All Around Us

Chapter One

Christian Parker. Just the thought of him sent a flutter through Lisa's chest. She'd had a crush on him for as long as she could remember. It was a secret she'd kept hidden, buried deep within her heart. Every day, he'd drive past her house on his way to school, a seemingly innocent gesture that filled her with hope.

The sound of the door opening snapped Lisa out of her thoughts. She realized she had gotten carried away, again. "Arrghh, I really am a mess for this boy," she sighed, reaching for her phone to check the time. Her eyes widened as she realized she was going to be late for school... again. She couldn't get anything right, she scolded herself.

As she walked into class, Lisa prayed that Miss Davis wouldn't notice her tardiness. "Kind of you to join us, Ms. Liss," the teacher said, injecting fake sweetness. But her voice quickly turned harsh, "But there'll be no need for that. This is your third and last punctuality strike. I'm sure you know the way back home." She barked, her eyes shooting daggers at Lisa.

Involuntary tears welled up in Lisa's eyes as she turned on her heel and awkwardly shuffled out of the classroom. Her heart pounded in her chest, a mix of anger, disappointment, and a deep-seated sadness.

From a distance, she heard her name being called out. She didn't pay attention, assuming it was one of the voices in her head. Craning her neck, she saw Christian behind her, asking her to come back to class. A surge of hope washed over her, but she was hesitant.

Miss Davis stopped Lisa as she approached the door to ask her what the reason behind her return was. The moment she saw Christian behind her, the teacher instantly went quiet and granted Lisa passage into the classroom.

Lisa joined the others, caught up with them, and submitted all the work she had received, despite being unable to focus. She was still thinking about what had just happened in the morning.

As school ended, Lisa thought it would be nice of her to go thank Christian for his compassion. As she approached him, their eyes connected, but not for long because he quickly turned back to his friends.

Lisa called his name, but there was no response. She gathered up the courage to call again for the second time, and that's when he turned to her and rudely asked, "What's your business here?" Lisa's heart instantly shattered, and she started questioning his compassionate behavior from earlier.

She rushed back home as quickly as she could, went inside the house, didn't even greet her dad, and went straight to her room. All the happy thoughts she had centered on that day went sideways, and she felt stupid and useless.

Lisa had an emotional breakdown, just like she almost always did when she was upset. Her dad had become familiar with this, so he came over to check on her. She had to lie her way out of it, as it was a petty story, so she just said she wasn't feeling well and went to sleep.