Just Me - [S. Barber]

A Deafening Silence

SYDNEY AND Lia begin their exhausting walk to school. Lia tiredly walks beside her sister, feeling that's what could collapse at any minute.

"I'm tired as fuck." She whines, lightly shutting her eyes as the sun begins to shine brightly on them.

"Did somebody say they were tired as fuck?" A voice calls as the familiar bright colored car pulls up to them. "Oh, thank god." Lia exclaims.

"Hey, Syd! Hey, Lee!" Stanley beams. "Hey." Sydney responds, grasping her bag straps tightly, curiously eyeing the boy.

"Hey." He chuckles, rolling down his window, which seemed to have taken about an eternity. "Hey." Lia says cheerfully.

"You guys goin' to school?" He asks. "Yup. Sydney nods awkwardly. "Yeah." He grins. "Yeah, me too."

He looks to Lia, but quickly glances towards Sydney, who continues to nod at him, not quite sure what else to do or say.

A moment of silence goes by of the two staring at each other before Lia clears her throat, regaining Stanley's attention. "Want a ride?" He asks.

"Uh, sure." Sydney shrugs, walking towards the passenger seat. "Hey, why do I have to sit in the back?" Lia whines, grumpily throwing open the rear door. "Because you're younger, Lee." Sydney responds.

They ride in mainly silence, until Stanley speaks up once again. "Can you believe some people are already asking dates to homecoming?" Stanley asks in a monotone voice, sounding quite similar to that of a robot.

Lia watches as he foolishly smiles at her sister, causing her to roll her eyes and lean her head onto the window. "So stupid. It's so far away." Sydney responds.

"Huh!" Stanley lets out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, totally. Super far. Like.. like a whole week." He says, seemingly trying hard to believe what he had just said.

Lia continues to sit silently in the back, running her plans through her red stained curls. There it is, the defending silence.

"I, Uh, I don't think it's stupid that people are asking right now. It's not actually— that early." She speaks up, coughing in between her words.

"Yeah. I, Uh— cool." Stanley nods, quickly eyeing her through the rear view mirror.

"HEY, LIA!" Caleb calls, causing the red head to turn around. "What?" She asks, crossing her arms. "I was, Uh, wondering if you wanted to go to homecoming with me?" He asks, a blush evident on his face.

"I didn't wanna go to a coffee place with you. Why would I wanna go to homecoming?" She asks in disbelief. "Look, at least give it a shot. M—Maybe you could just try and come to the coffee place with me today. See what it's like?" He asks.

She scoffs, flipping her hair over to the side. "What about no don't you get?" She raises her eyebrows. "You're right. Sorry. I'm a shithead." He sighs, turning around and beginning to walk off.

As soon as he does, a wave of guilt hits Lia like a large boat. "Hey, Wait." She calls, disappointed in herself for even speaking up. Caleb turns around, his eyes sparkling at her.

"I'll... I'll go to the coffee place with you. I guess." She purses her lips, awkwardly smiling towards him. His lip curves up as he silently cheers. "Awesome. I'll.. see you after school." He grins, sending her a peace sign before 'peacing out'.

LIA ARRIVES at the coffee shop, anxiously tugging on her bag. Her eyes were heavy and her mind was completely empty. Instead, her heart was racing.

She spots Caleb sitting alone at a booth, sipping a large chocolate milkshake. His hair seems brighter, so do his eyes. He can't seem to stop smiling and he hasn't even seen her.

"Hey." Lia chuckles nervously as she sets her bag down under table, taking a seat in front of the boy. "Hey. What's— what's up?" He asks.

"Nothing much. You?" She asks. "No, no, nothing." He smiles. The two sits in a deafening silence, simply staring into each other's eyes.

Caleb clears his throat, quickly taking a sip of his milkshake. "Do you maybe wanna— Do you maybe wanna, like, go somewhere?" He asks. "Go where?" She inquires.

"I have this place." He chuckles.

"Well, then, take me to this place."

<3