“I found it!” Colby exclaimed. I looked up from the book I was skimming through and found Colby jogging towards me down the aisle of used books. We left the diner a couple of minutes ago and were now at a local book store which sold used books at a cheap price. Colby said he wanted to look for a copy of a particular novel, so I suggested this store. I loved browsing here, and at times I would find a really good book at more than half the price. I didn’t mind about the wears and tears the books possessed—for me every crease added to the charisma of the book. It was also good to know that the former owner of such great page turners had probably read the book so many times that they became worn out.
My eyebrows lowered in curiosity as Colby neared. He had a book in hand, and he was smiling widely. A smile that I couldn’t help but mirror.
Tilting my head to one side, I asked, “What did you find?”
“A book,” he said nonchalantly. His tone clearly contradicted the way his eyes sparkled mischievously as he answered my question. I rolled my eyes and without warning, swung the book that I was holding against his arm. Colby’s shoulders tensed up in surprise, and he jumped backwards just in time to avoid the collision. Once he was firmly standing on the ground again, he narrowed his eyes at me.
Before he could open his mouth, I placed a hand on my hip and pointed my book at him.
“Don’t get smart with me,” I announced, tapping my foot on the floor for that extra effect.
Immediately, Colby’s narrowed eyes turned lively with amusement. “You remind me of my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Collins. She puts her hands on her hips and taps her foot a lot.”
I stared at him disbelievingly as my mouth dropped open slightly, together with my hand that was pointing out the book at him. I continued gawking at the boy in front of me, until Colby cleared his throat, seemingly trying to hold in a laugh.
Colby shrugged as he struggled to keep a straight face. “Just an observation.”
He then stepped closer to me and thrust the book he was holding in his hands near my face. I recoiled back a little to take a look at the front cover. Have A Little Faith. Bending a little to the right, so I could look at Colby from behind the book, I raised my eyebrows at him. Colby smiled.
“This is a really good book,” he offered. “I left my copy in California, so I’m stoked to find a copy here.”
Colby retracted his outstretched arm, examining the book at a closer distance. He swiped his thumb across the front cover of the book. “It’s not too shabby either, given that it’s already used.”
“Creases are not that bad,” I retorted, feeling a strange urge to defend worn out books. I held up the book I was reading, which had undoubtedly more wrinkles and pleats than what Colby was holding. I pursed my lips and gave Colby a firm nod.
“Makes me feel like the former owner loved the book so much, that he had to reread it and reread it who knows how many times.”
Colby smirked. “Or the book is so bad, the former owner threw it against the wall one too many times.”
The book in my hand was already swinging towards Colby again when he put his hands up in surrender.
“Just kidding!” He exclaimed. “Sheesh Kayla.”
He then cleared his throat and tapped Have A Little Faith on the palm of his hand. “As I was saying, this is a great book. An eye and mind opener, I should say. One of the reviews said everyone should read it, and I agree.”
“Okay, sounds interesting,” I said. I put Kafka On The Shore back on the shelf and asked, “So, you going to buy that?”
Colby nodded. “Definitely.”
As we made our way to the cashier, I snuck a sideways glance at Colby and said, “You’re going to let me borrow that, right?”
He burst out laughing. “We’ll see,” he said teasingly while placing the book on the counter. I shrugged, a small smile on my face. He would let me borrow the book, anyway.
Colby began to dig inside his pockets for the right amount of money as I stood beside him, looking at the few magazines on display on the shelves near the counter. The kid behind the register rung it up, and began to place the book on a plastic bag. Out the corner of my eyes, I saw Colby held his hand up, stopping the kid’s movements.
“No need for a bag,” he said in a kind tone. The kid gave a nod and a quick smile at us, before sliding the book back to Colby and gesturing at another customer behind us. I smiled back briefly and proceeded to walk to the sliding doors at the front of the store. I continued walking, expecting Colby to be walking beside me with his newly purchased book tucked safely under his arm. When I looked over to my side though, he wasn’t there. Confused, I turned around fully, and saw that he was on the counter again. Maybe he got the wrong change or something. Internally shrugging, I waited until he was done.
