His Departure

Part Fourteen

So it's a new day. A new day that carried a whole lot of potential with it. Vinie and I are almost a thing, and that makes me so excited. I lay in bed for a short while, just to recall everything that had happened the night before. The kiss, the cuddling, that captivating smile... Vinie had me under his spell.

I jump to my feet, as eager as a kid on Christmas morning, to get dressed and get going. I choose one of my most attractive outfits ever, and straighten my hair. Vinie always told me he loved my hair straightened, although it was fairly short. I put on a thin line of eyeliner , and get going. “Aren’t you going to have breakfast?" asks my mom as I hastily darted out of the front door. I contemplate the possibility of leaving her hanging and just get going, but then guilt shoots its sharp arrow straight through my heart. I stand still for 10 seconds, and then come back inside. " I'll just have some toast, mom. Can you please prepare some for me?" I say as I take my seat at the dining table, with a huge grin plastered across my face. " How dare you ask?" She uses that sarcastic tone that I've always adored. 

My mom and I always had a tight relationship. She was my wing woman, and I was hers. Which is why I felt bad about not telling her about  Vinie. But how can I? How can I tell someone a great tale of romance and adulation if it hadn't yet occurred? I couldn't spend all of my time narrating a story about two lovers and how they were so happy together, when in fact, they'd only kissed once. And hey, maybe that kiss meant null to him. Maybe I'm overanalyzing this. What if I hadn't crossed his mind for even a nanosecond? 

“Lindsay? LINDSAY!" I am awoken from my reverie of painful thoughts and reflections by a very ticked off Tina. Oh crap!  I must have been gone for a long time because the kitchen clock reads 8:20, and classes start at 8:30. “ I- I’m sorry…” I blurt out in an attempt to hide my desolation, and apparently, my skillful acting gives away nothing. I just receive a rankled stare.” It’s not like you even like English period!” I boom. But Tina is pococurante. She just turns her back and heads over to the jeep. I get up slowly , intending to piss her off. “ Thanks mom,” I utter slowly, and grab my toast from the counter. I take baby footsteps on the way to the car, and I can tell that Tina is infuriated with my nonchalant behavior. I release a huge fit of giggles and then speed my pace towards the car.

As soon as we park in our usual spot, my eyes roam the place in search for my prince. No sign of him, his car, even his friends have gone M.I.A! Maybe he doesn’t have early classes today, I try to soothe myself with the thought, but I just know that something is wrong , there must be. “Are you ever going to get out of the jeep? I need to get to class! What on earth is wrong with you today?” oh my God, she’s yelling at me. A few unwanted eyes shoot towards us, hungry for some morning drama. “ Just shut up. I’m out okay?” I reply very calmly. I shut the door very carefully, in order not to draw any more attention. My God, can she be a handful sometimes! 

I’m in the hallways. His locker is still untouched. There’s no one there, getting books ready for first period. I am standing in  a hall full of people, but my heart longs for one. One that seems to be out of reach.  I continue my journey towards my locker, and grab my Chemistry book. Our teacher, Mrs. Bloom, hated when students came in late. So I practically ran towards class. Thankfully, I made it in time. Class was just starting, and Bloom was jotting down a few notes in her huge orange notebook. She’d carried it with her for over 4 years. 

Mrs. Bloom was a corpulent old woman. Her hair was always a mess, and she wore the same outfit for 3 days straight. She was also single. I’ve always imagined her house to be a small cottage brimming with plump cats, waiting to be given some love, kind of like herself. 

Chemistry flies by, probably because I’d been preoccupied with analyzing Mrs. Bloom’s life rather than her teachings. The bells rings, announcing the end of first period. I rush outside hopefully. Maybe he’s here now. Perhaps he overslept, but he’s here now. I maunder the halls, wander the parking lots, and  drag my feet across the football fields. Where the hell is he?