Learning How to Swim
That Annoying Sound
I got on the bus alone since Kara had a psychiatrist appointment and Mom had picked her up during the last block. Steven didn’t look at me, and I didn’t sit with him. I heard some comments from the boys in the back, but I didn’t argue with them as I sat in the front seat. I was done with him. He had the nerve to make me feel like an idiot. I didn’t need that at all.
I hurried off the bus at my stop, taking off before Steven could hassle me about nothing. I was probably halfway to my house before he’d even stepped off the bus. I just had to do that every day for the rest of my high school life, and everything would be good!
The door slammed behind me, and I shuffled into the living room. I was alone again. Dad had gone out somewhere or another, and I didn’t know where. The silence of the house was getting to me, so I turned on the television and pulled out a book to read.
I’d probably gotten through forty-five pages before there was a small knock on the door. I groaned, pushing myself to my feet and tossing the book to the floor, leaving it open to a random page. I checked through the peephole.
“Go away!” I told him, closing the peephole. He rang the doorbell in a peculiar tune.
Ding ding d-ding ding ding
I sighed, opening the door. I knew Steven would stand there for hours, and I didn’t want the neighbors to see him standing there on my porch. He walked past me, placing a container on my counter.
“It’s banana bread. I didn’t make it—my mom did. She was bored while I was at school and she took a vacation day. She told me to ask if you liked it.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he walked up to me. “I wasn’t sure if you’d ever want to see me again. But I had nothing better to do, so I thought I’d check up on you.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have. Tell your mother thanks. I never want to see you again, though,” I told him, waiting for him to leave.
He didn’t.
“Well, I’m here, so we might as well make the best of it. So what have you been doing?” he asked, walking into the living room. I sighed, placing the bread in the fridge. I walked into the living room to see him totally absorbed in a commercial for a feminine product, my book in his lap.
“Super absorbency, huh?” he muttered to himself. I flipped the channel, breaking his trance.
“I don’t watch much TV,” he admitted without me even asking about it. “I’ve been told that ‘It’ll rot your mind, Steven, and you’ve already lost most of it anyway’. Yeah, my mother’s words, not mine.” He glanced down at the book, opening it to the middle. “Chick flicks? I didn’t see that as being something you’d want to read.”
I snatched it out of his hands. “It’s Kara’s, not mine. I prefer a good mystery.”
“Sherlock Holmes, and all that?” he asked, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. “So I need to tell you something. And I’m going to be serious for a moment, so don’t drop dead, alright?”
I nodded, sighting down beside him on the couch. I looked at the TV set, watching a commercial for deodorant. Steven touched my arm lightly and I turned to him, giving him my full attention.
“About the other day, in my yard...” His voice trailed off and I sighed.
“I know. It was a mistake. It won’t happen—”
He cut me off. “No! That’s not it. I felt like a jerk after you left.”
“As you should have.”
“I’m trying to tell you something, V,” he told me, a small smile on his face. I noticed that his hair had grown out almost evenly. He hadn’t been shaving it lately. “Anyway, I shouldn’t have done that. I wish I hadn’t, you know? I just thought you were only doing it because you were upset and wanted comfort. I thought you were using me.”
“I wasn’t,” I mumbled, running my hand over the cover of my book.
“I know that now. I just didn’t want to be used, you know? It’s kind of a borderline personality thing I got going on. You know: you idolize your friends one second but hate them the next. But I digress. Look, the point is... I was wondering. Do you think we could try it again?” He touched my arm lightly again. I glanced over to him, watching his lips. They were curved up in a quirky smile.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” He pulled his hand back. “Great.” He paused, placing a hand on my shoulder gently. “When?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged, smiling a little.
“Oh. That’s okay, too. So should I get going? You usually kick me out around this time.”
“No, I want you to stay for a little.” That quirky grin was back.
I hurried off the bus at my stop, taking off before Steven could hassle me about nothing. I was probably halfway to my house before he’d even stepped off the bus. I just had to do that every day for the rest of my high school life, and everything would be good!
The door slammed behind me, and I shuffled into the living room. I was alone again. Dad had gone out somewhere or another, and I didn’t know where. The silence of the house was getting to me, so I turned on the television and pulled out a book to read.
I’d probably gotten through forty-five pages before there was a small knock on the door. I groaned, pushing myself to my feet and tossing the book to the floor, leaving it open to a random page. I checked through the peephole.
“Go away!” I told him, closing the peephole. He rang the doorbell in a peculiar tune.
Ding ding d-ding ding ding
I sighed, opening the door. I knew Steven would stand there for hours, and I didn’t want the neighbors to see him standing there on my porch. He walked past me, placing a container on my counter.
“It’s banana bread. I didn’t make it—my mom did. She was bored while I was at school and she took a vacation day. She told me to ask if you liked it.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he walked up to me. “I wasn’t sure if you’d ever want to see me again. But I had nothing better to do, so I thought I’d check up on you.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have. Tell your mother thanks. I never want to see you again, though,” I told him, waiting for him to leave.
He didn’t.
“Well, I’m here, so we might as well make the best of it. So what have you been doing?” he asked, walking into the living room. I sighed, placing the bread in the fridge. I walked into the living room to see him totally absorbed in a commercial for a feminine product, my book in his lap.
“Super absorbency, huh?” he muttered to himself. I flipped the channel, breaking his trance.
“I don’t watch much TV,” he admitted without me even asking about it. “I’ve been told that ‘It’ll rot your mind, Steven, and you’ve already lost most of it anyway’. Yeah, my mother’s words, not mine.” He glanced down at the book, opening it to the middle. “Chick flicks? I didn’t see that as being something you’d want to read.”
I snatched it out of his hands. “It’s Kara’s, not mine. I prefer a good mystery.”
“Sherlock Holmes, and all that?” he asked, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. “So I need to tell you something. And I’m going to be serious for a moment, so don’t drop dead, alright?”
I nodded, sighting down beside him on the couch. I looked at the TV set, watching a commercial for deodorant. Steven touched my arm lightly and I turned to him, giving him my full attention.
“About the other day, in my yard...” His voice trailed off and I sighed.
“I know. It was a mistake. It won’t happen—”
He cut me off. “No! That’s not it. I felt like a jerk after you left.”
“As you should have.”
“I’m trying to tell you something, V,” he told me, a small smile on his face. I noticed that his hair had grown out almost evenly. He hadn’t been shaving it lately. “Anyway, I shouldn’t have done that. I wish I hadn’t, you know? I just thought you were only doing it because you were upset and wanted comfort. I thought you were using me.”
“I wasn’t,” I mumbled, running my hand over the cover of my book.
“I know that now. I just didn’t want to be used, you know? It’s kind of a borderline personality thing I got going on. You know: you idolize your friends one second but hate them the next. But I digress. Look, the point is... I was wondering. Do you think we could try it again?” He touched my arm lightly again. I glanced over to him, watching his lips. They were curved up in a quirky smile.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.” He pulled his hand back. “Great.” He paused, placing a hand on my shoulder gently. “When?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged, smiling a little.
“Oh. That’s okay, too. So should I get going? You usually kick me out around this time.”
“No, I want you to stay for a little.” That quirky grin was back.