No Matter What

With a sigh, I let my body drop onto my bed. It was 5:00, Wednesday night. I lay back against my pillow, and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I had one new text message, from Sam.

"I just got out of soccer practice! Hey (:"

I smiled to myself, delighted to hear from my boyfriend. I was having my regular visit at my dads, and there wasn't much to do except text and play on my IPod. I started to type back a reply.

"Hey how was practice?"

I set my phone on vibrate and placed it on my stomach. Sam and I had been dating for almost four months now. We had Italian class together last year, where we met, and luckily had Chemistry together this year. He moved here from Haiti his freshmen year, and still had his accent, that accent that made me giggle with delight when he spoke. We've been having some problems lately. Many people at my school have confronted me and told me he flirts with my best friend, Cherri, in class. I've witnessed it once or twice too, and I have brought it up to Sam. He claims he doesn't realize he flirts with her, of course. I shouldn't have expected any other explanation. My phone vibrated.

"It was alright! I'm pretty tired though :P"

"I imagine so, lol." I sent the reply and set the phone back on my stomach.

Earlier, I had been having a conversation my other best friend Janel. Janel attends another school in another town 15 minutes away, since she moved a few years ago, but an obstacle such as a few miles would never be able to tangle our strong bond. In the midst of our conversation, she told me to check out this site called Omegle. Remembering this, I picked up my IPod and searched for any app for the site. I just wanted to try it out, and see what the fuss was. I found the app and downloaded it on a whim. After it downloaded, I clicked it to see if I could use it to entertain me. Janel had told me you meet people on a random selection. I got a few odd people the first few times, asking disturbing questions. I came across some pretty normal people as well, but ended the conversation when it got boring. A few strangers later, I was connected to a conversation with a guy named Dylan.

"HELLO" I typed, trying to be enthusiastic and fun.

"Lol hello"

"WHATTT IS YOUR NAMEEEE"

"Me name is Dylan xP you?"

"I AM ALLEY, AND I SHALL CALL YOU WALDO. THAT IS YOUR NAME. WALDO."

'WELL OKAY ALLEY. HOW OLD ARE YOU?"

"I AM 15, YOURSELF?"

"17 xP"

"NICEE."

"IT IS VERY NICE, WALDO."

"WHERE DO YOU LIVE"

I paused for a second, and answered Kentucky instead of my real state, Rhode Island.

"THATS COOL. I LIVE IN MAINE."

"OH I'VE BEEN THERE BEFORE. IT'S PRETTY, WALDO."

"REALLY NOW."

"YES."

"WELL WHAT ARE U DOING."

"NOT MUCH JUST LAYING IN BED IM BOREDDDD. WBU?"

"NOT MUCH LOL. AND SOUNDS LIKE YOUR HAVING A BLAST."

"YES WALDO I AM WITH ALL THE FUN THINGS I HAVE TO DO."

This conversation was entertaining, I thought. I wanted to meet some other people though, so I decided to end the conversation, but to keep in touch. Dylan seemed alright. Silly little me, I was oblivious to the desire that lay before me.

"WELL WALDO, I HAVE TO GO. U CAN TEXT ME IF YOU WANT. 1401-217-5953"

Why would I give him my number if I wouldn't so much as say the state I really live in?

"AWH OKAY, I'LL TEXT YOU ALLEY."

'You have disconnected from the conversation.'

I gave Dylan my IPod texting number, just in case he wasn't who he said he was. You never really know, when it comes to the Internet. A moment later, my IPod dinged.

"ALLEY? 0.0"

I smiled at his awkwardness.

"YES WALDO"

This boy was fun to talk to, and he obviously acceped my quirky conversational style.

We texted back and forth all through the night, and I forgot to check my phone for a text from Sam. I was to dazed by my conversation with Dylan. Sam and I never had meaningless little conversations, and for whatever reason I held back on letting my fun side out with him. Perhaps it was because he was so different from me. Dylan and I exchanged pictures, and he was rather cute. He had cropped light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and light skin shaped by high cheekbones and a boyish set jaw. I felt lessened sending my picture to him. My looks were nowhere in comparison. With my picture, I added "Sorry I'm not that pretty."

"ALLEY you are very pretty (:"

My cheeks burned with crimson, and I tried to shake the feeling. We moved on to more serious conversations, like previous heartbreaks, if we had our virginity (indeed we both did), things we liked and disliked about people, etc. We talked until roughly after midnight, promising to talk the next day, and I fell asleep dreaming about Dylan. Sam hadn't come across my thoughts for even a flicker of a second. I wish I could have prepared myself for what was inevitable.