Entry Number One

Dear Diary,

            I met a boy tonight. It was like a cinema, though. Strange and very, very surreal. I knew his friends, and that’s how we got mixed up in this mess. I’ll tell you just how it happened. I’m afraid you’ll chide me relentlessly for my lack of originality, for I fear I was in more shock than anything when I first saw him.

            I was standing up against a fence, a chain link one. I felt awkward, holding my tub of nachos in one hand, and a gallon of water in the other. Carley had gone off somewhere with her boyfriend. I was alone, for once. I watched the people walking past me. Their shoulders hunched and their jackets wrapped tightly around their bodies. Emo, skater, prep, stoner, goth, hippie… the labels swirled in and out of my mind as I classified the kids wandering in front of my eyes. I saw Lauren’s ex boyfriend, and waved.

            “Hunter!” I yelled. He looked over and smiled. A large group of guys followed. I hadn’t seen him in two years, since Lauren broke up with him. He went to the same school as Carley. I set my nachos and water down on the pavement and hugged his skinny frame.

            “So how’ve you been?” He asked excitedly.

            “Pretty good, considering.” I smiled.

            “Yeah, I heard about Dalton. Sorry to hear it. Thought you two would be together forever.” I put his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground as if he was embarrassed.

            “How’d you know about that…? You don’t even go to my school.” I asked, somewhat disturbed at his knowledge.

            He didn’t answer, so I continued, to save the conversation, “Well, it’s cool. I’m single now,” I smiled and raised my hand, “Single? Anyone single?” I shouted and Hunter laughed.

            “Hey, my name’s James.” Everything stopped. I looked up.

            He towered over me. He smiled. His teeth were perfect. He held out his hand and I shook it.

            Out of habit, I smiled back and replied, “I’m Erin.” Hunter laughed again and punched James in the arm.

            “Later dude. Nice seeing you, Erin.”

            He left us alone.

            Strangely, I didn’t feel awkward, or that I needed to initiate any kind of conversation with James at all. I automatically picked up my water and nachos and we walked up to the bleachers together. He was wearing a plain pale blue shirt, making the blue in his eyes even more noticeable. His jeans seemed… normal. They weren’t flashy True Religions or any of that designer crap I usually saw on boys.

            We sat. The metal was freezing. We watched the football game. I learned he was on the JV team at Carley’s school, he loved to SCUBA dive, he watched the history channel, he wanted to go into either the Navy Seals or the Marines, his favorite baseball team was the Los Angeles Dodgers, and that he was incredibly good looking.

            And just to make things even more cliché, it started to rain.

            I looked up and laughed, feeling the drops slide down my face. I felt him shiver next to me.

            “You l-l-like this?” He laughed, shaking. I sat closer to him.

            “I’ve always loved the rain. I like the cold.”

            He nodded and stared at the field. People around us started to leave as the rain beat down harder. We didn’t move. My jacket was getting soaked through. I looked at his shirt; it was plastered to his skin, completely drenched. His back muscles tensed. I slide closer next to him and put my head on his shoulder.

            He took my hand, weaving his fingers in between mine. He didn’t look at me, just watched the field. I smiled to myself.

            The game ended. The rain became a downpour, but we still sat there in those bleachers. He turned to me suddenly.

            “Can I see your phone?”

            I handed it to him, fumbling, trying to get it out of my pocket. He typed in his number and handed it back to me. I held out my hand for his phone. He shook his head.

            “Why not?” I asked taken aback.

            “My phone’s a piece of crap.”

            I nodded.

            “Erin! We need to go!” Carley stood at the bottom of the steps waving up at me and pointing to my parents walking away towards the parking lot. I stood clumsily, petrified. What would my parents say? He stood up next to me. I turned to hug him and he swept me up in his arms. I pressed myself up against his chest. For once, I felt secure and finally, safe. He let go and I looked up at him. He smiled.

            And kissed me.

            It was short, but it felt so natural and exciting that I kissed him again.

            And again.

            I finally pulled away.

            “Call me later.” He said quietly.

            I sprinted down the stairs, almost tripping over myself on the way down. I caught up with Carley. She and Kevin looked at me. I was soaked, but smiling. They laughed loudly and Kevin put his arm around Carley.

            “So, you meet James?” I nodded, out of breath. She laughed again. We climbed in the back of the car. I flipped out my phone:

 

            He kissed me.

 

            Carley looked at her phone, looked at me, and screamed. My dad slammed on the breaks, my mom yelped.

            “What?!” My dad yelled. We sat wide eyed.

            “Nothing, dad.” I said. Carley laughed, slapping her leg.

 

            I think I like him. He’s different, but I feel like I’m cheating. It was unnatural. Dalton was my world.

 I’m afraid he still is.

 

Reviews

[Tesh]

Aw, this was a very sweet chapter. I enjoyed it. : )

I agree with bailish. I'd like to see more descriptions of James instead of just that he's good-looking. Also, is he attractive to other girls or just the narrator? Just something to think about.

One reason I liked reading this is because I keep a Journal, and my entries are a lot like this chapter. You pulled off the conversational style very well.

I hope you post more of the book soon! I'll keep an eye out for more.

Tesh : )

[bailish]

Easy, light read. The chapter heading and the title of the book give me a pretty good idea of the rest of the book, though. I'd prefer a little more of a surprise what's coming.

"His teeth were perfect." Is that so important? All right, I'll make sure I polish my teeth everyday just to be prepared for that time when I smile at a stranger. :D I mention this because you describe the teeth and the clothes, but not what he looks like. I don't have a mental image of him until you give me one.

Quite enjoyable. I've added you as a friend so I see when you post the next chapter.