Deafening Silence

Chapter 2

Dear Stranger,

Thinking that you kept the other letter, I just wanted to say a few things about Travis and I. We were a typical couple, a typical love story, but with a sort of twisted ending. There wasn't anything too special about us. I was a freshamn on the volleyball team, and he was a junior and a cross country runner when we met. Like I said, nothing special.

The first time we met was at my house. I remember swinging my door open as the sound of many loud voices filled my ears, and the smell of spaghetti and meatballs filled my nose. I walked by many unfamiliar faces, most filled with glee and laughter. I walked into my kitchen where my older brother, Ben stood. I sat lazily on a barstood as my school bag dropped to the floor.

"Another spaghetti dinner? Didn't you have one last week?"

"Yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you."

Just in case you didn't know, some teams have spaghetti dinners on friday nights and stuff. That's where all of the members of a team go to one house and they eat spaghetti and meatballs and talk and have a lot of fun. Since there are a lot of people on cross country, we have to choose a big house to have it at, which just happens to be ours. Our volleyball ones are always held at at the captain, Emily's house.

That night I had an abundance of algebra homework which, of course, I didn't understand at all. I've never been good at math. I was actually in the middle of math homework when I met Travis.

I remember it very vividly, but I haven't been able to picture it since he left. It hurts too much, and it's very triggering. As if anything isn't right now.

Right now am blinking very fast, because I'm simply trying not to faint from the pain of this memory. If that makes any sense. I've been blocking the memory of the first time I saw Travis out of my head. Until now.

He was pushing the door open with his back, because he was holding three plates, all stained with red sauce. He was talking to somebody else in the room and he claimed that John was a dumbass. I assume he was talking to John. I remember following him with my eyes as he placed the plates in the sink, then washed his hands, then dryed them on a paper towel. Then, he turned and faced me, smiling to himself.

I remember clearly that he was so astonishing, I dropped my pen. Then I hit my head on the underneath of the table while trying to pick it up. Great first empression.

Anyway, he had medium brown hair that waved to one side, a strong, but slim build, perfect teeth, and his eyes, oh my God, his eyes. His icy blue eyes pierced me so deep, I think they left a scar. 

He chuckled slightly when I hit my head, but I saw that he was a little concerned for me. I also know that I was blushing furiously. 

"Are you alright?"

"Mmhm, just peachy."

"So, what's your name?"

I stuck out my hand for him, "Avery, Ben's sister."

He nodded approvingly, "Nice! I'm Travis Rupert Price the first."

"The first, nice touch!"

He did a small bow, "Why, thank you!"

I let out a small snort at him, "Wait, did you say that your middle name is Rupert?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Awwwh! I should call you Rupert!"

"Please don't."

"Oh, oh, oh, WAIT! Oh my God, I'm gonna call you Roo!"

"Oh, God."

"Hey, Roo! How's it goin', Roo? What's the math howework again, Roo?" 

"So you're gonna call me Roo now?"

"Yup."

And thus, the nickname Roo was born.

Now, I can feel darkness swirling around me as I try to forget how much he meant to me. But that's never going to happen. He means too much to me. I can't forget him, no matter how much I try.

After our first encounter, we only saw each other during school. As I walked down the hallway, we would pass each other and he'd scream out my name, trying to embarass me. I embarassed him even more by yelling "Roo!" at him at the top of my lungs. During lunch, I sat with a group of people that I wasn't especially fond of. Unfortunately, my best friend Jasmine was in the lunch before me, so I sat awkwardly and quiet at a table with some aquantinces. But a week later, I felt two hands cover my eyes and a familiar voice laugh.

"Guess who, Avery!"

"It's Roo!"

I remember that day he was being increidably flirty, and it was adorable. He was adorable. He crouched down next to me and asked me to come to his lunch table, which I gladly accepted. He grabbed a chair and I sat down awkwardly, not knowinng what to say. But, it's okay. They all seemed to like me right away.

His friends were very nice, and they treated me really nicely. I don't know how else to say it, but I hope you're getting what I'm saying. Chairlie was a junior with green eyes like emeralds and dark brown curly hair. He had really straight teeth and he was really funny. John is a little nerdy, but he's adorable, too. He had buzzed blond hair and grey eyes. Also, there was another person here named Stan, and he is a red-headed boy with the most adorable smile and the cutest nose.

Roo's locker was just around the corner from mine, and hewould walk me to every class, and after school we would meet and walk to our sports together. I felt like I was in a dream. I felt like I was flying. 

Now, I'm sobbing desperately into my pillow at the thought of all of these moments; these little memories that complete me and break me into pieces at the same time. And I keep taking sense-dulling sips of alcohol, and now my vision is becoming blurrier by the second and I hope I'll still be able to type to you because my brain is so alive and active that I can't sleep anymore. Maybe for an hour a night. And I just fall asleep. Sometimes at three or four. Not at five, then waking up at six-thirty for school. It's a random time. Sometimes I just fall asleep at eleven or twelve. I don't mean to, and sometimes, well, most times, I don't even realize it.

And I'm trying to calm down, but my breathing is getting heavier by the second and I can't see well anymore. I'm sorry if I'm making a lot of typos. I'm sorry I'm cutting this short, but I really don't feel like I can control myself. I don't want to do anything more harmful than I've already done.

Love,

Avery

Author's Note: