Happiness Starts Somewhere

Chapter 3: Their First Encounter

                     
                                           Monday
                        

                       Mill Valley, Pennsylvania
                            November 1st,1968
                                       7:30am
                       

    Soon the news around school broke that Milner's car was vandalized and now he gets dropped off by his mother.
    Everyone stops and stares as a blue Mini Van parked in front of the school. "Mom this is embarrassing! Can you please just not drive the mini van please, you are embarrassing me." He whined.
       "Alright fine, have a good day honey."
"Wait!" She said with a sigh. "Mr. Nicholls wants you to work at the station tonight, I told him you would."
     "What!! Mom! I don't want to!" He complained.
   Annie shook her head, "Tommy my car was vandalized last night and you will be paying for it."
    "What! No!! But mom!!! I don't have that kind of money!!! What am I gonna do??!"
    "That's why I asked Roy if you could come by the station and work and I'll pick you up after my shift.
"But m-"Thomas I don't want to hear another word about this young man, now get out I'm going to be late for work." She sighed as tommy grabbed his bag and hopped out of the van, slamming the door as hard as he could.
     "You didn't pick me up!" Ruth huffs until she saw the look on his face, he was upset.
   "Tommy? Hey what's wrong?" She says as she pulled him to her chest, "my car was vandalized and now I have to work for the sheriff tonight, I don't want to dust off desks!! It's boring and stupid! Why can't they get off their fat asses and do it themselves!" He whines.

    "Hug me Ruth, I'm depressed." He groaned as he buried his face in her chest. She strokes his hair and sighed as he pouts. "Aw come on Tommy, it's alright." She says as she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You still have me for tonight, Ooh that reminds me, I never gave you a gift." She whispered in his ear making him smile. "Oh what is it?"
     Ruth cups his face and kissed him passionately.
"That's it?" He groaned.
  "You are so greedy." She giggled as she kissed him.
     Stella rolls her eyes while passing by them in the hallway, heading for her next class until she felt a hand grab her mouth. She let out a muffled scream as she was dragged into an empty classroom. She soon calmed down some once she saw who it was, it was Kyle Davidson.

  "Hey, can we talk, it's important."
"It's about Homecoming...would you go with me?"
He asked, as he ran a hand through his hair.
Stella bit her lips, she wanted to kiss him so badly but she stopped herself, she knew he wouldn't kiss her back, he's a jock and she's a freak.
"I don't want to go Kyle, Homecomings aren't my thing, besides I would look really ugly in a dress." She says as she tried to make this conversation go by quicker so she could find Chuck & Auggie.
"Don't worry about what anyone thinks Stella, you are beautiful inside and out, you just gotta Put yourself out there and I know I was a jerk for most of our lives but I just...I-I really want to hangout with you, start over you know.."
She looked at him with shock and frustration before she lost it on him. "Kyle we were in kindergarten when we were (friends) we'd barely spoke just played with those toys they had, it doesn't count as friends Chuck & Auggie are my only friends." She cried out. "You should know that since all those rumors Tommy would spread around town so don't give me that crap Kyle, this is all a joke."
She says as she turned to leave the classroom
"Wait." He called out.

"Stella I- L- I want to be friends, can we at least exchange phone numbers? Please?"
Stella sighed as she pulled out her phone, "I guess that wouldn't hurt."
She saw a smile touch his lips and she couldn't help but smile back at him. "8563979001" she says as she blushed alittle once she watched Kyle type it in super fast. She typed in his number and smiled.
"Thank you." They both say as they headed their separate ways.
Stella's phone soon buzzed in her pocket once she made it to home room.
She read the text message and couldn't help Herself but smile.
"Hi Stella, this is Kyle."

She smiles as she started typing Until chuck startled her from behind. "Woah! Are you watching porn! Ew! You little horn dog!" Chuck laughed out.
Stella quickly pocketed her phone, "shut up."

"Relax Stella I'm just messing with you, gosh."
He groans.
Stella smiled and pulled her phone back out and saw a Particular Text Message from Kyle that made butterflies in her stomach. "Hey, you should go to the game on Friday Night, we could hangout afterwards, just me and you?"
A deep shade of red formed on her cheeks, she started to type back. "The game...I'm not big on football, but idk Kyle I'll think about it..."
The message sent and soon Kyle started typing...
She looks at the message and slightly chuckled.
"Hey! What's there to not know, you just watch douchebags play and tackle each other for a ball and see attractive guys, like me..😏."
"It would mean a lot to me if you went."
Stella sighed after reading that text, "oh don't try to guilt me Davidson, that won't work on me." 🙄
"Please? 💋"
Stella blushes darker and she typed back a reply
"Okay, I'll think about it...talk later." 👋🏻
"Bye💕"
Stella smiled at that text message, she had no idea why Kyle Davidson would be interested in her, she's nobody's type in Mill Valley, what makes him attracted to me?
Stella smiles as her stomach was filled with butterflies, she loved him and didn't know why.