Finding John
Chapter Twelve
For the first time, I actually saw a smile come across Alex’s face. It wasn’t a small one, and it wasn’t one of pure joy, but it was a smile that sat somewhere in the middle. It was larger than any other he’d ever given me, and probably the largest smile he’d smiled in quite some time. Once again, the odd sensation overcame me. It grew even stronger when Alex smirked and said, “I know.”
It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about: he knew my name. Odd, considering I’m a pretty quiet person as well, but I didn’t dwell on the oddity. “Uhm…” I said. “That’s--cool. I guess.”
And then he laughed. I don’t know if it was just me, but his laugh echoed through my ears and traveled straight to my heart, which warmed with the sweet sound of his amazing, not to mention intoxicating, laugh. An actual laugh. I got and actual laugh out of Alex Malone--and I don’t even know what I did to cause it!
“What?” I asked. I ran my tongue over my teeth to make sure there was nothing stuck in them, then looked back up at Alex. He had an amused expression on his face.
“Nothing,” he said quietly. “I just--”
When he didn’t go on, I said, “It’s okay, Alex. You don’t have to force anything.”
“But that’s the thing!” he burst out. Every head in the cafeteria turned toward us. When I saw that Alex looked embarrassed, I shot Sara a look and she diverted everyone’s attention back to their conversations. “That’s the thing, though,” Alex said, much more quieter this time. “I’m tired of forcing myself not to talk. You have no idea. I’ve been dying to talk to someone for so long and now--now I don’t feel so in the dark any more. Call me crazy, but I feel a connection between us, John.”
WOW. I thought. What do you say to something like that? Okay? I feel it to? But do I? “Uhm,” I said again, gaining a smile from Alex. And that’s when I knew that this wasn’t some elaborate lie or faked emotions. This was real, true, and something that I’d be dumb to turn down. “I feel it, too,” I told Alex. “Definitely.”
Alex smiled. “Then how about tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night?” I asked, skeptical about what he meant by that.
“Yeah. I’d really like to talk to you about some things. I’d suggest that we meet somewhere public, but this is not the time nor the place for somewhere like the library. How about your house? Not that I don’t want to go to my house, but I think it’d be best if we went to yours.”
This time, I laughed. “Yeah,” I agreed. “My house. I can get my dad to pick us up tomorrow after school. Is that okay?”
“Perfect.” Alex smiled, then, after quickly glancing at the clock above the double doors to the lunchroom, looked back at me and said, “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow. Right here, okay?”
I nodded. After he was out of eyesight, Sara came over to me. “What just happened?” she demanded.
I shook my head, still staring at the doors where Alex walked out. “I really don’t know. Something about a connection and meeting at my house tomorrow.”
It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about: he knew my name. Odd, considering I’m a pretty quiet person as well, but I didn’t dwell on the oddity. “Uhm…” I said. “That’s--cool. I guess.”
And then he laughed. I don’t know if it was just me, but his laugh echoed through my ears and traveled straight to my heart, which warmed with the sweet sound of his amazing, not to mention intoxicating, laugh. An actual laugh. I got and actual laugh out of Alex Malone--and I don’t even know what I did to cause it!
“What?” I asked. I ran my tongue over my teeth to make sure there was nothing stuck in them, then looked back up at Alex. He had an amused expression on his face.
“Nothing,” he said quietly. “I just--”
When he didn’t go on, I said, “It’s okay, Alex. You don’t have to force anything.”
“But that’s the thing!” he burst out. Every head in the cafeteria turned toward us. When I saw that Alex looked embarrassed, I shot Sara a look and she diverted everyone’s attention back to their conversations. “That’s the thing, though,” Alex said, much more quieter this time. “I’m tired of forcing myself not to talk. You have no idea. I’ve been dying to talk to someone for so long and now--now I don’t feel so in the dark any more. Call me crazy, but I feel a connection between us, John.”
WOW. I thought. What do you say to something like that? Okay? I feel it to? But do I? “Uhm,” I said again, gaining a smile from Alex. And that’s when I knew that this wasn’t some elaborate lie or faked emotions. This was real, true, and something that I’d be dumb to turn down. “I feel it, too,” I told Alex. “Definitely.”
Alex smiled. “Then how about tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night?” I asked, skeptical about what he meant by that.
“Yeah. I’d really like to talk to you about some things. I’d suggest that we meet somewhere public, but this is not the time nor the place for somewhere like the library. How about your house? Not that I don’t want to go to my house, but I think it’d be best if we went to yours.”
This time, I laughed. “Yeah,” I agreed. “My house. I can get my dad to pick us up tomorrow after school. Is that okay?”
“Perfect.” Alex smiled, then, after quickly glancing at the clock above the double doors to the lunchroom, looked back at me and said, “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow. Right here, okay?”
I nodded. After he was out of eyesight, Sara came over to me. “What just happened?” she demanded.
I shook my head, still staring at the doors where Alex walked out. “I really don’t know. Something about a connection and meeting at my house tomorrow.”