Too Good to be True

Chapter 2- Introductions

Grammar Tip

Affect vs Effect

Affect is the Action. Effect is the End result.

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The next morning I managed to slip out of the house without mom catching me and making me eat. I started the slow drive to school, and as I was driving I saw Dave walking on the side of the road. At the pace he was going, it'd take him forever to get to school, so I pulled over.

"Need a ride?" I shouted.

He nodded and opened the door to the car. There was a bit of an awkward silence, so I turned on the radio. He was kind of looking at me, but I pretended not to notice. Eventually I started to get uncomfortable, so I asked him why he was staring at me.

"You're pretty, duh," he said.

I blushed. Guys don't normally call me pretty. Normally the only people who call me pretty are family members. I glanced over at him. He was pretty cute.

"So are you a junior or a senior?" I asked.

"I'm a senior. I just moved here a few months ago from New York City."

"Do you miss it there?"

"Not really. It's a pretty busy city. Everyone's always in a hurry. The people there are all pretty mean too. Our old apartment was crowded and I never got a minute alone. I'm not much of a people person."

"Me neither."

"Do you happen to know my sister? Abigail. Abigail Winters. She says she's in your eighth period class."

That must be the weird girl. She always sits in the back and blends in with the wall. She never does anything. No one ever talks to her or about her. It seems like she shows up for class, then disappears.

"Yeah I know her. She doesn't talk much."

"Yeah," he remarked, "she's shy."

We pulled into the school parking lot. He thanked me for the ride and left. The whole day was a blur of equations and work and loneliness. I envied the people around me who were all talking to their friends and laughing, but I also observed them. What did they have that I didn't?

This one girl, Sarah, and I are almost identical in personalities. We have the same likes, we act the same, but for some reason she has all the friends and I don't. We talk once in a while and exchange polite smiles in the hallway. What is it about me? Do I smell?

I was sitting in the lecture hall when I had another "spell". Sometimes I'll have these periods of time where feelings of loneliness and depression get so strong that I want to cry out and scream. I call them "spells". I raised my hand to go to the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I sank to the floor, sobbing. The feelings started pushing in around me like I was in a tight space that was only getting tighter.

I guess that's life. You'd think I would've gotten used to it by now, but I guess it doesn't work that way. I blew my nose and looked in the mirror. I was a mess. I put on a little makeup to cover up the redness and headed back to class. There's no use crying over it and getting in trouble for taking too long in the bathroom.

I headed back to class and the day dragged on. I smiled at Abigail during eighth period but we didn't talk. When the bell rang I went to the coffee shop as usual and got a muffin to go and went to my usual spot at the park. I messed around on tumblr for a while and all of the sudden Dave and Abigail showed up.

"Hey," Abigail said, "You look like you could use some company."

"Yeah, I guess. I've been pretty lonely lately."

They sat down on the bench beside me and all of the sudden I was spilling my sorrows and worries to them. I don't know why. I barely knew them, but for some reason I felt so safe around them. It felt like they were my other half. They listened patiently, and Abigail patted my shoulder. I told them all about being abused as a kid and how it triggered major depression and anxiety. I told them about all the lonely nights and how much it killed me to have nobody. I told them I felt like I was going crazy trapped in this world.

When I finished we just kind of looked at each other. I apologized to them for rambling.

"No, really, it's okay. You needed to get it out," Dave assured me.

"Wanna come to my place for dinner?" I asked. I knew no one would be home. They agreed and we all got into my car. Abigail sat in the front. Her curly hair flew all over the place when we opened the windows, so we settled for air conditioner. The nights were starting to get cold, but the days were still warm.

We got to my house and I gave them a tour. I ordered a pizza and we sat down at my computer.  I showed them some of the short stories I've written, and they thought I was a great writer.  Then we started watching YouTube videos and talking and laughing. When the pizza guy came we settled down in the living room and watched a movie. We exchanged numbers and they left a few minutes before my parents got home.

My mom was ecstatic when she heard I had new friends. She said I could have them over whenever I wanted. I know she wants what's best for me, but she was freaking out and it was really annoying. It's been a long time since I've had a friend.

When I fell into bed, it seemed like the weight on my chest was a little lighter than usual.

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Well guys I'm going to the beach next week so I might not have a chance to update and if I do it'll probably be sloppy but I promise I'll write as soon as I get back.

Thanks for reading.

Bai <3