Crossing Figures

I have to get out of here, was the first thing that went through my head. Otherwise I’ll become insane.

Mom sat with Walter on the sofa, snug against each other, and I sat with my back turned toward them on a chair in the kitchen. In the background I heard the whole time giggling and kissing sounds, it made me nauseous.

I couldn’t concentrate on the blank sheets of paper that lay before me, I could hear them calling 'Write! Make your dreams come true!" But it didn’t work, I was distracted by the two lovebirds.

"I'm going into town," I said when I had enough. "I'll be back before dinner."

Irritated because I couldn’t maintain my schedule for the day, I grabbed my coat from the chair and rushed to the front door. I ignored my mother who shouted something at me and slammed the door with a loud bang behind me.

I hated it. I hated Walter, who claimed the attention of my mother. I hated my mother who allowed it all. I hated everything.

But what I hated most of all, was that just as I was about to sit down by myself quietly at a table in Starbucks, I saw someone familiar looking at me.

James. Ben's friend. And a little further I saw Ben standing, a fragrant cup of coffee in his hand.

I groaned when James came walking toward me with a broad smile plastered on his face, his chocolate brown hair was sticking in every direction and it seemed like he just stepped out of bed.

Without asking permission he pulled a chair back and sat down there, his big eyes looked at me curiously.

"I really see you everywhere," I said with a twisted smile. "And before I hadn’t even noticed you."

"If you once know us we're not going away," James laughed playfully. "And there's Ben!"

The boy with the caramel brown, fuzzy hair looked me up and down and made me feel uncomfortable. His silver-gray eyes stared piercingly at me, it made my heart skip a beat. When he tore his eyes off me and sat down I gasped for breath as unnoticed as possible.

There was something mysterious about Ben so that I felt attracted to him, but there were a few details that weren’t that interesting. What they were I didn’t know, but I would find out.

"I have a question for you, Lux," James said suddenly.

"Yes?"

I shuffled nervously in my chair and took a sip of my own fresh cappuccino, the hot substance burned my tongue.

"Do you fancy a party?"

"A party?"

"Yeah, at my house."

I was a bit speechless. I barely knew this guy and he already invited me to his home to celebrate.

"I, uh ... I don’t know ... " I stuttered. "When?"

"This evening," said Ben in James' place. "Should we give you the address?"

"Yeah, okay ..."

Astonished, I watched how Ben wrote the address on a little paper he had taken from his pocket. He shoved it toward me with a crooked smile on his face.

"I hope to see you there," James said with a wink. "It starts at ten o'clock, take a friend along."

"Okay ..."

"See you later, Lux!"

I was confused when James kissed me on the cheek. Ben gave me a nod and together they went out of Starbucks, I heard the bell tinkle when the door closed.

With red blushes on my cheeks, I sank deeper into my chair and took a few gulps of my cappuccino. These two guys seemed to find me sympathetic, but I found that impossible.

We came from a totally different environment, I could already tell by the way of dressing and the amount of tattoos the two boys had. But I was willing to get to know them, after years of living alone and not having a lot of friends, I was ready to be social. And so I would start at the party.