Blue Boy Neighborhood

Chapter Four: Hills can be Decieving

I've been home for two weeks now. Two weeks since I told my mother how I felt. My mother still worries about me, but she doesn't make it over the top; acting like me loves both me and Nathan equally. I know she doesn't, and that's okay. Me and my mother have come to an understanding. She cares for me now; I guess she doesn't find it awkward anymore. She'll make me lunches with sweet little notes, and she's gone more out of her way for me, but that's about it.

Nathan and me have become inseparable. I take him to the park and I put up with all of his silly stories and the crazy things he wishes to do. 

I haven't texted any of my friends. Plus, I left my phone in L.A. I hope Eden's doing okay without me. I'm sure she is though, what I told officer Dan wasn't entirely a lie. I'm honestly scared of seeing my old friends. I had a whole group of them. They loved me as much as I loved them, but Eden was my favorite. Everybody has a favorite. 

My old friends were the perfect balance of each other, and I completed them.  I was the glue that held us together.

My friend Max was the sporty one. She always competed against the boys for first place; in any sport. Layla was the sweet one, she was so kind and understanding about everything. Lara was the opposite of Lalya. Yes, she hated people, and she was rude, but once you got to know her, she had a heart of gold. Lara fought for the things she believed in; what she thought was right. For the ones she loved. Cameron was the happy one, always bouncing around; never able to stay in one spot for two seconds. She was like my little ray of sunshine. Eden was opposite to Cameron as well, she's bold, but she always saw the negative side to things. She was more dark and down to earth, while Cameron was happy and had her head in the clouds. Then there was me. My artistic abilities, and being able to see things for what they really are.

I don't know if I even want to see them again. But that little voice in the back of my mind slowly creeps up. "But Maven." it coos, "You're going to be a senior soon, you not out of school yet. You might as well say hi, so you're not all alone your last year."

I sit on my bed and think. That it true. I sit for about thirty more minutes, then get up and walk to my window. I look out to the vast forest, stretching way out, past my yard. Up the hills and slopes the trees wind on. I let out a deep sigh. I suppose saying hello couldn't do any harm.

I put on my high waist levi shorts, with my Tight grey tank top. I never had big boobs anyway. I walk over to my closet and start digging through it. Finding just what I was looking for, I grab them and start to unlace them. My old, doodled on white converse. I slowly pull them on, remembering all the times I've worn these.

I tumble down the stairs, one foot in front of the other. I manage to get down the stairs without tripping. I run into the kitchen, going to grab a quick bagel, and I run into Nathan. "Oh! I'm sorry Nathan!" I chuckle. 

Nathan looks to me with a smile on his face, "That's okay Mavie!" He giggles. "Where are you going?" He asks; confusion spread all over his face. "I'm going to see my old friends." I state. "Oh," He says with a nod. "You're going to be back this time right?" Nathan says with a hint of desperation.

A pang of guilt hits me in the chest. I kneel in front of him and grab his face in my hands, "Always Nate. For you, always." I say. I give him a quick kiss on the forehead and skip out the front door.

I don't need to tell my mother where I'm going. She doesn't necessarily care anyway.

I run to the garage. I fly through the door and look for my bike. I sift through the boxes and farming equipment until I find it. My blue mountain bike. I pull it out from beneath the piles of stuff and haul it out of the garage. Once I get outside I take a deep breath of fresh air. The air in the garage seems so stale compared to the air outside. 

Off in the distance, I hear a bird chirping; and to him, another bird responding. I sit there in the sun for a moment longer, then hop on my bike and peddle as fast as I can. First I'm going to Cameron's house, and then I'll get the rest of them. Although I'm sure they'll all be at her house. We all live close together, just Cameron is a little closer.

I take the shortcut I used to as a kid. Past the sideways dead end sign, past the thousand year old oak, around the corner from that mean old couples house, and down the steep hill. I slow to a stop just before the hill. The sun shines in my eyes, so I use my hand to block the sun. The air smells like daffodils again, and all I hear are birds and crickets. I close my eyes so I don't start crying. I missed this all too much

I slightly lean forward on my bike, and I start to fly down the hill. I don't bother with the brakes. As I'm flying down the hill, experiencing speed like I never have before, laughter bubbles up from within. "Yeaaaah!" I shout at the top of my lungs. The wind whips my hair in my face and it gets in my mouth. That seems to make me laugh even harder.

Once I Near the bottom of the hill. I don't slow. I need to go straight and then make a turn further ahead, so there's no need to slow. But as I get closer to the bottom of the hill, the thrill now ending, a boy about my age walks into the middle of the street from behind a tree. Fear shoots through my veins. What if I run into him? "Watch out!" I shout. But he doesn't hear me. He has earbuds in. I'm too close to brake, so I turn my bike and run into the grass. My bike gets caught in a rut in the grass, and I fly over the handle bars. I land on my back, in the cool grass. I can feel the dew seeping into my shirt. 

The boy I tried to miss, looks over his shoulder and sees me lying on the ground. A surprised and worried look crosses his face. The pulls his head phones off and tucks them into his pocket. He runs over and looks down at me. "Are you okay?" He asks. His eyebrows draw together and he tilts his head to the side. I chuckle a bit, "Yeah, I'll be okay." I gingerly sit up and hold my back of my head where I hit it. The boy kneels down right in front of my face, and grabs my face in both of his hands to examine me. 

Now that he's closer to me I see all of his beautiful features. He's got light green eyes, so light, they look right through you. I can see specks of darker green in them. He's got long, curly, dark brown hair, with a deeper tan to him. He's got a bit of a stubble on his chin, and when he smiles, his eyes squint in the cutest way. I'm completely breathless. 

"Well, you don't look hurt." He states matter of factly. "Yeah, um, I- uh. I'm great." I stumble. Once again she smiles a bit. "You truly have beautiful eyes." He says, still not removing his hands from my face. They're strong and warm. He smells like spring and fall all at once. He smell like fresh air and wood. I love him even more. "Thank you." I gush. I never though my eyes were that pretty eyes. Although It does compliment my natural tan, and long blonde hair. My eyes are a light teal color. But they could pass for blue. Just another thing me and my brother have in common. 

He smiles yet again and helps me to my feet. Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?