Bleeding Color

8. Infatuation

I spend most of Saturday locked up in my room. Christina comes in every now and then to make sure I'm still here and breathing, but doesn't do much other than that. I hear a knock on my door, and know it's her without having to ask. She pushes the door open gently and walks into my room. I have the TV in my room playing a marathon of "Friends." That usually manages to cheer me up.

Christina doesn't say a word, and climbs onto my bed. She lies down, using my stomach as a pillow. I know she's dying to speak, but she stays silent. We lie there for a moment, both of us itching to get words out, but neither one of us having the courage to speak.

My mom eventually calls us down for dinner, and Christina and I roll off the bed and head downstairs. After dinner, I ask my mom if I can go to The Negative Zone. I need time to think, but for some reason I can't manage to have any coherent thoughts in this house today.

Christina and I spend a small amount of time at The Negative Zone, but it's Saturday night so the store is crowded with people playing different card and board games and making a ton of noise. People can get heated when they think someone is stacking their deck. I'm not sure what that means exactly, but I heard one of the boys scream about it to his opponent.

I'm riding in the front seat of my mom's SUV with my head against the window, staring into the rearview mirror. I perk my head up once I realize we're driving through downtown. "Hey mom can you drop me off by the library?"

My mom furrows her eyebrows and glances between the road in front of her and me. She relaxes her face and agrees. "Call me when you need to be picked up." I can tell she's reluctant about leaving me, but my mom knows she can trust me.

My mom pulls the car over in front of the library, and I sluggishly hop out. Christina doesn't move. I guess she knows that I want to be alone to think. I love my sister, and she's my security blanket, but even she knows when I need to be by myself.

The sun has already set, but the library is still open. This town must love their library because it stays open until nine o'clock most nights. Sunday it closes early, but most of downtown does too.

I browse the shelves for a while, not really paying much attention to the words my eyes are scanning. I'm too busy overthinking to be processing the words in front of me. I wander through the library, and find a door on the second story leading outside. My curiosity gets the best of me.

I walk through the door and find exactly what I had been looking for all day – a place to get away. The door leads to a balcony. There are benches, and tables, and plants surrounding the empty areas. The lights are dim, but bright enough to read in if anyone wanted to do so. It is a library, after all. There's a bench that faces away from the library building and looks over the railing. There is a bridge below, connecting the sidewalks on either side of the creek that runs through downtown. The bridge is modern and red, and can't be more than a few years old considering the near perfect condition. It stands out from the rest of downtown, but still manages to belong.

On the other side of the bridge stands a large modern building consisting of mostly glass. Random windows throughout the building are colored, but I can't see much inside of the building because all of the lights are off. I remember the building from when Christina and I first drove through downtown while exploring. The building is the Arts Center and looks even more incredible during the day. There are sculptures decorating the landscape all around the building, bringing it to life.

My eyes travel from the building's base to the roof. My eyes widen when I see someone sitting on the edge of the roof. I study them for a moment. They don't appear like they're going to jump or anything. They're just sitting there. I can't make the person out from where I am, but maybe if I get closer I can.