Lime st. [ opposites attract ]

Victoria Rose Daniels

My finger hovers over the dial button of Oscar's phone number. I don't know if he'll be awake on this Friday night at 1:54 am. But something in my brain urges me to click the button. So I do and I hold it to my ear.
"Hello?" He sounds groggy. Oh God I woke him up.
"Hi, sorry, it's Victoria Daniels, did I wake you?" I rush out, trying to make my voice sound strong and not like I've been crying for the last 3 hours.
"No," there's a shuffle of some papers. "I was just catching up on homework. What's up? You okay?"
On the other end of the line, while I remain quiet, I hear footsteps, a door squeaking and then the sound of bats and a light breeze. He's outside.
"Victoria?"
"Yeah, sorry. Uh, I'm okay. I just needed to talk to someone and I guess your the only one I can talk to without being judged." My voice cracks. I add a quick, "I hope."
"No, no, of course I'm not gonna judge you?" I hear the flick of a lighter.
"Well, I'm just pretty sad at the moment. My parents are back and whenever they're here they kinda make me feel like shit." I fiddle with my nails, picking at the skin on the sides of them.
I hear him exhale which makes me crave a cigarette of my own. But I'm trying to quit. My mum smokes when she gets angry and I associate smoking with her being angry and her being angry with me feeling like shit. So therefore, one way or another, when I do something I used to enjoy, I feel like shit.
"Are you crying?" He asks, quietly.
I sniff, trying to capture all of my bodily fluids back where they belong and try to sound strong. "No."
But in that one word, my voice cracks and there's so much evidence that I don't have my shit together.
There's a moment of silence and I think he's gone. He hung up because I'm too emotional. Who could live like this and be so upset? What is there to cry about? What-
"I'm coming to your house. Meet me out the front. We'll walk until you feel better." 
"Really?" I ask, wiping the sleeve of my hoodie under my nose.
"Yeah, I'll be there in five."
"Okay, bye."
"Okay, see you soon Victoria."
When I hang up, I find myself panicking. I have to get changed out of my sloppy hoodie and sweats. I need to make myself look more together. More like how someone at school would see me. I need to look like a Daniels.
I change into some dark jeans and a clean, snot-free hoodie and grab my phone and head downstairs, quietly.
I slip out the front door and sit on the step, looking up at the sky. I trace out the constellations I know. The ones my brother taught me when we went camping so many years ago.
When I'm out of known constellations, which doesn't take long, I just stare at the moon. It's beautiful. It always messes with my head that the light that shines on the moon is the sun.
The sun is always shining, bright enough to reach us even on cold, winter nights.
"Hey."
I jump slightly. I return my eyes to earth to see Oscar standing there, at the end of my front garden path. He's tall, and awkward and lanky and adorable. I stand up, brushing off my butt and walking down to him.
"Hello." I smile, weakly.
We begin to walk in the opposite direction I usually do, away from school, away from weed central, away from my friends houses. Towards back streets and eventually the highway.
"Do you nee to talk about anything?" He asks. I shake my head.
We walk in silence for about 5 minutes until I speak up.
"Look, I know you're probably thinking that I have nothing to be upset about because my family's wealthy and I'm popular and crap but it's a little rough with my parents. They expect everyone to be perfect all the time and that wasn't a problem till I came along. My siblings are all so great and smart and successful and I'm still in high school, doing drugs and throwing parties."
He's silent for a moment before turning to me and nodding. "Yeah, from the outside you have a pretty great life but everyone deserves to be sad. They also deserve to be happy though."
He slows his pace and I match it. "I know it's hard not living up to your parents expectations. It sucks feeling like they don't approve but it's your life and they'll love you no matter what you do and I know people say this all the time and it means nothing because right now it sucks and right now it's not okay. But you just have to believe that things will get better and they will. Because that's just how life works."
I nod. "I don't think life has a set pattern that wants to get you to a certain place. I think it's how you determine it. And to be honest, right now I wouldn't mind making my own route. But that route is very short."
I feel sick to my stomach saying it and hope he just hears words not what a really mean.
But the way he stops walking all together and grabs my arm, I know he understands. "Don't ever say that. Please. I don't know you that well but I know you've got a bright future. Don't throw it away."
I nod, forcing a laugh. "Okay, guidance counsellor O'Brien."
He smiles weakly but keeps walking with me. The mood is a little lighter than before and I feel better. I don't now if it's because I spoke about it, because of the cool night air and the stars or because of the boy standing next to me, looking up so much that he's tripped over the curb twice.
And I may not believe in fate or destiny or any of that cliche shit but I'm glad I met him and I can't help by think that we're here tonight for a specific reason.
And I hope we continue on 'destiny's path' and keep hanging out for a specific reason because I feel safe with him. Happy. And that's something I haven't felt in a while. And, oh God, it feels great.