Status: Computer is broken. Can't update. Sorry :(
Only You
Chapter 1: Crack the Shutters Open Wide, I Wanna Bathe You In the Light of Day
I came into school late. I got a pass from the secretary in the office and went to homeroom. I took my seat and the teacher took attendance.
"Alexia Stanley." she said and I raised my hand.
"William Taylor." she continued. I automatically looked behind me to see an empty seat. "Hmmm, not here. Interesting." she hummed.
Interesting indeed. William was always here. Not today I guess. I went through the day and all I kept seeing was William's empty seat.
We had every class together and the seats were always alphabetical, so he was always behind me.
All week, he wasn't in school. I was at my locker, when one of those big tall thugs slammed into me, making me hit my head on my locker and fall to the floor. I woke up sometime later in the hospital.
"What happened?" I asked William, who suddenly was standing on the other side of the room.
"You were pushed into your locker and you hit your head." he replied, stone faced.
"Where have you been all week?" I asked.
"I had some . . . business to take care of." he replied.
"What kind of business?" I asked.
"It's better that I don't tell you." he answered.
"Come on, I've sat in front of you in every single class since Kindergarten." I pressed.
"But you never bothered to talk to me until now." he argued. He had a point.
"When can I go home?" I snapped.
"When the doctor says you can." he replied.
"Then get me the fucking doctor." I spat, grabbing him by the shirt, but I immediately let him go. He was ice cold, in the most inhuman way. I put my hand under the covers, trying to warm it back up. William just glared at me. I was finally released, but William followed me as I walked home.
"Don't you have a home?" I asked sharply.
"No. My parents kicked me out." he replied.
"So where have you been living?" I asked.
"Nowhere. I was hoping you'd let me live with you." he replied.
"I swear if I didn't know any better I'd say you were the one who hit their head." I told him.
"Nonsense." he replied.
"Really." I huffed.
"Yes." he grinned. We reached my house.
"Won't my parents ask about you?" I asked.
"Doubt it. I'm kind of invisible." he replied proudly. A little too proudly I might add.
"Don't even tell me about being invisible." I told him and walked inside.
"Hey Mom." I said as I passed where she was in the living room.
"See what I mean about being invisible?" I asked William as we climbed the stairs.
"That's nothing. As soon as I was gone, my parents turned my room into a pantry." he told me.
"Harsh." I commented.
"Yeah. But enough about me. Let's hear your story." he said.
"There's not much to tell." I replied.
"Oh come on. Everyone has a story. And I bet yours is pretty great." he coaxed, smiling encouragingly. I just ignored him, walking to my bed and plopping down on it.
"Hey, aren't you going to text someone? Get on Twitter?" William asked.
"One, I have no friends, and two, Twitter is overrated." I replied.
"I'm smart enough to know that when someone says they have no friends, they really have tons." William pushed.
"No I really don't. Haven't since fifth grade." I mumbled.
William was slowly making me realize how messed up my life was and I didn't like it one bit. It's not like he was trying to make it any better, so why does he get to pry when he won't even tell me where he'd been all week. It was really annoying.And I loved every second of it.
"That's not possible! You must not be human!" William declared as if that was the only explanation for my friendless state. I rolled my eyes.
"I am very human, I can assure you that." I smiled.
He mumbled something that sounded like 'not for long'. I decided to ignore that. I didn't know him well enough to pin anything on him.
"Why do you care so much?" I asked as nicely as possible.
"I live with you now. I need to know." he replied flippantly, as if this situation was normal.
"Like I said, there's not much to tell." I sighed.
"I'll be your friend." he blurted randomly.
I noticed he had a habit of saying whatever happened to be on his mind at the time. A childish, impulsive quality that I'd never seen in him before. In fact, he rarely ever spoke in the eleven years I'd known him. Weird.
"Aw, thanks." I smiled and came over to hug him.
He backed up until he was between me and the wall.
"Come on, it's just a hug." I laughed.
He wrapped his arms around me stiffly. We ended up sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around me and my head on his soft chest.
--
I woke up on the floor in my room with a headache. I remembered last night and got up to foolishly search for William. There wasn't even the slightest whiff of his cologne, a stray hair, or a fallen thread from the sweatshirt he'd been wearing.
He was gone. He'd left me.
"Alexia Stanley." she said and I raised my hand.
"William Taylor." she continued. I automatically looked behind me to see an empty seat. "Hmmm, not here. Interesting." she hummed.
Interesting indeed. William was always here. Not today I guess. I went through the day and all I kept seeing was William's empty seat.
We had every class together and the seats were always alphabetical, so he was always behind me.
All week, he wasn't in school. I was at my locker, when one of those big tall thugs slammed into me, making me hit my head on my locker and fall to the floor. I woke up sometime later in the hospital.