Colby jogged towards me and apologized for the wait. I waved it off with my hand, then we walked out of the store and proceeded to my truck. It was my turn to drive today.
“Why didn’t you buy that book you were reading?” Colby asked as he fastened his seatbelt.
Revving the engine, I shrugged and pulled out of the parking lot. “I already have a copy of that.”
Colby hummed a sound of understanding and began to skim the pages of his newly purchased book. I wrinkled my nose as I saw him do that out the corner of my eye. Sometimes, reading inside a moving vehicle made me sick.
I focused on the road, noting the glow caused by the sunshine to the scenery outside. We were approaching a pedestrian lane, and I pulled to a stop as a guy riding a skateboard zoomed by. For some reason, the guy reminded me of Aaron, and my thoughts drifted to how adorable him and Melissa were. I smiled. They looked so cute together; it was absolute perfection. I knew that it was all puppy love and they were both young, but still. No one could deny how insanely lovely they were.
“So, are we just going to stay here or are we going home?” Colby’s voice suddenly sliced through the silence, and I snapped back to attention, putting my truck in gear. It was a good thing that it wasn’t very busy on the street, otherwise I would’ve gotten a lot of motorists irritated by my spacing out.
“Sorry, mind was in outer space,” I answered lightly, still in a good mood from Aaron and Melissa thoughts.
Colby chuckled while shaking his head, and turned his attention back once again to his book. I drove on, and when we were nearing our neighbourhood, I let out a yawn. Most of the time, I feel sleepy during the early afternoons. Blinking rapidly, I let on hand let go of the steering wheel and slap my cheek lightly. Might help in keeping me awake. Plus it was just a block away from Susan’s house.
As I braked in front of Susan’s house, I yawned again, clamping my hand over my mouth. As I did so, I angled slightly towards Colby and saw that he was staring at me with an amused expression. I raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled.
“Wanna go in for some coffee? Iced,” he offered, removing his seatbelt. “Looks like you need it.”
I was about to shake my head and say that I could just have coffee at my own house, but Colby was out of my truck and was already opening my door. I blinked, wondering in my sleepy haze when did Colby get to move so fast. Turning towards him, I saw that he hand held out a hand for me, waiting patiently for me to get out of the truck as well. I let out a sigh, a little smile gracing my face before placing my hand on top of Colby’s palm, letting him lead me out of the truck.
A few minutes later, we were sat in Susan’s spacious kitchen, me sitting on a chair, my arms resting on the table in front of me while Colby chose to sit on the counter. Both of us were nursing iced coffees, mine a milky concoction while Colby’s was a black one. I remembered that time when he said that coffee is its healthiest in its blackest form. I say the more milk, the better.
Colby took a sip of his drink and I watched with raised eyebrows the contented look that graced his face.
“I make the best coffee,” he announced. “This is even better than Starbucks.”
I scratched at my left eyebrow and rolled my eyes. “Keep dreaming, buddy.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Would it hurt you to agree with me once in a while, even if you actually disagree with me, just to humor me?”
Shaking my head in response, I smothered a smirk as I took a sip of my drink. It really was delicious, but who was I to not take the opportunity to get under this boy’s skin? He had certainly done it to me plenty of times.
“You’re impossible,” he muttered against his cup, and the grin I was holding back suddenly surfaced. It was actually kind of fun watching him be a little bit frustrated. He rolled his eyes and took another gulp of his probably very strong and very bitter iced coffee. Setting the cup beside him, he swallowed and squinted his eyes.
“So, have you talked to Kyle yet?” He asked, voice filled with genuine curiosity.
I cleared my throat and started to drum my fingers against the table. “Yeah, he called me last night.”
Colby nodded in understanding, his hair falling over his eyes a little. He didn’t ask for more details, and for that I was quite grateful. After all, there wouldn’t be too much details to add after we had talked last about this situation. For some reason, I had a feeling Colby knew that still I hadn’t given a definite answer to Kyle yet.
Silence enveloped us, and I felt the need to say something. In a sudden bout of randomness, I blurted out, “Have you ever been so angry, you just want to break something?”
Come to think of it, I had never seen Colby get angry yet. Not even a little angry. I wondered what he was like when he got mad. And I meant really mad, like Incredible Hulk mad.
