Leah and Trent

Chapter Five

September 4 2016 - Sunday

~

Leonard

(Song: Butterfly by BTS)

It was such a beautiful day. It was hot without being overbearing and there wasn't a single gray cloud in sight. The park was always an amazing place to be, day or night. People were everywhere, walking their dogs, hanging out, riding bikes. It was nice. But the best way to spend such a beautiful day was with a beautiful girl. I sat at a picnic table with Sharen's right arm on the table in front of me and a marker in hand. She sat next to me and quietly watched as I traced lines onto her skin. I drew out different things that was laid out in front of me. The trees, the animals, the people. They formed a sleeve of imitations on her arm. I turned to Sharen and looked into her eyes. There was something off about the shape of them, like something was bothering her.

"What's wrong?" She brought her eyes up to mine and shook her head.

"Nothing."

". . .You can tell me if you want." She looked down for a second before shrugging her shoulders and looking back up.

"I don't know. It's just. . .college, and everything."

"Are you worried about getting accepted?"

"Yeah, but. . ." She lowered her head and I felt her left hand slightly tug at the pocket on my pants. I nudged her with my shoulder and laughed.

"You shouldn't be that nervous about it, you're really talented." She grinned at me for a quick second before dropping her head again.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

". . .I started looking at colleges years ago, mainly just out of curiosity, but I found one that I really liked and really wanted to get into."

". . .Is it in a different state?"

"It's in Japan."

"Japan?" My mind glitched like an error was trying to work its way through my thoughts.

"There's a fashion school there that has an amazing curriculum." Her voice seemed to perk up when she talked about the school. It was hard to not notice. But it was even more difficult to come to grips with.

". . .So you're going to Japan?"

"I don't know. Possibly." I could barely wrap my head around the distance between Japan and Atlantis, California. But sitting there, I tried to figure out how far away Japan actually was. 4,000 miles. 5,000 miles. How long of an airplane ride would it take to get there? 14 hours. 17 hours. "I didn't know how to tell you," Sharen said snapping me out of my calculations.

". . .I don't know what to say."

". . .Being a designer is my dream."

"I know."

"And this. . .this is the first step to being able to do that." I brought my hand to her cheek and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"I want you to be able to live your dream." She placed her hand over mine and kissed my cheek. Even though we were sitting there surrounded by nothing but peace, I felt like she was starting to slip away from me. Distance was threatening to come between us and drown out what we had.

"Enough about me," Sharen said putting a forced smile on her face. "How's practice going?" I groaned and looked back at my artwork on Sharen's arm.

"I'll be glad when I won't have to step foot on another football field."

"I really don't understand. If you never liked playing, why have been doing it for seven years?"

". . .I don't really know at this point."

"Why did you start?"

"My father wanted me to."

"Was he a football player in high school?"

"Swim team."

". . .You know, even if you don't like football, you look really hot in the uniform."

"Share~"

"Seriously." She leaned towards me and put her lips near my ear. "Watching you play makes me want to tackle you," She whispered. A flutter traveled up my spine and went out to the rest of my body like fireworks. A grin forced its way on my face and my cheeks grew hot. Sharen giggled and pressed her lips against my neck before dropping her head onto my shoulder. "I love your art," She said looking at the markings on her arm. "I have to get you to draw some of my designs."

"I'd love to." I sat thinking that this was the meaning of bliss. This was the thing many people spent their entire lives searching for. Yes, I wasn't a well-lived wise man. Yes, I was just a senior in high school. But I was in love with this girl, an unbelievably amazing girl. And I wanted to be with her. I didn't want to lose what I had with her so easily.

(Song: Perfect by Nell)