Why I Can't Rule The World

No. 6

"Do not repay evil for evil
or reviling for reviling,
but on the contrary,
bless,
for to this you were called,
that you may obtain a blessing."
--1 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

<<<<<<<<<<

The rest of the race was spent waiting for results and sitting on a blanket under a tree. I was given some medicine for headaches, which seemed to be helping greatly. Asher sat by my side for a long time and we played with his army men to the best to my ability. He would giggle and laugh if I ever even touched him with the little soldiers. I almost forgot about my headache.

Eventually, Sawyer came over and asked him if he wanted to go to the car to get something to drink. Of course, he did, and I was watching the two walk over to the parking lot when Alivia plopped down beside me. The broadest smile was on her face, causing her to seem glow-y.

I felt myself beaming back at her.

"Hey," she said, all smiley.

"Hey," I replied, leaning against a tree with my leg stretched in front of me.

"How's your head?"

"A little better," I answered, shrugging.

"That's good."

She tilted her head up to look at the sky between the tree branches. The tips of the leaves were just starting to change color. Her long, light brown waves touched the top of the grass. Through dark eyelashes, she gazed at the new perspective, absolutely mesmerized.

I felt my head go light again, but it wasn't from the concussion.

"Isn't it cool," she began, "how the leaves know when to change colors? Like, they don't question when or how to change, they just slowly do and then they end up falling, one after the other. And the color just shows how far they've come. They know they have to fall sometime, but it's only halfway to the ground that they realize its happening. It's beautiful, don't you think?"

I was stunned by her sudden talkative mood. When I first met her, she was angry with me, then when I went to her house we hardly exchanged a word, and now she's talking about... Leaves changing?

Copying her, I stared up at the sky, trying not to let the light bother me. I could feel her eyes on me and I swallowed, trying to concentrate on leaves, but knowing my attempts were worthless with her here.

"I would say that leaves are pretty impressive, but they aren't the only beautiful thing here," I said, trying to keep my voice even.

Our eyes met and she blushed underneath freckled cheeks. She smiled tentatively and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"You're probably talking about the food the people are having behind me," she joked. I glanced behind her and saw a guy with a hamburger.

"Yes, because there's not a pretty girl sitting in front of me," I said sarcastically, returning to stare into those crazy blue eyes.

She tried to hide her smile and then I remembered: she has a boyfriend.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you had a boyfriend... He-"

"No it's okay," she interrupted, her voice going quiet. A hurt expression came across her face as she looked away. Her eyes clouded over with confusion as she broke her gaze.

"He's really lucky," I said after a moment.

"He- yeah. I mean, thanks," she responded, crossing her ankles in the grass.

"Everything okay?" I asked, growing concerned.

"It's fine. He's just... He doesn't understand some things. Like why I came here and why you came to dinner. He's a Christian. But not very open minded about me talking to other guys," she explained. She sighed and hung her head a little. "I sound pathetic, don't I?"