He looked a little surprised by my question, but then he shrugged. “Not really. Well, at least not recently. I think the last time I got really angry and broke something was when Sondra passed away.”
“Oh,” I said quietly, running a finger along the top of my cup. The creamy white liquid stared back at me.
Colby hopped down off the counter, then leaned against the it. He picked his drink up, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Anger is a very powerful emotion,” he said. “Sometimes it encourages and pushes you, sometimes it leaves you feeling bitter. Could go either way, but most of the time it drains you. Not a very good feeling, if you ask me.”
I murmured in agreement, now only slightly astounded by Colby’s words. I bet Colby Mariano had a take on almost about anything and everything, tangible or not, that existed in this world.
“I don’t get angry easily, anyway,” he added. Then he smirked. “So Kayla, you should also watch your temper—“
My mouth dropped open slightly, but I felt my lips turn up in to a smile. I exclaimed, “Shut up! I can’t help it, just the sight of your face irritates me to the ends of the earth.”
Leave it to Colby to turn a serious moment in to a let’s tease Kayla event.
Colby adopted an indignant expression. “This face irritates you? This handsome face with these incredible features?” He asked while frantically pointing to his face.
I shook my head and smirked, crossing my arms over my chest as I leaned back on the chair. “You know what, Colby, you should definitely watch your vanity—“
“Hey!” Colby cried out. He was fighting off a smile though, so I knew the offence in his voice was fake.
“Because it’s really a turn off,” I finished teasingly as if he didn’t interrupt me.
Laughter erupted out of Colby, and that got me going as well. I braced an arm on the table, as my laughs turned into little giggles.
Colby let out a breath after his laughing fit, and grabbed his drink once again. He made his way to where I was seated, and set his cup down on the table. He then sat himself on a chair across mine, so we were facing each other, with the table the only barrier between us.
When our eyes met, a rush of gratefulness suddenly engulfed me, and for a minute I felt disoriented. I had no idea what had just happened, but one thing was made clear. This boy was quickly becoming an important part of my life. I didn’t know how much, but he definitely was one of the aspects that made me feel contended.
Free.
Happy.
He flashed me a small smile before shifting his gaze to his black coffee. He began to turn his cup around in his hands.
“This is nice,” he murmured, eyes still trained on the cup on his hands. He looked up through his lashes just in time to see me smiling back at him. I nodded once.
“I agree.”
Colby smiled again and lowered his eyelids. It seemed like he was almost shy or something. The thought made me blink. Colby Mariano and the word shy somewhat did not belong together in the same sentence. Reaching over, I poked his arm. He didn’t react, just kept staring down and playing with his cup. I poked him again. Still no response.
I let out an audible breath and decided to pinch the back of his hand lightly. That did the trick.
He lifted his head briefly, but it was enough for me to see the pink tinge on his cheeks. I almost clamped a hand to my mouth to keep my glee from spilling over, but for some miracle I managed to restrain myself.
“You’re blushing,” I said, in a voice laced with a combination of disbelief and amusement. I had never seen Colby blush.
This was a pretty epic moment, if you ask me.
“I am not,” Colby argued, a little too quickly. I folded my lips inside my mouth as I shook with silent laughter. He looked up, pink spots and all, his mouth slightly pouted. My heart melted a bit. He looked so cute, like a little kid! I beamed at him.
“Don’t laugh,” he muttered, averting his eyes once again. I forced myself to stop giggling and took a deep breath.
“Sorry,” I managed to say evenly. I almost added you just looked so cute, but I caught myself at the same time Colby cleared his throat and took a deep breath of his own. The spots on his cheeks were fading, though still visible. I felt my lips twitch again, and Colby fixed me with a hard stare.
“Don’t,” he warned.
Oh but of course, I did.
*****
With a wave, I pulled out of Susan’s driveway and began the short drive towards my own garage. I chose to drive slowly, with open windows, letting a little breeze fill my truck. As I recalled my day with Colby, I couldn’t help but smile. Whenever I was with that clown, there was absolutely no fail—there were always times of laughter. And I would have to say that I look forward to them.
To be frank, those times were some of the best of my days.
