Don't Stop If I Fall
three.
We asked each other many questions that period. Several times Mrs. Price came over, tapped our table with a ruler, and forced us to continue our work. I leaned over my drawing, perfecting it with pastels, when suddenly a light presence hit my head. A crumpled up lined piece of paper landed on my drawing in front of me. I picked it up, and quietly opened the paper, turning my head to see David smirking at me.
I was a picture of two horribly drawn vampires named “Bat Girl” and “Bat Boy” with a heart in between them. At the bottom it said, “You and that freak next to you, bitch,” with an evil smiley face next to the period.
Gerard look away from his beautiful rose to catch me glaring at David.
“What’s that?” he asked, ripping the paper from my grip.
“My life.” I sighed.
“Oh so your that vampire girl everyone’s talking about.” He sounded interested. “I can’t see why they think you’re a vampire. I mean, I know vampires, in fact I am a vampire myself and you…nah you’re just you.” He said with a wink. I laughed then pointed to the “Bat Boy”.
“Ha ha nice, but see that guy there? Yeah, that’s you.”
“Well I feel very honored to be part of the bat club.” He announced, saluting.
I was amazed with him. He took something that would’ve made me want to punch someone’s face in, and made me laugh at it. No one ever did that to me. Something was different about him.
Once the bell rang, we went off to History together, and realized we had morning periods together. After History was Science with Mr. Jones. 3rd period was a period away from lunch.
As Gerard took his seat next to me he swiftly handed me a perfectly folded note and relaxed in his chair without even making eye contact with me. I slowly unfolded the note under my desk, making sure no one would see or hear the paper.
“Sit with me at lunch?” the note said, with two little boxes marked yes with a smiley face and no with a sad face. I smiled at his horribly drawn smileys and checked the “yes” box. I watched Mr. Jones write notes on the board and ramble on about genetics before I slowly leaned over to the ground pushing the note over to Gerard with my foot.
As I watched him read the note his face lit up. He looked like he had to tell me something, but he stayed content and wrote the notes down on the board. After snapping out of my trance of staring at him, I decided to write the notes.
For some reason, I just couldn’t help looking at him. I stared at his black converse drawn over with sharpie marker, and made my way up his black jeans, tight, black, corduroy jacket. Every time he would look up to the board his hair would flop in his perfect hazel eyes. He’d pull it away with his pencil and continue his writing. If you haven’t realized it yet, I didn’t get any notes that period.
The rest of the day was easy. I ate lunch outside by the “reading tree” in the back of the school and he told me how he wanted me to meet his other friends, who were also moving here by him, and would be attending school tomorrow.
“Why did they all move too?” I questioned. Even if I did have a friend, my parents would never move just because she or he did.
“We all lived in the same neighborhood, and our parents were good friends. One month, our neighborhood…got out of hand and no one could take it anymore. Our families decided to move together. They said it would be easier for us to “adapt” to the new town, but it took everyone else longer to get up here. I had to go to school, whether they were here or not, so here I am!” he explained, waving his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the autumn air.
After lunch, I couldn’t care at all about the nasty comments, people shoving me into lockers, people stabbing me with pencils, all I could think about was Gerard. By the end of the day, none of my notes were written, my homework wasn’t remembered, and my head was spinning. I ran to my locker, grabbed my misfits backpack and quickly stuffed my books into the small space. Then I ran down the hall and met up with Gerard by the front door of the school. We promised to walk home together since our houses were only a block away. As we walked out of the building and past the buses, I could feel the eyes of strangers and enemies burning on my back, but I didn’t care.
“So…are your parents strict?” he randomly asked.
“Huh? Uh, well I just live with my mom, my dad left a year ago…” I said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah, I just live with my Grandma and my younger brother Mikey.” He told me. “You have any syblings?”
“Mmm…” I whined. “Well, I used to have an older brother, but,” we stopped walking. I looked up from the paved sidewalk and stared into his concerned eyes for the second time today. “He died 2 months ago in a car crash.” I said softly. I felt my eyes flooding a little, and choked. Of course, I couldn’t go a day without crying just a little bit. Suddenly I felt tears running down my face, once again, I could feel the eyeliner dripping with it.
“Aw damn, Ava. You didn’t have to tell me if it would make you cry!” he scolded and reached over to me for a hug.
“Sorry,” I sniffled, “I over-react a lot…”
“It’s not over reacting when you’re crying over your lost brother. It just means you have a big heart.” He comforted as he rocked me back and forth in his arms. At that moment I felt so safe, I didn’t want to move. I stopped crying and he let go.
