Afraid to Fall- H.S.

Chapter Two-The Stranger

Those who love high school and senior year need to grow the fuck up. Getting up at 6:00 is not appealing to any normal person on the planet.

The only think nice about being up this early is that the rush of New York City streets haven't quite started yet, which leaves time for me to skateboard. I throw on my "whore shorts" as I call them with a black tank top paired with a flannel. School dress codes and go to hell. However, I push aside my negative perceptions on the world as I attempt to multitask brushing my teeth and hair while in the bathroom.

I hastily grab my flip phone and put it in my backpack. I don't have have the money for an up to date phone. Would I like one? Of course. Do I have the money for one? Funny.

Finally,  I exit my dad and I'd crummy apartment. It's in the sketchy part of New York, although you're practically talking about majority of the city. Yet somehow, the apartments in this area are somehow worse than usual, probably because my dad's paycheck is going to spirits and beer. Then again, I could probably do a better job at saving my money myself.

Thank God my dad was passed out when I left. He always gets in a bad mood after drinking all night. My face is bruised and stings a little when I move my mouth, but it'll heal. I quickly hop on my board and skate down the cracked cement sidewalk to the busier streets, going towards the heart of the city in Brooklyn. It's still dark outside, but the sun is starting to appear outside.

I love everything about skateboarding. I love the way I feel so free, the way the wind rushes through my hair, gliding down the streets, and just being free from that awful place. I never quite mastered skateboarding. I am a walking tornado and am naturally a clumsy person. The sun is rising, and the streets are gradually starting to get more congested with people as the minutes tick by.

Out of nowhere, this ass decides to step right in front of me when I'm only about ten feet away from him. I only see the back of his tall, lean figure when I frantically try to get my skateboard to come to a stop. Somehow it stops only about two feet behind him, and he turns around just as I attempt to step off but somehow manage to get my shoelace caught on the wheel and practically stumble on the sidewalk.

Perfect. Seriously, does this guy not know how a sidewalk works?

"Woah, are you ok?" I hear a deep voice ask. Strange, he sounds British. I don't even bother to look up at him, too busy getting my shoelace out of the wheel sitting on dirty sidewalk of NYC.

When I finally look up, I see a guy about my age crouch next to me. His green eyes and fluffy eyelashes search my own, and I almost have to do a double-take. Almost. He does definitely have good features. His chiseled jawline almost throws off the boyish, apologetic grin he gives me. It contradicts the other, the boyish smile and the manly facial features, but he makes it work by the way his smile gives his face a warmer, relaxed look.
His wavy, chestnut hair falls just below his ears. He looks at me with concern and an expression on his face I can't read. 

I mentally face palm myself and close my eyes again. I sigh. "Ya, I'm fine," I quickly answer him. "Can you just pretend you didn't see that?"

I open my eyes again and he laughs. "See what?" He plays along, jokingly. Hmmmm. So he can be playful? He has a beautiful smile, and I find myself smiling too. "Here, let me help you up," He adds.

He gestures his hand out to me, but I push myself up without taking his hand. He looks at me curiously. "Why'd you do that?" He asks. He doesn't sound offended, just curious.

"I don't need anybody's help, plus I barely know you," I tell him simply. I 'm a socially anxious person, but it's different with him. For some reason, I can talk to him without being nervous. "I'm sorry," I let out a laugh. "If you can't already tell, I'm extremely clumsy," I joke. I get a strange feeling of familiality.

He lets out a deep chuckle. "That must explain the bruise on your cheek."

Ah. There it is. My cue to leave.

I tense at his words. I hope he didn't notice. "Uh..Yeah" I breathe out. I can't lie for shit, but I'm hoping he didn't notice. To sell it, I force a smile. "Well, it's nice meeting you, stranger, but I should get going."

"It was nice meeting you too, but I never quite got your name," He leads on.

"It's a secret," I tell him, keeping a playful tone in my voice.

He smiles again. "You're going to be like figuring out a puzzle, aren't you?"

"No, we probably won't every meet again, but it was nice meeting you," I tell him. There's something about him that I can't explain. I smiled more in our short conversation than I have the whole day yesterday.

"We'll see," He says quietly, a crooked smile still on his pink lips.

I grab my board beside me, and start skating away. "Bye!" I yell out, not looking back.

"Bye!" I hear a yell from the distance and smile. Maybe that conversation was that sign I needed.

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Thanks for reading!

Ok, this is me after writing chapter thirty. I would just like to say, this story is absolute shit right now and will be for the next few chapters. Just, please bear with me. If you make it to the end of this, it'll be worth it, I promise.