Silent Scream
Chapter 1
There he was. I had to do it. I had to tell him how I felt. Yeah, he's my best friend and it might weird him out, but I need to tell him that I've changed over the past few weeks.
He was walking closer to me. My heart started racing. My adrenaline pumping. I tried to distract myself by reaching for a book at the top of my locker. I stood on the tips of my toes and stretched my arm to as far as it could reach, and I felt something against my back. I didn't move my head, but I managed to slightly move my eyes to see who it was. I couldn't get a clear look at the face, but I recognized the cologne. He grabbed the book and moved to the side.
"Is this what you wanted?" He handed me my algebra textbook.
I just stared at him. My heart was beating faster, so fast that I thought it was going to pop out of my chest. It was so loud, I could even hear it.
"Are you okay?" He eyed me oddly.
When I managed to catch my breath, I quietly said, "Yeah, and thanks." I took the book from his hand and closed my locker. "There's something I need to tell you," I whispered as I stared at the gray linoleum floor.
"What is it?" He asked. "Does it have something to do with Gina?"
Throughout all of that time I took practicing in front of the mirror, I managed to completely forget the fact that I have a girlfriend. That's just great. I wonder what she'll assume when she realizes that I haven't called her at all in weeks. I haven't even bothered to look at her in the hallway either.
I clutched my books to my chest. "No, it has to do with you."
"What about me?"
I gulped. "Well, you see—"
I was cut off when a teacher said, "Boys, if you plan to make that bus, you better hurry."
As I started to run toward the exit, I couldn't help but think that it was stupid to wait until the end of the day to tell him. I should've told him on the bus this morning. Just before I got to the door, I saw my bus pull out of the school parking lot. My backpack fell to the floor.
"You know, I could drive you home if you want," I heard him call from behind me. I turned around and saw that he still stood in front of my locker.
It was hard enough to be close to him for that short period of about two minutes. And it was at least a fifteen minute car ride to my house from the high school. But what choice do I have? No one from my house was home, and my car was still parked in the driveway. "Really? That'd be great. Thanks."
He began to walk toward me. I just stood there, frozen. He picked up my backpack and slung it over his right shoulder. When he pushed the door to the exit open, he waited. "You coming?"
It was then when I realized that I forgot to breathe. I inhaled deeply and hurried through the door and down the front steps.
"There's no need to rush, Kiro." I heard the door close.
I turned around and saw him leisurely walking down the steps with a wide grin on his face. "What did you call me? You know that's not my name."
"I called you Kiro. It's the nickname I gave you. Remember?" He stood next to me at the bottom of the steps.
Wow. Not only did I forget about my own girlfriend, but us giving each other nicknames completely escaped my mind as well. He called me Kiro, and I called him...what did I call him?
"Oh yeah, sorry." I blushed. "What's yours again?"
"It's Strify." He smiled and started walking to his car while mumbling a song that was unfamiliar to me.
"Um...Strify?" I caught up with him.
He stopped to look at me. I don't know what it was about his smile that made me feel so special. It's just so...so...
"Kiro?"
"Huh?" I said, still stuck in a reverie of silent admiration.
"You wanted my attention?"
I snapped back into reality. "Oh, what I wanted to tell you was..." This is it. I had his attention. I have to tell him now. "...um...hm..."
"Just tell me!" Strify demanded as he opened the passenger door to his car.
I slid in and closed the door. I pulled the seatbelt over and clicked it in as Strify dropped himself into the driver's seat. He tossed my backpack on to my lap, and since it landed directly below my stomach, it made me grimace a little.
He chuckled and started driving. I looked at Strify, but I quickly looked away because just looking at him made me feel all giddy inside. What really confused me was that I haven't felt like this until a few weeks ago. It's just like something inside me snapped, and it was so sudden and overwhelming for me. And being in a small confined space with him just made it worse.
"So what was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh, right." I couldn't tell him what I really wanted to say, only because I'd have to be near him for at least fifteen more minutes. "What was that song you were humming before?"
"That's what you took so long to ask me?"
I nodded.
"It was just a song I wrote over the past few weeks."
The car rounded a corner as it exited the school parking lot. "So what's it about?"
"Well if you must know, I wrote it for someone very close to me." He sped up and turned his head to smile at me.
We were lost in each other's makeup-decorated eyes, and I enjoyed every silent second of its peace.
A horn sounded. When I turned my head to see what was going on, I saw the car fly past a red light. "Strify, stop!" I screamed.
But it was too late. There was a loud crash and from then, it was all a blur.