Grin.

I opened my eyes slowly, and then looked over at my clock. Still 2 minutes until my alarm. I was enthralled because it usually takes two minutes once my alarm starts for me to wake up, thus waking up everyone in the house with "Bohemian Rhapsody" blasting full volume. Oh, by the way, my name is Dylan. It's a pretty average name, especially for a VERY far-from average story like mine. By story, I mean the story of yesterday, one of the weirdest yet best days of my life.

It all started when I was waiting for the bus. There was a light breeze; just enough for the leaves to bristle loudly on the tree branches. I was drawing little doodles in my notebook when suddenly I looked up and a truck was speeding quickly down the road, scarily close to the pavement where I was standing. I dove out of the way, straight into a tree as the truck nailed the sidewalk and exploded. I stood back as my ears rang, scanning the truck and around for any survivors (which was highly unlikely). Surprisingly, two teenage girls emerged from the wreckage. One was wearing a black hooded robe and holding a scythe (like the Grim Reaper or something similar) and the other was a pretty stereotypical gothic looking type chick wearing a sombrero. I was going to ask if they were all right when they started some kind of chant about "truck sisters" or something like that. I mean, that's pretty weird. So I yelled "HEY! Are you guys all right? Did you hit your heads a little or... possibly a lot?" They looked at me like I was some crazy person and then burst into laughter as they turned and walked away, chanting all the while. It was at this point I realized the bus hadn't come yet, and judging by my phone clock, it was 10-15 minutes past when the bus should've come. So, since the two chicks (they seemed relatively safe if a bit mad) were walking towards our school, I assumed they went there and were just the type of people I didn't generally hang around. I caught up with them fairly easily; the sombrero one was eating a taco (shocker) and the other one was just walking along with her in silence. "Do both of you go to Branson Junior High?" The Grim Reaper responded: "Nah, we're just walking towards the school. And we happen to be walking to school on a school day." "Well, I mean, seems fair enough." I received a prompt smack with the scythe. That thing may not look it but it hurts, let me tell you! "Of course we both go there!" They both looked at me and rolled their eyes. How the heck was I supposed to deduce that from the general direction they were walking? Anyway, I moved on before it got awkward. "So... what are your names?" She lifted up her scythe again. "I'm Georgia." Then she pointed her scythe towards the other girl, who had been silent thus far. "And this is Mad or Madelyn." I've legitimately somehow never heard of or seen these girls at our school. They're either new or there's some secret underground gothic club I've never heard about. Georgia kept looking at her feet as we walked, stepping on as many leaves as humanly (or maybe non-humanly) possible. Before long, we had arrived at the curb in front of the school. "Talk to you guys later?" I half questioned, half stated. "Sure" they said in unison. And at that time we parted ways.

Time trudged slowly as usual during math hour. This had been quite an interesting chapter in my Algebra... although, maybe that's because there were fewer problems for me to do therefore more space for me to draw. Drawing is one of my favourite things to do. Pretty much anywhere I can draw I do. Whether it be a pattern, or a character, or a- Sorry, I went off track a bit. Anyway, when the bell rang, I jogged towards the door only to be stopped by a random girl I had, once again, never seen before. She was of the bigger variety and for some reason; she had a special interest in me. "So, who are those new girls you walked to school? You have two girlfriends, Dylan? Who are friends? I smell a player..." I pushed away her arm and tried to walk away not before I was grabbed by my collar. "Listen-" I stared into her eyes. "What in the world do you have against me? I've never even seen you before!" "Oh, I beg to differ." I couldn't bear it anymore. I kicked her in the shin and started to run. "You're way too much!" she spat out of spite. I turned on my heel. "You weigh too much" and continued on my way. She stomped off in anger as everyone around her concealed their smiles in fear of their lives. As I walked towards English class, my best friend Lydia grabbed my arm. She was the only thing that truly seemed real today. "I saw what you did back there..." I waited for her to chew me out but instead I was met with praise. "Well flipping played!" she exclaimed as she punched me softly in the shoulder. "Why, thank you my fair lady" I said in the most sarcastic British tone I could muster. "You...-" She couldn't finish her sentence due to the bell. We both smiled and hugged before walking towards class together in silence that spoke the most.

Once again, you know, English was a bore. Personally I would say it is generally better than Algebra, though. More to the point, I hadn't seen either Mad or Georgia again by this point in the day. It was already almost lunch, and I was hoping I could try to find them then. The whole outcome of the bullying definitely lightened up my mood, though. I mean, that was a pretty fantastic comeback. I digress... in any case, after I had snagged some food from the lunch bar, I sat down at a relatively empty table, quietly looking around for them. Fortunately, they were looking for me. I turn back around and they're just nonchalantly sitting there, which kind of gave me a slight fright. I may or may not have flipped my mash potatoes. I just flipped my food right onto the Grim Reaper. "Look, I'm so sorry Georgia-" "IT'S GRIN! I AM THE GRIN REAPER!" She sat back down again and started picking at her plate as the rest of the cafeteria looked towards us in awe. "Does... does she do that a lot?" I asked Mad quietly so Georgia wouldn't hear. "It happens maybe weekly or biweekly...? I lost count 10 or 15 times ago." At this point I really wanted to change the conversation before it got lethal (literally). "So... since I'm assuming you guys are relatively new to our school, can I have your numbers?" Mad looked at me like I was a chicken with its head cut off and slapped me with her plate of mash potatoes. If I wasn't Christian, I would totally be calling karma. "Georgia?" She smiled at me. "Sure. I'm only giving you my number because you seem like a relatively nice guy. If you say anything stupid though... Mad will have to hit you with the truck. Not the normal one either; because we kind of blew that one up. Oh no. It'll be the Taco Bell truck." I slightly chuckled before I realized they were being entirely serious. "Uh... thanks?" We all laughed awkwardly. I could lie and say I wasn't entirely happy with how this turned out; but I was pretty happy about the whole thing.

As soon as I got home, I made a group with Georgia and Lydia on my texting app. They talked for a while and I went to go check Instagram and Wattpad because you know, I'm a pretty average book-loving teenage guy. Over the next week I talked a little on the group but they most chatted back and forth and by Friday they were good friends at school as well as online. I occasionally joined in the group to make bad puns and jokes and usually received the teasing death glare treatment. In general, Georgia kind of joined the group of friends. And she was a very welcome addition indeed. I would talk to her and Mad as well quite a bit. I talked to her both in real life and online a lot. We got to know each other pretty well. She was very different from what her initial impression said. She turned out to be a really, really cool person. So eventually I contrived a sort of plan. Haley's Comet was coming up in a few days (Saturday, and today was Thursday). So after school I, somehow, convinced Mad to take Georgia out to the front of the school where I was sitting and I asked her to go watch the comet in the park at midnight with me. She was stunned for a while. "Don't worry; a lot of people are going. It won't be awkward." I gave her a little smile. "It wasn't the awkward part I was worried about..." She trailed off. "I... just... yes. I'll go with you." She gave me a huge hug.

We met up an hour before and had a very late dinner at a French place downtown. It was pretty romantic, if I do say so myself. I loved every moment of it. After a long time of talking back and forth and laughing together, we went to watch the comet. There was something magical about the park that I just couldn't put my finger on. We sat there for a few minutes in silence. I looked at her for a while, and leaned in to kiss her.

Then I woke up. I looked at my alarm clock. Two minutes before my alarm. Two minutes before "Bohemian Rhapsody". I got out of bed, ate breakfast, prepared for school, and waited for the bus. It didn't come. But I saw a truck coming down the road. And nothing else in my life has ever made me happier.