"I mean, I should've known better right?" I asked Shanae as we hopped from my car.
"Yea...definitely " She drawled uninterested with her eyes glued to her phone, causing me to roll mine.
For the past ten minutes since I picked her up, I've been yapping away about the whole incident last night. I knew she was just answering me for the sake of answering, since everyone who knew me knew that I needed to talk a lot to let something go.
I really felt stupid. Of course Colton only saw me as a friend. I was stupid to think otherwise.
Well now I know where we stand and I won't make that mistake again. I knew it would be hard to let go of my feelings, but oddly I didn't want to. Stupid, stupid Paris.
Maybe, just maybe, because of my drunkenness last night, he didn't take my confession seriously. Maybe there's still a chance for us if I just try again soon. But not until I get a grip on it.
"Are you even listening to me? " I asked once we were inside the Senior Citizens Home.
She still had her eyes stuck to her phone but nodded anyway. "Yea totally"
"I'm getting a dragon next week" I stated calmly.
"Yea definitely " She said, and that's when I grabbed her phone. "Hey give it back" She whined as she finally looked at me.
"You're not even listening to me. " I pointed out a matter-of-factly.
"Uh, I totally was, Paris. " She tried to convince me, but I knew better. "Okay fine I wasn't but don't be bitter about it"
I decided not to answer her, so I simply signed the log-in book and headed to the lounge room like I always do.
In order for us to graduate, we had to do thirty hours of community service. Shanae and I got stuck with these old fellows since we waited until the last minute to sign up. We were bummed at first, but then I got so attached to these beautiful souls that I felt like coming back even when my time was up.
Yes there was a slight smell that you get used to after a while and it's awfully quiet, but once you get to know them, you never want to leave.
I was immediately met with low mutters of my name in greetings as I entered the lounge room. Shanae didn't usually stick around me. She preferred going to the bedrooms to help or feed her new-old friends individually.
I settled down eventually as I sat in front of Abra. She had early stage dementia, but she was really nice to talk to.
"Hey Abra. How are you today? " I asked gently, gaining her attention from her knitting.
She regarded me in confusion which I expected, so my smile never faltered.
"I'm sorry dear, I'm not sure if I remember you" She said gently as her eyes studied my face.
"I'm Paris. I volunteer here weekly" I told her and her eyes lit up.
"Oh Paris that's such a lovely name. You know, it sort of reminded me of an adventure in Paris I had when I was much younger. Would you like to hear about it? " She asked with sparkling eyes.
I simply beamed at her. "I'd love to hear about it" I nodded, even though I hear it every week when I reintroduce myself.
I didn't mind though. It warmed my heart to see how happy she looked when she told me about how she was rescued from what could've been a detrimental accident by a French man, after which they fell into deep love.
It was absolutely beautiful.
My phone vibrated in my hand, signalling the arrival of a message. I quickly glanced at my phone, not wanting to seem rude by texting while Abra was talking. I saw that it was a message from Colton, but I decided to wait until later to check it.
"Then he proposed after just two weeks of knowing me. I knew it was crazy, but I also knew he was the one" She let out a hearty laugh that made me smile even wider.
"I spent most of my life in France after our engagement and marriage, and I don't regret it one bit. You see Paris, sometimes the decision that seems the stupidest is actually the best decision of your life. I knew mine was" She ended with a happy sigh.
This was why I liked listening to her story. At the end, she always said something different, something inspirational, wise and sweet. I smiled at her as my mind went to only one person. I wished I could make another stupid decision and end up like Abra, but not all situations are the same.
"Can you say something in French? " I asked, suddenly noticing that I've never asked before.
She gave me a small smile before putting on a thinking face. She seemed to have found the perfect thing, since her face immediately lit up.
" Cependant et où que vous trouviez l'amour, c'est juste tant que vous savez que c'est authentique" She said, completely stunning me even though I had no clue what she said. So I asked.
"What does that mean? "
"However or wherever you find love, it's right as long as you know it's genuine " She said, making my heart sink.
That one hit home. Like it was directly made for me.
I glanced at my phone again seeing his name sitting there. If only.
"That was a love story Abra. I'll see you next week?"
"Of course sweetheart. You have a great day now" She beamed cheerfully.
"You too. " I threw back before I ventured to the porch attached to the lounge room.
For some odd reason, I felt nervous about opening the message. I didn't even understand why, since we texted literally everyday. I blamed it on the rush of feelings from my talk with Abra.
With a deep breath, I opened the message. It was short, but what he sent made my heart race.
*Hey wanna hang out later? *
I had a huge smile on my face as I texted back a quick 'yea'. It annoyed me slightly just how giddy I felt. We hung out all the time so it wasn't anything new. Before last night, if he had sent me this text, I would've been totally cool even though I had feelings for him. I wasn't sure what changed last night. Maybe it was the fact that I admitted it out loud for the very first time.
But it's not like it made a difference.
I didn't like it though. So I decided to get back to normal as soon as possible. Knowing Colton, he would pick up on the change immediately. And the last thing I needed was a rejection and constant awkwardness. I have to get a grip on it.
So, I calmed my nerves, slowed my racing heart then called my best friend. He picked up at the first ring, and his sweet voice boomed through the line making my senses heighten. I quickly toned it down however, since this call was to help me get a grip.
