1,2,3 I love You

Nice to Meet You

          I woke up to birds singing outside my window. A small town called Rosa, Illinois is always quiet and peaceful. Either it’s when you wake up, or when you’re going to sleep. This town I’ve lived in since I was 3 years old. By that time I’ve been in at least 3 preschools. We settled for a preschool here and here we’ve stayed since then. Now I’m 17.

          I woke up, stretching my arms out in front of me. It is Saturday. The clock on my bed side table tells me it’s only 8 in the morning. I lay back down closing my eyes hoping for a few more minutes of sleep. What I get is 2 more hours. The sun shines in my eyes as it peeps through the curtains of my window. I roll over groggily to look at the clock which says its 10:15 in the morning.

           I waited to hear the noise I hear every morning, my sister and brother fighting over who gets the bathroom. They’ve been doing it all winter break. They’re twins, and names are Samantha and Tyler.  We call my sister Sam for short. She looks exactly like me except for the hair. I have blonde hair and she has brown, like my brother.  But I got the wavy hair.

          Sam and Tyler are in college also both 19. They are freshman in college. They came home for the holidays. I love when they come. It gets really quiet around the house without them here, also awkward because it’s just my parents and me. Sam goes to school in Chicago for graphic design, while Tyler is into music. My bother got accepted to Julliard. He plays at concerts in orchestras, but he’s hoping to go solo and tour around the world.

          I got up, throwing the blankets off of me, feeling the cold air in my room.  I cross my arms hoping for warmth as I fuss with the controls on my heater.  I do a quick look at myself in my full length mirror that leans against my wall. My hair looks like a birds nest. I comb through it with my hand. I give up.

           I walk to my door turning the knob. The hallway is much warmer than my room. The radiator has been broken since we’ve moved here. It doesn’t work that well and sucks in the summer time.

          I see the door to the bathroom is closed. My brother walks out of his room in scratching his head and yawning.

“Morning sleepy head,” I tell him as he walks by me to go down the stairs.

“Morning bell bear,” he always calls me that. Everyone in my family has their own special name for me. Mine just happened to be ‘Bell Bear’ for my brother.

“Hey, who’s in the bathroom?”

“It’s Probably Sam hogging it as usual.”

I knock on the door.

“Sam! Hurry up!”

I could tell she was on the phone because she kept talking back and forth. Or maybe she was going crazy and talking to herself.

          I knew she was talking to her best friend Taylor from high school. That’s the only friend she has here. Taylor took online classes for college. I felt bad for her cause all her friends moved away.

“Hold on Arabella. I’m getting ready for the day.”

I rolled my eyes at her.

“I have to get ready for the day too. Do you mind hurry up? Please.”

“Fine.”

I heard her putting her make up back in her little make up bag. She opened the door. I was leaning against the wall on the right side of the door.

“There you go.”

“Thanks.”

She had her long brown hair that was as dark as Hershey chocolate, straightened, along with her face that had its usual make up on. I walked into the bathroom that smelled like Sam. Her perfume filled the bathroom. I started the shower.

          When I was done I dressed in dark denim jeans, Hollister red and white sweater, and my ugg boots. I waited till my hair was dry to scrunch it and twist my bangs back. My hair went to the middle of my back.

          I went down the stairs to get some breakfast. My brother was sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen eating a bowl of Captain Crunch. His favorite cereal, mine was Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Sam’s was Frosted Flakes. We all have our favorites in the family.

“Where are mom and dad?”

I asked pouring myself a bowl of cereal. I got the milk out of the fridge.

“Dad’s at work and mom’s at the store. They left when you were in the shower.”

“Do you know where Sam is? She left in a rush.”

I sat next to him at the breakfast bar. The chair scraped against the floor as I pulled myself closer to the counter. I didn’t want to spill on myself. I dug in.

“I think Sam went to go see Taylor.”

My brother got up and brought his bowl to the sink. He left the kitchen quietly. He was probably going to go somewhere too. I didn’t want to be alone in this house.

          I got up putting my bowl in the sink as my brother did. I went to the door and grabbed my coat. Since it is only 15 degrees outside, my winter coat went to my waist. It is a blue. My favorite color, I opened the door to the outside world.

“Tyler, I’m going out!”

I shouted up the stairs. I was much too lazy to go up the stairs to tell him.

“Okay!”

I closed the door as soon as he gave me the ‘okay’ yell. I walked down my sidewalk from the front door steps to the sidewalk. The park was 3 blocks away. I took my time walking. Joggers were out with their dogs getting their exercise while the dogs had no choice but to exercise too.

          I made it the park. I walked to the swings. I had no other place to go. All my friends were on vacation. My best friend, Hannah, moved to Phoenix, Arizona this break. We had our good byes the day she left. She stayed the night at my house, scary movies, pictures, Facebook, and Skype, all fun times. The very last minute she left we took a picture that now sits in a picture frame in my room.

          I got out my phone. Thinking about her made me miss her. I texted her, even though it’s probably only 9 in the morning there.  I stuck my phone in my pocket waiting for a reply.

          I started swinging giving myself something to do. I looked around the park, then at the sky noticing the dark clouds coming in. Probably snow, I thought to myself. I looked around the empty park. It was lonely besides the one person walking towards me now.

          I stopped swinging the closer he got. I pulled my phone out trying to make it look like I was doing something. I didn’t want it to look like I was a loner.

          He came to the place I was. He stopped. I got a good look at him. He had dark brown eyes that would make you melt, dirty blonde hair, and a face that was really cute. I also noticed what he was wearing a Columbia, which is brown and black pants. I looked down. I didn’t want him to get uncomfortable.

“Is this seat taken?”

He said pointing the swing right next to me. I looked up at him again. He was staring right at me.

“Um, no, It isn’t.

This was making me nervous. He was cute. Like really cute. I felt my cheeks turn hot and immediately looked down at my phone. I put it away in my pocket. The boy sat in the swing right by me. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He took out a package of skittles, one of those mini bags.

             Skittle my favorite candy. It opened it up taking the little wrapper and putting it in his pocket. I couldn’t help myself for what I was going to do next. I was building up nerve. I looked up and over at him.

“Hi, my name is Arabella.”