Everything Has Changed (Completed)

then - chapter thirty-five

(this is somewhat of a bonus chapter, a "then" scene that I talked about in a previous chapter, let's see if you recognize it!)

I trudged down the steps that lead from our small house to the sidewalk. The streets were already pretty busy with people, from the ever-present tourists, heading to the near mall, to the businessmen rushing to get to work on time.

It had take my mother a while to let me walk to the bus stop on my own, but I was glad for it. I wasn't 7, I could walk down the street on my own.

My black flats slapped across the pavement as I started towards the corner. My stupid new school required stupid uniforms, which meant wearing stupid flats to school everyday. It wasn't anything like the movies; it sucked.

I missed Brookville.

The city was too loud, too polluted, too busy, too... too everything. I hated it. I had spent most of my life moving from city to city with no problem, but after living in Brookville, I missed the calm and quiet. The city didn't feel like home anymore.

The kids at my new school were nothing like the kids from Brookville, nothing like Luke, or even Macy. It was like living with aliens; I didn't know how they worked, what they wanted. Sometimes it even felt like they spoke a different language.

A loud honk pulled me out of my thoughts, and it was only then that I realized I was crying. Frustrated, I quickly wiped away the tears and continued walking. If I kept going at this pace, I would probably miss the bus.

Once I reached the corner, I turned right and then walked two more blocks before stopping at the bus stop. I would have to take the city bus; most kids were dropped off by their parents, but my mother left the house before I did, so that wasn't an option.

People continued to walk around me, not paying any attention to me as I waited for the bus. Looking around, I watched as people passed by. I turned to look back towards the road that the bus would come from, but did a double take when I saw the familiar sight of curly brown hair.

It couldn't be.

I started walking towards the boy, becoming more and more sure that it was Luke the closer I got. His head bobbed back and forth as he walked down the street, and I picked up my speed.

"Luke! Luke!"

Some of the adults turned to look at me weirdly, and I guess I could understand. I was running down the street screaming; I would probably look at me too.

I finally reached Luke and grabbed his shoulders, turning him around before enveloping him in a hug. I heard him mutter something along the lines of "what the hell," but I was so surprised and happy that I didn't care.

"Oh my god, Luke, I–wait," I stammered as I pulled away from the boy, who was not in fact Luke.

He had the same hair, yes, but everything else was wrong.

His nose was too skinny, his eyes were brown, he had no freckles, he was too skinny, he was too... not Luke.

I stared at the boy with wide eyes, and he seemed just as surprised as I was. I couldn't even say anything, just stand there and stare.

Before the boy could say a word, I turned around and quickly walked away. My cheeks had never bee so hot; you could probably cook an egg on them.

I hadn't realized how far I had ran until I had to get back to the bus stop. I was a block away when I realized the bus had just pulled up to my stop an was about to pull away. I started to run, but it was useless.

I had managed to make a fool of myself and miss the bus all in one day.

Great.