Shorts

El & Park

She had gotten a hair cut. Just barely an inch and a half off, her hair slightly brushed over her shoulders. The slight frizz of her bangs from the end of summer humidity. Random orange curls showing when she moved her hair behind her ears, as though she straightened her hair to hide them.

  Maybe no one else noticed, but he did. He noticed all of her. He noticed the dark markings on her forearm, and spent all of english class wondering what she had drawn on them. He noticed the differently shaded brown colors she dyed her hair, even after her natural orange color had shown through. He noticed her opaqueness to everyone, and he thought about ways on how to see through it all of history class. The unintentional rips in her jeans, most likely from climbing trees or walking through thick woods.

  She loved climbing trees. At least, that's what he figured. She had various trees drawn over her binders and book covers. She wore poorly threaded bracelets with tree resembling charms hooked onto them. She never took the bus home, even though her neighborhood was one of the biggest stops. She walked. It was a 20 minute bike ride, and he wondered how she could enjoy doing it twice everyday.

  They hadn't ever had a conversation before, of course, but he was determined to change that today. Or was he?
What if she ignores me? Are you dumb, Park? She's the nicest person enrolled here. But what if she doesn't like talking to me? What if she makes up a poor excuse to get out of the conversation?
  Distracted from his thinking, he crashed into someone, papers falling out of his Chemistry book, gym clothes falling from their unzipped spare bag.  It was the girl. Her. She was still flinching after everything fell, and his mouth slightly fell open when she came to senses and realized what had happened. She kneeled to reach for her clothes, just after he snatched them up, desperate for another reason to make eye contact with her. Or to see her face up close again. Something.

  She didn't lash out like the other girls he'd run into thinking about her while walking relentlessly down the hallway. She picked up his papers, and stood up. His eyes followed the top of her head until he could see her face again. He closed his mouth. They looked at each other. She reached his papers out to him, and he did the same without breaking eye contact with her. Realizing how much of a creep he was being, he looked down to her hand. He took the papers and slide them back into the creases of his chemistry book.

  Trying to say "I'm sorry" his voice cut out, leaving just sorry. He re tried, saying "Are you okay?" but all that came out was "okay?". She grinned, and nodded her head. Her small curls bounced. He smiled. She took her gym clothes, touching his hand. He was back to looking at her face. He slid his eyes onto her binder held in her hand. Her name was El. El? What kind of name is that? He thought. Maybe it's a nickname. Must be.

  "El?" He asked.
"Ellie" She smiled. Her cheeks reddened.
Beautiful.