This Is Reality

Chapter 3

I was startled the next morning by Bobby's dog, Champ. He licked my face with his big, wet, slobbery tongue.

"Ew, Champ!" I exclaimed, pushing Champ's head out of my face and sitting up.

I glanced at the clock. 9:00am straight. I threw my covers off and got out of bed. I opened my backpack and picked out the outfit I bought yesterday, the one with the navy blue shirt and the blue jeans, and put it on. I put ankle socks on and opened the door. I went straight to the bathroom. Everyone was at school, Mr. Davis was at work, and Mrs. Davis was in the kitchen, making something.

In the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and combed my hair, then went back to the guest room and made the bed. It was not my average morning. Usually I'd be waking up in the woods, with no noises except for morning crickets chirping, and a few rustling noises. My head would hurt from the rock I used for a pillow, and I always had grass, dirt, or leaves all over me. Sometimes I was covered in a slight bed of snow and woke up freezing to death. I survived alone in the woods for three years, and I was surprised at myself.

After I made the bed, I went to the kitchen to see what was going on in there. I hear sizzling, and pots clanging every once in awhile. There was a guy sitting at the counter, some guy that seemed familiar from the back. When he turned around, I instantly recognized him. I would know that face anywhere.

Oliver.

I stopped in my tracks. Oliver smiled at me, still unaware of who I was, but I knew exactly who he was. I knew his darkest secrets, his smallest secrets. Everything. But then again, things have changed. A lot.

"Hi, I'm Oliver," he reached out to shake my hand.

"Nice to meet you." I said, reaching for his hand.

Oh, just to walk down the beach with him again, hand in hand! I remembered his soft hand in mine. I remembered his strong grip.

"You look familiar. Have we met before?" Ollie asked. YES, we HAVE met before! Why don't you remember me?

"You don't look familiar, like, at all. I don't think I've ever met you before." I replied, laughing a little bit.

"Oh, yeah, you were hiding in my bushes yesterday." Oliver figured everything out. Not.

"Oh, yes, I remember that."

"Speaking of, what were you doing in those bushes?" he laughed.

"I was-, uh, inspecting the bushes." I made up something real quick before I got caught.

"Inspecting the bushes?" Oliver said, rasing his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I was making sure there were no bugs in there." I replied, still lying.

Mrs. Davis heard everything, and I was so embarrassed. I hoped she wouldn't ask me about it. Oliver already thought I was a freak, I didn't need the Davis' thinking the same thing. But, to my surprise (not), she confronted me about it when Oliver left.

"Arlene, I know none of that was true, and I definitely do not want to be a busy body, but why did you lie to him like that?" Mrs. Davis asked, making me regret lying to him.

"Do you really want to know?" I already knew the answer, but I didn't want to tell her why. Oh, boy, I was having the best of luck today, because she nodded, and I ended up telling her about everything. My abusive parents, Oliver being my boyfriend, me running away, me coming back, and everything about being in his bushes. I made sure to thank her for being so generous towards me at the end of my long story, but it was hard because I was crying. Life had been hard, and I was glad I had Mrs. Davis to lean on.

"I understand, and you don't have to cry, sweetheart. I'm going to say this because you are like my daughter already, lying is a sin, and when we sin, we're displeasing the Lord." Mrs. Davis was going to continue, but I stopped her.

"I'm not a Christian, so please don't tell me when I sin. I know what I'm doing, and I won't get out of control with it." I replied in a very calm voice. Mrs. Davis nodded, which meant she understood, but I knew she didn't, and pulled me into a hug.

Later on, when Bobby and Candice came back from school, I was in the guest room, sitting on the bed, staring at the door. I didn't know they were home until someone knocked on my door.

"Come in." I said, still staring at the door. I thought Candice was knocking at the door, but nope. It was Bobby.

"Do you like ice cream?" he asked, with that cheesy boy grin on his face.

"I guess." I replied, trying not to grin at his grin.

"You, me, ice cream. Get ready, okay?" he told me.

"Already ready." I said, getting off the bed and walking past him through the door. I felt him grin at me so I turned around to see if I felt right, and I did. He was grinning at me.

We were in the silence zone. Bobby's car. He was taking me out for ice cream. Was this a date? I wasn't sure. Did he like me? I wasn't sure about that either. I hoped he did, because I sure liked him, or so I thought I did. I'd just have to see if it was one of those crushes that lasted for a week or if he was the one. When we got to Dairy Queen, Bobby opened the car door for me, which was odd. We walked up to the ice cream place and he opened the door for me again, which was also odd. He didn't do that at Walmart. Well, Walmart is just Walmart, but still.

I ordered an Oreo Blizzard and Bobby ordered a Reese's Blizzard. When our ice cream was ready, we picked out a table and sat down.

"So..." he tried starting a conversation.

"So." I replied, more chipper and less awkward than his 'So.' "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, my name is Bobby Davis, which you already know, so I don't know why I said that, but anyway, I'm seventeen. I was homeschooled until I was eleven. I believe in the Pentecostal Holiness lifestyle, but I'm non denominational, and I grew up in a Pentecostal Holiness Church. My best friend's name is Jacob, he goes to my Church and just got transferred to my school a year ago. I sing and play guitar in Church. My Grandpa is a pastor. I don't know what else to tell you, so it's your turn." Bobby replied.

"I'm seventeen, like you. I played piano when I was twelve, but I'm not that good, to be honest with you. I don't have any siblings. My parents were both abusive and always drunk," I told him about my whole life story, and he was understandable and kind about it all, even though my past was really tragic.

"I can't believe someone that went through all of that is still surviving." he said, shaking his head.

"I wish I didn't survive. I would've been better off dying." I replied.

"Don't talk like that." he said sternly. I blushed a little bit and took a bite of my ice cream, he did the same.

"Well, it would've been easier that way." I said after a few seconds had passed.

I thought he liked me, I really did, but then again I have no idea why he would. I wasn't that pretty, to be honest with you, I felt like I was way to skinny and fragile, my eyes were dark blue, not the prettiest eyes at all, I ate sloppy, and I was quite moody. The only thing I had left was, well, me, and I was a failure. I hated myself sometimes. But Bobby didn't look at me like everyone else did, he looked at me like I was important, and he made me feel it, too. Hopefully he was the one, because I haven't met anyone as special to me as him, and I've only known him for two days.