Paperboy. (h.s. au)

23.

When I got home around ten, I sat on the floor for about fifteen minutes, full of euphoria, until my mom came to find me. She jumped about a foot in the air at first, but when she realized that I was smiling, she settled down.

She made me get up and now we're sitting in the kitchen at the table.

"So you had fun?" My mom sips her tea and eyes me over her mug.

"Yeah, tons," I muse.

I tell her about the movie we saw and that David would love it. I say that the sunset was gorgeous and that we have to watch it more often. I leave out the end.

"Sounds like you had a good time. I'm glad." She praises Harry because he makes me happy, and I'm pretty glad too.

"Yeah, he's a great guy. Friend." I look up at her at the last word.

I will not deny that I feel strange things from time to time when I'm with him, but I'm sure that we're friends and only friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Anything more would ruin our friendship, I'm sure. There's no way someone like him could ever even possibly think about something like that with me.

So I will not think about that.

My mom finishes her tea, and we both head up to bed.

Surprisingly, I fall asleep fast and easy.

• • •

I rise from my long slumber early the next morning- seven thirty!- and slowly move down the stairs with a firm grip on the railing.

I put a bagel in the toaster and slide on a pair on David's sandals to go outside to get the paper.

Since it's not here yet, I wait for Harry to come.

I wait a good ten minutes and then I hear the familiar spin of Harry's tires on the dewy pavement.

I look to my left where he will soon arrive, and finally I see the boy with the paper bag. He looks like he rolled out of bed and onto his bike. Wearing baggy grey sweatpants, a green sweatshirt, and yellow tennis shoes, he's speeding up the road with our paper in hand and his hair a frenzy blowing behind him.

I put my hand up, starting to wave. Harry glances my way, but he doesn't return the gesture.

Surprisingly enough, he doesn't really look over at me or even give so much as a smile.

The paperboy simply winces, looks away and throws the paper, which lands at my feet.

Mouth agape, I watch him bike until he's out of sight, around the corner. I slowly bend over to pick up the paper and go back inside.

That was odd. For someone who was so chatty and happy last night and almost every other day we've spent together, I was expecting something more than a wince.

I mean, I know I look like a monster, but come on. He dated Lacey. He's seen worse.

I huff and indulge in my bagel smothered in cream cheese. I ponder over the strange actions for about five minutes before I realize that I'm supposed to be happy, so I stop.

I read up on the current events I so merrily received from a merry boy this morning. Nothing new, just which team won which game and someone from my graduating class won an award and a huge sum of money for schooling because she's such a "blossoming young woman." How nice for her.