Back to you

Serendipity

When I woke up the next morning still on the roof, it brought me back to that same day all those years ago. I hadn't been looking for happiness with my best friend, love just seemed to find me. I liked to tell her it was because the stars aligned, but we were too busy to notice. We spent the night on the roof with blankets and I woke up that morning to her holding me and I remember thinking that nothing had ever felt so right. I turned in her arms and kissed her. "You don't know how long I've wanted this" She had whispered. I'm not sure how I remained so unaware of how she felt up until then. Her feelings were evident in nearly everything she did, even from the moment we met.

It was my first day of third grade and I didn't know anybody whereas most of these kids had been going to school together since kindergarten. I had moved to the area only a week before. I stood awkwardly in the corner as they picked seats. There was one empty table towards the back. I wasn't too keen on making friends, so I went and sat there.

The room went quiet for a minute as a girl stood in the doorway. She was dressed in black pants, a white tank top and a black jean vest, a dark contrast to all the brightly colored dressed children in the class. She looked up and seemed momentarily startled to see someone sitting where I was, but none the less she made her way to the table and slowly sat down. She had a seemingly permanent pissed off expression on her face and she didn't say a word.

Class went by and soon we were lead outside for recess. I was looking for a quiet place to sit when I heard a voice call out to me. "Why are you dressed like a boy?"

I looked down at what I was wearing. Jeans, old converse and a power rangers shirt. I knew I wasn't particularly girly, but I didn't see anything wrong with it. Before I could answer I was shoved to the ground. I teared up at the action. The same boy that pushed me then kicked dirt on me. Tears and dirt blurred my vision. I heard a cry and opened my eyes long enough to see the boy on the ground holding his jaw. I felt myself be lifted up and lead away into what I assumed to be a bathroom. I was pushed gently into a sitting position on the lowest sink counter. I heard water running and my hands were pulled from face. A wet paper towel was pressed delicately onto my eyes and wiped away the dirt.

"Dont cry. Pretty girls don't cry." Came a soft melodious voice from infront of me.

I was shocked to see the girl with the dark clothes standing there.

Her words registered and I blushed a deep crimson. "You think I'm pretty?" I asked shyly.

"Mhmm." Came her reply.

"What happened to the boy?" I asked curiously.

"I punched him." Was her simple response.

No one had ever done something like that for me.

"Thank you." I replied then quickly kissed her cheek.

That was the first time I saw her smile.

Fast forward to middle school.

She walked with an air of confidence and spoke with conviction. Many kids feared her, but not me. She was my best friend. Her sarcastic attitude, violent demeanor and love of cursing got her in trouble constantly. She was always skipping class and getting into fights. She wasn't one to show much emotion and she hated being vulnerable.

I waited for her in front of school at the end of the day like I always did. She seemed nervous about something.
"Hey Lena." She mumbled.

"What's wrong?" I immediately asked.

"N-nothing. I was just wondering, if uh, maybe, um, you'd um, wanna, uh..." She paused and scratched her head.