Chapter 5- The One?

It was now a week until school started again, and everywhere that you looked you found some kind of back-to-school sale. Alex and I went to an Owl City concert (it’s her favorite band) and I came home to seeing Bruce passed out on the couch and my mom just coming home from the gym I didn’t know she had a membership to. After having some kind of TV dinner that tasted like it was supposed to be macaroni and cheese, I went to bed and woke up early the next morning.

Appearently, Alex’s mom had realized how much I loved going to church. So offered to start bringing me to church on Sundays with her and Alex. As I was waiting for them to come and pick me up (I would walk to their house, but they insisted that I don’t walk there in dress clothes), I found my best church clothes. I went digging into my closet and found a button-up blue plaid shirt, some black pants, and my big black shoes that made a  thunderous “CLUNK!” sound when I stepped.

I was excited to go to church today. I missed the smell of the elderly and mold that seemed to be comforting, the crazy Aunt Barbra, even Pastor Don’s deep voice with a slight English accent. Everyone there was nice and kind, and he wanted to have that feeling of comfort that I hadn’t felt in so long.

As I buttoned the top button of my shirt, the doorbell rang. I stumbled about trying to put on my shoes while I run to get to the door, but somehow both shoes were on and I hadn’t fallen by the time I got to the door. I opened it to see Alex in her dress that I saw last week, her hair straightened and her makeup making her look like some kind of Egyptian goddess. I never thought that I would say something like this about her, but she was absolutely, positively beautiful. She was the prettiest person I have ever seen.

I didn’t realize that I was gawking until she began to speak. “Hey, Austin! You ready to go?” She began to get red-faced herself, knowing that her looks were really impressing me.

I could barely utter out the word “yeah,” but after I said something that sounded more like “csakmsnvger,” I’m pretty sure she got the message. We walked to her mom’s car and found her mother there on the phone, looking a little but discouraged. She sounded like she was in the middle of an argument with someone.

“No, you listen to me... I can’t afford that… She needs someone… GOODBYE!”

Alex and I just sat there, confused and a little scared. I’d never seen her mother so angry and upset. Alex’s mom took off driving to church, saying hello to me about two minutes into the drive. Her face wasn’t so stone cold and angry anymore. It seemed more apologetic, like the wish that she hadn’t let us hear her yell like that.

Once we got to the church, I said hello to Aunt Barbra, who introduced me to Alex’s Uncle Mike. Alex, her mother, and I all went to our seats in the church, and I once again became mesmerized with the beautiful chandelier. Alex kicked me in the leg to get me out of my wondrous trance, making me realize that the service had already started. I let out a yelp so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear it, and we all bowed our heads for a prayer.

“Our Heavenly Father,” Pastor Don began, “We are awestruck by your outstanding glory. Let us not ever forget just how amazing you are to us, even when we turn our selfish backs to you.” My mind slowly slid away from the sound of Pastor Don’s voice, and I was once again lost in my own thoughts. Once I snapped back to reality, the service was almost over and Alex was giving me a funny look. “What’s wrong with you?” She asked, though I couldn’t give her a very good answer. My mind just seemed to be kind of all over the place today.

Once the service was finished, Alex’s mom took me home, and I walked in the door to see Bruce on his recliner, smoking and drinking. My mother was in the kitchen, doing something that looked like paying the bills.

Just a typical Sunday at the Harving household.

I went to my room and began to look through my notebook again. I found some drawings that I didn’t even remember making, though you could tell that I drew because honestly, I suck.

I kept flipping through the pages, going through old forgotten stories, poems, and even songs that were never finished. The spark was put out long before anything good could’ve come out on those pages.

After awhile of reading my stories from 3^rd and 4^th grade, I went out to the living room and got something from the fridge to eat. My house isn’t all that exciting; the most interesting thing that’s happened all month was me leaving the house and staying with Alex.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I picked up my phone and texted Alex, who must’ve already been asleep, because she didn’t answer. After about a half hour of watching my phone, waiting for it to receive a text message form her, I finally gave up.

I began to wonder why I felt the way that I did about her today and last week when I saw her in that gorgeous dress. How come my jaw dropped to the floor and I almost peed my pants just because I saw Alex in a pretty outfit? I mean, Alex is a pretty girl, I must admit. There’s nothing about that girl except for the way that she feels about herself that’s ugly. Could it be that maybe-

-No. There’s absolutely no way that I could actually like Alex more than a friend. I know that this is always how it ends up in those sappy Disney movies, but this is REALITY. And let’s be honest here, NOTHING is farther away from reality than a Disney movie.

But maybe I DO like her. Maybe I always have, but I’m just now realizing it. All those years of cookies and milk battles, the late night texting, the laughing… it was all a sign that she was the one?

I kept thinking like this until I saw the sun come up over the buildings of town. After that, I slept all day and waited until I could see her again.