"Hey what's up? Miss me already?" He asked once he answered.
"I did not! I just wanted to ask what we are doing later" I chuckled at his cockiness.
"Two words. Dough-nuts"
"That's one word you dweep! " I laughed. "How do you have a higher GPA than me? "
"I steal your knowledge when you're asleep" He whispered in what sounded like an attempted evil voice. I laughed extra hard at this.
"Alright Einstein see yah later"
"Bye"
I couldn't help but smile. What was I so worried about?
We were always cool, and we always will be. That's why he's my best friend.
I waited in anticipation at the diner like Colton instructed me to. He was already ten minutes late, and the cold breeze was becoming too much for me. With a frown, I decided to wait inside for him, since punishing myself seemed irrelevant.I greeted Lukas, the owner, with a huge smile as I waltzed in. He had a big fatherly round belly in front of him that made him seem like a human pillow. He was always nice to me, and since he knew I volunteered at the senior citizen's home where his uncle was at, he would sometimes give me free brownies or muffins with whatever I ordered."Hello Lukas. How are you this evening?" I greeted once I was close enough."Oh I'm quite great, mate. About to close up in thirty minutes. Did you need anything?" I frowned slightly at
Being in the backseat felt so...weird.It was the second time that I was subjected to being in the backseat on Anataisa's report, and I was not happy about it. From the very moment Colton got his license and first car, I had been riding shotgun with him. Anyone else would simply have to take the back. Hell, I was even there when he got them, so it was kind of actually set in stone.I knew it was childish being so fussy about something as simple as a car seat, but being in the middle of two of them while they talked, laughed and teased was really making me know what a third wheel felt like.Of course, they involved me in conversation from time to time, but it was only to ask my opinion on something that they weren't agreeing on. So basically I was the tie-br
I gazed at him in complete awe, tears long forgotten at the back of my eyes.I had my lips slightly parted, and my body was still stiff in his arms as he regarded me weirdly but in amusement. I had never seen him before, that's for sure. But I could see that he was well around my age."Are you okay Skates?" He spoke again, making me more nervous with just the very sound of his voice. He had a nice voice. A really nice voice."I-I um what?" I questioned as my mind cleared. I realised that I hadn't really noticed what he asked because I was too deep in my own awkward mess to realise what was coming from his lips. Oh God his lips.He chuckled lightly as he helped me up to my feet again, but I al
"And that, class, is the full explanation of Newton's Third Law of motion. Any questions?" Mrs. Berry, the Physics teacher asked. Every hand except mine went up, since for sure no one understood what the old lady had explained.Her explanations were always so vague, and going all over the place with no apparent ending. After twenty minutes, she just keeps talking rubbish. She knew this, which was why she obviously chose me instead, even though I didn't raise my hand."Paris" She beamed, sticking her pen in her hair bun. "I groaned internally, but smiled at her anyways. "Sure Mrs. Berry. I understand that to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction"I never learnt any of this from her,
"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked Fabian, after getting sick of driving for twenty minutes with no words. The silence wasn't awkward, but the anticipation was real.He smirked as he glanced at me quickly. "If I tell you, then how will this be fun for me?""I want it to be fun for me too" I huffed in annoyance, crossing my arms over my chest stubbornly. He laughed this time, and I got to relish again in how beautiful his laugh sounded.Wait what?"Will you at least give me a clue?""Nope""A tiny tiny clue?"
Have you ever thought about what the power of one single day of happiness can do for a person?We go through life everyday as scheduled, nothing changing, nothing new. A few weeks later, it will be almost impossible to remember what you did on said day. However, when you have a day, an hour or even a minute of enjoyment out of your regular schedule, you will always remember that moment.When a friend asks what you learnt in Biology yesterday, it takes a couple seconds to resurface your memory.. But if they ask, 'do you remember that clown from the carnival yesterday?', the memory immediately clicks to your mind.Well, that's just how the human brain works. Happiness, fun and excitement will stay longer than the regular boring stuff.&nbs
Turns out, I didn’t chicken out.In fact, I made it all the way to the address that Chad gave me. However, I was stuck in my car for the last twenty minutes, contemplating whether or not I should go in there.If Fabian wanted to be alone, who am I to invade his alone time right? But still, the tiny voice in my head was focused on the fact that I wanted to ensure that he was alright--that he would be okay, and then I'll leave him alone.Oddly, I knew a part of my persistence was because I missed him. With Colton always hanging out with Anastasia, Shanae always busy with work and my other friends...Who am I kidding? I have no other friends other than my lab partner. Fabian gave me a rush the other day that I just couldn’t seem to shake, and I want
I had finally convinced Fabian to go freshen up and get ready for a normal day as he would do on any Saturday. Luckily, he wasn’t reluctant, and he actually left to do so.I made a sandwich for him and coffee, since breakfast technically is the most important meal of the day. I sat the sandwich on a paper plate and set the coffee to brew as I heard the shower being turned off. My mind wandered to how his ripped chest may look with the warm water droplets on them, and the steam bouncing from his toned arms.I instinctively bit my lip as the image formed behind my eyes, but my ringtone blared through the room shook me from my naughty thoughts.I grabbed the device and glared at it, but I relaxed a lot when I saw that Colton was face-timing me. I didn&rs