Dell's Journey

Chapter 6: Rian

Dell met Rian in high-school. She was in his advanced

literature class senior year, and she sat over on the left

most row in the very front desk. She was very quiet, which

always intrigued him because he wasn't. He was verbose and

socially savvy despite feelings of insecurity. In fact,

though he didn't know it at the time, his insecurities were

very normal, and 90 percent of the population has the exact

same ones. It was stuff like:

1. Looking ignorant and unrefined

2. Having something unattractive in his nose or teeth

3. Running out of things to say and having the other person

notice.

Rian was reserved, but obviously intelligent. He

could tell this when she was called on at random by Mrs.

Duvic to answer questions about Hamlet or Candide. She was

pretty in the same shy way that she was quiet, with

shortish light-brown hair neatly parted and tucked behind

her ear, and round features and green-brown eyes. She had

some freckles too, and they were the cute kind. She was

one of those people that just moved like a ghost through

high-school. No one knew much about her, but almost any

girl would have called her "cute" or "sweet", in the

annoying way girls do, mainly because she was quiet and

stayed out of people's business.

A few times, Dell had engaged in light, disinterested

conversation with Rian before class and thought very little

about it. But in one watershed moment, on a Friday

afternoon before he had managed to slide into the hall, he

was softly accosted by her voice.

"Dell? What are you doing tonight?" (This was not a

bit suggestive.)

"Hmm? Oh hey Rian!" Dell managed to respond. "Um, I

don't know, not really. I think I might be going to

Scott's game but I'm not sure. What about you, doing

anything fun?"

"Well, um, I don't know. I was wondering if you maybe

wanted to do something."

"Um, oh! Yeah, maybe. I think so. What, uh, what

are you doing – what do you want to do?" Dell was a little

taken off guard, having never considered a social

engagement with this particular girl. On the other hand,

attention from any girl was nice, and he really had no

aversion to her whatsoever.

"Well, do you want to give me your number, and I'll

call you? Maybe we can do something," Rian said, her

ability to maintain eye contact impressing him.

"This girl isn't as shy as she seems," he thought to

himself, "I have always noticed that she was pretty smart

and not painfully shy, even though she was quiet." "Yeah,

sure," he said out loud, while un-shouldering his pack and

grabbing a pencil. "Here," he said, handing his number to

her as nonchalantly as possible.

"Ok, cool. I'll call you, ok? When should I call

you?"

Dell was glad she seemed nervous too.

"Whenever. I'll just be home. Yeah, call me later,"

Dell said, "See ya." And he walked down the tiled halls to

his locker, where he met up with some fellows and resumed

his normal afternoon routine.

Truth be told, Dell was both excited and terrified by

the prospect of a date with Rian. He didn't have much

experience with girls, and felt, quite irrationally, like

he alone was incapable of talking to them. He had never

had a girlfriend, based somewhat on these terrors, but

naturally had always wanted one. His dealings with girls

were generally of three categories. First and foremost;

sexual fantasies, second; friendly, platonic interactions,

and third; moderately unfair judgment (mainly toward girls

he found superficial). Some of those in the third category

also spent time in the first, and some of those in the second did too.