The weekend was over quickly and after the shopping trip I had with the girls, I was more than glad to spend my Sunday alone at home. Mrs. Sanchez is only at the house during weekdays and she get's the weekend off to spend with her family.
Yesterday mainly consisted of me lounging around, eating oreo cookies and reading my new book. I was actually hoping my mom would call and check in on me but that was a cartoon sketch compared to how long she's been gone and has never thought to contact me.
I push my Mac in away in triumph, tapping the save button and doing a little victory dance with my fingers on the table. The History assignment was handed out today, and I decided to just spend both my lunchtimes doing it.
It wasn't along ssignment due to how fast it took to finish. I shut off the Macbook and slide it into my backpack, pulling out my phone in the process.
I have one text from Cami and another from Elijah.
I read Cami's first:
We're having lunch. Where are you?
I quickly type in a reply telling her I was at the library. I would be seeing her after school anyway since she had offered to give me a ride home.
I read Elijah's text next:
It's been a while, A. I think I'm coming over next weekend.
I smile a little. Elijah is Mrs. Sanchez's oldest son and he's like a an brother to me. I've known him for about six years, since Mrs. Sanchez started working here. But Elijah's been distant lately. I only see him once or twice in a month and that says something since he used to spend the night over every weekend.
I type in a reply. I'll be waiting, Eli.
A throat is cleared and I look up from my phone, my hands freezing when I see the source of the noise.
Sawyer Forster has occupied the seat only a space away from mine. His black Nike bag is laid across the table and he's lying back into his chair.
A picture of rugged relaxation.
My now sweaty hands tighten on my phone and my back goes stiff as we look at each other, those dark brown eyes boring into mine. I curse my breathing for deciding to come in short pants that I struggle to regulate.
"Afternoon, April." He says fluidly, that much raw voice causing a lump to lodge in my throat. His lips are drawn into a straight and lovable line- in view- and his eyebrows are dropped in a slight frown.
I blink and a few moments pass until I realise that I had to say something in return.
I clear my throat as quietly as I can. "Hi, uh, Sawyer." I tell him and he only nods slightly before shifting in his chair, sitting up and placing one hand on the table.
"What's your damage?" He says suddenly after a few humps of silence.
I can only blink at him and keep breathing. My damage?
"Huh?" I manage to reply and he only chuckles, and I can't tell if it's a light or dark chuckle. Either way it leaves me unsettled.
"Your damage, April." He says. "You're a really hard girl to find, you know that?" He muses lowly as if calculating something.
"You're been looking for me?" I ask, almost a ragged whisper. He shakes his head lightly and leans back into the chair.
"No, I've been asking about you." He says noncholantly like what he just said was a casual thing. "You either known as 'that girl' or 'she's in my class'. Why's that?" He questions.
I drop my phone flat on the table, and entwine my fingers together letting out a huff of air.
"I don't know..." I say, finally after a few moments on my side.
"I think you do." He retorts, his eyes now holding a bit of impending curiousity.
"Why am I being interrogated?" I accuse and he only shrugs.
"I just wanna to get to know you. You don't go out with your friends, most of the school population doesn't know who you are, and you're constantly wearing a hood." He says and gestures to the hoodie around my head.
I love my collection of hoodies. Some of them are unique and some are just normal hoodies. The one I'm currently wearing is a stormy grey with a a dusty-white coloured print on the front that reads:♡PIZZA♡. Its's one of my favourites and how dare he question it.
"What's your damage?" He repeats.
"That doesn't really feel like a good conversation starter..." I muse, a frown crossing my mouth.
"You didn't deny it, so there must be a story." He concludes, a small smile on his face. Who is this guy?
"Why do you do that? It's annoying." I say, a hand rising to scratch at the skin by my wrist.
He hums lowly. "Well, it got you talking, didn't it?" He muses lowly.
"What's your damage?" I retort, after sensing my loss on the argument.
"That barely sounds like conversation starter," He replies coyly with a smirk painted on his lips.
I can only glare at him, causing him to release a low chuckle. I'm well aware that the bell is about to ring for the last lesson of the day and his eyes sweep around the large library. I take this moment to truly look at him.
His brown hair, which matches his eyes, is cropped short on the sides and left to grow on the top. He's wearing a plain grey t-shirt, dark jeans and the same black Air Force 1s he wore on Saturday. There's a tattoo written behind his ear, written parallel to his hairline. Another one peeks from the neckline of his shirt. I suddenly have the urge to lean closer and read them both.
But that would be weird so I get myself together.
"You're staring." His voice startles me out of my trance and I look back up at his face.
"Um, sorry..." I mutter, not looking at him as I slip my phone back into my bag.
"It's fine." He replies and I look back up at him to see him tapping at his phone.
I swear nothing productive came from this conversation.
"Did your friends tell you about that party Saturday night?" He asks suddenly.
"Yeah, they did." I reply, my eyebrows raised. "Why do you ask?"
"You weren't there." He says, as if waiting for an explanation.
"Yeah, uh, the whole drinking and partying scene isn't my thing." I tell him and only nods in reply. I can see he wants to ask more but he holds himself back.
The bell rings and I'm quick to pack up my books back into my bag neatly and stand up, brushing invisible lint away from my jeans.
"I'll be seeing you, April." He says as he walks away from the table, his backpack slung around one shoulder.
I can only look after him in confusion and turn to grab my bag from the table and walk towards the door. But the whispers and points in my direction make me pause. I note the darting eyes and stares from the people already exiting the library. I pull my hood closer to my face and proceed my journey to the next class.
_
The last bell rings and I'm glad that Monday is finally over. It's the only day that always seems to drag on for me. And the tightness of my throat has me wanting to be home, next to my nebulizer, sooner than normal.
