Status: Complete
Wild Child: Love Cannot Save You Part 1
Just Laugh At Yourself
The next day, Caroline found herself walking to school on her own. Phil wasn’t feeling well, and her parents had insisted that he stay home and get some rest.
It wasn’t that Caroline resented him for it. In fact, she was glad that he was taking care of himself instead of constantly putting her needs first. She just didn’t know if she was able to get through an entire school day without her brother’s support.
She was being ridiculous, of course. At fifteen years old, Caroline was more than capable of taking care of herself. She shouldn’t have to rely on her big brother for every little thing. But still, he was all she had in this strange, new environment. And however she might have felt about her peers, Caroline didn’t sit well with the thought of being alone.
As she reached the corner of Woodland Terrace and Jackson Place, something peculiar caught her eye. A group of children were huddled in front of a stone house, presumably waiting for the bus. And on the small stone boundary that overlooked the street, stood a boy that looked around her age, fragrantly waving his arms.
As she got closer, Caroline recognized the boy as the one she had glimpsed the day before. Jim, she remembered, that was his name. Jim Morrison.
“What on earth is he doing?” she thought to herself, hesitant to get much closer for fear that he would realize she was watching him.
“Ignore your teachers,” he was yelling at the startled kids, “disobey your parents, renounce God and become atheists before your hopes of freedom are vanquished forever!”
Caroline found herself laughing at the outright nerve this boy possessed. She admired his antics, and the way he didn’t seem to care what anyone thought of him.
Her laughter seemed to get his attention, however. He had stopped preaching to the confused children and was now looking directly at her.
He didn’t say anything, just looked on with his intense gaze as his mouth curved into a boyish grin. She smiled back, shyly, before continuing her walk to school. She mentally chastised herself for not having the nerve to actually stay and talk to him, but something about him made her feel intimidated, like she wasn’t good enough. Caroline had never felt that way in her entire life. It was a new feeling, one that she didn’t like one bit.
___________________________________________________________________________________
“Hey,” a voice startled Caroline as she was getting her books out of her locker, “you’re Caroline, right?”
A tall, thin boy with round glasses and short hair, neatly parted to one side stood in front of her. Surprised, Caroline nodded, trying to remember if she had seen the boy in front of her somewhere before, but she couldn’t seem to remember anything.
“I’m Jeff,” he introduced himself, smiling in a friendly manner, “one of Phil’s friends.”
“Oh,” she smiled back politely. Of course Phil had already made friends. He was so likeable he seemed to instantly make connections wherever he went. Caroline didn’t know why she had imagined this move would be so hard on him.
“I thought I recognized you,” Jeff said, “Phil pointed you out the other day.”
“He did?” she asked, wondering how she had managed to pass her brother without seeing him.
“Yeah, you’re a freshman, right?”
“Sophomore.” She corrected him, rocking back and forth on her heels.
“Oh, right. So how do you like GW so far?” He asked.
“Honestly,” said Caroline, without thinking, “it kind of bites.”
She was expecting him to be insulted, so it came as a bit of a shock to her when he burst out laughing.
“Yeah,” he said, “this dump is way behind the times. Can’t compete with the big apple, that’s for sure. Been to DC yet though? It’s a real hip city, maybe not on level with New York, but it’s definitely up there.”
Caroline was about to answer him when the bell sounded, signaling that her next class was about to begin.
“Well,” she said, as she closed her locker, “it was nice meeting you.”
“Yeah, you too. Tell Phil we missed him in Calculus today.”
“Alright, I will,” she waved as she made her way toward her next class.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Unlike her brother, Caroline wasn’t having an easy time making friends. At lunchtime she found herself alone in the library. Without Phil there, she had no one to sit with, and she hadn’t wanted to put herself in such an awkward situation. It was much more comfortable to be alone with a good book.
She sighed, glancing around the pretty much empty room. She missed her friends back in New York, and all the exciting things there were to do. This shy, reclusive girl she had turned into was a stranger to her. She didn’t want to be this person, but she felt trapped, like she had no other choice.
A familiar tune snapped Caroline out of her thoughts. To her surprise, someone was whistling, and she turned her head to see who it was.
Her eyes widened as she saw that Jim was standing by the doorway, smirking as the old woman behind the desk shushed him with an angry glare.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he spoke in a slow drawl that contrasted with the gleam in his blue-grey eyes. The woman shook her head before going back to sorting files.
After a few seconds, he began whistling the same tune and the woman snapped her head up.
“Oh,” Jim looked at the librarian innocently, “I didn’t even realize I was doing it. My apologies.”
The woman rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing, choosing to just ignore him.
Jim chuckled to himself, then seemed to notice Caroline’s presence. Embarrassed that she had been caught watching him twice today, she ducked her head behind the book she was reading, hoping to conceal the blush that had spread to her cheeks.
“Hey,” a deep, laid back voice spoke, “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?”
Caroline slowly lifted her head and locked eyes with the boy in front of her. Now that he wasn’t speaking to the woman up front, he no longer spoke in that slow, southern drawl. In fact, he didn’t seem to have much of an accent at all.
“Um, yeah,” she nodded, “I saw you with those kids earlier.”
“Right,” he said, “mind if I sit down?”
Caroline shook her head, hardly able to believe that he was actually talking to her.
“I’m Jim,” he introduced himself.
“Caroline.”
“Caroline,” he repeated. She loved the way her name sounded when he said it. It gave her a giddy feeling that was all too new to her.
“So why aren’t you in the cafeteria?” he asked.
“My brother’s not here today,” she replied, not bothering to lie, “we just moved here from New York and I don’t really know anyone yet. I figured it would be a lot less awkward to just come in here.”
“Hey,” he said, “listen, if you find yourself in an awkward situation, just laugh at yourself and others around you will laugh with you.”
