Just to Hold You Close and Tight

“Hurry up, Amber!” my mom called up the stairs. “You’re going to be late!”

I shoved on my shoes, threw my backpack over my shoulder, and flew down the stairs. “I’m going!” I grabbed a poptart and ran out to my silver RAV4.

It was just my luck to be late for the first day of school. “It’s not my fault everything is still in boxes,” I mumbled to myself. We had just moved in the night before. I had barely had time to unpack my clothes. Then again, it wasn’t really my parent’s fault that my dad got transferred to Denver.

I still wasn’t very happy that I was spending my last year of high school far away from all of my friends. I sighed as I pulled into the school parking lot. It wasn’t that far from my house. I decided I would walk on a morning that I wasn’t in such a hurry.

I already had my schedule, but I worried about finding my way around the school, even with a map. Finally I decided I would just do my best. I went to find my locker.

Locker #384. I finally came to it, dumped in everything I didn’t need, and headed to my first class. Nobody noticed me. Nobody introduced themselves. The day dragged on and on, and I realized that I would probably spend my last year of high school without any friends.

When I got home, my mom was rushing out the door. “How was your day at school, honey?” she asked.

I glared at her silently as she threw her bag in her car. She frowned at me, and waved goodbye.

I turned on my heels and grumbled all the way to my room. I tossed my backpack onto my bed, turned to my dresser, and stopped dead. I was seeing someone out of the corner of my eye.

Slowly, I turned to the far corner of my room. A boy about my age was standing casually. He had a brown afro and hazel eyes, and was looking at me curiously.

I screamed. His eyebrows rose. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t move. “Who are you?” I screamed, terrified.

His mouth fell open, and he looked around as if he didn’t know I was addressing him. Eyes wide, he walked to the other side of the room.

Watching my eyes follow him, he walked back to his original position. “She couldn’t possibly see me,” he mumbled, almost too quiet for me to hear.

I wasn’t as scared. He seemed almost as confused as I was, so I was curious. I was always way too curious for my own good. I didn’t understand what he was saying. He said ‘she’ as if I wasn’t here, and… Why wouldn’t I be able to see him? “What are you talking about?”

His eyebrows furrowed together. “I must be going crazy. I’m imagining things, because I’ve been alone for so long.”

This confused me even more. “If you mean that you think you’re imagining me, I’m really here. So are you.”

He collapsed onto the floor, crossing his legs. He put his face in his hands and muttered, “This is not happening.”

I started to get annoyed. “Would you tell me why you’re here or leave? I kind of didn’t expect to come home from school and find a strange boy waiting for me in my room, acting like he thinks he’s invisible.”

His head shot up, and he looked at me curiously again. “Do you mean you can seriously see me?”

“Of course I can. Why wouldn’t I?”