Serendipity

What Does That Mean?

"Remember how you said you want to be known by me?" I laughed a little. "I remember." I hear him smile through the phone. "You see, I'm the one who does most of the talking, I think it's your turn." And out came my groans of frustration. "But why?" I could hear him breathing on the other end. "Okay I have an idea. Get dressed and wait for me by the stop sign in half an hour. Don't be late 75."

My thoughts are racing as I zip up a worn out hoodie. It surprises me how much I wear it. Black isn't my favorite color. In fact it's my least favorite. Why I even wear this ugly thing is a question no one has ever asked and I hope he never asks. I needed just one more look in the mirror before I head out the door. I stare awhile. Admiring my reflection. It used to be a stranger, but now it's a friend.

As I'm departing down the stairs I hear music playing faintly. It's all in my head, and then it fades away. Walking towards the door, I hesitate. "I forgot my keys. Darn it!" I turn around to face the kitchen, and there they are. Not the keys, but the parents I long since forgotten.

"Where do you think you're going?" I hear my mom say in a tone that screams desperate for attention.
"What's it to you?" Her face hardens.
"Disrespect me like that again, and I won't give you your keys." She starts to scream banging her fist on the kitchen table.
"You know, I'm not an idiot. It doesn't take rocket science to know that you've been leaving in the middle of the night to go have sex. You're just like-" I interrupt.
"Obviously you over estimated me because that's not what I'm doing. If you want to be savvy and come up with theories, at least base them of actual evidence."

I know what she was going to say. She was going to say 'you're just like your farther.' I look at her then to my patient stepdad as I grab my keys off the kitchen table, and head out the door. Staring at my watch, I realize I'm late. He hates when I'm late. So I sprint half a mile to the same stop sign. The one where we first met. Surprisingly, he was still there, normally he would've driven off, but for some reason he stayed.

"There you are loser, I've been waiting for you." He says smiling like he always does. He walks out of the car, and opens my door. "In you go." He says laughing. "What's so hilarious, huh?" I say trying to keep a straight face. "Nothing, loser. I'm just surprised you're wearing all black. I thought you hated that color." I pause before I reply. I can't help but smile back as I think about how he always managed to turn a bad day into something better. "You know, I'm starting think your bad influence is rubbing off on me." He starts the car and before you know it all you can here is his foot flooring the gas.

"You know, I was starting to think it was time to let you go. I couldn't have your goody goody rep killing my vibe, but I see now you're coming around." As he says this, his hand finds its way onto my thigh. I look at him. He's speeding and it's giving me that feeling. The one I felt last time. That rush.

He moved his hand from my thigh and cranked up the stereo. All of a sudden it began raining. "I love the rain." I say, but he doesn't hear. He looks at me and says "cool." I know how much he disliked it when someone turned down his music, but I hate it when someone pretends to listen to me or just replies with one word. So I reach for the stereo knob to lower the music, and he pulls over.

"What do you think you're doing?" I can tell he's annoyed.
"You acted like you actually heard what I was saying."
"I did hear what you said." I look at him raising an eyebrow.
"What did I say then?" I say crossing my arms. "Elliott, I was listening. You said you loved the rain." That's when I grew furious.
"I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO GET TO KNOW ME. I SAT HERE AND TOLD YOU I LOVED THE RAIN AND THE ONLY THING YOU COULD THINK TO SAY WAS 'COOL?!?!' You. Are. A. Jerk." At that moment I opened the car door and started to walk home.

As I'm walking home he follows behind me. "Come on Elle, You know you love it when I'm an ass." I laugh inside. He's right. The fact that he was so impulsive and cocky drew me to him, but how did he know? I stop and answer him. "Look Ryder, you're great and all, but this isn't going to work. You're you and I'm me." He pulls over and gets out the car. Next thing I know he's right in front of me.

"What is that supposed to mean? Is this the part where you give me a speech about how you deserve better? Let me be honest with you. You do. You deserve someone far better than me. You deserve someone who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. The fact that you're still hanging out with me is surprising." He stops to catch his breath.

"Elle, I'm not one of those guys who drive shiny new cars. I don't have rich parents. Instead I have this crappy Taurus and work two jobs just to help my mom feed my two brothers. I'm me. You're right. You're you." I felt like crying but I had to say something so in a scratchy voice I say "What's that supposed to mean?" And he goes home with it.

"What does it mean? It means you're Elliott Chrysler. Every girl wants to be you and every guy wants to be with you. Your parents are rich and successful and that makes you the same by association. You're perfect. What can a guy like me offer a girl like you?" By the time he finished I was already in tears. I looked up at him. The way I looked up at my mom. My face full of scorn. "Just go away." Then I ran home.