This Is Love... Or Is It?
First Day
Her hands tremble ever-so-slightly with the nervous anticipation of this day. She can feel excitement swelling up inside her, bubbling to the brim with joyous exuberance. "Ana, you're oatmeal will become cold and unappetizing if you do not eat it quickly, my darling!" Ana smiles gratefully and eats the oatmeal in three hasty bites. Her mother hands her a packed lunch and kisses her cheek before looking her daughter over. Ana's outfit is beautiful, but not formal. A simple flowing blue blouse and khaki shorts with turquoise flats. The straps for a turquoise tank-top rest upon her bony shoulders. Her eyelashes have the slightest bit of mascara brushed upon them, and her lips shine with a smidge of pink lip gloss.
Ana runs out to the curb, where the bus pulls to a stop. She takes a deep breath and walks through the squeaky door and up the three small steps. A crowd of faces glances at her, before returning to their catch-up conversations. As she walks down the narrow aisle, she checks over all the faces for someone familiar. Finding none, she takes an empty seat towards the back of the 8th grade section, gets out her iPod, and flips through a book absentmindedly. A small mirror appears from her backpack while she checks her scant make-up. Her long, waist-length, blond hair is in a braid; her big blue eyes shine like diamonds.
Towards the middle of the bus ride, Ana's heart beats fast and her palms start sweating. Just as the door creaks open, she feels her heart beating in her chest like a bass drum doing sixteenth notes. Her eyebrows knit together slightly, contemplating the reason for this sudden anxiety replacing the excitement in her heart.
And then she sees... him. He has golden skin, soft and mellow- like candlelight spreading across a room. His hair is curly and dark, but short. His ears stick out the slightest bit, and his eyes are... beautiful. They look like pools of chocolate, coffee, caramel, and amber. A mirage of shades of brown shift, looking around the bus. As the bus creeps away from his stop, he hurriedly sits down in the seat behind the driver. He wears shorts and a nice shirt, bright blue shoes, and socks that reach mid-shin.
He glances around and catches sight of her before looking away and talking with some 8th graders at the front of the bus. Ana loses herself in the depths of her mind as she thinks of the boy and other first-day problems.
She can't help but watch him as he leaves the bus, but quickly tears her eyes away and hastens to her first class- Geometry. Who should she find but him, sitting at the far side of the room. Ana takes a seat in front of her best friend, Marie, and talks nervously to her. She peeks over at him every once in a while, trying to find clues to his name. Marie notices. "Come on, Ana! What's gotten into you? You seem, I don't know... jumpy! Like some creeper's gonna come around the corner with a machete in his hand!" Ana smiles and says, "It's the first day of school... You know the feeling." Marie laughs and starts to say something, but the teacher interrupts her and starts the class.
As it turns out, Marie, Ana, and the boy had every class together. During second, Marie and Ana sit together to endure Civics and Economics, which actually turns out to be fun and interesting. English is great too, as are band and gym. Marie and Ana sit with Evelynn and the first question out of Evelynn's mouth is, "So... Are ya crushing on anyone?" Ana blushes, which Marie and Evelynn immediately take as a telltale sign. "Who is it?" Marie presses. "There's this guy, and I think his name is Luke. I'm not sure though." Ana smiles shyly. "You like him? He's weird..." Evelynn scoffs. Ana protests, "His eyes are pretty! And he's nice! I like him!"
Evelynn shrugs and changes the subject, laughing loudly with Marie, while Ana sits contemplating her outburst. I'd hung out with Luke's friends before, and noticed him there. He didn't strike me as odd... Just crazy like the rest of us! And he was handsome! Surely he couldn't be more weird than most eighth graders?
On the bus ride home, all the seats but one were taken when Ana climbed the steps to the narrow aisle. She sits in the lone seat, looking for Luke. He isn't on yet, but boards the yellow vehicle shortly after Ana. He sits gingerly down on the edge of the seat beside Ana. "Hey." She says, nonchalantly. He nods, "Hi." And takes out an iPhone. Ana and Luke sit beside each other as if they're in separate worlds- both engrossed in technology, books, or homework. If Luke noticed the small glances Ana kept sneaking towards him, he didn't mention it or react. However, when he stood up to leave, a piece of paper fluttered from his hand to the floor. Ana picks up the piece of paper and has Luke's phone number written on it, as well as, "Text me so we can get to know each other."
Ana closes her hand around the miniscule note, that is so small, yet so important. She tucks it in her book as a bookmark, and saves the number into her phone. Thrill and joy courses through her veins like adrenaline, and as soon as she is in her room at her house, she leaps for joy and dances around. Suddenly, her phone rings. Ana gasps, reads the number, and deflates the slightest bit. Marie is calling her. "Hello?" She says. "Hey girlie, it's Marie! What's up?" Ana grins, "Luke gave me his number!" She hears Marie's barely audible gasp. "Good for you, girl! What does this mean? Do you think he likes you?" Ana sighs, holding the note to her chest, and says, "I don't know. It's weird. I feel connected to him somehow. Like we're meant for each other!" Marie says dreamily, "That's really romantic, and also kinda creepy. But hey! Souls mates or not, you two look cute together. I saw you on your bus. My bus is next to yours, by the way." Ana smiles, and says, "Speaking of something being kinda creepy..." She breaks off her sentence with a laugh. "I have to get my syllabus signed. See ya tomorrow, Marie." Ana says. "Okay, Ana. Don't go kissing too many boys till then," Marie adds jokingly before hanging up. Ana sets the phone down upon her desk and sits in a pink chair, thinking...
