The Challenge

"Do you even hear how much of a teenager you sound like right now?"

Everybody has one of these moments. The moment where the entire world around you seems bland and tasteless and then all of a sudden you find that one thing that immediately lifts up your mood. Call it what you want; a silver lining, a light at the end of a tunnel, or a diamond in the rough.
But for me that thing was Lilly. She was my silver lining, my light, and my diamond.

The entire school day felt as if I was watching from the outside looking in. I was watching my body drag itself from class to class, do all the assignments, and force a hollow laugh when with friends. I felt completely empty on the inside, like when Lilly walked away she had taken every part of me with her.
I was turning a corner when I finally saw her. She was standing at her locker with headphones in her ears. I was slightly surprised to see her in school because I didn't think she would give in to Anna so easily. But I guess Anna's persuasion trumps Lilly's stubbornness.

I swallowed suddenly becoming increasingly aware of how thick the air around me was. I took a few steps towards her before deciding against it and sprinting back to my dark corner. I leaned my head against the wall, an agitated frown growing on my face. My fingers curled around the strap of my booking, gripping it tightly. I gathered up my courage enough to poke my head around the wall to watch her take her headphones out of her ears and tuck them safely in her pocket.

She hummed a soft song under her breath, swaying her head to the imaginary beat. My stomach lurched as I thought back to the night when I heard her singing softly under the covers. I felt her chest move and her throat vibrate with every note. I remembered the dark room; her hand in mine and her lips whispering lyrics on my skin.

I gulped coming to the realization that there was no way I could get the guts to face her. I turned around briskly, wanting to make a quick and discreet exit.

"Hey Dustin!" a football player shouted, waving at me from across the hall.

Too late. I groaned just as Lilly looked up from her books to catch my gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw me and I could almost hear her breath catch in her throat. We stare at each other for who knows how long before I finally take the few cautious steps towards her.

"Hey." I cracked a small smile at her.

She only looked at me, her face remaining stoical.

I shifted on my feet, unsure of what to say to her. "I-uh-how are you...um," I stammered over my words. "I'm-I'm not sure what to say here."

Her face remained impassive as she answered, "Well, maybe you shouldn't say anything at all."

She slammed her locker shut with one swift flick of the hand. She whirled around marching away from me. I grabbed onto her wrist pulling her back to me.

"Lilly, please," I begged.

"Don't, Dustin." She wrenched her hand from my grasp. "Don't try talking to me like I've forgiven you. Because I haven't."

"Look I'm sorry. How many more times do I have to say it for you to understand?" I pleaded.

"I will never understand!" she shouted, before realizing a few stares from nearby students. She dropped her voice to a calm whisper as she began to speak.

"I will never understand why you did this and I don't care. It doesn't matter to me anymore. You don't matter to me anymore."

I took a step towards her. "Lilly, come on-"

She placed her hand on my chest, stopping me from going any further. "Just stop."

"Hey, check it out!" Ethan, one of Brad's buddies, yelled, his eyes trained on us. "Looks like Lilly can't get over her creepy obsession with Dustin."