The Day I Met You (The Day I Met Merridew Alternate Version)

PART 1

Though it scared me, I had finally admitted it to myself. 'Why it felt so real but so much like fantasy.

The sound of ticking rung throughout the four corners of the otherwise silent room. As heads lugged away from desks, a short middle-aged man hurdled many topics covering survival and life skills. As the gentle scraping of paper etched into people's nerves, many hands impatiently tapped their pens onto their desks.

It was a Friday, at noon. The smell of tension rose in the air like the sun at dawn. Yet a single hopeless girl couldn't help but watch the clouds pass. Just wondering why she existed when her life was so unfulfilled and forlorn. She slouched down further, resting her silky hand onto the side of her face. The teacher's voice was so monotone that anyone's mind would wonder, despite their intensity of interest.

After a while, the class grew silent. The hopeless girl looked up to see what was the matter, but sulked in a mute manner, resting her head back down after giving up trying to catch a glimpse.

Isn't it strange how some people have the most amazing luck, and others seem to live in omnicity? Just hoping that the smallest thing exciting will happen in their dull, insignificant lives. While also worrying that something terrible may wreck havoc to their fragile self-esteem. The world continues turning. But for those people, the world will always be just a gloomy place they stand their feet upon.

A mild sprinkle of raindrops speckled around outside. The hopeless girl listened to the pitter-patter of the rain against the window. Slowly sinking into a shallow trance...

"Err... Hello?" A well-pronounced voice applied. The girl looked up slowly, revealing a tall, brown haired boy appearing clean-cut and warm-hearted. His left eye seemed far darker than his right. The boy smoothed out his sleek, white shirt and looked back up at the girl. She stared at him, confused. Her thoughts seemed to stagger about somehow.

"This is Ryan Hunter, he will be joining our class for the rest of the school year." The monotone voiced teacher acclaimed. Many of the students turned, giving subtle giggles and sneers. Ryan turned to them, but abruptly faced back to the girl.

"I'm sorry, did I catch your name?" He spoke. His voice seemed to echo around the room. Though for some reason she could not find the words to respond. Nonetheless, the girl opened her mouth and began to anyway.

"Well..well, you see..." She stopped for a moment. Ryan looked at her puzzled and she mirrored that confusion. Why couldn't she speak? Why couldn't she think properly?

"Well, while you figure that one out I'll sit right here. Is that okay? You don't have to answer right away, you know." Ryan chatted. A smooth, warm grin stretched across his face and suddenly she was able to speak again.

"Yep. Sure, it's okay. And it's Summer by the way." Summer responded exuberantly.

Ryan leaned his arm onto the table, placing his head onto it perfectly. "But, it's the middle of winter."

"Ha, ha. Not like I've heard that one before." Summer groaned, rolling her eyes. Her smile fell from her face, gazing back towards the window and turning away from Ryan. Though she loved conversation she could not maintain it. And so for the last few minutes of the lesson they sat in silence. But did it really show how much this boy cared about talking with her?

*****************************

When Summer got home she slouched onto the cotton sheets of her bed. Her mind bounced eagerly through the happenings of the past day during school. She thought. The more she thought, the more eager she became to scream out the pockets of fireworks that exploded in her mind. That name. Ryan, Ryan Hunter. The formal boy whom offered out his friendship and she foolishly denied it. Self-doubt ate up her happiness like someone hadn't eaten for days. ...Years even.