Cami offered to give me a ride home, like the sweetheart she is, and I don't really feel like walking in this heat. When I approach her usual parking spot, I see her and Trenton standing closely on the hood of her car, probably sharing a tender moment. I pause and wait a little while the buzz of rushing students and purring engines continues.
Cami spots me standing a few feet away and waves me over. "April, why are you just standing there, girl?" She says when I finally approach.
"You know I don't like to intrude, Cami..." I mutter lowly. She and Trenton only laugh at my somewhat embarassed state.
"I haven't seen you in a while, April." Trenton says, stepping closer and pulling my hood away fron my face. He then pulls me into a hug which I gladly return, though having to stand on my toes to do it properly.
"Where have you been?" He says, smoothing a strand of hair behind my ear.
"I've been right here, next to Cami. Maybe that's why you haven't seen me." I tease him.
He places a hand over his heart as if I shot him. "Low blow." He says mockingly and I only shrug, my lips curved into a smile.
"Y'all are so cute together. We should just adopt April, right babe?" Cami says with a chuckle.
"I wouldn't mind that, babe." Trenton replies, a smile on his face and he drops a kiss on my forehead in emphasis. "Our baby April."
"You guys are weird." I say simply and they only laugh in reply.
Trenton is Cami's boyfriend of three-and-a-half years, still counting. They are inseperable. Trenton is the nicest guy I know. He's in soccer and he's also in Robotics. We've all known each other since eighth grade and Trenton and Cami started dating a year afterwards. Trenton has a thing for always pulling back my hoodie, he says it bothers him that I like to hide and blend in.
"Let's get going, April. I promised you a ride." Cami says, making her way over to the driver's side and sliding inside.
I pull away from Trenton's arms and walk to the passanger side's door. "See you later, Trent."
"And don't be a stranger, April." He says as I shut the door. I only give a thumbs up in answer.
"I'll see you later, T." Cami says through the window as the car purrs to life. She then pulls out of the lot and joins the mainroad.
She taps on her phone for a few seconds, and The Lumineer's Holdin' Out soon rings from the speakers. Cami's car is a Lexus LX painted in matte black. It was a gift from her parents for her sixteenth birthday.
"So... Anything happen today?" She begins stranglely, a look I can't decifer on her face.
I can only glance at her weirdly and shake my head.
"No, not really..." I tell her and she only nods, a coy smile on her lips.
"Well, I heard a certain someone spent the entire second break with another certain someone..." She says with a grin that could rival the creshire cat jealous.
"Huh? You know I don't understand you speak in riddles." I reply to her confusing word-play.
"The school's buzxing. You spent lunch with Sawyer Forseter." She deadlines with a wide smile on her face.
"That happened less than two hours ago. How do people know?" I mutter, pulling at the hem of my hoodie, the hood laid down on my shoulders allowing my hair to flow down my back.
"News travels fast, you know that. So... How do you feel?" She asks, taking another turn down a calm street.
"I feel fine. Why do you ask?" I question as I shift in my seat and turn to face her slightly.
Her eyes never leave the road as she answers. "I know don't like attention and stuff. So I was wondering how you felt about it..." She says lowly.
"Well, I haven't been bombared or targeted yet, so I think we're good." I say with an awkward thumbs up.
"Just tell me if anyone gives you any shit. Including Claire." She says bitterly towards the end.
"Why do you hate Claire so much?" I say with a light chuckle.
"Two-faced backstabber." She mutters lowly. I know she could do better with her word choice but we've been working on fixing her colourful- albeit accurate- language.
I only smile at her and she returns it. We reach my street in record time and she does a U-turn by the gate and unlocks the doors.
"I'll see you tomorrow. And rememver to keep your Thursday open, you still have to help me with Trenton's cake." She says as I slip out of the car.
I nod at and shut the door. "See you tomorrow." I tell her.
"See you tomorrow, babe!" She yells back and begins to pull away.
I quickly open the gate and begin a slow walk towards the front door, not wanting to do anything that would leave me breathing heavily. The tightness in my throat wouldn't be able to handle it.
I reach the door about six minutes later and I slip the key into the lock, and push the door open. The cool air feels refreshing against my sun- warmed cheeks.
"Ms. April. Good afternoon!" Mrs. Sanchez appears from the hallway that leads to the kitchen.
"Hi, Mrs. Sanchez. How are you?" I ask, walking towards the kitchen with her following closely behind me. I grab a tall glass from one of the lower cupboards and fill it to the brim with water.
"I'm great, dearie. Would you like anything to eat?" She asks.
I nod lightly, remembering my lack of meals today. "Yes please, but I need to get upstairs first." I tell her motioning to my chest and she only nods in understanding.
"I'll bring you lunch in a few minutes then," She says and moves to pull open the fridge, her floral dress flowing around her as she moves fluidly around the kitchen.
"Thank you, Mrs. Sanchez" I say after I've downed the glass of water and make my way toward the staircase. I climb each step slowly until I reach the top and turn right into my room.
Chunky jumps up from his bed and and bounds up to tackle me, but I strategically avoid it and bypass him, leaving him with a scratch behind the ears.
"Maybe later, buddy." I tell him as I strip out of the hoodie and the shirt underneath, leaving me in a black sports bra, curtesy of Cami- who gave it to me as a Valentine's Day gift. Yeah, Cami is like that.
I pull off the jeans as well and pull on a much breathier pair of sweat-shorts. I quickly gather my nebulizer, placing it on the coffe table by the south side of the room and plugging it in. I rip out a new IV tube and a new mask, fluidly connecting all the pieces together, years of practice making it easy.
I sit back on the couch, with Chunky's nose rubbing against my leg. I bring the mask up to my face, shut my eyes and finally breathe.
_
Fin.