The Reticent One

Someway, Somehow

 One minute I'm standing in the school hallway, running through a mental checklist of things I need to do when I get back to base. Trying not to scrunch my nose at the crap Melany talks about. The next moment my shoulder brushes past someone walking quickly in the opposite direction, their scent passes me and their aura smothers me, suddenly I'm in the middle of a meadow filled with wildflowers as a gentle breeze kisses my skin. The flowers smell sweet and fresh, their petals dancing softly as the breeze passes by. I close my eyes for a split second to try and save this feeling, desperately wishing it were real. Grasping at it in my mind with all my might so that I could engrave the tranquility of it in every fiber of my being.

"Ray!"

But my eyes snap open when Melany's voice echoes in the empty hallway. My body tenses back to how it usually is, the brief moment of calmness evades my body. I quickly turn to look at the person who brushed past me just moments ago. Tilting my head up slightly just to reach his face, my eyes study his features. I watch how he tries to maneuver around Melany and he seems to realize I'm watching. Just as he moves his body away from Melany he turns his head towards me but before our eyes can meet the school bell rings.

Riiiiinnnggg

Standing in the off-white hallway, the sound of students stampeding out of their classrooms fills the once empty halls as students walk to their next class. Melany takes this chance and clings to him in the busy hall, stopping him in his tracks, "Ray! You are so mean you can't just ignore me!" As she pouts, I look past her brown dreads and up at his plain face. What was so captivating about him? There's nothing special about his long dark hair. His eyes were nothing special, those dark blue eyes weren't sweeping me off my feet. But I sensed it...something he had was the closest thing to being pure. In this rotten world where everyone is stained he feels clean.

"C'mon Melany, I'm going to be late for class."

From where I stood I could still hear them talking as everyone stormed past and others swerved around us. He, like many others, is trying to run from Melany. She is a stingray in the vast ocean of this school, her demeanor is uplifting and light. Her personality lets any insults or negative emotions slide right off of her but she has a tendency to prick others if they step too close. Not many know that stingrays can cause life-threatening shock but once you know, it's hard to see them the same. But I know that Melany is well aware of the way people view her.

"I'll let you go if next time you buy us lunch! Got it?" She's smiling happily and I can see the glint in her eyes. It's a mischievous look leading to something else. Not only does she know how other people view her, she knows how everyone else is viewed and she thrives off of knowing.

"Uhh," Ray looks hesitant to say anything. He knows no one has wanted to be around him for awhile now. Who knows, maybe he kind of wants someone to be next to him sometimes? It's a mystery to me. I don't know how normal teenagers think. Melany's smile falters while he debates answering but he relents, "I-I'll buy you lunch." Melany smirks as she finally gets what she wanted, she slowly lets go of his arm, "That means both of us will meet you tomorrow then."

"Us?" He raises one thick well shaped eyebrow.

"Me and Caroline, duh," She gestures towards me.

"Oh," He finally directs his gaze to me and our eyes meet for a second. His eyes lock on to mine, sending a strange feeling down my back. "Sure... I'll get both of you lunch," He replies to Melany but doesn't break his gaze. I peel my eyes from his and urge Melany, "We should go," I saunter off to our next class while weaving through the crowd.

"Oh, right! Bye, Ray Ray," I hear her shoes slapping against the school floors as she rushes to catch up. On our way to the classroom a few people stop to greet me. "Well it looks like someone still has many friends," She smiles but her eyes betray her.