Author's note: First of all, I have to tell you that this story isn't quite the same as the others on this site. The relationship in this story is based on love, not on sex. Therefore it will not be heavy on sexual content. When the characters' relationship does progress to that level, the description will be more to describe the beauty of the situation and not just grossly inappropriate sex acts. There is a reason behind this though. As I wrote this story, I had the intention of placing it on this site. Therefore, I tried to include some erotic activity to make it more interesting for you. Upon reading it back to myself, I was horrified with what I had done. I had grown so attached to the characters, it felt like I was befouling them to have them do those things so soon. Because of that, I promptly shredded the entire first draft and scrapped the project for a couple months. With new ideas swimming in my head, I started over from scratch. I had come across people that I knew matched my characters perfectly, so I had to give it another shot.
Despite this, I think it is a pretty worthwhile read and I hope you enjoy it.
Without further ado, the feature presentation:
I shrank into a dark, secluded corner of my 9th grade physics class as I had done every day of my recently established high school career in every one of my classes. It was a particularly hot and humid day in September, and I had an extreme case of the Mondays. School had only started two weeks ago, and I was already counting the days until summer. It's not that I totally hated school, but it just wasn't my favorite place to be, you know? I get decent grades, but not exceptional. I excel in other, more artistic forms of expression, namely drawing. I just love it. Always have and I can't imagine my life without it.
One of the more prominent reasons I dislike school is because I am terminally pathetic at any activity involving socialization. I can't make friends even though I really want to, which sucks. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm incapable of maintaining even the simplest of conversations with people. It just reached a point where I stopped trying. People don't really talk to me either, though. I've even gone through a whole school year where the teachers didn't know who I was. It's kind of sad if you think about it, but I got over it. I just attribute my invisibility in this world to my homeliness. God gave me boring, flat brown hair to loosely obscure a plain, almost tomboyish face with a sprinkle of freckles and a pair of bright blue eyes, my only redeeming physical quality in my opinion.
I never smiled much, something people I have come upon at various times throughout my life have been sure to mention to me. I'm not quite sure what the reason for that is either. Just another antisocial tendency I'm sure that acts as a force field to turn away anyone who had any inkling to approach me in the first place. I don't mean to go no such a pity trip; I'm really not that type of person. It's just it gets lonely sometimes back in the depths of the classroom all by myself.
The bell rang, and it was off to lunch where I sat by myself and sketched pictures of places I'd rather be. After lunch I went to history, which was easily the most boring subject for me. I usually do most of my homework in that class, because it's as I always tell myself, "Self, you can listen and do other stuff simultaneously, so hey! Why not multitask and save yourself some time?" Well, I thought it was some good advice anyways. After history was math, and then the last period of the day, study hall.
I like study hall, but I rarely use it for its intended purpose of studying. I can't really concentrate on work because the room is full of loud upperclassmen that do anything but work. Under most circumstances, I'd feel extremely uncomfortable in such a boisterous environment, but there was just some kind of unexplained atmospheric quality that calmed me. I use the time to collect my thoughts.
The librarian began roll call.
"Adam"
"Here"
"Cindy"
"Here" I said in my normal voice.
"Cindy?"
"Here!" I said, much louder than I had wished to speak.
It was not uncommon for people not to hear me. It usually happened at least once a day at school. It doesn't do much for self-confidence I'd have to say.
When roll call was finished and the characteristic noise of colorful banter had picked back up among the masses, I began to let my mind wander. How would I make friends this year? Doesn't the saying go, if you want something enough, you can make it work? This thought gave me reason to be optimistic. Maybe this year would be different.
I suddenly slipped out of my daydream state. I had been completely unaware that I had been staring straight at a girl, and she was staring right back at me. I hastily dropped my gaze and pretended to be working very hard on something. Out of a strange, unexplained curiosity, I looked back up a second later to see her roll her eyes in her head and give a small, quiet laugh before turning back to her large group of friends.
