1. Hello Stranger
1425 Words
You know how a lot of people believe that there’s no love story as beautiful as that of Romeo and Juliet?
I’ll have to disagree with them. After all, I have rarely seen the foolishness that’s portrayed in that love story.
The things people do for love are absolutely absurd!
I am not saying that I don’t believe in love. I just think that it drives people mad, makes them blind too - mad with passion and blind to the other’s faults.
Hopefully, I won’t be one of those mindless passion-driven people one day. I have always preferred acting rationally, taking safe bets, and choosing the easiest path out of those offered to me.
But as the saying goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
Indeed, I have never felt even the slightest crush towards any of my peers. Perhaps that is the reason of my skepticism. I wouldn’t say I am above falling in love though. I don’t believe anyone is immune.
“A loveless life is a sad life,” or so my parents always tell me. I am not sure I agree with them. I am rather contented with my life even if I never experienced love.
Nevertheless, as I walk into school, and try desperately to keep my head out of the clouds so that I won’t fall, there’s this yearning inside of me.
A yearning for love. For adventure. For danger. For life.
“Here comes the klutz,” one of my classmates announces rather loudly, and all heads turn in my direction.
“Don’t get in her path, or else you’ll become like her,” another one says in a rather teasing manner.
It’s not a disease. You can’t get infected, was the retort I was ready to fire. Only I didn’t bother, choosing indifference instead.
They were silly.
They had more chance to catch an STD than they had to become like yours truly.
“Why won’t you just mind your business, assholes?” A girl’s voice reaches my ears and I perk up immediately.
She’s the one girl who has never judged me.
She’s the one girl who has stuck by my side ever since kindergarten.
My best friend, Blair, a beautiful blond, comes into sight.
I breathe out a sigh of relief.
No, she’s not fighting my own battles, but she’s rather protective of me. She knows me - the real me - and never once did she laugh at me or look at me in a weird way.
Her very presence is reassuring, a comfort I cannot help but seek.
And yet I know I cannot always depend on her. I’ll have to grow some backbone one of these days, and give this judgmental world the middle finger. Right now, I am far too shy, far too awkward to take action. And thus I admire her as she smiles at me.
I smile back tentatively. And before long, she’s hugging me as if to never let go, although we have seen each other yesterday.
“You’re crushing me,” I told her teasingly.
And she releases me.
I am almost dejected that she complied with my silent request.
Indeed her sweet and yet discreet perfume is comforting.
Good god, I love my best friend.
And damn am I lucky to have her!
“Come with me,” she says as she hooks her arm with mine, “let’s help you get to your first class of the school year safely,” she teases.
“You think you’re funny?” I retort back with an eye-roll and a stretching smile.
“Oh, honey, I know I am,” she tells me right back, not missing a beat, her grin blinding and infectious.
How can she be so sweet and loving?
Blair has always been there for me. Ever since that day in kindergarten when her mom didn’t come to pick her up on time, and I decided like a big girl to stay with her, and convinced my parents to stay as well.
Her mom never came. She died in a car accident.
It took Blair quite some time to recover from the loss. Her dad, however, never did get past his love for his wife seeing as he didn’t remarry, or even date.
Blair was taken in by her grandmother…
“Oi, spacing out already?” She calls out, snapping me out of my reveries.
“I was just… lost in thoughts,” I tell her softly.
She tugs me towards her locker and I am happy to follow her.
It is easier to be led than it is to lead for sure.
“I can’t believe we’re graduating this year, can you?” She says, her eyes sparling with joy and mischief as she puts her things in her locker, only taking what she needs.
I don’t know what’s so special about the damned senior year. It just probably means a whole new level of bullying, and some more boring classes in which I have to sit still and try to listen to the teacher.
Yay me! Please note the sarcasm.
“Oh, I cannot wait to be out of here,” I tell her with a smile. “Time isn’t moving quickly enough to my taste.”
“Oh don’t be like that,” she pouts. “It should be a fun year. And it’ll probably be a walk in the park for you. I’m sure you’ll get in the college of your dreams.”
“What fun are you talking about?” I retort as I raise an eyebrow in question. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“Okay, you have to see past the bullying, and admittedly all your clumsy falls, if you want to see the beauty of this year,” she nods at me in an encouraging manner of sorts.
“I’ll try,” I say, wanting to appease her and to get her off my back too.
I cannot see any beauty in studying, really.
“You have to promise me that you will,” she tells me seriously, and I can’t help the frown that spreads on my face.
“Come on,” I whine childishly.
Indeed, I take my promises very seriously. And that is probably the reason why she is making me promise her to see past the trees that are partly blocking the view, and just admire the forest.
I try to walk past her, and almost immediately, I am within touching distance with the ground. But thank god, and thanks to her good reflexes, I don’t fall.
She is holding me by the arm, her grip firm, her eyes glaring daggers at me. “Really, Samantha? You’re running away from me now?”
I straighten up, blushing profoundly, and I heave a sigh before telling her, “I am not running away from you. I would never. I just… your request startled me and overwhelmed me. I reacted.”
“Well, think before you react next time,” she tells me softly. “I don’t want you falling because of me.”
“Aye, sir,” I mock salute her before heading to my locker.
Somehow, I manage not to fall to my knees, or worse face first.
Ground 0 - Samantha 1, I mentally cheer myself.
I must have cried out victory too soon, for as soon as I close my locker and turn, ready to go to class, I bump into someone’s chest.
As expected, I fall back on my butt, and my things are all over the floor.
Why, hello, dear ground, missed me? I inwardly sigh as I try not to show how affected I am by the crowd’s laughter.
Instead of a simple and courteous “Are you okay?” I get a rude “Are you blind?”
My eyes snap up and I glare at the guy who dared to come into my space and make me fall and then call me blind.
- Writer