“Better?” he asked giving me a soothing smile. I nodded, giving a smirk, and we continued walking. I quietly whispered, “More than you know.”
I was a picture of two horribly drawn vampires named “Bat Girl” and “Bat Boy” with a heart in between them. At the bottom it said, “You and that freak next to you, bitch,” with an evil smiley face next to the period.
Gerard look away from his beautiful rose to catch me glaring at David.
“What’s that?” he asked, ripping the paper from my grip.
“My life.” I sighed.
“Oh so your that vampire girl everyone’s talking about.” He sounded interested. “I can’t see why they think you’re a vampire. I mean, I know vampires, in fact I am a vampire myself and you…nah you’re just you.” He said with a wink. I laughed then pointed to the “Bat Boy”.
“Ha ha nice, but see that guy there? Yeah, that’s you.”
“Well I feel very honored to be part of the bat club.” He announced, saluting.
I was amazed with him. He took something that would’ve made me want to punch someone’s face in, and made me laugh at it. No one ever did that to me. Something was different about him.
Once the bell rang, we went off to History together, and realized we had morning periods together. After History was Science with Mr. Jones. 3rd period was a period away from lunch.
As Gerard took his seat next to me he swiftly handed me a perfectly folded note and relaxed in his chair without even making eye contact with me. I slowly unfolded the note under my desk, making sure no one would see or hear the paper.
“Sit with me at lunch?” the note said, with two little boxes marked yes with a smiley face and no with a sad face. I smiled at his horribly drawn smileys and checked the “yes” box. I watched Mr. Jones write notes on the board and ramble on about genetics before I slowly leaned over to the ground pushing the note over to Gerard with my foot.
As I watched him read the note his face lit up. He looked like he had to tell me something, but he stayed content and wrote the notes down on the board. After snapping out of my trance of staring at him, I decided to write the notes.
For some reason, I just couldn’t help looking at him. I stared at his black converse drawn over with sharpie marker, and made my way up his black jeans, tight, black, corduroy jacket. Every time he would look up to the board his hair would flop in his perfect hazel eyes. He’d pull it away with his pencil and continue his writing. If you haven’t realized it yet, I didn’t get any notes that period.
The rest of the day was easy. I ate lunch outside by the “reading tree” in the back of the school and he told me how he wanted me to meet his other friends, who were also moving here by him, and would be attending school tomorrow.
“Why did they all move too?” I questioned. Even if I did have a friend, my parents would never move just because she or he did.
“We all lived in the same neighborhood, and our parents were good friends. One month, our neighborhood…got out of hand and no one could take it anymore. Our families decided to move together. They said it would be easier for us to “adapt” to the new town, but it took everyone else longer to get up here. I had to go to school, whether they were here or not, so here I am!” he explained, waving his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the autumn air.
After lunch, I couldn’t care at all about the nasty comments, people shoving me into lockers, people stabbing me with pencils, all I could think about was Gerard. By the end of the day, none of my notes were written, my homework wasn’t remembered, and my head was spinning. I ran to my locker, grabbed my misfits backpack and quickly stuffed my books into the small space. Then I ran down the hall and met up with Gerard by the front door of the school. We promised to walk home together since our houses were only a block away. As we walked out of the building and past the buses, I could feel the eyes of strangers and enemies burning on my back, but I didn’t care.
“So…are your parents strict?” he randomly asked.
“Huh? Uh, well I just live with my mom, my dad left a year ago…” I said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Yeah, I just live with my Grandma and my younger brother Mikey.” He told me. “You have any syblings?”
“Mmm…” I whined. “Well, I used to have an older brother, but,” we stopped walking. I looked up from the paved sidewalk and stared into his concerned eyes for the second time today. “He died 2 months ago in a car crash.” I said softly. I felt my eyes flooding a little, and choked. Of course, I couldn’t go a day without crying just a little bit. Suddenly I felt tears running down my face, once again, I could feel the eyeliner dripping with it.
“Aw damn, Ava. You didn’t have to tell me if it would make you cry!” he scolded and reached over to me for a hug.
“Sorry,” I sniffled, “I over-react a lot…”
“It’s not over reacting when you’re crying over your lost brother. It just means you have a big heart.” He comforted as he rocked me back and forth in his arms. At that moment I felt so safe, I didn’t want to move. I stopped crying and he let go.
“Better?” he asked giving me a soothing smile. I nodded, giving a smirk, and we continued walking. I quietly whispered, “More than you know.”