Chapter Ten

short but interesting chapter c;

I ran down to the graveyard, pushing open the steel gates. A gush of wind overthrew me, I felt so weak. Making my way down to the grave I looked around for him. Eric. Why was I looking for him? He's some weird freak who I only knew for two days. Why am I suddenly so interested in him? I guess I wanted to know more about him, what his story was, considering I ran off before he could tell me. “Looking for me?” Spinning around, he must have read my mind as Eric stood with a worried look on his face. He stepped forward, but stopped himself. “Get in a fight with someone?” he asked, looking at the blood stained on my cheeks. “A bit,” I huffed, scanning the graveyard. No lost souls here. Just dirt and rocks. “Sorry about the other day,” he started. “I was wondering if we could start off fresh. Grab an ice cream or something?” I laughed. “Ice cream? In this weather?” He smiled. “Coffee then. I'm buying?” His eyes sparkled. I don't know why, but I lifted my head and said, “You're buying.” And off we went. “So, starting over - I'm Eric.” I smiled and replied, “Jess. How old are you?” Eric shrugged. “Dunno. How old are you?” I frowned in curiosity. “Old enough. Where do you live?” He wafted his hand across the road. “Down by the old Church. You?” “In a house,” I said. We took the long way to the shops, through the park. We talked about the weather, people we saw, schools we went to. “Backridge High is the worst,” I said as we walked into the small coffee shop on the corner. “Oh yeah? Guess I'm lucky,” Eric smiled as he ordered two cappuccinos. “Why is that?” I asked. “You could say I'm, home schooled,” he replied slowly. “But I don't have a teacher. I guess I just teach myself.” This boy isn't half mysterious. I couldn't quite place a finger on him. The only thing I knew for sure was that he was devastatingly cute. Our coffees arrived and we wrapped our fingers around them to keep warm. “Got any friends?” he asked playfully. “Yeah, not very good ones,” I said. “Kelsey goes to Backridge, but she started off with this new girl Clara. Jesus I hate her guts...” Eric laughed. “I don't have any friends,” he said, staring out the window. “Except me?” I asked jokingly. He laughed but replied, “No.” “No?” He shook his head. “You're too special to be just a friend.” I sat in disbelief as he smiled at me. “Come, there's so many places we haven't been yet!” He pulled me up and led me out of the shop downtown. It was getting late as we continued to talk about life and what we did on weekends, funny stories, childhood memories. Eric didn't share much, instead he asked a lot of questions, which this time didn't make me uncomfortable. It was almost eight as the street lamps began to flicker. “I should be heading back,” I said slowly, but he reached out for my hand and held it. “Wait, there's something I wanted to show you.” I felt afraid at first, but then he led me to the park. There was no one around except for a few skateboarders and young couples roaming the streets. We climbed the large hill until we reached the peak. “Look!” he said excitedly. “What is there to look-” I stopped as I stared. The hill seemed so boring to me, so normal, but I had only ever climbed it once. Back when I was around five, with my Dad. He raced me to the top. When we got there, you could see everything. At night, it was even better. The city shined with street and house lights, the luminescent glow hovering over the the gorgeous city. “Wow,” I whispered. “Beautiful, huh?” I nodded slowly, taking it all in. The smoky air filled my lungs along with the scent of food being cooked and the lingering smell of cigarettes. Eric sat on the grass and pulled me down with him. Sitting side by side, all my worries seemed to slip away. No one could hurt us now. We were free from everything. “Jess,” he whispered in my ear. “Yeah?” I whispered back. “I think I've fallen...” “Fallen?” “In love.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me. My first kiss. I felt a rush of excitement, horror, and anxiousness. Gently he pulled away and looked in my eyes. “Sorry,” he whispered, before standing up and rushing down the hill without another word.