Ana runs out to the curb, where the bus pulls to a stop. She takes a deep breath and walks through the squeaky door and up the three small steps. A crowd of faces glances at her, before returning to their catch-up conversations. As she walks down the narrow aisle, she checks over all the faces for someone familiar. Finding none, she takes an empty seat towards the back of the 8th grade section, gets out her iPod, and flips through a book absentmindedly. A small mirror appears from her backpack while she checks her scant make-up. Her long, waist-length, blond hair is in a braid; her big blue eyes shine like diamonds.
Towards the middle of the bus ride, Ana's heart beats fast and her palms start sweating. Just as the door creaks open, she feels her heart beating in her chest like a bass drum doing sixteenth notes. Her eyebrows knit together slightly, contemplating the reason for this sudden anxiety replacing the excitement in her heart.
And then she sees... him. He has golden skin, soft and mellow- like candlelight spreading across a room. His hair is curly and dark, but short. His ears stick out the slightest bit, and his eyes are... beautiful. They look like pools of chocolate, coffee, caramel, and amber. A mirage of shades of brown shift, looking around the bus. As the bus creeps away from his stop, he hurriedly sits down in the seat behind the driver. He wears shorts and a nice shirt, bright blue shoes, and socks that reach mid-shin.
He glances around and catches sight of her before looking away and talking with some 8th graders at the front of the bus. Ana loses herself in the depths of her mind as she thinks of the boy and other first-day problems.
She can't help but watch him as he leaves the bus, but quickly tears her eyes away and hastens to her first class- Geometry. Who should she find but him, sitting at the far side of the room. Ana takes a seat in front of her best friend, Marie, and talks nervously to her. She peeks over at him every once in a while, trying to find clues to his name. Marie notices. "Come on, Ana! What's gotten into you? You seem, I don't know... jumpy! Like some creeper's gonna come around the corner with a machete in his hand!" Ana smiles and says, "It's the first day of school... You know the feeling." Marie laughs and starts to say something, but the teacher interrupts her and starts the class.
As it turns out, Marie, Ana, and the boy had every class together. During second, Marie and Ana sit together to endure Civics and Economics, which actually turns out to be fun and interesting. English is great too, as are band and gym. Marie and Ana sit with Evelynn and the first question out of Evelynn's mouth is, "So... Are ya crushing on anyone?" Ana blushes, which Marie and Evelynn immediately take as a telltale sign. "Who is it?" Marie presses. "There's this guy, and I think his name is Luke. I'm not sure though." Ana smiles shyly. "You like him? He's weird..." Evelynn scoffs. Ana protests, "His eyes are pretty! And he's nice! I like him!"
Evelynn shrugs and changes the subject, laughing loudly with Marie, while Ana sits contemplating her outburst. I'd hung out with Luke's friends before, and noticed him there. He didn't strike me as odd... Just crazy like the rest of us! And he was handsome! Surely he couldn't be more weird than most eighth graders?
On the bus ride home, all the seats but one were taken when Ana climbed the steps to the narrow aisle. She sits in the lone seat, looking for Luke. He isn't on yet, but boards the yellow vehicle shortly after Ana. He sits gingerly down on the edge of the seat beside Ana. "Hey." She says, nonchalantly. He nods, "Hi." And takes out an iPhone. Ana and Luke sit beside each other as if they're in separate worlds- both engrossed in technology, books, or homework. If Luke noticed the small glances Ana kept sneaking towards him, he didn't mention it or react. However, when he stood up to leave, a piece of paper fluttered from his hand to the floor. Ana picks up the piece of paper and has Luke's phone number written on it, as well as, "Text me so we can get to know each other."
Ana closes her hand around the miniscule note, that is so small, yet so important. She tucks it in her book as a bookmark, and saves the number into her phone. Thrill and joy courses through her veins like adrenaline, and as soon as she is in her room at her house, she leaps for joy and dances around. Suddenly, her phone rings. Ana gasps, reads the number, and deflates the slightest bit. Marie is calling her. "Hello?" She says. "Hey girlie, it's Marie! What's up?" Ana grins, "Luke gave me his number!" She hears Marie's barely audible gasp. "Good for you, girl! What does this mean? Do you think he likes you?" Ana sighs, holding the note to her chest, and says, "I don't know. It's weird. I feel connected to him somehow. Like we're meant for each other!" Marie says dreamily, "That's really romantic, and also kinda creepy. But hey! Souls mates or not, you two look cute together. I saw you on your bus. My bus is next to yours, by the way." Ana smiles, and says, "Speaking of something being kinda creepy..." She breaks off her sentence with a laugh. "I have to get my syllabus signed. See ya tomorrow, Marie." Ana says. "Okay, Ana. Don't go kissing too many boys till then," Marie adds jokingly before hanging up. Ana sets the phone down upon her desk and sits in a pink chair, thinking...