A Harsh Reality | ✓

Chapter 6

Amanda

I smiled and tossed one of my pink stripes behind my shoulder.

"I wanted to know," Jack said, "If your eyes have always been white or if they're contact lenses."

"They're not contact lenses," I replied, "My eyes are originally blue but so light, it looks like they're white." He nodded.

It was 9:00 pm, and I was on my date with Jack. After an hour of bowling, we decided to stop and eat. It had been awkward at first, but we eventually smoothed into a conversation and started laughing and joking as if we have known each other for a long time. After a while, we started playing twenty questions to get to know one another.

"So, do you have any hobbies?" he asked me.

"Photography and drawing," I said, thinking about my camera sitting on my desk, "What about you?"

"Playing the guitar."

"That's pretty cool," I said, "What sports do you practice?"

"Basketball." Like Noah, I thought. I shook my head pushing away the thought. Not anymore, Amanda.

"What are you going to be doing?"

"UCLA, gymnastics."

"Um... what's your favorite subject?" I asked him.

"Geography."

"Where are you from?" he asked. I tensed a little bit.

"I'm from California," I replied, "But because of my mother's job, I came to live here. It was easy to find a new club with a good gymnastics coach, but hard to find a decent house."

"Your turn," he said.

"Do you have any tattoos?"

"No," Jack replied, "What about you?"

"Nope."

"How many piercings do you have?" He stared at my ears.

"I have twelve in total," I replied, "Five in my left ear, six in the right ear and one on my nose."

"Why do you have so many?"

"That's three questions in a row, it's my turn," I said.

"Oh, come one, just one more and then you can ask me three more questions."

"Ugh fine," I gave in, "I make a new piercing every time I complete and win the gymnastics finals at the end of the year."

"So you won twelve?"

"It was just one more question, remember?" I told him, "How many exes do you have?"

"One."

"Hm... are you from here, or did you move as I did?"

"I've lived here my whole life."

"Last question," I said, "Do you have any siblings?"

"Just a little sister of eleven," he replied, "Now answer my question." I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"No, I didn't win twelve, I won nine," I explained, "When I did my first two piercings, I wasn't even thinking about gymnastics and the nose piercing doesn't count." He nodded.

After we finally ended playing twenty questions, our food arrived. I had ordered french fries and a strawberry milkshake, while Jack had ordered a burger with onion rings and a coke.

"Since when do you practice gymnastics?" he asked me.

"Since I was three," I replied, after sipping my milkshake, "This is so good." I took another sip.