Close My Eyes,and Fly

“Turn your books to page 17, we’re going to start on internal citations today” Mr. Welch said. The students in the class groaned. It was the middle of their first week and Aaron was already sick of summer school. “Can anyone tell me the correct MLA Format for an internal citation? Anyone? he continued, scanning the class room for hands. The class sat in silence and the door creaked open.
“Aah, Mr. Mathess nice of you to join us” Mr. Welch said, turning to the door way. Standing in the door way was a grinning, sweaty, Jack. “Sorry Wee man, I slept in” he said, strutting into the class room. Aaron glared coldly at his cocky display. “You managed to sleep in for the first two days of class?” Mr. Welch responded, checking his roster to find Jack’s seat. “Over there, behind the Ms.Aaron, the blonde” he said, pointing in Aaron’s direction. She froze, glancing around for some other pour soul that would perhaps the same name and appearance as her. Jack glanced over at her and smirked, strutting over to the seat behind her and plopping down.
“Hows it going toots” he said, leaning in close to the back of her neck, whispering in her ear. Aaron shuddered, and turned to face him. “My name is Aaron” she snapped, sending a death glare in his direction. His smile fell, “I sincerely apologize Aaron.” he said in a sarcastic tone, placing his hand over his chest, a grin escape his lips and he glanced up at Mr. Welch who was still rambling on about citations. Aaron sighed and turned to face the board, slumping down in her seat with her arms folded across her chest.
Mr.Welch allowed the class to have a thirty minute snack break in the middle of class, just to “recharge the ol’ battery” as he would say. The class would scatter across the school and most of the students would be late on their return to class. Aaron liked to sit in the courtyard in the sun and read, on the first few days she hadn't thought to bring a snack with her, but today as she ran out of her house in a rush she managed to snag a bag of Cheetoes from her pantry.
Today Aaron sat under the oak tree in the courtyard of her school, she sat with her book on her lap and her bag of chips at her side. She had brushed her hair back into a ponytail because today was warmer than most, and she sighed in frustration as her bangs continuously fell into her eyes. It was days like this that made her enjoy the summer time, she had never been a winter person, and so on days like today she knew she would catch more rays when school was out and she could enjoy the walk home.
There was no one in sight except for a bird that was carelessly bouncing around on the ground, searching for snacks the morning session may have left. Aaron smiled and quietly rose from the ground, a small cheetoe in hand. She tip toed to the area the bird was searching and squatted to the ground, offering it the snack. “Here ya go little fella, take it” she reached out towards the birth, her hand slowly extending in its direction. The bird froze and stared at her, cocking his head to the side in confusion, Aaron moved closer. The bird, snatched the treat from her fingers and hopped off, protectivly nibbling on the treat.
“You really are a weirdo ya know that?” a voice said from behind her. Aaron rose to her feet and sighed, turning around “Don’t you have better things to do?” she said, turning around to face Jack who was planted under the tree, her book in his hands. “Do girls really enjoy reading this sappy romantic shit?” He continued, ignoring her question. “ I don’t know about all girls, but I do” she said, approaching him and snatching the book out of his hands.”Do boys really enjoy being assholes all the time?” She said, packing up her stuff into her arms. “ I don’t know about all boys, by I do.” he shot back, a grin on his face. Aaron began to walk away,
when Jack chased after her “cmon toots, why don’t you like me? he asked, digging his hands in his pockets as he walked along side her. There was a slight breeze and Aaron could faintly smell his cologne, a sweet wood smell, the kind you get on the first fireplace burn of the winter.
Aaron smiled in spite of herself, the smell reminded her of her grandparents house during christmas time. Her grandpa always lit a fire christmas morning, he would let her help and together they would stuff the odd bits of crumpled up newspaper under the fire wood.
“ I don’t even know you” She said finally, glancing up at him. The two of them stopped walking and stared awkwardly at each other. They had reached the classroom door and Aaron held her breath for the bell to ring. “Would you like to?” he said finally, brushing his air out of his face with the back of his hand, his brown eyes focused intently on her.
Aaron didn’t speak, not out of rudeness but out of total unsureness. As she pondered such a simple question she observed his body language. He seemed at ease, his hands in his pockets, his legs one folded over the other as he casually leaned against one of the blue lockers. His jaw was what gave him away, it sat tense and twitching in anticipation. She had never noticed it, what a magnificent jaw line he had, much like Scotts.
The bell rang and Aaron rushed her way past him and took her seat. She kept her head down for the rest of class until Mr.Welch announced there were only 5 minutes left in todays session. Aaron ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and scribbled something on it, she folded it up neatly and held it tightly in her hand until the bell rung.
Behind her, Jack gathered his stuff into a neat pile and scooped it up from his desk, he sauntered past her and Aaron slipped the note discreetly in the pocket of his hoodie. She didn’t understand why she did it, but she anticipated his reaction and she watched him intently as he walked down the hallway to the student parking lot. The note went unnoticed and Aaron stood unsure whether he would ever see it.
The tree outside Aaron’s window tapped mischievously throughout the night. Aaron tossed and turned in her turquoise sheets, her legs tangled up in a web of sleeplessness. She groaned and sat up in her bed, glancing around at her room. She had to admit, she wasn’t the neatest person in the world. and since her parents retreat she hadn’t bothered to straighten up her room.
There were stacks of clothes and papers littered across the floor of her room, and hanging on her walls were posters she had loved and outgrown over the process of her adolescent turned young adult.
She remembered the afternoon her mother told her they were going to Home Depot to pick out any color paint she wanted for her room. When they got there she had marveled at every shade of creme and brown until stumbling into the blues. She remembered how proud she was when the dark blue had dried on the walls of her room and the chemical smell that remained there even weeks later.
This had been her haven, the place she had turned to when everywhere else in the world seemed unfriendly and cold. In a years time she would leave the only place she knew as home and depart off to a college campus, a dorm and a roommate she probably wouldn’t get a long with. Aaron sighed and lay back down, gazing up at the ceiling.
She thought about Scott and the lunch dates she hoped they would have. She thought about how proud Madison would be that she was being daring, a quality she never readily possessed.
Aaron’s thoughts consumed her for the majority of the night until in the final moments of her consciousness Jack drifted into her mind.