Reaching out to people sometimes doesn't work out the way others intend it to. Inez faced the brute force of those consequences when beginning to tackle the wall that was Sebastian.
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Plagued by loneliness since childhood, seventeen-year-old Inez...
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You Can't Help Every Broken Person You Come Across
My hand reached out, grabbing my white slip-on Vans from the floor. I slipped the shoes onto my feet, giving them a quick stomp before getting up. My mom gave me a quick kiss on the cheek goodbye before she had to leave for work. Dad had already gone early.
Warm air surrounded me as I stepped out of the house and into the outside world. The sun was shining brightly today. Skies of blue with not a cloud above. Birds chirped among each other in the thick trees that aligned the sides of the road. It was indeed peaceful. The only problem was my mind.
Ever since that day at the café, Jackson's words have run through my brain at hundreds of miles per hour. When I thought I had finally decided on a proper answer, a new worry came up. Instead of focusing on my workouts at home for volleyball, I sat on the ground in our basement, weight in hand, contemplating.
What do I think?
I'd been asking myself that every single second of the day for two whole days. It was like a lost puppy following me around day in and day out. I couldn't escape from my head.
If it weren't for Chrissy letting out a loud honk from her car, I don't think my brain would've ceased. She'd taken her red 2010 Chevy Camaro. It was a used car that she managed to buy for around ten thousand. With some help from her parents and her part-time job, she can now drive to school. She also considers it her child.
"Why're you just standing there? Get in!" Chrissy shouted impatiently.
"I'm coming," I replied, picking up my pace to a light jog.
"Jesus, you'd think since you're a captain that you wouldn't be so damn slow," she grumbled as I closed the passenger side door.
"I was just thinking."
"About who?" she immediately inquired, giving me the side-eye as she drove.
"Who?"
"Yeah, who. I already know that it's about a certain someone. I just want to hear it from you myself."
I stared down at my hands in silence. The only sound around us being radio music turned down at a low volume and the soft hum of her car on the road. It smelled like vanilla with a hint of the leather inside of the car. The scent was nice and reminded me of all the fun we've had driving around in here.
"Why do you look like your cat just died?" she sighed.
"I do not," I muttered.
"Inez, what's going on? Why are you thinking about this so hard?"
I leaned back in my seat, running a hand through my brown hair. "Because Danny and Jackson both made valid points. I keep thinking, 'What if Danny's right?' Then, 'But Jackson's argument would make sense.' It goes on and on."
