Status: Active
If I Was Young, I'd Flee This Town. I'd Bury My Dreams Underground.
One
"I don't like you hanging out with that Zach all the time," my friend Blaine said with a sneer. We were sitting across from each other on his front lawn, just like we would be on any ordinary summer afternoon in Santa Fe. He spat on the patch of grass in front of him. "I mean, think about it, Caitrin. He's in a band. He can have any girl he wants. You know what he's going to do? Screw you, then ditch you."
I frowned at him, feeling disheartened. He hadn't been treating me very nicely lately. "Zach and I are just friends. Honest," I replied softly. "Plus, he's not that kind of guy. I mean, he's made some mistakes, but... he's a nice guy." I crossed my arms indignantly as I stood up to leave, brushing little blades of grass off of my khaki shorts.
I stayed there a moment and looked at Blaine with sadness. We'd known each other since childhood, and now all of a sudden we were in some stupid fight over some stupid guy. Sighing, I finally turned and walked away, frustrated.
Once I was a few houses down from Blaine's, I plucked a wishing flower from in between the cracks in the sidewalk. Standing still and closing my eyes, I held the flower to my lips. I just wish everything would be okay, I thought with desperation as I blew gently on the flower. Each little seed went in its own direction, ready to grow a brand new dandelion on some other sidewalk somewhere far away.
Somewhere in the midst of the stagnant summer air, a ukulele sang softly in the distance. I eagerly made my way toward the source of the sound. Zach, I thought. It has to be Zach. I was delighted to see him leaning up against his car, caressing the strings in such a way that they produced one of the more beautiful sounds in the world. "Hey Zach," I greeted him.
He stopped playing after finishing the phrase he was on. "Oh, hey Caitrin," he said, his tone calm yet amiable.
I sighed and gave him a sad look. "Blaine doesn't like me talking to you. And I don't even talk to you that much. Really. I just... ugh."
I covered my face with my hands, feeling ashamed and angry and upset all at once. There was a long pause before I heard Zach's voice again. "I've been thinking a lot about travelling lately," he said simply, dreamily. I uncovered my face and looked at him, curious about where he was going with this. "I daydream all the time about getting out of Santa Fe and seeing the world. It's just fascinating. And I'm not touring or anything right now, so... why don't we go on a little road trip? Maybe get to know each other a little better?" He pitched the idea with a disarming smile.
"Really? You'd want to bring... me?" I said in awe.
"Sure. Why not? I've got my car. We can go right now, if you want. By the time people start to miss us, we'll already be long gone."
Though I usually wasn't the rebellious type, this idea appealed to me. Not once in my life had I left New Mexico, and, well, there's a first time for everything. "Sure, count me in," I replied, smiling.
I frowned at him, feeling disheartened. He hadn't been treating me very nicely lately. "Zach and I are just friends. Honest," I replied softly. "Plus, he's not that kind of guy. I mean, he's made some mistakes, but... he's a nice guy." I crossed my arms indignantly as I stood up to leave, brushing little blades of grass off of my khaki shorts.
I stayed there a moment and looked at Blaine with sadness. We'd known each other since childhood, and now all of a sudden we were in some stupid fight over some stupid guy. Sighing, I finally turned and walked away, frustrated.
Once I was a few houses down from Blaine's, I plucked a wishing flower from in between the cracks in the sidewalk. Standing still and closing my eyes, I held the flower to my lips. I just wish everything would be okay, I thought with desperation as I blew gently on the flower. Each little seed went in its own direction, ready to grow a brand new dandelion on some other sidewalk somewhere far away.
Somewhere in the midst of the stagnant summer air, a ukulele sang softly in the distance. I eagerly made my way toward the source of the sound. Zach, I thought. It has to be Zach. I was delighted to see him leaning up against his car, caressing the strings in such a way that they produced one of the more beautiful sounds in the world. "Hey Zach," I greeted him.
He stopped playing after finishing the phrase he was on. "Oh, hey Caitrin," he said, his tone calm yet amiable.
I sighed and gave him a sad look. "Blaine doesn't like me talking to you. And I don't even talk to you that much. Really. I just... ugh."
I covered my face with my hands, feeling ashamed and angry and upset all at once. There was a long pause before I heard Zach's voice again. "I've been thinking a lot about travelling lately," he said simply, dreamily. I uncovered my face and looked at him, curious about where he was going with this. "I daydream all the time about getting out of Santa Fe and seeing the world. It's just fascinating. And I'm not touring or anything right now, so... why don't we go on a little road trip? Maybe get to know each other a little better?" He pitched the idea with a disarming smile.
"Really? You'd want to bring... me?" I said in awe.
"Sure. Why not? I've got my car. We can go right now, if you want. By the time people start to miss us, we'll already be long gone."
Though I usually wasn't the rebellious type, this idea appealed to me. Not once in my life had I left New Mexico, and, well, there's a first time for everything. "Sure, count me in," I replied, smiling.