VALERIE

Six

They sat in silence in his car with the heater and radio on, both listening to a talk show about the civil war going on in Syria.

Cigarette smoke danced delicately around the confined space of the car as Nick exhaled from his Newport, Valerie's stomach rumbled at the smell of the cigarettes menthol.

Valerie was silent, her mascara stained her cheeks with dirty dark streaks and her eyes were puffy, she would sniffle every now and then, and her knuckles were also scraped with blood leaking from them, Nick took notice but decided against asking.

They didn't really much exchange words when they first saw each other just a awkward, "Let's go to my car." From Nick who was more than shocked to see the girl he hadn't seen in weeks reappear again.

And now the two strangers sat in silence in his car, but they strangely felt comfortable in one another's voiceless presence feeling immense comfort in their rushing dangerous minds.

Valerie stared out the cars dark tinted window, it was probably 48 degrees outside and she was dressed in a pink sun dress but over the thin dress straps she did have her boyfriends over sized blue leather letter man jacket on but it didn't make her feel warm.

It was cold.

Just like the boy sitting beside her in the drivers seat.

"Are you okay?" Nick managed to ask the preoccupied Valerie with his Newport dangling from his parted lips.

Sitting back on the passenger seat she shook her head slightly, "Fine."

"Don't sound or look fine."

"Well aren't you prince charming." She replied giving him a glare, he smiled slightly before frowning again, her eyes were mesmerizing, one a dark brown and the other one a light green.

"What's up with your eyes?" He asked somewhat intrigued, she smiled slightly,

"Heterochromia."

"What's that?"

"Do you really care?" She scoffed peeling her eyes away from his heavy gray gaze.

Nick sat back and looked out his window, "I don't but, it's kind of cool that you naturally have different colored eyes."

She managed a mere shrug, biting on her short fingernails.

She was nervous and heartbroken, she didn't really want to speak but instead soak in the warmth from the heater, she hated cold things.

Like the boy beside her.

Valerie, Va-La-Ree, Valuhree.

Definition: Likes warmth, is warm, wants to always be warm.

Looking over at him she noticed how he let the cigarette move around carelessly in between his chapped lips.

"Why are you even at this football game?" Nick said turning his neck to face her, stunned she smiled.

"My boyfriend plays for the opposing team."

"That explains the letter man then."

"Yeah." Valerie smiled forcefully as she was staring down at it, fighting the tears that were pending in her ducts.

"Why were you crying?" He asked meekly, trying to seem interested.

"You don't care."

He frowned slightly, placing his forefinger on the window button he pressed it, the window cracked open a bit, Nick tossed the cigarette out the window before shutting it again.