Boy
Cinq
"We didn't hang out yesterday," Eric said, as soon as Ryan left her apartment. She pulled on some gloves due to the cold weather and looked at him.
"I went to the cliff to think," she said simply. He raised his eyebrow.
"I told you to stop going there. You'll fall off one day."
"I already did. But someone saved me," she said, smiling to herself. "You know, Eric, I don't think we should hang out today either. I want to go thank him." With those words she took off down the street with the intention to run all the way to Dayton Oaks in her uncomfortable, big, black boots.
"Thank who? …What!?" Eric said, standing in his spot with confusion even after she was out of sight.
Ryan scratched the back of her neck as she paced in front of the trailer's door trying to figure out what to say.
"Hi, it's me Ryan! Remember me? I basically jumped off a cliff the other day? No, no…"
"Hey there, remember me? …You're hot." She smacked herself on the forehead.
"Hey, I don't know if you remember me, even though I was just here, but I never thanked you properly…"
"Hi, I'm Ryan, and I can't even say thank you right. Ever seen a stripper put her foot behind her head with no panties on? I have."
"Woah, really?" Ryan practically jumped out of her skin and looked to see who spoke. It was him, coming from the back of the trailer.
"You talk to yourself often?" he asked, walking over to her swinging a log in his left hand.
"I was…well…I was…"
"Reciting how you were going to thank me to yourself first so you wouldn't make a complete fool of yourself in front of me." Her mouth dropped slightly, then she shook her head.
"Well….yeah…but don't flatter yourself, pretty boy," she said, trying to stand her ground, because for some odd reason, when she became aware of his presence, her muscles relaxed completely. As if she would just crumple to the floor.
"You think I'm pretty?" he asked, smirking. Then he put his hand on his chest and batted his eyelashes. "Well thank you."
"I didn't mean it that way." He dropped the log and pointed to his left and his right.
"Which way did you mean it?" Ryan chuckled.
"I think I'm just going to say thanks and leave," she said, finally. He came up closer and touched her shoulder.
"But you don't want to go back up the hill and sit around the trees and get to know me better?" he asked.
"You seem really outgoing for someone that doesn't talk at all."
"Nobody at our school seemed interesting enough to talk to. So I just kept my mouth closed. And maybe I think it's fun when people make up stories about me. Makes me popular in a way."
He held on to her hand and the trudged through the layers of dirt, leaves and twigs. He wasn't holding it at first, but after her first fall (earning her another cut), he wasn't taking any chances with this one. Ryan was beginning to wonder if her ever washed that hoodie of his.
"I wash it every night," he said. She stopped dead in her tracks, causing him to stop right away, for his hand was locked with hers.
"Why…how…?" she couldn't put a sentence together, but it seemed as if he read her thoughts exactly.
"What? I could see you looking at my hoodie, and I thought I'd let you know it was clean. You had to have been thinking about it," he said, staring at her. She laughed uneasily.
"Yeah, right," she said, nodding. He smiled, and they kept walking.
When they reached level ground, they sat, and he spoke.
"So, I'm supposed to tell you about myself." She shrugged.
"If you want."
"Well, my name is Brandon. And everything else, you'll figure out eventually." Little did Ryan know at the time, but that would be the most he would ever explain to her. Ever.
The sat there for hours. Sometimes they would talk, sometimes, they would just stare at each other, somehow speaking without words.
"I wanna show you something, Ryan," he said, scooting closer to her.
"What?"
"Just watch." He closed his eyes and put his hands out in front of him. She raised her eyebrows and watched leaves and twigs shake, then slowly levitate. Soon, they were all floating around in a circle, as if they were dancing, beneath his hands.
"I went to the cliff to think," she said simply. He raised his eyebrow.
"I told you to stop going there. You'll fall off one day."
"I already did. But someone saved me," she said, smiling to herself. "You know, Eric, I don't think we should hang out today either. I want to go thank him." With those words she took off down the street with the intention to run all the way to Dayton Oaks in her uncomfortable, big, black boots.
"Thank who? …What!?" Eric said, standing in his spot with confusion even after she was out of sight.
Ryan scratched the back of her neck as she paced in front of the trailer's door trying to figure out what to say.
"Hi, it's me Ryan! Remember me? I basically jumped off a cliff the other day? No, no…"
"Hey there, remember me? …You're hot." She smacked herself on the forehead.
"Hey, I don't know if you remember me, even though I was just here, but I never thanked you properly…"
"Hi, I'm Ryan, and I can't even say thank you right. Ever seen a stripper put her foot behind her head with no panties on? I have."
"Woah, really?" Ryan practically jumped out of her skin and looked to see who spoke. It was him, coming from the back of the trailer.
"You talk to yourself often?" he asked, walking over to her swinging a log in his left hand.
"I was…well…I was…"
"Reciting how you were going to thank me to yourself first so you wouldn't make a complete fool of yourself in front of me." Her mouth dropped slightly, then she shook her head.
"Well….yeah…but don't flatter yourself, pretty boy," she said, trying to stand her ground, because for some odd reason, when she became aware of his presence, her muscles relaxed completely. As if she would just crumple to the floor.
"You think I'm pretty?" he asked, smirking. Then he put his hand on his chest and batted his eyelashes. "Well thank you."
"I didn't mean it that way." He dropped the log and pointed to his left and his right.
"Which way did you mean it?" Ryan chuckled.
"I think I'm just going to say thanks and leave," she said, finally. He came up closer and touched her shoulder.
"But you don't want to go back up the hill and sit around the trees and get to know me better?" he asked.
"You seem really outgoing for someone that doesn't talk at all."
"Nobody at our school seemed interesting enough to talk to. So I just kept my mouth closed. And maybe I think it's fun when people make up stories about me. Makes me popular in a way."
He held on to her hand and the trudged through the layers of dirt, leaves and twigs. He wasn't holding it at first, but after her first fall (earning her another cut), he wasn't taking any chances with this one. Ryan was beginning to wonder if her ever washed that hoodie of his.
"I wash it every night," he said. She stopped dead in her tracks, causing him to stop right away, for his hand was locked with hers.
"Why…how…?" she couldn't put a sentence together, but it seemed as if he read her thoughts exactly.
"What? I could see you looking at my hoodie, and I thought I'd let you know it was clean. You had to have been thinking about it," he said, staring at her. She laughed uneasily.
"Yeah, right," she said, nodding. He smiled, and they kept walking.
When they reached level ground, they sat, and he spoke.
"So, I'm supposed to tell you about myself." She shrugged.
"If you want."
"Well, my name is Brandon. And everything else, you'll figure out eventually." Little did Ryan know at the time, but that would be the most he would ever explain to her. Ever.
The sat there for hours. Sometimes they would talk, sometimes, they would just stare at each other, somehow speaking without words.
"I wanna show you something, Ryan," he said, scooting closer to her.
"What?"
"Just watch." He closed his eyes and put his hands out in front of him. She raised her eyebrows and watched leaves and twigs shake, then slowly levitate. Soon, they were all floating around in a circle, as if they were dancing, beneath his hands.