Escaping Our Names

Two Outsiders

            Lila hadn't gotten much sleep. She had stupidly stayed up watching TV shows on her phone for hours and then finished her AP essay at dawn. It was her usual routine. Whether it was a television series or a book series, whatever story that Lila invested herself in, she gave it her all. Lila was a very passionate person. Her interests were in unordinary things. She loved stories that scared her, songs that moved her, and books that took her away. Lila thought that people thought she was weird. Which they most likely did, but what she didn't know was that they were also in awe of her. Few people had the guts to talk to Lila, she shone bright, but dark and mysterious. This morning Lila got up groggily and went to pee, like usual. When she was washing her hands, she looked up at herself in the mirror. Lila also wasn't fond of her appearance. She rolled her eyes at herself and sighed. While she brushed her teeth and brushed out her naturally wavy hair, her mind wondered from the show she binged on last night, to hot celebrities, to the boy she had just met the night before. Her stomach fluttered at the mere thought of the boy. Lila had dated a guy in middle school, but she didn't like him as much as the thought of romance. She loved the idea of love, but she hated relationships. The couples at Lila's school were gross and they always just made out or bought each other cheap gifts. Lila liked passion. Was this boy, was Larken capable more than the high school boyfriend? She pushed the weird thought away. Lila finished getting ready and went to her kitchen to grab something to eat. He parents were invested in a conversation about some political debate that had happened the night before. After Lila ate and grabbed her things, and gave her mother a peck on the cheek. Her father got the car running outside and she bounded in the passenger's side.

"I need a car," she whined to her dad. He laughed.

"Do you now?" he asked as he pulled out of the driveway and on to the street.

"I have my license practically, and I'm turning sixteen in a week. I have school and after school duties. I can't just always rely on you and Mom to run me around everywhere when you already need to run around yourself. Plus we save more gas without going back and forth constantly everyday," Lila pointed out.

"Okay, yeah but do you have the money for a car?"

"No."

"And you think that I do?"

"Yeah."

"Okay whatever Lila. You need a job in order to pay for gas and such."

"And I will! I will apply as soon as turn sixteen! I know how to take care of myself!"

"I never doubted you didn't. You are a very independent person. Know what's this thing your mother is talking about how your grades are slipping?"

"Oh my God. I'm bringing them up!"

"Okay! I'm not getting on you, just checking in." This conversation about Lila's issues of how she needs to fix everything or do more went on until they pulled up to the high school.

"Bye, love you!" Lila called out and shut the car door. She ran up to the back entrance of the school and passed by the group of smokers. People rarely walked by this section and the senior and super-seniors hung out here teaching the freshmen how to smoke properly, and how to kill their brain cells with the colorful pills in their backpacks. Lila never gave them a second glance until today. Larken was there. Although he wasn't technically hanging out with the group, he was about ten feet away smoking a cigarette in the same black jacket as last night, except this time it was unzipped, showing his t-shirt with The Kinks printed on it. She saw him before he saw her and she stood still suddenly in her tracks. Lila didn't expect to see Larken with these types of people. Not that she didn't like these types of people, she accepted worldly everyone, unless they were a complete ass. When Larken inhaled, he looked up and locked eyes with Lila. He started to cough violently, obviously surprised to see her. He quickly dropped the cigarette and put it out. He picked up to throw it in a garbage can next to him and started to walk over to her.