The audition went great, and I
was placed in the advanced choir. The director gave me a schedule change form
and sent me to the front office. On the way I checked the time on my cell –
4:00 –Plenty of time. I’d do this, grab some food at home, and still have time
to kill before my night class.
I walked into the office and headed toward the main secretary’s desk when
Ryan came out of a door off to my left. I looked and saw that it was the
nurse’s office. He was still speaking to the nurse, looking confused, when he
saw me. He gave a quick upwards nod, as he continued his conversation. Passing,
I heard him say something like, “… so weird, I mean that doesn’t just happen,
does it?”
I reached the secretary – a skinny woman with highlighted hair who looked like she’d spent too much time in the sunbeds – and gave her my schedule change form. She looked at it and quickly made alterations on her computer without saying anything to me. I waited awkwardly, not knowing if I should stay there or go sit down, when she printed out my new schedule and said, “There you go hon.”
“Thanks,” I said, looking it over. My choir class was now in first period, and English was moved to fifth, but still with the same teacher. I shrugged; sounded good to me. I left the office, looking back once to see the back of Ryan still chatting with the nurse – that side looked great too.
I got into my car and headed home. A song by Taylor Swift came on and I sang along to it, bobbing my head and imagining I was a pop star on stage in front of thousands of people. As I pulled into the driveway I saw that my parents were both still at work; they’d be home before I left though, and they’d be hungry. I raided the kitchen for something to make for dinner.
Frozen lasagna.
Perfect.
I popped it in the oven and set the timer. Then I set my school things out on the counter, reviewing the day as I did. For having been an outcast so many years back in PA, I felt like I did pretty well on my first day. I actually made a friend in freshman-Danny, and developed a crush on Ryan, who already had a girlfriend…, classic me.
I heard my parents come inside through the garage door (no one could park in there for all the camping equipment) and said “hi” as they entered, talking back and forth about their day.
“Oh, this woman. You wouldn’t believe what she said to me, honey! Oh, hi Maelie, how was your day?” Mom kissed my cheek and kept talking. I didn’t speak; experience told me she wouldn’t hear it anyway. Dad’s eyes were rifling through the mail separating checks from bills, and he didn’t look like he was listening to mom much either.
The oven timer rang.
I hopped down from the counter and took out the lasagna, getting plates and forks out while it cooled. Then I served up a piece for each of us and gave my parents theirs, going back to the counter so they wouldn’t feel interrupted.
I ate in silence, listening to Mom rant about a client, and when she was done Dad ranted about a team that wasn’t getting their work done. Around 6:30 I took my plate to the sink, rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher before gathering my things up and saying loudly, “I’m going to my night class now, I’ll be back later.”
“Bye,” they said in unison without looking up, before going back to their dinner and divulging. I took the car keys once more and left quickly.
My night class – astronomy at Pikes Peak Community College – wouldn’t technically start for another two weeks, but the instructor had offered honors credit to anyone who wanted to start early by stargazing with her for recreation. I took her up on it.
I arrived on the roof of the science building at 7:00 on the dot; just as Professor Jennings had finished adjusting the telescope. Only one other student was there – a skinny pimply guy who looked to be in his mid-twenties.
Jennings showed us a great view of the moon, some constellations, and the planet Jupiter; which was incredible. (Did you know you can actually see the red from here on earth? The planet is huge!) She asked us to research a bit on Jupiter, and write a one-page essay of our thoughts on the planet and it’s appearance… she seemed a bit hippy to me when she gave the assignment, and I knew then that this class would be a piece of cake.
We finished around 8:30. I knew my parents wouldn’t care what time I got home, so I went to the college computer lab to look up Jupiter online. I found a few things, and printed them out. When 9:30 came, I decided that I’d better get home.
Walking to my car, I was reading an essay on the constellation Pisces. When I read that you could see it from the northern hemisphere in autumn, my eyes began searching the sky as I spun and walked at the same time. Honestly, I must have looked like an idiot just doing that; but then my idiotness increased ten-fold.
