Open Up to Me

Ron - 5

Song of the Chapter: Waiting for Superman by Chris Daughtry

Unedited

        My first day of school wasn't bad as I percieved it would be. I've already gotten a few girls' phone numbers if I do say so myself. I know I sound pretty cocky, but a thing like this doesn't happen to a guy like me every day.

        But for some reason, none of them captured my attention like Odette. When I caught her staring at me earlier, I couldn't help but feel butterflies in my stomach. Does that make me sound like a girl? Nevertheless, the thing is I don't know the reason why I'm so drawn to Odette. All I know is that she's quiet, faced a recent death of a loved one, and is very beautiful. Sure Odette is beautiful, however, I don't know anything about her.

        Having to work after school is the worst kind of feeling. My new job is right in front Central Park Lake at a bookstore, Todd's Pages. The drive to Central Park was even more aggravating. Traffic in New York is much more worse than in California. Plus the drivers here are insane.

        Walking into the store, I'm greeted by small wrinkled old woman. She reminds me of a little raisin when she flashes me a gummy smiles.

        The woman grabs my cheeks, "Todd! I think your nephew is here! Get out here and come say hello to this little cutie!" While she stretches my cheeks, the elderly woman kept screaming Todd's name. I couldn't do anything to stop this lady from abusing my cheeks. I swear, I feel like Mr. Fantastic from how much this grandma is stretching my cheeks. I can file for sexual harassment here!

        A tall middle aged man runs in from the back door. "Rosa! Stop abusing the poor kid's cheeks and let him breath," he laughs concluding his statement.

        "Oh I'm sorry hon," she pats my cheeks one last time. "I couldn't help it. Your cheeks are just so soft, like a little baby's butt!" Giving me a big wet kiss on my now painful red cheeks, she leaves the bookstore with one last wave.

        "Weasley!"

        "Uncle Todd," I say weakly. My cheeks still ache from when that woman stretched my cheeks like silly puddy (and yes, I still play with silly puddy).

        "How are you? How's Koby? Oh, how's Rochelle?" Once he said my mother's name, his voice became serious. Trying to hide the worry in his tone, he smiled again. "Gosh, I haven't seen you guys since the Kennedy Family reunion of '09!" Uncle Todd pulls me into a bear hug, suffocating me purple.

        Uncle Todd aka Todd Kennedy, my only uncle. He's the twin of my almost officially divorced mother, Rochelle. Uncle Todd stood only a few inches shorter than me with his gray hairs popping out from the top of his head. He was the one who offered us sanctuary in New York when my mother was having problems with my dad: an alcoholic and loon. It took her seventeen years to have the courage to get up and move out with my little brother, Ben. Since my family was new in the city, Uncle Todd offered me at a job in his bookshop next to Central Park, Todd's Pages. He's the one who actually made me love reading, he acted more like a father figure than my real dad did.

        Releasing me, he let out a sigh, "Ah well, you can just help- err never mind". Todd scratches the back of his head, trying to think up a task for me. "Uh...you know what just go sit in the back. Samuel just left to go pick up a delivery so you can just wait till he gets back," he pats my back leaving me to help a pretty blond customer waiting by the front.

        Great, I get to start my new job doing absolutely nothing. I look around to see an infinite number of books. The shop seemed small on the outside since it was squeezed between two other buildings. But the inside seemed larger than the New York Public Library itself. As I walk through one of the aisle, i run my fingers across the binding of each book. Looking at the titles, I can see them range from If I Stay to The Kite Runner. I keep walking through the aisle until I feel my foot hit something. Bending over I see a slightly damaged paperback copy of Labor Day.