“Thanks,” Caroline smiled, grateful for his words of wisdom, “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”
It wasn’t that Caroline resented him for it. In fact, she was glad that he was taking care of himself instead of constantly putting her needs first. She just didn’t know if she was able to get through an entire school day without her brother’s support.
She was being ridiculous, of course. At fifteen years old, Caroline was more than capable of taking care of herself. She shouldn’t have to rely on her big brother for every little thing. But still, he was all she had in this strange, new environment. And however she might have felt about her peers, Caroline didn’t sit well with the thought of being alone.
As she reached the corner of Woodland Terrace and Jackson Place, something peculiar caught her eye. A group of children were huddled in front of a stone house, presumably waiting for the bus. And on the small stone boundary that overlooked the street, stood a boy that looked around her age, fragrantly waving his arms.
As she got closer, Caroline recognized the boy as the one she had glimpsed the day before. Jim, she remembered, that was his name. Jim Morrison.
“What on earth is he doing?” she thought to herself, hesitant to get much closer for fear that he would realize she was watching him.
“Ignore your teachers,” he was yelling at the startled kids, “disobey your parents, renounce God and become atheists before your hopes of freedom are vanquished forever!”
Caroline found herself laughing at the outright nerve this boy possessed. She admired his antics, and the way he didn’t seem to care what anyone thought of him.
Her laughter seemed to get his attention, however. He had stopped preaching to the confused children and was now looking directly at her.
He didn’t say anything, just looked on with his intense gaze as his mouth curved into a boyish grin. She smiled back, shyly, before continuing her walk to school. She mentally chastised herself for not having the nerve to actually stay and talk to him, but something about him made her feel intimidated, like she wasn’t good enough. Caroline had never felt that way in her entire life. It was a new feeling, one that she didn’t like one bit.
___________________________________________________________________________________
“Hey,” a voice startled Caroline as she was getting her books out of her locker, “you’re Caroline, right?”
A tall, thin boy with round glasses and short hair, neatly parted to one side stood in front of her. Surprised, Caroline nodded, trying to remember if she had seen the boy in front of her somewhere before, but she couldn’t seem to remember anything.
“I’m Jeff,” he introduced himself, smiling in a friendly manner, “one of Phil’s friends.”
“Oh,” she smiled back politely. Of course Phil had already made friends. He was so likeable he seemed to instantly make connections wherever he went. Caroline didn’t know why she had imagined this move would be so hard on him.
“I thought I recognized you,” Jeff said, “Phil pointed you out the other day.”
“He did?” she asked, wondering how she had managed to pass her brother without seeing him.
“Yeah, you’re a freshman, right?”
“Sophomore.” She corrected him, rocking back and forth on her heels.
“Oh, right. So how do you like GW so far?” He asked.
“Honestly,” said Caroline, without thinking, “it kind of bites.”
She was expecting him to be insulted, so it came as a bit of a shock to her when he burst out laughing.
“Yeah,” he said, “this dump is way behind the times. Can’t compete with the big apple, that’s for sure. Been to DC yet though? It’s a real hip city, maybe not on level with New York, but it’s definitely up there.”
Caroline was about to answer him when the bell sounded, signaling that her next class was about to begin.
“Well,” she said, as she closed her locker, “it was nice meeting you.”
“Yeah, you too. Tell Phil we missed him in Calculus today.”
“Alright, I will,” she waved as she made her way toward her next class.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Unlike her brother, Caroline wasn’t having an easy time making friends. At lunchtime she found herself alone in the library. Without Phil there, she had no one to sit with, and she hadn’t wanted to put herself in such an awkward situation. It was much more comfortable to be alone with a good book.
She sighed, glancing around the pretty much empty room. She missed her friends back in New York, and all the exciting things there were to do. This shy, reclusive girl she had turned into was a stranger to her. She didn’t want to be this person, but she felt trapped, like she had no other choice.
A familiar tune snapped Caroline out of her thoughts. To her surprise, someone was whistling, and she turned her head to see who it was.
Her eyes widened as she saw that Jim was standing by the doorway, smirking as the old woman behind the desk shushed him with an angry glare.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he spoke in a slow drawl that contrasted with the gleam in his blue-grey eyes. The woman shook her head before going back to sorting files.
After a few seconds, he began whistling the same tune and the woman snapped her head up.
“Oh,” Jim looked at the librarian innocently, “I didn’t even realize I was doing it. My apologies.”
The woman rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing, choosing to just ignore him.
Jim chuckled to himself, then seemed to notice Caroline’s presence. Embarrassed that she had been caught watching him twice today, she ducked her head behind the book she was reading, hoping to conceal the blush that had spread to her cheeks.
“Hey,” a deep, laid back voice spoke, “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?”
Caroline slowly lifted her head and locked eyes with the boy in front of her. Now that he wasn’t speaking to the woman up front, he no longer spoke in that slow, southern drawl. In fact, he didn’t seem to have much of an accent at all.
“Um, yeah,” she nodded, “I saw you with those kids earlier.”
“Right,” he said, “mind if I sit down?”
Caroline shook her head, hardly able to believe that he was actually talking to her.
“I’m Jim,” he introduced himself.
“Caroline.”
“Caroline,” he repeated. She loved the way her name sounded when he said it. It gave her a giddy feeling that was all too new to her.
“So why aren’t you in the cafeteria?” he asked.
“My brother’s not here today,” she replied, not bothering to lie, “we just moved here from New York and I don’t really know anyone yet. I figured it would be a lot less awkward to just come in here.”
“Hey,” he said, “listen, if you find yourself in an awkward situation, just laugh at yourself and others around you will laugh with you.”
“Thanks,” Caroline smiled, grateful for his words of wisdom, “I’ll try to keep that in mind.”