Oh great, just what I need. Another person to think I'm mentally deficient I thought to myself. However embarrassed I was about the situation, I couldn't stop myself from further observing the girl. She had short, blackish brown hair cut in jagged layers with unnatural blond highlights, strikingly beautiful, model-like features, and eyes like perfectly crafted emeralds that burned themselves to my mind. It was no wonder she appeared to be so popular with the guys; her appearance was positively breathtaking.
I admired her on and off until the end of class. I couldn't get her out of my head on the walk home or at dinner. She was still there when I went to bed and woke up the next morning, and was all I could think about the entire first half of the day at school. I was so excited to be able to see her again. During math was the first time I really questioned myself about the unnatural obsession. I'd never felt quite so strange about another person at any time in my life before. Could I be gay? I'd never really doubted my sexuality; I always thought I would like boys just like all the other girls. I became a little embarrassed and disgusted with myself, but then I calmed down. I convinced myself that certainly can't have been the reason. She probably just caught me on a weak moment of loneliness, and I didn't really want her as more than just a friend. That was perfectly normal, of course. Nothing at all wrong with that.
In study hall that day, I eavesdropped on her and her friend to find out a little more about her. Her name was Amber, she was 16, 2 year my senior, and a junior in school. She was apparently quite the party girl, so very different from me. Very talkative and usually dominated the conversations. She was every that I wished I was.
For the next week or so, I looked forward to study hall just so I could spend some more time with Amber even though we were seated so far away from each other and technically she didn't know me from Adam. Our school has a big campus, so I never got to see her around anywhere else. I took special care to make sure she didn't see me staring at her, but occasionally it was unavoidable. We had a couple moments like our first encounter, and while I didn't want her to think I was weird, it always made me smile to know she noticed me. Also in this week, I had been unable to draw anything other than portraits of her perfect face. I soon became quite skilled at accurately portraying her, but how could I even come close to capturing her consummate beauty? No mere picture could do justice to the real thing.
Most importantly I had begun to accept the fact that I may like her as more than a friend.
The weekend came and went, and before I knew it I was back in study hall, same time, same corner, same incredibly lovely Amber. Today I happened to have been perfecting one of my better sketches of her. As usual, no one bothered me, and by the end of the period, I was finally satisfied with my work.
The librarian cleared her throat and the room became just barely quiet enough for her to be heard.
"You can all leave now"
Like everyone else, I scrambled to pack up and get ready to leave. I stopped myself before putting my binder with my loose leaf drawings in my backpack. I didn't want to wrinkle them, so I figured I'd just carry them home. I glanced around to steal one last look at my dear Amber for the day, but most people had left and I couldn't see her anywhere. A little disappointed, I threw my backpack over one shoulder and headed for the door.
Right outside the classroom, my foot caught on a small pit in the concrete and I stumbled, losing my grip on the binder. It flew from my hand and landed open on the ground sending my drawings flying every which way.
"Damnit" I muttered under my breath, hastily retrieving the papers.
When I thought I had got them all, I made to stand up. However, before I had the chance, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked around and the scene that met my eyes caused all of the color to drain from my face instantaneously.
Amber was standing behind me, picture in hand and looking slightly perplexed but nonetheless amused. It was, of course, the drawing I had finished in class.
For a second of two, I just gazed open mouthed at her in extreme shock before she said, "Well, if you were going for Cameron Diaz, it's not very good, eh?"
Those words broke me out of my trance and I was suddenly painfully aware of the situation. My face turned redder than a branding iron in an oven. I didn't want her to see me cry, so I turned and ran as fast as I could past buildings and people blurred by my speed and tears.
Oh my god oh my god oh my god. What the hell just happened? In roughly ten seconds I had ensured that the person I cared about most in the world wanted nothing to do with me. Hot tears streamed down my face and burned holes in my fragile mind state like acid on unprotected flesh, reminding me that this was all real. I was so upset I didn't even think about the fact that I could faintly hear someone yelling for me to slow down. I made it to the awning by the gymnasium before I realized how tired I was, but there was no way I could stop. I felt like running until I died of dehydration, never looking back.
