A Very Good Boy

It was now 3:00pm, school was finished and now I could go home and get some study in. I loved to study; studying would most probably have to be my favourite pastime I think. I know it’s weird to admit such a thing, but it’s true for me, since the day I first picked up a book.

But lately however, other things have been playing with my mind overtaking my spare time and most of the times, becoming a distraction.

Which reminded me, I had to move my desk away from my window, for that, was the biggest distraction ever. If I didn’t see her window sitting lonely within the view of mine, than maybe I could save myself the distraction and my heart of that annoying tug.

Finally the bus stops just across the road from my house and there as per usual is my mother, just making her way out of the front door to get the mail.

‘Hello Mother’ I smiled. She in return beamed her usual bright smile at me.

‘Hello my darling. How was school today?’ she asked grabbing my school bag and following me into the house. I informed her of the important test that we had 2 weeks from now and of Ally asking me to attend that silly Youth Party.

‘I don’t really want to go, mum’

‘You should! You might make new friends’ she smiled; stirring at some nice smelling broth that she had cooking.

‘And, you might get the chance to dance with Alice. I think she’s a very nice girl’

I cupped my face in both hands and rubbed at the tiredness accumulated from today at school, also this was a small technique I used to ignore my mother and pretend I didn’t hear her.

‘Oh shoot!’ cried my mother out of no-where. ‘I forgot to get some milk this morning.’ She said, putting down her stirring spoon.

‘Do you mind going to the shop for me, Leon? I really need some milk for today and tomorrow’

‘Sure. I don’t mind’

After being handed money I left quickly, a walk seemed like a nice thing to do at the moment, it’s a change from just going straight upstairs and doing homework I guess. But even that, I didn’t mind doing at all. The dairy was only 2 blocks away, thankfully not that far.

It was the month of April, which here, where I lived, meant that it was now autumn. As I walked along the road I caught glimpse of every different colour the leaves had fallen into. Gold’s, reds, a large variety of browns is what I had seen most.

As I continued on down this road and gazed at all the boring colours of these fallen leaves I began to realize, these changing colours were just like her, Well, her hair that is.

And then it began, the annoying thoughts of her began digging into my brain, wedging annoying little fragments of her deep within the cracks of my brain. Without realising, I had followed along with the thoughts; I was distracted yet again by her.

Her smoking.

Her drinking.

Her rebellious behaviour she showed mostly every time I saw her with a teacher.

That was another thing that had my disapproval. Her attitude and the way she talked to teachers. Disrespect for those only there to help her out, help her towards a better future. Why? Why was she like that to Mr. Ray and any other teacher I happened to see her disrespecting? I’ve happened to notice that the only teacher she seems to work well with is Mr Idle, the music teacher. But then again, everyone liked him. He was a very kind person, even if you did wrong; he wasn’t like other teachers who snapped at you.

It was at this point in my mind that I grew tired of thinking of her. I took a deep breath and slowly released, hoping that these pointless thoughts would go out my nostrils and mouth as easily.

Patsy’s Dairy, owned by old Miss Patsy Thaygan. She was a kind old lady that had owned this dairy since before I was born. Warm and always with a smile, it was a pleasure to enter her dairy.

The familiar sound of the electronic bell sounds through the dairy, alerting her to my presence and the familiar smell of roses that Miss Thaygan always seems to have sitting on her small window sill, bursts at me with a sweet aroma.

‘Hello! How are you!’ I heard a cheerful voice, un familiar to this scene, but seemingly rings a bell in my mind.

I looked up and received a rather shocking surprise.

It was Autumn Pierce. Her, standing there behind the counter. What was she doing there behind that counter? Where was Miss Thaygan?

Autumn stared at me for a moment, that somewhat huge smile plastered on her face beginning to fade.

‘Don’t I know you?’ she suddenly asks. My eyes go wide.

‘Umm, Uhh’

‘Yes! Yes I do know you! Leon, aye?’ she asks, pointing both her index fingers at me, hoping that she had gotten my name right. And she did. Somehow I seemed happy about that.

‘Y-Yes.’ I said simply, nodding my head once.

‘Aww, thank goodness for that aye? Haha, shame if I got your name wrong’ she began laughing, covering her mouth with her hand. She then clears her voice and randomly waves at me, so cheerful and excitedly.

‘We haaaave...is it maths? Together?’

‘English’ I corrected her.

‘Blah! There both hard, so there the same thing!’ she said waving off my sentence.

‘How would you know that? You don’t even show up to any of the classes’

She looked at me with wide eyes, then looked away then back at me with those chocolate brown eyes.

‘lol, shame that you know that, oi! Shame!’ she began laughing, a sound of pure sweetness to my rather annoyed ears. Soon after she shrugged.

‘School and I don’t mix well, I’m sure you can gather that as much from my constant absence-ness’ she smiled once again.

I in turn just nod my head and look down.

What was I doing? Was I, actually talking to her? Talking to Autumn Pierce? No! No I wasn’t, she, Autumn was talking to me. I couldn’t handle this situation very well, this seemed like a far off dream that had just come up far too soon in my life and slapped me in the face. Hopefully I looked calm on the outside, but inside it seemed I was far from it.

I looked away, pretending to look for something then soon remembering that it was milk I had come for. Quickly I managed my way over there and got mum’s usual blue top milk with the yellow cow on it and took it over to a gleaming Autumn.

Gently she took the milk and scanned it.

‘$4.80 that is, would you like anything else?’

I was about to say no, but then she had interrupted.

‘-Oh oh oh! You should buy a bag of $1 lollies! I made them myself, so that means there awshumz! You should get one! Like, right now! This one!’ She held up a see-through bag to me, a light blue ribbon tied neatly in a bow at the very top. There were many different coloured bows, and the contents of each of them was bright and colourful. Very appealing I admit.

But I didn’t like lollies.

‘I-I...um’

‘Aww, all is good dude! You don’t have too’ that smile beaming towards me.

‘I'm just trying to sell a few because I made a mountain lot of them. All goods man! Four-eighty for the milik!’

‘Milik?’ I asked, not sure what Milik was. Did she miss-pronounce Milk?

‘Yeah, it’s what my mummzie call’s milk. Kinda stuck’

I nodded slowly, understanding that she had done it on purpose. I paid for my milk and began to leave.

‘Well! See you tomorrow at school Leon!’ she waved.

‘Does that mean you will be attending English tomorrow?’

I looked at her, slightly hopeful that she would say yes. She seemed to ponder over the idea then giggled lightly before answering.

‘Nah, don’t think so! Like I said, English is hard!’

My lips closed together tight and I turned away, heading back out into the chilling autumn breeze that gently nipped at my body. My mind was in shambles at what had just happened. There had been many times where I had thought about talking to Autumn, but she the version in my mind seemed more, snotty and rude towards me. But she was far from what I had expected.

I continued a few feet onwards towards home, but still couldn’t get over the fact that she had actually talked to me. But what was I excited for? Was I even excited? Autumn was a girl who annoyed the hell out of me with everything little thing she did. There was nothing she did that I found amusing. I swear upon it. But...

I turned and continued on.

‘Hey! Your back!’ she grinned, eyes wide with cheerfulness.

‘Have you changed your mind about buying my lollies!?’ she asked with a cheeky tone, waving another bag of lollies in her hands.

‘Y-Yes. My mum...likes lollies. She has a sweet tooth’