Allison
"We can't continue this anymore."
"Wha-"
"I'm the popular boy at school, captain of the football team, I have a reputation to uphold, I can't be seen fooling around with the nerdy girl."
***
I am walking through the halls of school for the first time this year. It's my last year of school and I really can't be any more done with it. I walk through the busy morning hallway to my locker to get my books for first period, math.
"Oh my god I missed you so, so much!" I turn around as my best friend Rebecca engulfs me in the tightest hug ever, anyone would think we haven't seen each other in a few weeks.
"I missed you too!"
"What happened to you this summer? We hardly saw each other!"
"I got busy.."
Real busy..
"Anyway what class you got first?"
"Math, but I got art this afternoon! You?"
"Oh Chem! And I got art too!"
"Thank god we have a class together!"
"Well I should get to home room, love ya, see ya after!"
With that Rebecca hugs me again and walks away, her walk so energetic and enthusiastic. I slam my locker door closed with a slightly exhausted huff and puff before walking to homeroom, room 207, Mr Scupy. He's the joyful teacher, too joyful sometimes. He has this cheery voice, like an excited teenage girl, but he's cool. He's one of my favorite teachers, other than my art teacher.
I walk in and take my seat in the middle row, the seat closest to the window. Watching all the people walk their way in slowly, the one person I didn't want in my class walks in. Then he catches my eyes. His brown hair sitting perfectly and slightly spiked on top of his head, and his million dollar smile.
***
"So this summer was a game, something to keep you busy?"
"No it's not like that! I had fun but it has to stop. I'm Sorry."
"You're not sorry at all!"
***
I catch him look over to me momentarily before he notices I see him staring. He smirks like he does to every girl then walks to the back corner of the class and sits with Valery. Ugh. Valery is the female version of him. Mean. Popular. He does everything she wants him to.
After Mr Scupy goes through the role call and introduces us all to the new school year. I walk my way to maths. My maths teacher goes through trigonometry and how it is used to find sides of triangles.
Several equations and an English class later I meet Rebecca at her locker for lunch.
"So Als, you have to tell me all about your summer, I have to know what kept you so busy.!"
Als is what Becca and my family call me, my full name is Allison Rose Pagel. Not many people give me nicknames, just the close ones.
"Oh it was just family stuff." I sigh with a slight roll of my eyes.
"Family stuff, did you go back to Australia?" Becca starts jumping like a little kid on Christmas morning.
***
"Promise you won't tell anyone about us? Just forget about us."
"Why would I? I don't fancy being known as the stupid girl that fell in love WITH A JERK!"
"Allison, what is your problem?" The tone in his voice showed I was making him angry. Him angry terrified me.
"My problem is that I spent my whole summer with you but you decide all of a sudden that because we have school next week we have to end what ever this is so your FRIENDS don't bag you out. And so you don't loose your bad boy reputation because I was NEVER important to you. I WAS JUST A SUMMER FLING. Nothing more. Nothing less. So I guess goodbye!"
***
"No, no I didn't go to Queensland, my whole summer was spent walking around New Jersey like a loner and looking after my brothers."
Becca closes her locker and turns around to face me.
"But you were busy whenever I called and then I went away-!"
"How was that by the way!? California sounded so fun!"
"Oh there were so many hot guys, you have no idea! I met this one guy who was a total babe but he was my surfing instructor and way too old then there was this other guy Cameron, ahh! He was like an angel. We hung out a while but he was uhm twenty-two!" Becca says the last part really fast and quieter hoping I don't hear.
"Wow! Stop how old!?"
"Twenty-two."
"Oh boy, I made some shitty decisions this summer but not a twenty-two year old one geez!"
"Wait you had a summer fling? You Allison Rose Pagel?" She emphasizes you each time she says it.
"No! No I did not!"
"What was your shitty decision then?"
"Nothing don't worry!"
By now Becca and I have started our way towards my locker, which had a large crowd of people near. I soon realize it's the kind of people I try and avoid, the girls drooling over the boys on the football team, the popular boys. That meant he was there, leaning against the locker beside mine. I stand here staring for a few seconds before sighing and getting the courage to walk over to my locker. I walk and open my locker while I feel his intimidating gaze on me, it's probably someone else but I'm too scared to turn around and find out. I hear them laughing and talking. Their deep voices, their now intimidating laughs. I jump when someone hits a locker to my right then I hear several people laughing again. The loud chuckles from the boys, the stuck up giggles from the girls.
"Scared the shit out of her!" It was his voice.
Sometimes I get the urge to collapse onto the ground, hold my knees and cry because of all the tears I haven't let fall out yet and right now I really want to cry. To feel the heartbreak that I pushed away for the past week. To show him what he did to me; how much he hurt me.
But I just get my books and walk away. Pushing the sadness away again as I drag my feet to the cafeteria.
After lunch Becca and I walk to the art room, we sit beside each other in the front row and pull out our pads. Becca her sketching pad and me, my watercolouring pad. Mrs Spencer stands at the front watching all her students for this year's class walk in. I see his fragile face again, walk in and sit at the back of class with Kurtis. His smirk already plastered on his face as he sits in his seat.
***
"What you draw?" He asked playing with the sand.
"A picture."
"No shit! A picture of what?" He laughed.
"A sad girl in a hoody."
"Looks like you because that is your hoody."
"It's not me I just like that hoody."
***
"Ahh Allison, it's good to see you in art again this year!" Mrs Spencer giggles. "You said you weren't sure if you'd do art again."
"Eh-yeah just wasn't sure if I was that into it but I drew a lot over the summer and someone convinced me to do what I love.."
"Oh you'll have to show me some of the pictures and who this person is!"
"I'll bring some pictures in then.."
"Please Mrs Spencer she won't even tell me who this someone is so I don't think anyone's going to find out!" Becca shoves me while raising an eyebrow.
"We'll have to get it out of her one day!"
Mrs Spencer makes the class quieten down before going through the role call to make sure we're all here.
"Now today class, since it's our first day back I want use to draw something from or to do with your summer!"
Mrs Spencer doesn't usually give us a certain thing or topic to draw on but sometimes she will, like on the first day back or when something serious has happened.
I look down at my paper and think about what to draw. It's not usually hard for me to think of something but today it's a little harder. I prefer not reminiscing over the moments in my summer.
***
"Stop your gonna fall!"
And then I did, the skateboard rolled out from underneath me and I fell onto him.
"Gee Allie Rose!"
"Sorry.."
"You okay?"
"Yep, lets try again!"
"You don't give up do you?"
"Please, if you want something you have to go and get it!"
He helped me up off the foot path and I stood on the board one last time, skating down the path and stopping to turn back around.
"Told you I'd do it eventually!" I smirked to him.
"I know, good job Allie Rose!"
"Why do you call me that-Allie Rose?"
"I don't know, I just like it."
"Why? Do you feel special because no one else calls me that?"
"Something like that." He smirked before he walked closer to me.
He entwined his left hand in my right before he pulled me into his chest, I felt his breath fan my face as he lent in and kissed my cheek. I knew my face was going hot and my cheeks rosey red but I didn't seem to care.
***
I pick up my pencil and start to sketch the outline of my watercolour painting.
I finish the outline and walk to the store room and get the watercolour pencils.
"Als, what is that?" Becca leans over to look at my picture.
"A picture of a skateboard."
"Uhm, since when did you learn to skate?"
___
A/n I traced that picture of her artwork, it was on HIS snapchat.. 😉