She doesn't know who he is, and she doesn't give a damn.
Boy meets girl in the black box theatre.
Girl doesn't even care that he sees her at her worst, mouth fixed in a frown and hair a mess. She doesn't care that she was sitting up against the wall with her knees drawn to her chest – so he probably saw the black lace – brace yourself for the horrible word – panties.
Boy learns girls name when they're paired together in a play.
Girl doesn't bother. She sits with her head in her hands, and occasionally rolls her eyes. Sometimes she raises her eyebrow. Then one day, it's pierced.
Boy says she looks pretty.
Girl shrugs and raises said eyebrow. Boy bites his lip nervously. Girl doesn't notice.
Boy tells his friends all about her. "She's gorgeous, and funny, and her eyes!" Boy says, excited.
"She doesn't know your name." Boy's friends tell him.
Boy doesn't care. And all he knows is that the next day she comes into the classroom, and she is not happy. Girl storms in and glares at Boy.
"What?" Boy says, more than asking. Girl sighs.
"My stupid boyfriend. He forgot to pick me up."
"So?" Boy thought it was no big deal. The big deal was the butterflies in his tummy because she was speaking to him.
"So!" Girl says, throwing her hands up. "So I was standing in the damn rain for half an hour!"
"Oh," is all Boy can manage. He thinks that if he was lucky enough, if he ever had the chance, he'd never ever let her down.
"Yeah. Oh."
"I'm sorry." Boy squeaks. Girl frowns in confusion. She shakes her head and says it okay.
"You have to come round mine so we can get this finished. Okay?" Boy swallows noisily and nods.
"Alright, where do you live?"
"I brought one of my daddy's business cards," Girl says, and her apparent childishness and innocence makes him fall harder, "so it's on here. Come around at about 10?"
"In the-"
"Yes, in the morning." She laughs. He feels like she's finally loosening up. That's until he's at her driveway, and she's calling him. She still doesn't know his name really.
"Yeah, I know you were coming over here, um,"
"Be-"
"Sure, okay. Just please, there's been a change of plan – I- I got the dates wrong." Her voice is too shaky and he hates it. "Go home."
"…"
"What?" Girl shouts, and then he hears her crying. He tries to go in but the door is locked, but he can still hear the girl – his girl – crying behind the door.
"Are you okay?" Boy calls softly. He cranes his neck to see if she's looking out of the peephole. She's not. He bites his lip. "Do you remember the first time we met?" He says, trying to coax her out – and he genuinely wanted to know. Boy burned it into his mind.
"Yes." Girl says her voice quiet. Boy hears the smile. "I shouldn't have been such a mess. I bet I looked like an idiot."
"No," Boy whispers. "You looked perfect."
"What was that?" Girl says. Boy knows she heard.
"I said you looked perfect."
"I know." Girl says, smiling. She gets up and opens the door. Boy's horrified look reminds her why she didn't let him in. Her hand flies to her cheek. There was a deep shade of purple on her right cheek, little patches of other colours varying, greying at the edges. She was in a vest top, the spaghetti straps leaving her arms on show, which also displayed a multitude of different injuries, from healing pinky scars or yellowing brown bruises.
She tries covering up. "I-I, I tripped down the stairs, I'm really sorry!"
Boy looks her up and down. "Come on," he says slowly. "You're not staying here." Girl looks guilty, and she lowers her eyes. "You…didn't do this to yourself?"
"Not on purpose." Girl says quickly. She gets in Boy's car while he grabs some stuff of hers.
Boy meets girl in the car. It reminds him of the first time he saw her, and he smiles in spite of everything. He looks at her and sighs, gripping his steering wheel just a bit too tightly.
"Damn it, girl, why didn't you say!?" Boy demands, so angry at himself more than anything for not noticing.
"I don't know." Girl says quietly. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." Boy says angrily. He drives her to his house and helps her get her wounds cleaned.
After a while she insists on leaving. Boy begs her to stay, to not go home to her dad. "I'll take care of myself. He caught me off-guard."
Boy tries to stop her and she gets angry. "You're not my boyfriend! I'll take care of myself."
She leaves, but regrets shouting those horrible things. She ignores the pit in her stomach and scrolls down her contacts list. She dials the name "Boy".
"I'm really sorry for shouting at you…you're the best boy I've ever met….please don't stop being there for me."
"It's okay. I'll never stop looking after you."
"Thank you." Girl squeaks.
"It's okay."
"I just. I'm alone, and that's all I know. "
"No."
"What?"
"You have me."
"I don't deserve you."
"That's okay with me." Girl smiles. Boy does too. He knows she still doesn't know his name, and he's not entirely sure if she likes him back or not.
But someday she'll know who I am, and then maybe she'll give a damn.
Girl walks through the corridor with her friends. "Hey, it's Beck, right?" Girl winks.
"Right. You're Jade?"
"Right."
A/N:
Mm, I have mixed feelings about this one. I don't the end. I think I like the middle. I like the idea, you know? Anyway this is it. Tell me what you think. I'll update my others soon.