I Tried My Best

“Elizabeth,” He said her name out loud, as if he were trying to recall a memory of some sort. But he wasn’t not yet at least.

He was watching her walk down the halls of the school he’d seen her so often over the years but he’d never knew her name not until he overheard her and a friend, they were talking she’d just broken up with a guy who was no good for her.

He saw this as a chance if not for him to be a type of rebound then to at least be a friend, everyone could use more friends right? For weeks his dark chocolate eyes watched her rounded yet curvy body as she walked, they never lingered on her long for fear of getting caught.

But it was enough for him to notice, she’d replaced her glasses and was wearing some kind of contacts that made her once Hazel eyes look more of a deep blue, he skin had more of a bronze to it then it had a week ago, she’d even cut her hair it was once long flowing to the mid of her back, but now it looked shorter just barley long enough for a pony tail, and she’d changed the color it used to be a reddish brown, but now it was more an auburn maybe closer to burgundy.

Randy was amazed at what detail he could pick out of her in just a few short weeks, he was even more amazed that his quick glance caused him to miss the turn he was supposed to take for his class, so instead of walking in to an art room like he had every day for the last four months he walked in to an off white maybe even perhaps beige wall. The collision was hard enough to knock him flat on his butt for several seconds. The impact was also a loud one which causes a scene.

“Where’d you learn to walk?” One kid said gaining a few high fives from his friends.

“Do you walk much?” Another asked as she walked past snickering with her group of friends.

“Hey buddy, you know there is a wall there.” Someone else said.

“Hey ar-” A girl went to say but was cut off, “Yes I walked in to a fucking wall, now anything else?” Randy asked snapping a tinge of anger in his voice it wasn’t meant to be directed at the girl but he was upset mostly with himself...

“Look buddy I was just going to offer you a hand you didn’t need to be so damn rude.” She told him a bit of an attitude herself as it was early and she didn’t like being snapped at, Randy blushed and took her hand, “I’m sorry.” He stopped standing up realizing the girl was Elizabeth, but he’d just seen her go the other way heading somewhere opposite of him, hadn’t he?

“Elizabeth right?” He asked her once he finally found a voice to talk just as the second bell rang meaning they were both late for class, “Yeah, but how’d you know that?” She asked him, a quizzical look on her face as she stared at him waiting on an answer.

“Oh umm…” He was fumbling to come up with an answer when he let his tongue slip between his dry parted lips licking them so they wouldn’t stick together and to by himself a few more seconds before a long drawn out sigh passed between his lips. He let his eyes look at the ground as he opened his mouth to speak, he could feel his throat closing in on him though he was nervous now, but he’d always been taught to tell the truth.

“Honestly, I kind of heard you and your friend, the one who always wears that ugly green sweater, talking and when I heard you’ve been dumped I asked a friend, I guess who sort of knew you, what your name is… You see I’ve found you very pretty for a very long time but I knew you was dating someone so when I overheard you wasn’t I was going to try and become your friend and hope maybe we’d be more eventually.” He told her just pouring out every single bit of his plan to her…

Elizabeth looked at him she didn’t speak she was taking in his slouch, the fact he couldn’t look her in the eye, how his hair looked a little greasy like it needed washed, how his legs where very skinny compared to the rest of his body, he wasn’t as plump as she was, but he wasn’t a tooth pick either… His voice though is what had made her stay this long she had no idea who he was, but yet she could hear his honesty…

“That isn’t creepy at all.” She said with an awkward chuckle, that was enough to get Randy to look up at her now, ”She didn’t leave, she didn’t run..” both thoughts ran through his mind as he just kind of looked at her, which was making her uncomfortable and she was thinking of running, “Of course not.” He laughed a strange nervous low laugh, which indicated to the he had a deep voice he just tended to not speak in it, or so she could tell so fare…

“So, umm since we’re already very late, want to take an early lunch?” He asked her with a small timid smile again he was looking down at the floor, “Is there money under my shoe or something?” Elizabeth asked him a hint of humor in her tone, the Randy was oblivious to that, “Umm no why did you drop some?” He asked her back being very serious.

“No I didn’t.” She laughed, “But I thought you might have with the way you keep looking down so interested at the floor.” She told him a real genuine smile on her face. “Oh I just am waiting on you to be creeped out and run.” He told her still looking down, as if his shoe laces where much more interesting then the pretty girl.