Feeling extremely satisfied, I turned left to my garage and after parking my truck, I reached around in the backseat for my bag. With the motion, an object sitting on the passenger seat caught my eye. A book.
I set my bag on my lap and grabbed the book. It was the book Colby had purchased. Have A Little Faith. I let out a low whistle as I fought to roll my eyes. He must’ve forgotten it. I hopped out of the truck and proceeded to walk to my front door, Colby’s book in hand. Matty and my mom were not yet home, so I decided to settle first on the den to wait for them. Placing the book on top of the coffee table, I plopped down on the couch and kicked my shoes off while setting my bag down on the floor.
Tiredness was beginning to creep up my spine, and I rolled my head from side to side. As I did so, my eyes fell on the book. Leaning over, I got a hold of it again and scrutinized the front cover. Colby did say that he agreed with what one review said, that everybody should read this. Okay, then.
I flipped the cover and was about to pass through the first few pages of reviews, but then I paused. Something was scrawled behind the front cover, and since it was a used book, I figured it was something that was written by the former owner. As I read the messily and probably hastily written words though, I felt warmth all over, and my lips pulled upwards in a small, but certainly delight filled, smile.
No need to borrow. This is for you.- C.
It might not have been the grandest of words, and the book was not brand new, but they were enough to lift my spirits up even higher.
There was this popular saying, that first impressions last.
Yes, Colby could come across as cocky, he could get under your skin, and he could be very, very annoying.
But he was smart, considerate, loved kids, and cared about other people.
He was a genuinely good person.
I never thought I would be saying this, but now I felt incredibly lucky that Colby chose to sit beside me that day in Chemistry class.
Setting the book beside me on the couch, I bent over to retrieve my phone inside my bag. I leaned against the backrest and typed a message.
Thank you.
Almost immediately, a reply lit my phone up.
That’s it? Thank you is not going to cut it, missy. I expect dinner for that.
I frowned slightly, and was about to type a sarcastic reply when I realized that his message wasn’t finished yet. I scroll down further, and when I finally reached the end of his message, I chuckled.
Just kidding! You’re welcome.
*****
Wasn’t it fascinating how fast time flies? Another week had passed, and we were now on the last week of classes. It had been a great month, and I could certainly say one of the reasons why was Colby being here to volunteer with me. We were eating during recess, when he stood up and lifted his finger at me in a one-minute gesture. He then walked towards Mrs. E, said a few words to her, and then they walked together to the corner of the classroom.
“What are you doing?” I asked Colby, curiosity filling me up. He just came back to talking with Mrs. E, and I had saw her lovely face lit up as she nodded eagerly at whatever Colby had said to her. Colby just smiled at me, and walked over to Rick. He whispered something in Rick’s ear, and the latter’s face lit up as well. I watched as Colby began instructing the kids to go to the auditorium with Rick’s help, right after Mrs. E announced that the kids would be with Colby the rest of the period, which was just about an hour.
Colby shrugged and then flashed me the smirk. “You’d just have to find out this Friday.”
My eyebrows scrunched. “On Friday? So this has something to do with the activity day?”
“Yep,” Colby said, popping the “p.” He started to walk towards the auditorium, with Rick already leading most of the kids inside. I followed, intrigued at what he was planning.
We were almost at the auditorium door when a sweet voice rang throughout the hallway. “Dearie! Mr. Clown!”
Colby and I both turned around and saw Jill holding hands with Mrs. E, practically hopping towards us.
“Hey pretty!” Colby called out. Jill let go of Mrs. E’s hand and ran, flinging her arms around Colby’s waist. Now, Jill’s size wasn’t enough to throw Colby off balance, but he made a show of toppling over slightly while he gripped Jill’s arms, making the little girl laugh. I stood beside them, smiling at the sight.
Jill gave me a hug as well, and looked up at me with wide eyes.
“Why are there no people in the classroom?” She asked.
I shrugged, then replied, “I don’t really know sweetie. It’s Mr. Clown’s fault.”
