Mirror, Mirror | ✓

•Day 5• Daisy

Today was a happy day. I could feel it. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and a smile was plastered on my face as I looked out my window, hoping to see the boy with the brown hair again.

Maybe Ava was right; I did fall fast. But I couldn't help it. After all, how many boys did I have encounters within the measly four walls of my room? Besides, even when I went to school I didn't really bother to see anyone that way. I didn't think I was exactly... Capable of love? Being a cheerleader, I was known for my peppiness and charm, and I did get asked out a couple of times, but I didn't think it was worth my time. I was independent and happy just by myself, thank you very much.

However, something about this boy gave me feelings I didn't know I was capable of feeling; he was different. I felt like I'd known him before. If I told anyone else this they'd look at me like I was crazy.

That's one of my biggest fears: judgement. When I'm at school I try to hide away some of the quirkiest things about me, like the fact that I spend most of my time at home knitting or looking out the window. I make sure to conceal that part of me and act like the typical popular girl they wanted me to be. I mean, yes, it was cowardly of me to not be proud of who I was, but I knew it really was much more than that. High school was a terrifying place and if I even so much as stepped out of line once, I'd stick out like a sore thumb.

"Daisy, could you come in here for a second, please?" Granddad called from the living room. I instantaneously jumped off my window seat and made my way towards him.
"I seem to be having a little trouble with how this works...." Granddad said once he saw me approaching, squinting at the computer screen.

I giggled. "Still intent on the whole 'getting back in the game' thing?" I asked. He sighed. "I guess so."
Then he paused. "But I guess no one wants to date a seventy-year-old man in a wheelchair these days..."

My heart went out to him and it took all of my will to not reach out and hug him to death. "Hey... Don't say that. I'm sure there's a perfect woman out there just like Grandma. You'll find her some day." A flicker of pain flashed across his face at the mention of Grandma, but he was quick to hide it.

"You're right. There's no point sulking even before I've given the ol' thing a try, am I right?"
I grinned. "Excatly. Now let's fix you the ideal profile."

It all seemed hilarious and adorable at the same time- the way Grandad looked at the computer screen in excitement, awaiting to fill the hole in his heart where my grandmother had been.

I knew he was never going to completely get over her either; there simply was no way. He kept a picture of her in his wallet, suggested the name Daisy for me because it was her favourite flower and even talked to her sometimes when he thought no one was around. Not full-fledged conversations or anything-he hadn't lost his mind- just a little 'good night' and 'I wish you were here' once in a while.

"Okay, hobbies.... Daisy, what are my hobbies?" Granddad asked me. "I mean, I don't do anything anymore..."
This time, I really did give him a hug. "Well, you love to play cards. That's something. You also love listening to Dad's old rock music and watching movies. Maybe you could find someone interested in those things...?"

He huffed. "This is so much harder than I thought it would be."
I ignored his statement. "Hey, look! There's a Lana Christopher who likes playing cards too! Maybe you could check out her profile," I suggested.
He clicked on her profile, and both of us groaned. "Really? Why do young people even try setting themselves up on a dating website for senior citizens?" I wondered aloud.

We scrolled through some more pages, hoping to find someone Granddad could potentially date. There weren't many options; some were too old, some were barely eligible under the category of senior citizen, and others were just plain weird. We managed to stumble upon a lady who collected real teeth from when she was little, an old ventriloquist who treated her puppet Steve like a son and a woman who'd been rumoured to have killed her whole family. In short, they were all creeps.

That is, until we found one account that kept our hopes up. Charlotte Greene was a woman with a charming smile who seemed like someone who was beautiful once upon a time. She loved to bake and played the piano. Best yet, her favourite flowers were daisies. That's all it took for Granddad to fall head over heels; she was perfect.

I went forward and requested her for a date through Grandad's profile, to which we got an almost immediate response. They agreed to meet at a restaurant only a few minutes away from our house by walk, and I could see the excitement written all over Grandad's face. I couldn't help but feel happy too, seeing him in such high spirits.

I retreated to my room after a while, as usual, and took to looking out my window. Again, as usual. Really, my life was pretty boring when I didn't go to school. I was just about to look away and get back to work on the afghan for Ava's birthday, when I saw the boy again. When he caught me looking, he smiled just like the day before. The feelings of déja vu didn't tide over.

This time however, he came closer to my window. I opened it. "Do I know you from anywhere, by any chance?" I asked him, the curiosity getting ahold of me. He shook his head. "Not personally, no. But we go to the same school... I'm friends with Ava."

Friends with Ava. Right. That's got to be why I recognized him. Yet somehow, it still didn't seem right. "Oh! That's nice. I'm Daisy, by the way," I held my hand out for him to shake.
He grinned. "I knew that. You're on the cheer team, aren't you? Everyone knows you."

I blushed. "Oh, my. I thought I was invisible at school."
He chuckled. "Hardly."
A few minutes passed in silence, neither of us knowing what to say.
"So... What brings you to this neighborhood?" I asked, filling up the awkward space between us.
"My friend Ted lives around here, so I usually come back this way from school,"he answered.

I nodded. "Well, anyway.. I guess I should be going then. See you tomorrow, maybe?"
My heart fluttered in my chest.
Tomorrow seemed like a day full of never-ending possibilities.
"Y-yeah sure. Tomorrow, then," I choked out. He smiled and I watched his retreating figure till the end of the block, then continued with my crochet.

Ava came over as usual and we listened to some music. She ranted to me about the happenings in school and how much the cheer squad wanted to kill me for not showing up for the last two practices. I promised her I'd come to school the next day, but somehow I still wasn't sure my therapist Julia would think it was a good idea.

There were just some days she told me to take a break and relax. I never understood why, but I did know never to doubt Julia.

• • •
A/N 
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