Almost Famous: Purple Fame

Chapter 11

The bell rang for the final time on a sunny afternoon and boy was I never more happy about it. I bolted from the classroom and down the hall zipping in and out of kids standing in the halls lazily with no particular destination. You couldn't tell me to stop running in the halls as fast as I was moving. I wanted to get out of this hell that the adults call high school. Rounding the corner I could see the bright light of the sun beaming on my locker.

  "Just a a few more steps." I whispered to myself happily.

The moment of freedom was just a mere three feet away when I was t-boned by someone coming from my left knocking me clean off my feet and sliding to a stop across the floor. I never even had the chance to look up from the floor before I reached for the hand who knocked me down.

  "Sorry Regan! I didn't even see you coming! Are you alright?" I lighthearted and empathetic voice said to me.

  "Yeah I'm ok. Nothing broken and I'm not calling my lawyer." I giggled as I stood up and adjusted my book bag on to my shoulders correctly.

Finally I looked up and saw a face that I haven't seen in what felt like a long time. Alley Graham had the lightest eyes I've even seen on a 16 year old girl in this entire school. Let alone anybody I've ever met. They were green with a hind of gray that you only noticed in certain lighting.

  "Alley!" I stammered out nervously out of the blue.

  "Im really sorry Regan. I should have been paying attention to where I was going. Are you sure you're not hurt?" She asked me with a smile that looked almost as if she was hiding something.

  "Yeah no really it was my fault I shouldn't have been running anyways. I was just anxious to get outta here is all." I said as I flipped one of my curly strands away from my brow.

I can tell something was clearly bothering her but she wasn't one to just open up to someone like me. She's one of the cool kids. Like captain of the cheer squad cool. I wanted to ask her what was up but it really wasn't my place. We're not even friends. We just happened to have homeroom together! Who am I to ask this girl who looks right through me as if I was cheap china  about her problems. Theres only one thing I can do. And that is.......GO HOME!!!!!

  "Well.......see ya!!!!" I exclaimed as I started to head for my awaiting locker.

  "Wait!" she shouted to me as her voice shook.

Oh god.....I know that shaky tone anywhere. Regan don't do it. You're right there. Home free! Whatever it is its not your issue just tell your dorky feet to keep moving and tune her out!!!! No.....I can't do that. I wasn't raised that way and if I start now my poor father would roll over in his grave and my mother would beat the non existent black off of my skinny hide. Dropping my head and letting out a deep sigh my feet turned on their heels as if they had a mind of their own. Here I go being too damn nice again. I guess my burger joint date will just have to wait for now. I was now facing the most popular girl in school who now had a face drenched in tears. She looked.....sad. Really sad. Like she lost someone sad. I can't leave someone if that's the case.

  "Hey......whats the matter?" I asked her as I approached slowly.

 "You lost your dad......right?" She asked.

I turned my head slightly on the right side in agreement.

  "I lost my dad too." She said as she continued to hold back her tears.

This was taking a really heavy turn and I wasn't even sure how to handle it. The only thing I can really do is just go with my gut and listen to her. Be a friend and not just another invisible nobody.

  "Do you wanna talk about it?" I asked her taking another step closer to her.

Her eyes once again welled up with heavy pools of tears before they ran down her face. I reached into my pocked and handed her a pack of tissues.

  "Thanks....and yes. I don't know who's been through this type of thing before and everybody expects me to just smile all the time.....but I can't anymore and its driving me crazy not crying when I want to."

Yeah this is getting serious. Time to put on my teenage therapist cap and just be there for this girl before we end up hearing about her suicide on the news. I had no idea that being perfect was a job. A hard job! A hard job that only pays you in pain instead of money! I wouldn't want this burden for anyone. Not even for her! I reached out my hand to her and smiled.

  "Don't worry.....its gonna be alright. We'll figure it out together. I know a spot that I go to when I feel stressed out and miss my daddy that I go to all the time. Its right here in the school and I'm the only one who knows about it. C'mon I'll show you."

Alley looked down at my hand and then looked up at me. I smiled at her confirming that everything was going to be fine and that she could trust me and before I knew it she smiled back and grabbed my hand and pulled me in hard and fast for a hug as she bawled her eyes out.

  "Thank you Regan. You're such a good friend." She cried.

How is this even real life?!?!? When were we ever friends in the first place?!?!? I guess you never know what goes on with a person until you take time to get to know the real them. As Alley let me go she wiped her face with a tissue and took a huge deep breath and let it out slowly closing her eyes as she exhaled. Her wet green eyes flew open and a smile grew on her face.

  "Lets go to that place you were telling me about huh?" she said to me grabbing my hand again and squeezing it gently.

  "Ok! Then maybe afterwards we can go meet up with my other friends and have a burger and fries." I said happily.

Oh wait! She probably doesn't even eat animals. I can't wait for her to be grossed out after this.

Alley smiled and swung my arm gently.

  "I'd like that!" She said.

The two of us walked through the main doors to the gym which was also just a few feet shy of my locker and swiftly made our way to the girls locker room. Right down the first row is a door to an old janitors closet that was no longer being used and only I had the key for it. A small bobby pin that I found lying around in the halls. We made our way to the door and I popped the lock and we both stepped inside. Here is where I talk to my dad so maybe she can do the same to feel better.