Part of him was just trying to not be all weird while another part didn’t want to look at her because he found her so pretty, sure a lot of guys thought she was ugly and her Ex was a jerk who was just using her, and he wanted to show her he really did just want to be her friend... After a few moments of silence her slender fingers slid under his chin pulling his head so he was looking at her, “I don’t bite.” She jokes, “And if I was going to run I’d have did it when you told me you’ve been stalking me.” She teased him trying to lighten things up.

He nodded but didn’t say anything as they walked outside finding a patch of grass to sit on that didn’t look wet from where the sprinklers had been running it was almost spring so the school had turned the sprinklers on, for some reason their school liked to keep the grass well done. “So?” Elizabeth asked once the silence got too much for her to handle which only took about two minutes.

He chuckled, “Sorry I’m not very good at this.” HE told her which cause her to give him a strange look, which caused him to laugh a little, “Cutting class, talking outside, being around strangers that I stalk.” He told her still trying to make a joke while telling her a few simple things about him, “Yeah I never miss a class either this is very strange, guess we’re rebels now.” She told him giggling a little at her own silly joke while he gave her a chuckle.

“Well I guess I should tell you my name is Randy since I know your name yeah?” He asked her just goofing around, “Oh I already know your name,” She shrugged, “We’ve a History class I think it is and you was the only one last week who yelled here, really loud when the sub called attendance.” She told him laughing which made Randy blush, he wasn’t good with girls, and he was nearly eighteen.

“So umm what do you like to do for fun?” He finally asked her, but as soon as the question was out he was mentally slapping himself for being so stupid, “Well, I like to go hiking in the woods, reading, biking.” She shrugged before naming off a few more normal things she liked before shooting the question back at him, “Oh you know working, more work, helping around the house football.” He shrugged. “Aren’t you like scared to be in the woods alone?” HE asked her finding this a much more logical question.

“At first I was yeah.” She laughed, “But not so much anymore I mean sure there are spiders and junk but that’s really the worst thing out there, and I carry mace.” She said like she was a bad ass. “You said work you got two jobs or something?” She asked him, “Yeah I work in a book store three days a week and the two days I work at FYE re stocking movies, I’ll be eighteen soon gotta have the money to get the heck out.” He told her with a shrug.

That’s how they spent the rest their time out side, once they where parted ways Randy couldn’t get how she seemed to actually be interested in their game of twenty-one questions out of his head. While Elizabeth, couldn’t stop wondering why he was interested in her, and why he was so shy.

Neither one knew the other was thinking about the other the rest the day as they went on with their normal routines. For that day and the days that would follow spending their lunch hour together talking playing more question games and then going on with whatever else it was they did at School.

This kept up for a while before finally it started to get cold out, which meant Christmas was approaching and so outside was no longer an option, and inside Elizabeth had her friends and Randy his but they decided to merge their friends together sitting at one big table. As the days passed the table got smaller as some of the friends realized they didn’t get along with others, and some well they got along great, and a few ignored each other.

“He is cute, girl it’s been forever since fuck face dumped you, and he is so undressing you with his eyes, why don’t you go for it?” One of Elizabeth’s friends asked her as they were walking down the hall on their way from first period heading to second. “Because he’s so nice and just friendly.” She told her friend who was rolling her eyes at her. “Make a move before someone else does.” Her friend warned her. “Look he’s my friend I don’t want to mess that up, besides he won’t even text me.” She said finally shutting her friend up as they went in to separate class rooms…

Eventually though time was moving too fast for the friends and Randy was sad he’d be graduating and she’d be going to her last grad, he knew what he needed to do, his palms where sweaty he could feel preparation starting to form on his brow, he’d eaten breath mint after breath mint. He was waiting on her to get out of her third period class, like always he was leaned against the wall.

“Elizabeth?” Randy asked her slowly swallowing the lump in his throat this was probably the hardest thing he’d ever do in his life, okay maybe that’s not true but right now at the moment it was. She just looked at him with a quizzical look on her face waiting on him to continue…

So with a deep breath he finally spoke “Willyougotopromwithme?” He asked quickly not able to look her in the face, he was worried the question would ruin their friendship and she’d say no. “Randy, I need you to talk slower, I didn’t understand.” Elizabeth told him with a chuckle.

“Go to prom with me?” He asked again, “As my date not as a friend?” He made sure to let her know what he wanted he’d always told her he liked her but till now over the last several months he’d never done anything about it. “Randy I’d love to go to prom with you.” She told him smiling a big smile she’d been thinking of asking him herself actually