Intersecting Lives

Chapter Three

So as it turned out, the world, thankfully, did not end on that Friday. While everyone lived in rejoice at the fact that they had survived doomsday, I was still a great big mess. My world had turned upside down and inside out. All I could think about was Ricky and the three words that had slipped out of his mouth.

I tried with all my might to think about something else- other people, New Years’ resolutions, and even food, but for some reason, somehow, all my thoughts flowed back to my original day dreams of the bad boy.

I was stuck in a love sick phase where I knew there was little to no escape. I knew the situation that I was in was extremely unhealthy, but I couldn’t refrain myself from falling too deeply. This was the first time someone admitted such “strong” feelings towards me, and being the awkward nerd that I was, that meant a lot.

Those three weeks of winter break were excruciating to deal with and when the spring semester finally began, I couldn’t be more delighted, believe it or not.

On my first day back at school, I tried my best to act like a normal person. I pretended to be extremely tired and dull, instead of some hyper and over energetic freak show.

Once I walked into the one class I had with the bad boy, I toned down my nerves to the bare minimum and kept calm, pretending like I had the most dreadful winter break anyone could ever have. I took my usual seat behind the bad boy and sat down nonchalantly.

I avoided making any eye contact and pretended as if he wasn’t even there, as if he wasn’t even there to begin with- though in reality, he was the only thing I secretly kept watch of.

And just like every other day, he turned around in his seat and faced me.

And just like every other day, he took his time to study me before he opened his mouth to address me.

“Christine?”

A little too excitedly, I whipped my head towards his direction. I met his intensifying pair of caramel eyes. I became startled as I forgot how intensifying his eyes could be.

Feeling myself slip away from reality and onto cloud nine, I shook myself back down onto earth and replied to Ricky, like he was any other person in the room, “yeah?”

As we stared into each others’ eyes, it felt like I had been transported back in time to that surreal Monday back in December.

Breaking the silence that I forgot was still there, Ricky flashed a smile at me and smirked delightfully, “Did you miss me over the break?”

Yes.

No.

Maybe a little.

Kind of a lot.

My mind and heart were at war with one another as they battled over the control of my mouth and the words that would slip out of it.

Yes. No.

Yes. No.

Maybe. Kind of.

Not really?

As I sat in silence once again trying to think of the most appropriate response satisfying the needs of my heart and mind, the bad boy saved me from my misery and beamed, “I don’t know about you but, I missed you a lot.”

I felt a small blush spread across my face, against my own will. As the heat rose from my now light red face, Ricky’s smile only grew bigger and bigger.

And suddenly, a thought dawned on me. What if this was all a game to him? A game with the objective of breaking down the walls of the awkwardly timid good girl just to ditch her and leave her in crumbles? No, I wanted to believe that it wasn’t true. I had dismiss my conscience from bring out the pessimistic side of me ever since the beginning of the December Monday, or even earlier.