"What happened?" I asked William, who suddenly was standing on the other side of the room.
"You were pushed into your locker and you hit your head." he replied, stone faced.
"Where have you been all week?" I asked.
"I had some . . . business to take care of." he replied.
"What kind of business?" I asked.
"It's better that I don't tell you." he answered.
"Come on, I've sat in front of you in every single class since Kindergarten." I pressed.
"But you never bothered to talk to me until now." he argued. He had a point.
"When can I go home?" I snapped.
"When the doctor says you can." he replied.
"Then get me the fucking doctor." I spat, grabbing him by the shirt, but I immediately let him go. He was ice cold, in the most inhuman way. I put my hand under the covers, trying to warm it back up. William just glared at me. I was finally released, but William followed me as I walked home.
"Don't you have a home?" I asked sharply.
"No. My parents kicked me out." he replied.
"So where have you been living?" I asked.
"Nowhere. I was hoping you'd let me live with you." he replied.
"I swear if I didn't know any better I'd say you were the one who hit their head." I told him.
"Nonsense." he replied.
"Really." I huffed.
"Yes." he grinned. We reached my house.
"Won't my parents ask about you?" I asked.
"Doubt it. I'm kind of invisible." he replied proudly. A little too proudly I might add.
"Don't even tell me about being invisible." I told him and walked inside.
"Hey Mom." I said as I passed where she was in the living room.
"See what I mean about being invisible?" I asked William as we climbed the stairs.
"That's nothing. As soon as I was gone, my parents turned my room into a pantry." he told me.
"Harsh." I commented.
"Yeah. But enough about me. Let's hear your story." he said.
"There's not much to tell." I replied.
"Oh come on. Everyone has a story. And I bet yours is pretty great." he coaxed, smiling encouragingly. I just ignored him, walking to my bed and plopping down on it.
"Hey, aren't you going to text someone? Get on Twitter?" William asked.
"One, I have no friends, and two, Twitter is overrated." I replied.
"I'm smart enough to know that when someone says they have no friends, they really have tons." William pushed.
"No I really don't. Haven't since fifth grade." I mumbled.
William was slowly making me realize how messed up my life was and I didn't like it one bit. It's not like he was trying to make it any better, so why does he get to pry when he won't even tell me where he'd been all week. It was really annoying.And I loved every second of it.
"That's not possible! You must not be human!" William declared as if that was the only explanation for my friendless state. I rolled my eyes.
"I am very human, I can assure you that." I smiled.
He mumbled something that sounded like 'not for long'. I decided to ignore that. I didn't know him well enough to pin anything on him.
"Why do you care so much?" I asked as nicely as possible.
"I live with you now. I need to know." he replied flippantly, as if this situation was normal.
"Like I said, there's not much to tell." I sighed.
"I'll be your friend." he blurted randomly.
I noticed he had a habit of saying whatever happened to be on his mind at the time. A childish, impulsive quality that I'd never seen in him before. In fact, he rarely ever spoke in the eleven years I'd known him. Weird.
"Aw, thanks." I smiled and came over to hug him.
He backed up until he was between me and the wall.
"Come on, it's just a hug." I laughed.
He wrapped his arms around me stiffly. We ended up sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around me and my head on his soft chest.
--
I woke up on the floor in my room with a headache. I remembered last night and got up to foolishly search for William. There wasn't even the slightest whiff of his cologne, a stray hair, or a fallen thread from the sweatshirt he'd been wearing.
He was gone. He'd left me.
♠ ♠ ♠
Comment/Subscribe!Chapter Title Credit: Crack the Shutters by Snow Patrol
That song really applies to this story. I listened to it while writing this. Listen?
I honestly cried when I wrote the ending cuz I know how Alexia feels, at least figuratively.
By the way, the whole accident that happened to Alexia happened to me, except I never lost consciousness and I didn't wake up in the hospital with a cute guy.
To be honest, this story kind of reminds me of the stuff I used to write, like the mysterious, dark quality of it and the music I associate with it. With almost every story I write, I have a go-to playlist or a band.
Fair warning, next chapter will be kind of boring and depressing. You won't cry, I don't have that kind of literary power, but when I was writing it, even just thinking about it, got this sick feeling in my stomach. You'll see what I mean. But seriously, if you want a romantic fairytale with singing bunnies where the main characters ride a white horse off into the sunset to a nice big castle and live happily ever after, please stop reading now. Rarely do my stories end happily and I won't end them that way to make someone else happy. I warned you.
So this note was very long. Thanks to all who read through the whole thing.
I changed the layout to Peter Pan because I love that movie and I get inspiration for the character of William from Bobby Driscoll's performance. Just thought I'd say that.