Beside You

Ella

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I flail my arm out, from under my sheet, and slap my phone's screen repeatedly until the noise shuts up. Groaning, I turned to squint at the blazing sun shining through my window. The memories came back slowly, then all at once. Australia. "Great," I moan sarcastically, pulling the sheets over my face. It's my first day of school and my motivation is at -10%. Can't I just skip? No one will notice; no one even knows I exist, yet. My dad's already left for work. I chuckle at my master plan, but remorse quickly takes over when I remember the harsh words I screamed at dad, a week ago.

I apologized and realized I had no other choice, since I couldn't stay with mom-I hated her for what she did to dad. So, I packed my boxes up, my dad trying to reassure me: "It'll be good for you, Kath. A new, fresh start."

I roll my eyes and pull my hair up in a messy bun. Its feeling more like a sweaty, dank and bizarre start, here in Australia. God, the sun! I rip out my muscle tee and distressed, black jeans from my wardrobe and pull it together with a flannel tucked around my waist. I have no patience to worry about style over comfort in this weather. I grab my bag, heading for the door. Hopefully, the school bus comes on time, before I melt in this heat.

...

Was it the heat getting to me or the burning gaze of 30 pairs of eyes on my face? "My name's Kathleen. I'm uh-18." Stop staring.

"Yes, class, we have a new student in the room. She'll be permanently staying with us for the rest of the term. Please, make her feel welcome. Kathleen, welcome!" The teacher finishes her roll call and begins the lesson, but my attention is drawn to my neighbor, hissing my name.

"Psst. Kathleen, your accent is so cute! Are you from Italy?!" She's a pretty, blonde girl; looks like she's popular, outgoing, friendly... "France" I correct her and she gasps, "WHY, in the world, would you want to come HERE!"

My thoughts exactly. "I didn't have a choice," my voice cracked, giving way to my emotions. "Sorry, I don't mean to," I tried to hide my face.

"Oh my god, touchy subject," she grimaced, "I'm sorry." She pat my shoulder, then left me to recollect myself and resume her studies. Ugh. Reminder to self: next time, skipping class is NOT an option.

...

At the sound of the bell, I leap for the door. I just want to go home, sink into my bed and call it a day...a year...a lifetime! Someone calling my name stopped me in my tracks. I turned to see the pretty blonde girl.

"Hey! Kathleen! My name's Ella. Sorry, about before! Now, I feel bad..."

I tried laughing my embarrassment off, "No! It wasn't your fault! It's just,-" I don't really know this girl, but I feel like I should at least explain why I was crying. "my parents separated, so my dad took me, here; he has relatives here. I'm just really emotional, right now, I guess. Everything's still new to me. Sorry, for bringing you into this." I itched my face. Don't cry. Don't. Cry.

"Man, I'm so sorry. Well, since you're the new kid, I'll show you around and, hopefully, I can make your day a little better?! Or, at least, make you forget, what's happening back home, for a while. Come on, friend!" She pulled me by the hand towards the bus. A tear escaped. But it wasn't because I felt sad.

...

"...and MY YOUNGER BROTHER WAS STANDING, THERE, IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR, WITH MY BRA ON, SINGING TO BRITNEY SPEARS--I SWEAR!" We were sitting in front of a large window, inside an ice cream parlor, laughing our asses off--as pedestrians stared passing by--without a care in the world.

"WAIT, stop--I CANT BREATHE," I gasped, "HOW OLD IS HE AGAIN?!"

"SIXTEEN!" She shrieked. A boom of laughter echoed throughout the room. "Oh my god, we gotta get out, before we get kicked out!"

"Good idea," I slid out from my seat, about to follow Ella to the cashier, when a flash of red caught my eye, outside the large window. My eyes followed the head of a towering figure in black, followed by a friend of his with a similar figure and presence. Their atmosphere and energy were captivating, like they had all the time in the world at their fingertips, but no care at all.

Ella caught me smiling and stops in her tracks, "Do you see someone?"

"Yeah, would you, by any chance, know those--?" As soon as I had turned to point Ella in my line of sight, the two boys had disappeared in the crowd. "Oh? There were these two boys: one with red hair, the other blonde; they were both insanely tall and lanky, had a strange choice of attire for this weather (all black)...now, they're gone." My cheeks turn red from embarrassment.

She chuckled and winked, "Could be anyone, but if I were lucky, I'd say that sounds like my boyfriends...Impossible, though: you said there were only two of them."

"What do you mean?" Not getting the reference. Ella just shook it off, urging us to move on to more sightseeing. But, I couldn't shake off that bright red hair; it was ingrained on the back of my eyelids.