Owen

Give Me A Chance

I checked my phone for the time, her class would be ending any minute. And as long as everything went fine, I was about to walk my gimp ass to her from across the pavilion. I was nervous, maybe borderline terrified my legs wouldn't support me, my coordination not quite there all the time. But I had to do something to get her attention and this was my best shot. She'd understand.

"So you want me to just sit in the car?" Alec asked from the driver's seat.

"Yeah." I mumbled, my heart racing. "Just park somewhere she can't see you."

He nodded. "You sure you don't want me to like walk beside you just incase?"

I wasn't sure at all.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

It was a long fucking walk even from the curb where I had Alec park in the fire lane. The worst thing that happened was I fell. Embarrass the hell out of myself and probably Mina too and still never get a chance with her. I was hoping like mad things would go slightly better than that.

I checked the time again, taking a sharp inhale as I watched the number tick over. If I was going to do this, I had to get out now. I was slow as fuck.

"Alright, I'm going."

"Good luck brother." Alec said.

I shoved open the door to his Jeep, my feet hitting the pavement. I still wasn't sure where my right leg was most of the time. It caused me to have a weird hitch in my gait, even with a walking aid and a brace.

"You got it. Go." Alec urged.

I grabbed my canes, they were the four prong kind at the bottom to give me a little more balance. Shoving myself out of the door frame, I swung my right leg through a little more dramatically then I had intended as I shifted around to shut the door. My heart was beating out of control in my chest. I wasn't sure if it was nerves from the thought of walking so far or because of Mina and what she may or may not say.

The first few students were filtering out of the building. I shook my head, I was an idiot. What was I thinking? There was no way I could do this. I'd just started walking on my own. The most steps I'd ever taken unassisted with just the canes was like ten. This was at least triple.

"Go man!" Alec shouted, his voice muffled through the closed car.

Maybe if I just stood there, she wouldn't even notice I was there. I could just slip back into Alec's Jeep and shove this idiotic idea to the back of mind.

But then I saw her.

A pair of sunglasses perched on top of her blond hair that was always pulled back into a ponytail. Her backpack thrown over her one shoulder, a book still in her arms. She had a bottle of water in her hand, the nail polish on her fingernails probably half way chipped off, like it always seemed to be. Her lips were pulled into a line, her eyebrows pinched together, she was lost in her own mind. I wanted to be lost there too.

And that was thing about Mina. She was down right brutal sometimes. She'd rejected me more times than any sane guy would stick around for. But I still wanted to be there, I still wanted to touch the flame even though it'd burn.

I took the first step away from the Jeep, swinging my right leg through haphazardly, I was overthinking it. I just needed to get moving, find a rhythm and my balance. Focus. Trust myself. That's what Mina always said.