Her wide eyes then turned to Colby, and he smiled a secret smile at Jill, which made me furrow my brows once again. He crouched down and whispered something in Jill’s ear. Her eyes widened even more, and smile that broke out on her face was enough to lit up at least a million light bulbs. She opened her mouth but Colby immediately placed a finger against his own mouth in a gesture to keep quiet. He leaned over and again whispered to the little girl. He then placed his hands gently on the Jill’s, an expectant look on his face. I saw Jill’s serious nod and Colby’s satisfied smile, and felt my curiosity peak to extremely high levels.
Colby then took Jill’s hand and began to lead her to the auditorium. I quickly followed, but when I neared the auditorium entrance, just behind Colby and Jill, the little girl turned around and said, “You can’t come in dearie. Sorry!”
I blinked in surprise, and before I could gather myself, Colby and Jill went inside the auditorium. My arm reached out to push the door open. It was locked.
What in the world was going on?
“Just let them be.”
My heart racing, I swiftly turned to the sound of Mrs. E’s voice. She was standing beside me, and there was a smile on her face.
“I didn’t mean to scare you, Kayla. I’m sorry. Let’s go take a walk.”
I didn’t manage to voice out a response because the next thing I knew, I was almost being dragged down the hallway by the senior teacher. We began to walk down the hall, away from the auditorium. My curiosity was eating me up inside, and the need to know what was going on made me want to turn around and sprint towards the auditorium doors and bang on them until they open up. I knew I wasn’t going to get away with it, even though I was a much faster runner than Mrs. E, Colby would not open those doors for me and Mrs. E would end up catching me anyway.
“What is he up to?” I blurted out. I was so consumed with thoughts of what was happening inside the auditorium that I didn’t notice Mrs. E had already led me out, and we were now standing in the courtyard. She continued leading me to a bench positioned beneath a tree. Mrs. E sat down and patted the space beside her. I sighed and obliged, plopping down on the wooden seat.
“Like what I’ve said earlier, Kayla, just let them be.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Mrs. E’s held up hand stopped me.
“You don’t think I would allow them to do anything that will bring harm to the kids, right?” She asked, and I shook my head vigorously. Of course Mrs. E wouldn’t allow anything like that. To be honest, I was just being nosy. I wrinkled my nose at the thought. Sometimes, my stubbornness could really be a nuisance, both to myself, and others. My shoulders slumping in defeat, I decided to let it go.
The tree above us provided some shade, shielding us from the sun. I saw Mrs. E fanned herself with her hankie in an attempt to fight some of the heat. Wiping a sheen of sweat from my forehead, I leaned back on the bench, watching the leaves’ shadows make intricate patterns on the pavement below my feet.
“I’m really glad Colby decided to join us this summer,” Mrs. E said, making me look at her. She had a happy look on her face, and it made a little smile stretch out on my own. I turned back to watching the pavement while listening to the teacher talk.
“He certainly is doing a wonderful job with the kids, very much like you,” she continued, still fanning herself. “Most of the parents are saying that you two would make a good team.”
I nodded, remembering the time when Jill’s mom said the same thing. Then I faced Mrs. E again, my eyebrows raised. Did I hear her right? Most of the parents talked about us? Most of the parents?
Before I could speak, Mrs. E went on and asked, “Are you two dating?”
My eyes widened and for a split second, I couldn’t even think. And then, after the moment of brain failure had passed, I couldn’t help it—I let out a laugh.
“We’re not dating,” I said in between laughs. “We’re just friends.”
Really good ones, I would say.
Mrs. E just continued looking at me with that happy expression. “Well you two should consider dating. He obviously adores you. You look cute together, you work great together, and you banter a lot.” She shrugged.
“Seems like the perfect pair to me.”
I gawked at Mrs. E in a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Somehow, the idea of me and Colby dating sounded silly to my ears. Almost enemies turned friends turned lovers? It was too corny. I was pretty sure Colby would have a laughing fit if he had heard this. Mrs. E just stared back, a knowing look on her face. I averted my eyes, shaking my head in the absurdity of it all.
Mrs. E must be watching too much TV.
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Long wait, I know. I'm sorry. I twisted my ankle and was in pain so I didn't get to write much, and I didn't get to proofread and edit (like in all of my previous chapters). Anyway, read/vote/comment :)