Walking backward now, (I’d finally found Pisces!) I ran right into something and dropped all the papers I’d just printed out. They scattered in the wind and out of the corner of my eye I saw someone run after the faster ones to try and help me. I gathered the ones I could reach as quickly as possible, trying to make sure they were in order.
“Here you go, Maelie. Sorry about that.”
I looked up, “Ryan?”
He laughed, “Yeah, it’s me. Guess we’re making a habit of this, huh?”
I smiled and stood, taking the papers from him. “Yeah. Um, sorry I was totally not paying attention…”
“Hey, no big deal,” he interrupted. “Actually I’m kind of glad we ran into each other again,” he was becoming fond of that pun… I liked it. “Sorry about Steph, she gets jealous pretty easily when I talk to other girls. What she said saw rude, and I’m sorry.”
Hmmm… his girlfriend was jealous, huh? “It’s alright,” I said. “I was never very liked before anyway.”
He looked confused. The line between his eyebrows was really cute, “What do you mean, before?”
I waved my hand, “It’s no big deal.” I liked the guy, but I wasn’t ready to share my life story with him.
He shrugged. “So what class are you taking here?”
“Astronomy,” I said confidently.
“Ah,” he nodded. “Hence the uh…” he pointed upwards.
“Yes, I had my head in the clouds, and was not paying attention to my feet,” I laughed, and he joined in. “Are you taking something?”
“Yeah, just a Latin class. I like languages, and that’s the root for a lot of the main ones, so I figured I’d go back to the basics.”
Wow. “Impressive,” I said.
He shrugged, “Thanks. Oh, I’ve gotta’ tell you what happened after you left today though. Remember when you and I were talking and Steph came up? It’s kind of funny, but really weird at the same time.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Well, right after you left, Steph was going on about where she wanted me to drive her. Then she ran her fingers through her hair and a huge chunk came out in her hand! It was gross, and freaky! It literally left an entire bald patch on the side of her head.”
I was trying with all my might to keep my look concerned, rather than laughing out loud.
“Well, she freaked out you know, so I took her to the nurse’s office, you saw me there. The nurse thinks it’s stress, but Steph’s never stressed, she’s always been really laid back…”
He finally saw my face and stopped. I must have been doing a terrible job of holding in my laughter because he said, “Oh go on and laugh!”
I did. “I am so… sorry…” I tried to say between fits. “I can’t imagine… oh jeez…” He was laughing with me now and it felt like we’d known each other forever.
After a minute of giggling over Stephanie’s lost hair, our eyes met for a moment and he finally spoke, “Well, I’d better go, I’ve got some things I need to look up online.”
I nodded, “Yeah, I uh… my parents will probably be worried soon...” Yeah right.
He passed me, heading into the computer lab, when his backpack suddenly split open, spilling all of his things out onto the sidewalk where mine had just been. We stared at the mess. His jaw dropped and I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at the randomness of it all. “This is a brand new bag!” he laughed, “I can’t understand how it would just split like that!” We both knelt down to gather his things, laughing through our noses. As I handed him my stack our eyes met for a moment and he said, “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you at school?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there,” I replied.
We stood, and he awkwardly reached out a hand underneath his armful of books and papers to shake mine. I laughed and humored him before watching him walk toward the computer lab.
I hugged my books to my chest and bit my lip as he went. He turned once before going inside, and waved a little, making me laugh again. I really liked this guy.
Once he was out of sight I took a deep breath and let my smile free. All the way to the car, I was practically dancing. When I sat down and started the car however, my smile faltered. A great story like that is only really great if you can tell someone about it… who would I tell? My heart sank a little. My parents wouldn’t listen, and even if they did they were unlikely to care. My only friend was Danny, and I couldn’t tell him… could I? I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but there wasn’t anything between us except friendship. I mean, we’d only just met; he couldn’t have any expectations, could he? I sighed, and leaned back against the seat, closing my eyes.
Wait.
Jenna!
My best friend from Harrisburg! She would love to hear this.
Smiling a little, I pulled out my cell and dialed her number. Then the car’s Bluetooth technology took over, and I set my phone down, listening to the dial tone as I backed out of my parking spot.
