Meet You There

Meet You There - Chapter 3

Chapter THREE            

I was walking, looking down at my phone, when I bumped right into someone, on my way home that day.

I assume he had been looking at his phone too. Teenagers.

    "Sorry," I said quickly.

    "Oh no, I'm sorry. I wasn't..."

      He stopped talking, but kept his eyes on me. I kept walking, after barely glancing at him. I did notice that he was tall. And he was wearing a green hoodie.

    "Hey," he called out.

    "Uh, yeah?" I stopped.

    "You go to Renaissance?"

    "It was my first day today," I told him, for some reason.

    "Ahh."

    "I gotta get home," I finished, then continued on my way, not looking back.

Caleb wasn't home when I got back, which didn't surprise me. I had already decided I was going to take a bath - his tub had jets - and relax for the evening.

I was eating a banana and flipping through Netflix when he came in, two brown bags in his hands.

"I got dinner. How was your first day?" he asked right away, dropping the bags onto the island, in the kitchen.

"It was... good. I think," I answered, moving into the kitchen.

"Good? Wow."

"What?"

"Well, I guess I was expecting fine, or okay. Good is... good!" he laughed.

"It's familiar. My last two school years were really rough, so this one has to be good," I smiled back.

He pulled out the burgers, onion rings and fries. My stomach growled.

"Sorry. I hate that we lost touch," he told me, already biting into his burger.

"It's not your fault. My family kind of... dissipated." I look down at the food in front of me.

"Yeah..."

"So," I just wanted to change the subject. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. Sort of."

"Sort of? It's yes or no." I laughed, shoving a fry into my mouth.

"Well, yes. But we are on a break," he answered.

"Oh. Sorry." I felt stupid for asking.

"No, don't be. It's a bit complicated." He forced a smile.

I finished my dinner and thanked him, then packed some food for lunch the next day. It was strange how comfortable I was there, in my Uncle's apartment. It actually felt like home, more so than anywhere I had been since I lived in Bellport.

The guy that I had bumped into the previous day, after school, was standing in the same spot - in front of a coffee shop - the next morning. It was fifteen minutes before first bell. I noticed him there, but kept walking. He looked up as I passed.

    "Hey, new girl."

       I looked back but didn't stop. He hurried his pace to walk beside me. Today he was wearing a blue hoodie that zipped up.  And white sneakers.