Dedication Page

A Story by penguin

...for you

The first time I ever saw you, we were in English class. My back was to the door, and we all heard it open. The teacher stopped talking, and most everyone turned around to see, except me. My face was in a book, my mind engulfed by its story. I couldn't hear the soft thuds of your boots or everyone's simultaneous shifting, their bodies reflecting their eyes. The only thing I noticed was when you sat at the desk next to mine, your bag's buckles ringing against the metal of the chair. I jolted upwards, my hand resting on the spine as to not lose my page, and turned my head.

Hazel. No, gray. Both?

Just as I am about to reach a conclusion, the teacher starts up again and my thoughts fade into nothing.

"As I'm sure we all noticed, we have a new student with us today. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself."

Even I could feel the stares coming towards us. You softly cleared your throat and spoke.

"Um, I'm Olivia Pierce. I'm from Florida, and I like reading." You said, your voice getting quieter on that last word.

"Well, Olivia From Florida, it's very nice to have you in my classroom." You nodded a bit, and looked down at your hands folded messily on your lap. The lecture continued, and I kept reading. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed you looking at me a few times.

Class ended, and I threw my bag over one shoulder and turned around to see you doing the same. You stopped and smiled before walking out, your chestnut hair flowing effortlessly behind you.

For the next two weeks, we made more eye contact and smiled back and forth. It turned into our game to decrease boredom levels. There were multiple times when I would be close to laughing out of nowhere, and my simplistic mind had no idea why. One day, you did. It was quiet, but very noticeable. I felt my face get hotter and looked down at my paper. The bell rang at 3:00, which I had tried not to let happen, as if I could control it. I exhaled and began to pack up my things as so many others had already done. Before I could turn around, you were gone.

I went home and collapsed onto my bed. It wasn't for a few hours that I started homework. I completed all seven thousand math problems and took notes on DNA replication and something else. I went to pick up my book, and as I turned to my page, I was greeted by a ripped piece of paper that fell onto my lap.

A phone number.

I jumped but smiled and nearly threw my phone out of my back pocket. I typed in the number and sent a simple, "Hey." A couple of minutes went by.

"I see you found my note."

"I did. Very nice."

"Thank you, I try."

"I totally knew you

did that, ya know."

"I know. Can I tell

you something?"

"Sure."

I didn't know what else to say, but luckily for me, three ominous dots jumped around at the bottom of my screen, much more steady than my heart. A paragraph popped up a few minutes later.

"At my old school, everything was predictable. All the people, the lessons, my family. And then one day, everything changed. I won't say how, but my world was suddenly upside down. I have the opportunity to be unpredictable now. I can say what I want when I want to, to whoever I want. I can be bold and not care about what people say. I can be myself. So, I want to be friends. And I'll tell you something else, because I can do that now. I might be coming on too strong, but I have the full intention of becoming more."

And my heart stopped. I didn't reply for a bit, but just stared at the glowing screen, thinking about how I was supposed to respond.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Scout Finch."

Was this normal in fairy tales? I thought it took more time for the princess to fall for her prince. I guess this was normal, seeing as though it was... less traditional at least. I had never met someone who did that. All we had done for two weeks was look at each other and make each other laugh, and now this? I had no idea what to do, but nevertheless, I couldn't help but be excited for the next day.

I dragged myself through the day, and finally arrived at the last period. I quickly walked in, making sure to get there early enough to avoid the many other people who would inevitably stare. Like I said, we were throwing tradition out of the window. I sat down, looking forward, because that's what people would do in a movie, right? And I waited. I couldn't help but smile, and I lost track of time.

The bell rang. Class was starting, and you weren't there. I nervously glanced around the room, making sure this wasn't a plan of yours, and my heart lodged itself in my throat. I made sure you didn't get there all period, and class was over. Before I left, I overheard some girls talking in the corner.

"Did you hear about that Olivia girl?"

"What about her?"

"Someone told me her dad beat her up. It's bad."

"Oh my god, why?"

"Apparently she was texting this girl and he found it."

"You mean she's gay?"

"Guess so."

"That's hor..."

I pushed my way through them, and ran to the parking lot. I jumped into my car, my ears ringing, and managed to get to the hospital. My hands took out the keys and my legs ran to the door. I pushed myself to the counter, and asked for an Olivia Pierce. The man at the counter flipped through a clipboard and found your name.

"Friend or family?"

"Friend." I managed to get out.

"Follow me, please."

The man led me though the halls, explaining her condition as we went along. "...going to be okay... stable... overnight..." And we stopped at a glass door. The walls were white, as so many of the things in the room were. I nervously walked in, and suddenly, I was alone with a sleeping body which belonged to a person I barely knew. I closed the door, my hands shocked by the cool metal. I turned around, and your eyes slowly opened.

Hazel.

"Hey, Scout."