“Hello?” Came a whispering voice. Dang time zones…
“Jenna? It’s Maelie. I’m so sorry, I forgot about the time difference, are you okay to talk? Something awesome and weird just happened, and I have to tell someone.”
“Maelie? Yeah, um… I wasn’t asleep, but my parents are, so I need to be quiet... what’s up? How are the mountains treating you?”
“Ugh. Honestly, they hang over me like a noose. I hate them. The rest of Colorado Springs has its bright side though,” I said, slyly.
“When you say ‘bright side,’ are you referring to the male part of our species?” Ha! It had only been a few weeks since we’d spoken, but I’d already forgotten how witty she was – that’s why we became best friends.
“Indeed I am,” I said, giggling like a child. “You’ll never believe what happened today.”
I told her everything. From Danny’s attempt at charm to Steph’s hair falling out, right up to Ryan’s bag splitting so I could talk to him a bit longer.
“Wow,” she said, sounding impressed. “For a person who hates Colorado, you seem to be thoroughly enjoying Colorado.”
I nodded to myself and said, “I guess I am. It’s really weird though. Things have never gone so smoothly for me. I’m starting to wonder when my luck will run out.”
“Don’t think that way,” she chided me. “Just enjoy it while it lasts. Who knows, maybe it’ll last longer that way.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I agreed.
“Well hey, I’m glad to hear you’re having fun, but don’t enjoy it too much, ok? You promised that PA is your home.”
I smiled, “I know I did Jen. Don’t worry; I’m getting attached to a person, not the place.”
“Yeah, but you don’t know how attached to the place that person might be.”
I laughed again, “Go to sleep crazy.”
“Yes ma’am,” Jenna said. “Night.”
“Goodnight.”
I heard the line click, and the Bluetooth disconnected. Nice timing, I thought as I pulled into the driveway.
I entered the dark house and tiptoed up the stairs. I stopped at the door to my parents’ bedroom. Mom and Dad were sound asleep; they probably wouldn’t have been able to say where I’d been that night. That’s the scary thing about the freedom they gave me. I have to take care of myself; otherwise I’m not sure my parents would ever notice my absence. What if I was kidnapped, raped or something worse? How long would I have to be gone before they became concerned? A day? Two days? A week or more?
I listened to their even breathing for a full minute before sighing and going into my room. Some parents wait up for their kids at night to hear about their day. Some parents insist on knowing exactly where their kid is going, who they’ll be with, and when they’ll be back. Some parents are so overprotective that they won’t allow their kid to be with friends outside the home….
At least they care.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wishing my parents would show me some kind of affection. They hadn’t in years. The last time my mother hugged me was when I’d received an award for straight A’s in fifth grade. I remembered it vividly. My father had never said he was proud of me, or even that I did a good job at something. It hurt more than they knew, but I couldn’t tell them. They provided me with everything I needed, and gave me a home. I would still be in a dirty Pittsburgh orphanage if they hadn’t chosen me.
I rolled over and tried to push those thoughts out of my mind. Opening my eyes, I looked out the window at the stars, and smiled, thinking of my two chance run-ins with Ryan ‘Hottie’ Houston. I nearly laughed out loud as the image of ‘Steph’ without hair flew into my mind unbidden again. I couldn’t believe all her natural locks were gone from her head… I wondered if she’d wear a scarf or a hat to cover her bare head, or go with a wig…
They the image of Ryan, bent down with me, picking up his things after his bag had ripped open. He looked appreciative… and kind… and flirty? Was I imagining it, or had that slight rise of his brow and curve of his lip actually been there?
I didn’t really care, but it made me smile to imagine it.
I wish I could tell you that I dreamt about Ryan that night. Actually I dreamt about the Pisces constellation. It was weird. If you’re unfamiliar with the myth, it says that Aphrodite and her son Eros were escaping from Typhon, a giant. They entered a stream and turned into fish. Keeping a string tied to each of their fins so they’d stay together, they were able to get away safely. In my dream I was one of the fish, but I couldn’t see who the other one was. I had no idea what we were swimming from, or where we were going, only that we needed to do it fast…
Like I said… weird.
