Chloe's World

We exchange stories

Mason wasn't lying. He really did drive me to school. Except, like he had promised, I didn't go into the school. Instead we parked by the lacrosse field, which had a perfect view to the green building that I liked to call hell.

"Why did you choose to take me here?" I wondered looking over at him. His eyes were locked on the kids who were flooding through the doors. I couldn't make out anyone's faces but I could imagine Tyler and Sky standing in the middle of the crowd, scratching their heads and wondering where I was.

"When I ditch school I park near the baseball field," Mason explained. His eyes never left the students as he spoke. "I can see the whole school. I like to look at the people walking through those doors. No one is forcing them to go in. There are no gates or prison guards or barking dogs that will bite our ankles if we try to make a run for it. We can go whenever we want. Yet all those people right over there are all walking into the school. They are all free but yet they feel like they have no choice. So I like to watch them walk in. It makes me feel proud to say that I walked away. My mind is still my mind. I don't know, I thought maybe you would like it too."

"I do," I muttered as I watched the yellow buses drive away. "I'm glad that I'm not brain washed. You and I, we walk another road than everybody else."

Mason looked over at me, a look of amusement on his face. "Damn, that was deep."

"I try."

"Hey, did you eat breakfast?"

"I had a granola bar and a half a glass of orange juice," I informed with a shrug. "It wasn't the most filling breakfast but it was something."

Mason smiled as he reached behind him and into the backseat. When he returned back to the front he was holding two wrapped up sandwiches. I could tell by the breathtaking smell that they were pork roll egg and cheeses.

"Here," he said as he handed me one. "You aren't a true New Jersey citizen until you have had one of our pork rolls."

I snatched it out of his hand, not realizing how hungry I was until I got a whiff of that melted cheese. I unwrapped it as fast as I could. "Oh my God," I muttered right before I took a bite. The delicious flavor exploded in my mouth.

Mason couldn't help but laugh. "Great, right?"

"Fantastic," I replied with a mouth clogged with bread and ham. "It might just be because I'm so hungry and so sick of Ned's cooking."

"Or it's because Lockwood Deli makes the best sandwiches ever," he suggested.

"Another good thing about Lockwood," I sighed. "They make better sandwiches."

When I didn't get a response, I looked over at Mason. His face was resting on the steering wheel while his eyes were on me. A little grin was on his face.

"What?" I wondered, spitting up little pieces of egg as I spoke.

"Nothing," Mason admitted. "You just have a little ketchup on your chin." Mason lifted himself off of the steering wheel and brought himself closer to me. He licked the tip of his thumb and began to rub at my chin. My eyes were locked onto his the whole time.

"God, I really want to kiss you," he whispered.

"Then do it," I murmured back.

He just shook his head and leaned back in his seat. "I can't. I made the first move. If we are going to kiss again, you have to be the one who initiates it."