Airel

I woke with that horrid feeling in the pit of my stomach—again. I looked at the clock to see that it was time to drag my sorry butt out of bed. School was the last place I wanted to be today and with the weather starting to get nice again, I dreaded being cooped up in classes all day.

My feet hit the carpet and I sat on the edge of the bed looking at nothing in particular. My body was refusing to respond and it wanted nothing to do with this morning business
.
Come on Airel, no time to be dragging
. I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror that hung on the wall next to the bathroom door. Its rounded corners and unflinching honesty made me wonder if my idea of who I was and what I looked like actually lined up with the truth.

My dark brown hair had just a touch of curl and fell just below my shoulders in crazy tangles. I had thought a thousand times about coloring it—I know, who doesn’t nowadays—but never could bring myself to take that final leap. I was weird about some things and that was one of them. Not that I was against hair coloring or thought anyone who did it was vain or anything. I just liked to know that it was me all the way down to the core.

Dark circles surrounded my boring brown eyes. I had always wanted blue eyes, but oh well. I rubbed at them as if doing that would help me wake up faster. I smiled at my reflection and looked at how my face seemed to light up, then laughed aloud at how ridiculous I must seem to anyone who might be watching. My imaginary fan club...

Whatever!
I have a great smile and if I have to use it to wake myself up, so be it!

“Airel! Are you up? School is in ten minutes and you need to eat something. If you keep skipping breakfast then you... ” Her words trailed off in a mom-ish rant on the importance of the first meal of the day.

My mom was just that—a mom. She and Dad had a great relationship, which was rare in the world today, what with divorce and deadbeat dads—and deadbeat moms for that matter—running rampant. I was glad at least I could depend on one thing in my life, or so I hoped.

I yelled back, “I’m not hungry Mom!” then pulled on my favorite pair of True Religion jeans and a dark blue shirt that I had picked up yesterday at the mall. I ran my hand through my hair, pulled half of it back and clamped it down with a funky clip I bought at a small boutique downtown. I slapped on half of my make-up figuring I could finish with eyeliner and mascara in the parking lot before class.

As I pulled back the sheer curtain, looking past the glass and into the front yard, I was glad to see the sun would be making an appearance... well, for today, anyway. Around here the weather was about as reliable as the people who reported it. I packed my backpack with the necessary books, make-up, and extra clothes just in case we had a running day in gym. Once a week we were forced to run and I ended up sweaty and gross. Ten minutes from the time my feet hit the floor I was in my trusty Honda and on my way to school... or as I like to call it…Hell!

I didn’t really think it was hell, but it had its hell-like days. I was running a little late, even with my record time getting out of the house, and to top it off, I had a wicked craving for a coconut latte.

I looked at the time and decided to just go ahead and commit to my coffee obsession. After all, it was only high school and I had priorities. I pulled into Moxie Java—I was a diehard fan. The gunko, —yep, gunko is not a ‘real’ word, but if I say it, then that makes it real in my world— they served at Starbucks would peel the paint off the walls. I liked good coffee—not burnt gunko.

My car squealed to a stop outside the coffee shop, reminding me once again that I needed to have Dad do the brakes. I should have asked him do it last weekend, but it rained the entire weekend, leaving me stranded at home doing homework. To my dismay, the place was packed.
Looks like ‘late’ just turned to ‘criminally late.’

I looked behind the bar and saw that Lacey, my latte buddy, was working today. She smiled at me, feigning a panicked look and nodded to the line of sleepy people she was trying to serve. I came here often enough that she knew me and exactly what I'd be wanting. We had a good relationship worked out. She would have my drink ready before I made it through the line to the register and I always gave her a nice tip for her extra speedy work.

I didn’t dare look at the time, but surprisingly, the line seemed to move rather quickly. With latte in hand, I turned doing the hair flip thing. It was supposed to look like I was a pro at the order-pay-and-I’m-out move, but as I turned to go someone walked through the door and everything in my world came to a screeching halt.

He was a tall boy—man--with spiky blond hair. As he walked in I felt my heart jump. It was like destiny. I felt something begin as he filled the doorway. It was like he and I were made in that moment.

He was so perfect and beautiful. He was so perfect and beautifully manly. I could feel my face flush and my heart pound within my chest.

He walked past me as if I didn’t exist and got in line. All at once, I was moving—or falling, who knows. All I know is that I rammed into some poor old guy and proceeded to dump my precious coconut latte all over his coat. “Oh. I’m so sorry. I, uh…”

The short bent-over man looked up at me with confusion and amusement as I pawed clumsily at his wet coat, looking around for some napkins. I felt my heart race even faster as a hand reached over my shoulder with about ten of them. I turned and followed the hand up the arm, and at the other end of that glorious arm was—him.

I then turned into a puddle of mush; a fumbling idiot. He smiled and I felt my face grow hot. “Let me... ” He said, as he handed the old man the stack of napkins. I could feel my cheeks flush. I wanted to die. I just stood there like a moron with my mouth hanging open.

The old man took the napkins and cleaned up most of the mess. He insisted that it was no big deal. “Happens to the best of us!” he said. He was so nice and looking back on the terrible situation, I wonder who ran into who.