My thoughts were jolted to a stop when I felt my body do the same. I was being pulled backward. I conceded to this unknown force and crumpled to the ground, defeated.
"Damn, you're fast" I heard Amber's breathless voice say from behind me. It was her.
I had stopped crying for the moment, but I said nothing in reply as I hastily wiped the sweat and tears from my face. I couldn't get myself to turn around to face her, hoping maybe that this act would make her disappear. Instead she came around to the front of me. Every fiber in my being was telling me she should be disgusted with me, but the way she was acting was completely opposite to that theory.
Remembering the picture I blurted out, "It's not you."
"What's that?"
"The, uh...picture. It's not you." I said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, I see" she said in a tone of sarcastic disbelief.
I looked up at her through the hair obscuring my view. One eyebrow was slightly raised and her mouth was fixed in a soft smirk. It made me smile against my will and avert my eyes. Her gently touch brushed the hair from my face and I felt her look me over. Nevertheless something told me she wasn't judging me, but more...admiring. I thought for sure that I was misreading her intentions, because that couldn't possibly be possible. It had to be pity or something. That must be it.
"Well, what a scene we must make sitting here on the ground" said Amber, hoisting herself off the ground and offering me her hand. I took it and she helped me up.
"Can I drive you home?" asked Amber.
"Oh, I couldn't impose-"
"I want to" she said firmly.
We walked off school grounds to the parking lot together and arrived at a red Camry. She unlocked the doors and continued around the left side of the car as I went around the right. I opened the door to the back seat. She gave me a strange look, pointed to the front passenger seat and nodded with an inviting smile. Feeling kind of stupid, I closed the door and opened the one in front of it to join her in the car.
Amber put the key in the ignition but didn't use it quite yet. She turned to me.
"Kind of weird question, but who are you exactly?" asked Amber.
"Oh sorry," I smiled. "I'm Cindy."
"Okay, I'm Amber, but I have a feeling you might already know that."
"Yeah, I do."
"Do you have to be home soon, or can we talk for a little bit?"
"I have some time" I said, but I was really nervous about what she thought. She was being really sweet about things, but what other choice did she really have without being a jerk?
"Okay great, cause I wanted to talk to you about this picture" Amber explained, pulling the now wrinkled sketch from her jeans pocket. "I'm sorry I kind of ruined it, you're-"
"It's just a project...for art" I interjected very quickly.
"-quite the little artist" she finished. She paused for a second in thought. Then she spoke again.
"Hey, you're in 9th grade right?"
"Yeah" I said in a muted tone, wondering what she was getting at.
She let out a silent laugh, more like the exhaling of air through a closed-mouthed smile. She looked me in the eye, raised her brows and with a grin said, "You don't take art."
I froze. With an uneasy expression, I stuttered, "Wh-why not?"
She further explained, "It's a junior/senior only course."
Slowly looking away, I said," Oh...yeah.......Right." I exhaled and allowed my head to rest against the back of the seat. I turned red again.
"You are so adorable" said Amber.
Taken aback by what I was hearing, I turned to her with a look of utter surprise. She was smiling at me. She narrowed her eyes and bit her lip in a second's awkward silence, our eyes fixed on each other's. Shifting her weight, she leaned over and slowly, her soft lips touched lightly, gently against mine. We shared a rainbow kiss.
Amber broke away just as slowly as she had come in. I stayed for a short while, eyes still closed. I snapped out of it and looked down at my knees. From my face emerged a goofy grin,
"Wow" I thought out loud. I looked up at her, curious to see her reaction.
She licked her lips, took a deep breath and looked back up at me smugly. The car roared as she turned the key in the ignition and started up the engine.