Penny For Your Thoughts | A Bruno Mars Story

Chapter 4: The Lazy Song

I muffled a singular laugh as I embraced her back. It felt so good to finally have a loyal friend I could count on. For years, I always had myself to survive through the school hallways for a number of years. Now, I actually have someone to talk to when I feel like I need the support.

We pulled away from the hug as I could feel myself getting emotional. "You're so awesome Alisha, I wish you attended my school."

Alisha smiled seemingly at the thought, "What school do you go to?"

"Sunset Hill High," I answered her question quickly, "do you know that place?"

"Yeah," Alisha sighed after a short pause, as if to say "unfortunately", "I was a graduate from that school a few years back, and let me tell you this, I surely didn't have the best social life out there back in my day."

She gave me a wink right after which got me to feel more comfortable over the fact that I wasn't the only human in the world who had horrible social skills. But otherwise felt horrible for Alisha having to receive the shorter end of the stick.

"That makes the two of us then," I emphasized on what Alisha shared with me about her earlier life. Which got me to wonder about her age. I didn't want to ask her what her age was out of the blue, that would come out as somewhat rude to her. By the looks of it though, she didn't seem like someone who was about to hit thirty, but she doesn't look like someone who was in the middle of surviving through college either. 

Whatever her age was then, she was still young looking, beautiful, and an easy person to become friends with.

Alisha raised her eyebrow at me, like she was in shock. She then continued to wipe down the tables as I just stood there watching her clean and do her job. "Is that so? You know what you did that first day when I met you? When I asked you a question while you were mindlessly listening to your tunes in your iPod?"

"Y-yeah," I confirmed nervously as I distinctly remembered that moment when we first spoke to each other. Alisha, however, carried on scrubbing the glossy tables.

"What did you do honey cake?" Alisha stopped momentarily what she was doing to face me again. Her hand clutching on her hip once more, with the wipe and spray being held on tightly in her closed fist.

"I...answered your question?" I trailed my answer, unsure of the point Alisha was trying to make.

"Exactly!" she spoke in a very ringing voice, which also got me to feel more awake, due to the volume of Alisha's clear tone. "You talking to me just proves that you are a better communicator than I was when I was your age. I couldn't even say a simple "hello" or "I'm fine thank you" when some stranger like myself a few weeks ago, asked me how I was or for my name even."

"Gee, really?" I asked her in disbelief. Hearing about an awkward and obnoxious Alisha from the past definitely surprised me, considering I was just getting to know a more confident Alisha today.

"Yeah, can't you believe it?" she asked me as she took a seat on a chair right next to her. I took the next seat available, and both of our legs were facing each other.

"It took some time for me to gain the confidence I have today. Like yourself, I have gained some friends along the way who could understand me during my time in college," she continued to tell me, and I listened to her story.

"Of course, we had our fun and all, but we eventually went on our separate ways after we graduated, I did, however, earned myself a little bit of charisma from that timely experience. It was nice," Alisha sighed happily, and I was particularly glad that she had the chance to better herself in the end.

"That is why," she scooted her bottom closer to me along her chair, before she could rest her elbows on her thighs, "I am telling you right now that you are so much better than I was in the beginning. Don't let anything stop you from speaking up honey. Everybody deserves to know and see the amazing person you are. That I know of anyway."