My legs were shaking now, and I was freezing. I looked around, then down at my feet where this ever-so-gorgeous-guy was wiping up the spilled coffee. Then he handed me my empty cup.

“Thank you! I, um…” There they were. My first words to him—oh, wow… what a line of brilliance. What words to utter in this moment. I stood holding my empty cup and he rose and nodded with a smile. Before I knew it, he was gone. Poof! Whoosh! Just gone. I somehow ended up back in my car and on my way to hell, and yes—today it was just about guaranteed to be hell.
Argh!

I pulled out my phone and saw that I was not late after all. I was actually two minutes early. How did that happen? Weird. I considered the coffee splatters on my shoes and dismissed the idea that the coffee shop was all some kind of hallucination. I pulled my little Civic into the closest parking space and shook my head. What
was
that? It was like he had this aura or something that reached into my very soul. I didn’t believe in love at first sight. Well, not necessarily
.
But this morning was making me think twice about a few things.

His eyes, so blue, and the way he looked at me! It was as if he knew me or knew what I was thinking—how I was feeling.

I ran my fingers through my hair, interlocked them, and pressed my thumbs into my temples. I didn’t get headaches often, but I could feel one coming on.

Two boys that I never talked to... and never would... walked by, staring.
Ugh. Some boys are just born clueless.
I glanced at myself in the rear view mirror one last time, smoothed my hair, and took a moment—since I had one—to finish my eye makeup.
I guess I do feel pretty today.
Just clumsy, that’s all.

I headed toward the main building of my school. Lip-gloss could be done on the way… if I didn’t trip trying to walk and do something else at the same time.

The smell of golden leaves and morning dew filled the air, and I closed my eyes and took in the sweet fragrance as I walked. I loved fall. The colors, the smells, the fresh rain in the morning made me want to break out into song. Lucky for anyone within earshot I kept my composure. No one wanted to hear my melodious voice. Just the idea of cooler weather made me forget my embarrassing morning. I was glad that I would never see that boy again.

I was not what some might call a beautiful girl but I could hold my own if the need arose. The invention of make-up was a great thing, and I was an expert in the use of it. My skin was pale. I guess a nice way to say it would be that my complexion was fair. I had a few too many freckles, though, not to mention the fact that I was short. Not like, "Wow, dude! Check out the circus freak!" But I was just short enough that I got teased relentlessly. I felt self-conscious, but would I ever admit to that? “Cheeya!” I said, out loud, and then checked to see if anyone had heard. I would never admit to it. The teasing would only get worse if I did.

My frame was petite and I had delicate features. On a bad day I would break the hundred-pound mark, so that was at least something. I might not be the hottest girl in school, but I never had to worry about my weight.

I was a little smarter than I let on. I didn’t want to be the smartest kid in school. That was never good. The last thing I needed was to be labeled as a geek, even though I did adore a good book, and had my quirks. I stood out when I wanted to stand out, but blended in most of the time.

I liked to learn and I was a good student for the most part. I got A’s and every now and then a B. None of my friends were interested in their grades because they were all too interested in their boyfriends or girlfriends and who was doing what with who, or who broke-up with who... Blah, blah, blah.

The walk from my car to my locker helped to clear my head. The walk and fresh air made me feel better about my day.

I had a few friends that I hung with but for the most part I used them like camouflage. I flew under the radar. I mean, I liked my friends, but only one or two of them were real. Everybody knows this except for dumb guys who can’t even buy a clue. Sometimes I watched all the popular girls, wondering if they actually had brains or if they just ran on batteries, plugging in at night to recharge their ever-so-perfect personalities.
No bitterness here!

I made it to class without incident. “Nice shirt.” Kim, my best friend and shopping diva, gave me a mock glare and sat down next to me. “So. You see the new guy yet?” She looked around and lowered her voice as if it was a crime to be interested in someone new to our little school.

“Ah… no. And what does it matter? It’s not like he’s going to talk to us.” I rolled my eyes, assuming some super-hot guy had just caught her attention, giving her something new to talk about. Kim loved to talk, that much I could count on. I opened up my history book and pretended to read, hoping she would drop the subject, but I knew better.

She was always so energetic. Most people had good days, bad days, and most people’s moods could go from hot to cold... but not Kim. She was full speed ahead, no on-off switch. I loved her for it! Besides, she helped to keep me looking on the bright side of life.

“Come on girl, when he sees you he’ll fall madly in love and beg you for your hand in marriage.” She giggled and then quieted down as Mr. Brashear started the class. I didn’t respond, and Kim didn’t seem to notice. She pretended to read her history book and began texting whoever she was always texting.

Kim had friends at other schools and they literally texted non-stop. I kicked her leg and she grunted, dropping her phone. It clattered on her desk and I smiled. She shot me a death stare and threatened me under her breath.

I zoned out like I did every time the word “history” came up. After all, this class was all about what had already been done before. When it was over, I didn’t have any idea what the teacher had said.

But there is one thing I will never forget as long as I live. The person who changed my world forever…

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