Amber

(4) Crave

The next day at school was horrible.

The air was filled with thick silence. I could feel multiple pairs of eyes staring at me as I entered the school building. No doubt, it was because of yesterday's event. If someone would ask me if I ever wanted attention at school, I'd roll my eyes, thump my fists on the table and say 'NO' quite dramatically. But with time, I've discovered I'm not very fond of being a shadow in the background. I'm not one of those typical nerds we read about in books who want no attention. I knew I had always wanted to be the centre of attention for once, but not this kind of attention. This honestly made me want to be invisible, and let no one take any notice of me.

Sadly, we don't always get what we want. The irony is we always want what we don't get.

Anyway, I tried to keep my calm and moved forward, focusing on my breaths. I entered the class and sat quietly on my allotted seat. My bestfriend Jared had been on a long leave and according to my conscience, he should have come by today. I quickly looked around for him and Ah! There he was, waving his hand like crazy in my direction. Almost at the speed of light, I ran towards him. Almost, I said. We lightly hugged each other and he smiled.

How I missed that crooked smile of his!

Before I could speak a word, he smirked and asked, "Missed me huh?"

"No way idiot." I said without a beat. No matter how shy I might find myself, this boy always brings out the sarcastic side of Amber.

People say opposites attract, I say souls that are willing to accept each other do.

I and Jared are similar in a thousand ways, and yet we stand two different people with different backgrounds and striking opinions.

He is an admirer of nature's beauty and often likes to compose songs revolving around the aura of nature. I, I find peace in the woods, but I don't really have the admiration for mother nature like him. Instead, I have fascination for skyscrapers in big cities and loud, noisy life.

But look, we don't always get what we want and we crave for what we don't have.

I have my home on the outskirts of the city, with life at its general slow pace. Jared lives on the tallest building of the area and is the son of the city's most successful businessman. I wonder why he travels all the way to our school in a car about 7 miles away from his home when he can take admission in any school near his locality.

Jared has got a big family in his 5BHK apartment while I, live with my Grandma in our little cottage. Basically, he is everything I want to be, and I am everything he aims for.

And even though we're different in a thousand ways, we both are the same inside.

He too, doesn't open his mouth to utter a word until he finds it worth saying.

He too, is caught up in his own fears of judgement and yet pretends to be perfect.

He too, possesses a fierce fire below his gentle surface.

I told him everything about the miserable party that day and that idiot Joseph and the slap yesterday.

To this, he gasped, "Gosh Amber, so much has happened and you didn't care to tell me anything on phone."

I wish I had the guts to tell him about Ivy too, but something just didn't feel right. I promised myself to tell him a few days later. I didn't want to sound like a total creep to him after a long vacation. Afterall, it could have been my own subconscious playing tricks on me. At least that's what I'd read in most psychology books.

During the break, he had dozens of photos to show me of his recent trip and so many different stories to tell. Being the excellent listener I am, I listened to him carefully, adding funny comments in between his splendid explanations.

A/N:-
Caution: This book is not romance.