Skin Deep

Chapter 16

Luke

            I’m at Dianne’s again. I pretty much come here every day because it’s within walking distance and I still feel a bit weird about motor vehicles. I also don’t mind spending every evening with Amanda. I seem to have proved myself worthy of at least friendship.

            In the weeks since the trial, Amanda has changed. Her blue eyes are still haunting, but instead of looking dark and lost, they look warm and joyful. Her laugh has changed, too. When something makes her laugh, she giggles with reckless abandon. She never stops smiling. She has always had the most beautiful smile, and now I get to see it so much more often. She is carefree and happy. Not quite literally and not all the time, but her attitude has become that way. She is free from her past burdens, and it’s awesome.

            We’re pretending to work on homework, nodding studiously and writing quickly every time Dianne pops here head in. We do have work to do since we graduate in a couple of months; Amanda is really behind in her school work and I’m doing my best to help her catch up. But, as soon as Dianne leaves, one of us bursts out laughing and we giggle until Dianne comes back. We kind of act like twelve year olds, and I love it.

            We also ask each other questions like we did that first day back at school. She hasn’t forgotten anything I’ve told her so far. It’s kind of ironic. I haven’t forgotten anything she’s told me ever, before or since the accident.

            “What’s your favourite snack food?” I ask her now.

            “Cheezies,” she says quickly. “The puffy ones are better but the stick ones are good too.”

            I want to laugh because she sounds dead serious and it’s such a random phrase. Instead, I jump up from the table and run out the door, yelling, “Be right back!” when Dianne gives me a questioning look. I walk quickly past the front window, where I see Amanda and Dianne at the kitchen table. Dianne is grinning widely and Amanda is sort of shaking her head, looking down.

            I jog three blocks to the convenience store on the corner and pick up a huge bag of Munchie Mix. This particular bag is labeled ‘Special: Puffy Cheezies!’ I’m being weird; I’m not usually impulsive but I just felt the need to do this. I thank the cashier and even give her a pretty big tip. She has a beautiful smile as she thanks me for the tip, and as pretty as she is, she only reminds me of the girl I left waiting at the house. I thank her again and bolt out of the store, running all the way back to Dianne’s.

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Amanda

            Luke bursts through the door holding a plastic bag labelled with the local convenience store logo. He kicks off his shows and rushes over to Dianne and I at the table. His face is just the cutest; pure glee is evident in his features. Of course, I don’t mention this out loud. I’m not really sure what to think about that yet.

            Luke dumps the contents of the bag onto the table, saying nothing. Munchie Mix? I smile politely and try not to appear like I don’t care. I see his smile falter slightly and I instantly feel a knot in my stomach. I hate it when Luke feels down because of me. He looks down at the Munchie Mix and grabs it, turning it around so I can read the label, ‘Special: Puffy Cheezies!’

            I can’t help myself. I break into a huge smile and look up at him. He’s beaming now, and the knot in my stomach melts away, replaced with warm butterflies. I don’t even try to deny it: Luke gives me butterflies.

            “You like Cheezies and I like Sun Chips,” Luke says. “We can just ignore the pretzels.”

            Dianne, who has been sitting quietly at the table the entire time, let’s out a huge, “Aw!” and I just want to die right there. I shoot her a look, to which she quickly says, “Oh, come on, Amanda! Your favourite is Cheezies and his is Sun Chips and you both hate pretzels. You can get all those items in one big, shareable bag! It’s like it was meant to be!”