a nice mood right now. Stupid world. STUPID WORLD!!

My phone buzzes once, twice, three times. I glance down at it. Three new messages. I start hoping, wishing... I slide my finger across the screen to look at who sent them to me. One- no, two new texts from Ali. And one text from... oh my god!

Ali's texts read: Hello? And then, Bored. Great. I text her back as quickly as I can I am sitting on my porch locked out of the house in the pouring rain.

That's not good. Ali tells me.

Ikr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It takes a while to type out, but I'm very frustrated right now. I check my other text. I have pretty much no self restraint. All it says is hi. I'm stuck locked outside of my house in this thunderstorm. I text back quickly.

Wait, you're kidding, right?! He texts back almost immediately.

Nooope. I'm sitting on my porch getting assaulted by raindrops.

Haha. You're funny. My heart soars, and I smile at the screen of my phone like it's him. Yay! But what do you say to that??

I'm wet. Is what I say to that.

I figured. (him)

Yup. (me)

Mhm. (him)

Sooo... watcha doin? (me)

Throwing stuff out my window. (him)

ARE you now? (me)

There goes another pen! (him)

You're completely insane. I hope you do realize that. (me)

Yeah, I figured that out a while ago. (him)

Good job. (me)

Ikr (him)

What do I say to THAT? Why is this world so confusing? I think I want to throw something now. But there's nothing to throw except for my phone, and I think I need that. Suddenly, my phone starts ringing, quite loudly. It's my mom.

"Hey, honey!" My mom's cheery voice blasts in my ear and I hurry to turn the volume down.

"Hi, Mom."

"I'm just calling to let you know that I'll be home a little later than I expected, and your dad isn't coming home until ten, so hang in there until eight! It won't get too dark..."

"Mom, I'm going to be SOAKED!! Waaaay more than I am NOW!'

"Why's that?" She asks, sounding genuinely confused.

"Um, I'm kind of locked out... didn't you get my voice mail?"

"What voice mail?"

"Uuuugh..." I groan into my phone as a huge crash of thunder makes it turn into a shriek, "I'm, um, locked outside, Mom."

"Well. That's not good..."

"No, it ISN'T!" I snap, annoyed.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but I really just can't get home until eight! Maybe... can you break in?"

"Mother, I don't think I can break into the house. I haven't tried it before."

"It's a necessary skill sometimes. Just try! Did you leave a window open?"

"Oh, yeah! MY BEDROOM WINDOW ON THE SECOND FLOOR. My whole bed is probably mildewing right now." I'm getting pretty upset now.

"Just climb up!"

"No thanks, Mom! I'm GOOD."

"Okay, fine. But just so you know, when you have a pneumonia, I'll be telling the people at the hospital it's YOUR FAULT."

"Right. And when I have a broken back, I'll be telling the ambulance crew that my dearest mother who had my best interests at heart told me to climb up to the second story window and break into my own house while there was a thunder and lightning storm going on. Love you too. BYE. See you in three hours." I hang up, wetter. And annoyed-er.

g2g, bye, sorry! Is what he said (well, texted...) when I was talking to mom. Oh well.

Goooooooooooooodbye now I'm all alone! I think to myself. You know, maybe if I find a crowbar or something I can break the door... but I do not know how to USE a crowbar, let alone where to find one. I sigh again. And then again. And then I kick the side of the porch, but immediately wish I hadn't, because my foot REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hurts now!! I lean against the side of the house where it isn't TOO wet at the moment, and try to get comfortable. You know, we should really keep spare blankets outside. That would be nice...

If we had a lot of spare, nice, fluffy comforters outside that were those kind that had a built in heater thing... and an iPad with unlimited money to use on games and songs and amazing wifi and unlimited space too that didn't run out of battery... ever... and lots of soft comfy pillows and a Wii and a hot tub and... WHY AM I NOT RICH?! WHY CAN I NOT BE INSIDE RIGHT NOW, WATCHING BAD MOVIES AND TV SHOWS AND TEXTING PEOPLE WHILE I AM WARM AND HAPPY AND ONLINE CHATTING WITH PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME AS ALL OF THAT AND I COULD HAVE MADE HOT CHOCOLATE AND STOLEN THE MARSHMALLOWS THAT MY PARENTS DON'T KNOW I KEPT AND I COULD BE HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE RIGHT NOW, AND INSTEAD, I AM STUCK. OUTSIDE. IN. THIS. STUPID. FREAKING. RAINSTORM. GRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kick the porch again. Now my foot is really throbbing.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID WORLD!! I hear a loud car honk and look out onto the street. It's... someone coming to save me! I get up just as someone fully dressed in rain gear runs out of one of the houses across the street and climbs into the car. It speeds off, leaving the smell of warm, wet exhaust. I sit back down slowly, and groan because it hurts to just be sitting on the hard ground.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!" I moan up into the sky, and then I start having a horrible, horrible stomach ache.