Almost Bright

4. He approached me

    I thought about what had happened yesterday as I lay on my bed. He talked to me. It had just hit me like a bus that he decided to just sit down with some random stranger on a bench at a mall, and talk to them. That random stranger was me. The boy I've liked since I was ten. The boy who never noticed me. Eli, the boy who was always a complete jerk to anyone who wasn't him. Was I hallucinating?

     Once Joy and I had driven back to her house, ate dinner, and talked more, we just went to bed without another thought. Then, earlier today, we talked some more then my mom called to tell me that she had just arrived home. I'm now laying in my own bed, thinking about how stupid I am to embarrass myself in front of my "little" crush.

     I felt my eyes flutter close, and opened them again, after doing that for about half an hour, I let myself rest for the night.

***

     Honestly, I don't hate Mondays. I get excited to go to school and get my education. I want to take care of my mom when she gets older and make sure she stays healthy. I want to be able to become wealthy, just so I can get my mom the finest clothing and make sure she feels beautiful. I know she loves me and I want to return that. To make her feel loved. To let her regain what she's lost. You need a steady career for that.

     I'm honestly okay with getting an education. It may be boring, but it really pays off in the end. I know that most of the things they teach you in school isn't really needed in life, but no one cares. Your work wants to see your high school and college diploma. They want to see consecutive A's and high test scores. It almost determines who you're going to be. A lot of people say that many successful people have dropped out, but what are the odds?

After my usual routine, Instead of heading over to Joy's, my mom drives me to school. When mom drives me to school, people often give me weird looks. Its because my mom has the newest Escalade so people think I have a driver or the FBI drove me here. That is not the case, my mom really likes having a large truck to intimidate people on the road, and it's quieter.

As I walk into the school, I'm greeted by Eli. Why did he even bother? He's never talked to me. Ever. Now, he just decides it's okay to approach a random stranger. Definitely okay with it though. He walks up to me and starts talking, "Hello, I believe I remember you from the mall yesterday, Rhea, right?" gosh, his eyes are so sparkly. "Yes, I am Rhea. So, what is someone like you, doing by hanging around a total idiot?" and his cheeks are so rosy.

"I'm sorry, I thought I had made a new friend at the mall," he said in a teasing tone. "Well, I guess you did," I smiled.

"Well," he said mocking me, I laughed at that, "I guess that means I can talk to you, anytime I want," I guess I'd have to talk to him since, he talked to me first.

It felt so normal to just talk to him. Usually, any normal person would think that talking to the person that they'd admired for years would end up with self embarrassment, but no, it just feels like we've talked as best friends would, asking about each other, answering things honestly, relating, I mean if I had known that talking to people was so easy, I'd have tons of friends by now. Now, now, Eli Collins is my new friend. Wow.

But, of course all good things must come to an end. Of course he has friends, lots of them too, to drag him away so they can plant a fake love letter in Blake Hampton's locker. Poor guy, he's going to end up liking a fake person.

~+~

After sixth hour was dismissed, everyone was rushing to their lockers to get home.

All after school activities were cancelled for today. They had announced it towards the end of sixth hour because of the massive gray clouds forming over the state of Michigan. Honestly, I don't understand Michigan weather. The skies were completely clear this morning, then some crazy storm kicks in at about three in the afternoon! People were even talking about the possibility of us having to stay back at school to have a weather drill! I am so moving once I finish college here.

I grabbed all of my stuff and walked down the hallway to find out that they were almost empty. I remembered everyone was rushing out through the doors to get home, so nobody was left at school. I was about to walk through the school doors to drive back home, but then I realized, my mom had dropped me off at school this morning.

I dialed Joy's number to see if she could pick me up, she said she could if it was possible, but apparently she was in the middle of traffic that stretched about two miles long and she couldn't turn around because there were cars all around her and she was stuck there. Dammit

     I called Amy and she said that she had already brought people with her and her car was full. Dammit.

     I called my mom and she didn't even pick up. Dammit.

     After a while of me calling my mom repeatedly, the school secretary told me I had to leave before the school locked the doors. I turned to the option left, I got up off of the seat in front of the main office, and started walking home. I live about two and a half miles from school, it'd take about an hour to walk home and there is no way I am hitchhiking.

I look up the directions on my phone and was on my way. It was slightly raining but it was nothing I couldn't have handled. I walked through familiar areas for about ten minutes until I ended up in an area where google maps said it was faster to walk through. I didn't want to take the chance of getting completely stormed on, so I took the path. Now, I know it sounds stupid to take the unknown path that could get me lost, kidnapped, or murdered, but it was just a long strip of townhouses and apartment buildings. There were plenty of people around to hear me yell for help. Nothing to worry about.

It was about twenty more minutes and I had made it to my house safely. Mom wasn't usually home at this time, so I got to doing my homework and a couple extra credit assignments. No, I am not some total nerd who spends all her time studying, I'm just trying to get into a good college to fulfill my dreams, as every other student should be doing. Too bad most of this generation has gone to a bust.

I had spent so much time on my assignments that I had forgotten about the time. I looked outside my window and it was already dark out. I stood up and almost immediately after, got an awful dizzy spell. The last thing I remembered is crashing to my bed and closing my eyes to the sound of thunder bolts.

~+~

BEFORE ANYONE SAYS ANYTHING ABOUT IT, YES, I KNOW THAT THE CHAPTERS ARE SHORT, BUT THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF THEM IN THE FUTURE.

So...

Do you ship #Rhelia? (ray-lie-uh)

suggestions?

Thanks for reading!

Stay awesome,
Chace

~+~