Keep Your Head Up

Despite the fact it was almost Summer, school mornings were as much boring and awful as in any other season, and that made me wanna throw myself out of a window, with some luck I’d jump out of the second floor’s Biology lab and land straight onto the benches by the strangely old oak tree on the school’s front yard, where I’d probably get a few broken bones and some emotional issues.

Lisa and I usually took the school bus together, and I would wake up at 6am sharp, take a shower, dress-up, roughly do my make-up and have breakfast. My patient mother would wake up a few minutes earlier than me and get ready for work, make our breakfast, and always make sure Mikey had brushed his teeth and done his homework, which she’d lately not even check, because he was responsible. My mother was a lawyer on one of those firms that belonged to some family with two last names. She was a successful lawyer, so was my father, but together they were great, most of the times they worked on the same cases and won almost every one. I can’t say I’m not proud of my parents professionally speaking.

“You’re early Bree” Lisa said while shoving a sandwich in her mouth.

“No, I’m not!” I said looking at my watch.

“Let’s go then” She ran in front of me, making it look like she was racing me.

Half an hour later we were in school. Everywhere you looked you could see people speaking about prom, graduation, the upcoming games and colleges.

Me and Lisa had both English on first period, we’re going to give our essays on Poe to our teacher, Mrs. Edwards. The short, skinny woman, reached us asking for our essays, giving disapproving looks at some people for not bringing their homework and smiling at the ones who did. Lisa sat beside me, throughout eye contact we could have a normal conversation, it creeped me out that we could do that, it wasn’t telepathy but it was some sort of connection that I didn’t have with anyone else.

I spent the rest of the day casually thinking of John, and what was he doing, if he was just in is room staring at the ceiling or helping his parents moving things and decorating their rooms.

“What you thinking ‘bout Phillips?” Bobby Richards asked me during lunch. He was in most of our classes, and was probably the only decent boy in all of my classes.

“Nothing” I said taking a bite of my meat ball.

“You look pretty thoughtful for someone who’s eating meat balls” He continued.

“You know meat balls make you think” I said laughing a little. “But I wasn’t thinking about anything special. Have you guys noticed Mr. Swanson’s new car?” I asked trying to change subject.

“He probably stole that thing, it looks way too expensive for a Biology teacher” Lisa said.

“What if he earned some money doing one of those trials with biologists or something?” Bobby scuffed while finishing his milk.

“Maybe he’s dating a rich woman” I finally said.

“Either way it’s a nice Mustang. Year 78?”

“75. My grandfather had one alike it back in the day.” Bobby said, stepping away towards the trash cans.

After lunch we had Algebra and then Spanish. We went home shortly before 5pm. Lisa and I talked about a million things on our way home and she asked me about John.

“Do you think he’d be interested in us?” She asked, her eyes lingering around the neighborhood.

“Interested?”

“You know, romantically?”

“I don’t know.”

“But you got the hots for him don’t ya?” Lisa said, her hand touching my arm.

“What? The hots? No!” I said feeling slightly uncomfortable.

“Ah, I can see it in your face. To be honest he doesn’t interest me, I mean sure I wouldn’t mind making out with that skinny face, but he’d be thinking of you the whole time.” She said like she was finally letting out what she wanted to say since the first time she started talking.

“What does that even mean? We talked a bit, we hang out a little, he’s not into me like that, I’m sure you are mistaken.” I stopped walking and she looked at me, pulling me into her shoulder.

“Shut up Bree, you like him, I can tell that. And he likes you too, go for it and shut up.” She pat my back and slapped me on the face.

“You’re such a weird friend”

“Yup” She slapped me again.

“Stop slapping me” I said dramatically.

“But you’re so pale, you need some slapping to get some red on your cheeks sista” She said pretending to speak like Kim Kardashian.

When I got home, my heart pounded and felt like it made it’s way towards my throat. John was on my front lawn resting his hands on a lawn mower, and talking to my mother who was still in her usual lawyer suit. Mikey and Shane were behind them looking at something they had in their hands.

“Hey baby” My mom said.

“Hey mom, John, hey guys!” I greeted everyone, awkwardly looking at them.

“John’s will be helping us from now on, doing some chores.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, I don’t have a lot of time to take care of our garden, and don’t get me wrong but you don’t do a good job when you try and John here, he learnt with his mother how to do these things and he needs a summer job so” Anne Phillips said with her hands on her hips, the mom who hates suits, she looks uncomfortable, but I couldn’t picture her taking care of flowers or mowing the lawn.

“I’m the greatest gardener you have mom! What does this O’Callaghan knows?” I said, putting my hand on the lawn mower, John and my mom laughed enthusiastically.

“I was just telling John where the things were, I got home an hour ago and Jenny was telling me about how my flowers look so sloppy, and John was around so we just spoke about it” She paused looking around at our front yard. “Can you please tell him whatever he asks for? I’m tired and I need to get off this suit and take care of dinner” She asked, already walking away towards the front door.
John stood still in front of me, and started asking about tools and what he needed to get started.
“When do you want to start?” I asked him, sitting on our back yard swings.

“Tomorrow, because I need to learn and know the space first” He said as though he was a professional, at least he sounded experient.

“Will you come here at what time?”

“Maybe when you or someone gets home, I don’t want to barge in like I own the place” He jokingly spoke, his hands running through the cables that held the swings.

“I come home always around 5.30, but at Fridays I’m here since 3pm. My mom always come about 4pm, but sometimes she stays after 8 or even later, she works a lot.” I said, he looked at me with interested eyes.

“I can come at 5.30 then. You could help me” He smiled.

“Oh yeah sure”

I let out an unmeasured sigh and John got up from the swing set.

“So we’re good?” He asked.

“We’re good”

He left me and a few seconds later I could see him going into his back door, he smiled at me and disappeared inside of the house.

Later during dinner Mikey was talking about Shane and how cool were his Nintendo games and even described a game on which he had to go through some challenges and death defying scenarios and win lots of coins so you could help a princess who was in danger. My mother proudly listened to the blonde headed boy, who spoke about his new friend like he was one of the new books she used to get him.

Before getting ready to sleep I received a text message.

I think you should get some vitamin water for your daisies on the back yard. – John O’Callaghan

I hadn’t given him my phone number, but it was nice that he was messaging me. I instinctively looked at my window, he’s light was on. I could see his naked feet on the bottom of his bed.

How do you have my phone number? We shall get that water.

Seconds later he replied.

Your mom gave it to me before you arrived, we were discussing the same I talked to you about. The times I could work there.

I kept looking at the window, his feet moved on some sort of song beat.

And did she tell you that it was better to give you my phone number so you’d know when to come?

Yes.

Why did you just think of my daisies?

‘cause I was thinking about you.

Good things I hope.

Always.

Suddenly he was in front of the window, and I was sure he could see me. I didn’t move. He looked down at his phone, and typed something. Seconds later my phone buzzed.

You look so pretty on those pjs.

I laughed out loud and, I made sure he could see me, so I span around, he laughed as well.

That Woodstock tee sure suits you.

He did the same as me, but he was much more graceful. He could be a model, he had the looks and the height and that feeling he’d make you cry if you saw him on a billboard.

It was my uncle’s, thanks.

I couldn’t tell how long we texted each other and made signs through the window, but it was fun. At some point we got tired and ran out of things to talk about so, we waved goodbye and went to bed. But I stared a few more minutes at his window. John O’Callaghan was so charming that his existence made me stay awake, I wanted to scream at him for not having a bed that faced my window.