Moments Captured

Procrastination

When I finally arrived at Maddie's place I made sure to carelessly park the car so that there was a higher chance of it being towed.  I rung the bell and not even two seconds later the door was flung open and I was pulled inside.

I spent most of the night explaining to Maddie what had happened.  Me sitting on the bed ranting and her pacing between the walls of her bedroom.  She was not impressed, but also said that I was partly at fault as she had told me to expect him.  I felt myself become annoyed at that, that idiot had said the same thing.  But no one is talking about the extremely short amount of time it took him to get there.  I mentioned this to Maddie and she shrugged it off.  She made it out to be due the fact that he could have caught the bus on time or driven the car he had so willingly let me borrow.  Either way Maddie was on his side for whatever dumb reason and I could not fathom why.  Maddie was the most picky person when it came to having friends and was critical of anything anyone did until she was sure they meant well...

So maybe I misjudged Jade?  Still I was not happy about what he'd done.  I settled for what I'd told him; I would let him explain himself tomorrow and if I could accept his reasons than I would bestow the honor of a second chance.  I wasn't going to be lax on this guy.  Not this time around.

                                                                                                    ***

"I'm sorry.  I'm really truly sorry."  Jade stood before me.  Groveling.

It was nine am and the school bell had just rung.  Everyone was already heading into class, but not me.  This was because Jade caught up to me earlier this morning pulling me aside before I had the chance to get away.

"Are you done?"  I shot him a look of distaste.  

Jade looked down.  He looked so sad then I almost gave in.  We were standing in the hall just outside my classroom.  The light from the morning sun filtering through the windows and brightening the vinyl floors to such a degree that is was blinding. 

I sighed.  "What is it Jade?"

"Um, you know how I said I would give you an explanation today?"

"Uh-huh."

"I can't."  He said.

"What?!"  I snapped turning to look at him.

"I mean I can.  Just not at school.  We'll have to meet after school."  He tentatively glanced up at me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and breath through my mouth.  This was getting irritating, but I still wanted an explanation and technically it was still today so I kept my thoughts to myself.

"Fine Jade.  Right after school.  The coffee shop next door."  I said.

Then I turned, opened the door of my classroom and walked in before he could say anything else.

Seven hours later after an uneventful day at school, which in my books was a good day.  I was walking over to the coffee shop next door.  As I walked in the barista Chris looked up at me and smiled.  "The usual?"  He asked.  "Of course."  I smiled back.

I sat myself at the window seat, placed my things down and decided to read a book I had borrowed from the library earlier that week until Jade showed up.  I was about ten minutes into reading the novel, a quest story about a young girl who is cursed from being able to be with her family.  Didn't sound like much to me at first, but then I really thought about it after picking it up.  How sad was that?  To walk the same earth as the people you loved but to never be able to meet them??  Not even a different universe.  Just cursed enough to physically never be close enough to your loved ones.  Even though you may have been just an arm's reach away.

I was really mulling this over when a tea cup entered my view.  "Oh thank you Chris-"  I stopped short.  It wasn't Chris, it was Jade.  "Why are you bringing me my drink and not Chris?"  "I just got it was him on my way in.  I figured I was going to your table anyway... so why make, what was his name?  Chris?  Walk all the way over hear unnecessarily?"  He smiled.  I wanted to barf.

"Okay, okay, I got your point.  Now place the drink here.  Sit down and start talking."  I ordered as I placed my book down on the table.

"Can I at least order a drink first?  I think it would be really rude if I just came into the shop and not ordered anything..."  He left it hanging there while looking at me with those large brown eyes of his.  I wrinkled my nose that stupid feeling was back.

"Fine, whatever, just hurry up."

This man spent the next twenty minutes deciding on a donut - I wanted to scratch my eyes out.  Leaning my arm against the table so I could rest my head, I looked back at him.  

"Oh Jade?"  I called sweetly.

Jade turned around smiling a little sheepishly.

"Yes dear?"  Jade responded.

"If you don't get yourself here in the next two minutes I am leaving, okay?"  I added chirpily. 

I watched as he quickly order the coffee and donut without hesitation as if he knew exactly what he had planned on getting right from the start.  I rolled my eyes.  Quickly he walked back over to the table with both items. 

"So!  Where do I begin?"  Jade grinned rubbing his hands together.

I don't know if it was the light that was streaming into the window on such a sunny and happy day or the way that he smiled.  But suddenly Jade looked eerily familiar with the light of the sun that seemed to make his face gleam.