Getting closer to the sun
Part two of my Destiny series
*Note: This chronicles the week that follows the blackout. To make it more simple to understand, this is how I marked the time: Blackout + 1 means it is the day after the blackout, Blackout + 2 is two days after it, etc...
Blackout + 1
Liz walked around the cafeteria, looking for someone in particular. The place was filled with students, doing last-minute reviews. Finally, she spotted him. She approached slowly from behind, reaching inside her pocket. She got right up to him. Seeing he was finishing his lunch, she took her moment and dropped what she held before him.
"Still got room for dessert?" she asked. Kyle looked down to find two oatmeal cookies, carefully wrapped, resting on his book. He grinned and looked back to see a smiling Liz standing behind him.
"Sure," he said as she sat across from him, "How are you?"
"Well, I'm great! I don't know why, but I woke up this morning and I felt just... full of energy!" she said, in a very cheery tone.
"Excellent," said Kyle as he handed her one of the cookies.
"Thanks. I thought that this was a tradition I wanted to start up again. Unless of course, you're scared of what everyone will think..." she said with her everlasting smile. Kyle pretended to look scared, then broke into laughter.
"I think I can take it," he said, then looking at his watch, "We better get moving if we don't want to be late for the exam."
"Okay." They got up and started walking, still munching on their cookies. "It's so bright," noted Liz, "Hard to believe there was a storm last night..."
"I know, it's like it never happened. All I have to know it happened by, is the memory of your presence." She smiled and put the last bite of her cookie in her mouth.
"I don't know about you, but I don't think I'll ever forget last night."
"Yeah... me too," said Kyle as the two entered a classroom.
Blackout + 3
Liz sat outside school, sipping on her fruit juice. "Liz!" called Kyle as he dropped in the seat next to her.
"You're excited."
"Yesterday, I asked my dad about the picture," he said, taking it out of his pocket.
"What did he say?" she asked.
"This," he said, pointing at the two kids on the picture, "This was our very first meeting."
"What?" she said, snatching the picture out of his hands and staring at it. "Unbelievable..." she whispered with a smile.
"I told him about what had happened... well... not all the details, but..." said Kyle.
"Oh..."
"He wanted me to ask you if... um..."
"Yes?"
"He wanted me to invite you to dinner over at our house on Sunday. If you don't want to come, it's okay, he'll understand. I..."
"I'd love to," she said simply.
"Really? I mean, if you don't want to, just say so..."
"Kyle," she said as she took his hand, "I would love to have dinner with you and your dad on Sunday. Okay?"
"Alright."
"What time should I arrive?'
"Around six, I guess."
"Great, I'll be there," she said as she handed him his cookie, as she had done now for three days.
"Thank you," he said with a smile.
"First meeting, uh?"
"I know..."
"That means I knew you before any of the others, before Maria, Alex..."
"Does that make me special?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Oh, of course! Didn't you get your prize?" Both laughed.
"No, I didn't. I'm hurt..." he pouted.
She hit him on the arm and said, "I'll try to find you something."
"Ah, that's more like it." She smiled and got up.
"Let's go."
"Where?" he asked. She turned back.
"Exam..." He frowned.
"Do we have to?"
"Come on, cookie boy," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Remember, no finals and it's mop and bucket for you."
"Very funny."
"I know."
Blackout + 5
The doorbell rang and the Sheriff went to answer. It was Liz. "Hey, come on in," he said as he let her in.
"Thank you." She entered. "It's very nice of you to invite me, Sheriff."
"Oh, please, I'm not on duty. Call me Jim, I insist."
"Okay... Jim."
"Good. And you're welcome," he said with a smile. They were joined by Kyle.
"Hey! You're here!" he said.
"Yes, I'm curious about the menu."
"So am I, he's been in the kitchen for hours," said Jim.
"No way! You cook?" Liz asked in surprise.
"You tell anyone, suffer the consequences," he said with a small smile.
"Well then, let's go!" said Liz.
The three sat and had dinner. Kyle had made a fabulous dinner, which made the evening even more interesting. Noticing there seemed to be something going on, Jim excused himself by saying he'd start cleaning the dishes. Kyle and Liz remained and continued their conversation. Eventually, Liz announced it was time for her to go home.
The two walked to the door. "Thank you for tonight, I had a really good time here," she said.
"Me too," he said with a smile, "Maybe..." He paused, suddenly getting nervous.
"Maybe what?" asked Liz.
"Maybe we could do something like this again... but just somewhere else..." Liz froze in place, unsure she'd heard right. But from the look on his face, it didn't look like he was. She thought for a few seconds, then nodded.
"O... okay."
"Really?" he asked.
"Sure, sounds like fun."
"Well... when?"
"How about next weekend? Finals will be over by then."
"Okay, we can decide the rest later." She stepped up and kissed his cheek. He blushed a bit and she left laughing.
Blackout + 7
"I can't believe this is the last final exam of the year! Next fall, we'll be juniors and then one more year after that and we're done!" said Liz excitedly as she turned to Kyle. He smiled as they pulled up in the school parking lot.
"Slow down, slow down, we're not there yet," he said.
"Can't a girl get excited?"
"Fine, never mind," he said with a grin. He hesitated, then spoke up. "Liz?" She turned to him again.
"Yes?"
"Well, it's been a week since the blackout, and we haven't really spoken to the others. They don't even know we have a... date, this weekend."
"So, you want to tell them?"
"I do." She nodded.
"Alright. We can tell them the next time we see them."
"Sounds good to me." They got out of the car and headed to the open area with tables, so they could review for their last final.
"What's the plan for this weekend? The date..." she said.
"Oh... that's a surprise," he said teasingly.
"Mean," she said as she handed him his cookie.
"Just trying to make it more... mysterious," he said in a low voice.
"Very funny," said Liz, then, "Look, there's Michael and Isabel. We can go tell them first."
"Alright. How do I look?" he asked with a grin.
"We're not off to meet the president, here! Relax," she said as she took his hand, finished her cookie as he did too, and they headed towards Michael and Isabel. For some reason, they seemed to be heading towards the same spot as Kyle and Liz were...
The two walked calmly and nervously all at once, hoping that it would all go well. They knew it didn't matter what they thought... not really, but it was still important to them.
They came up to an open space and stood frozen in place when they saw...
Part two of my Destiny series
*Note: This chronicles the week that follows the blackout. To make it more simple to understand, this is how I marked the time: Blackout + 1 means it is the day after the blackout, Blackout + 2 is two days after it, etc...
Blackout + 1
Liz walked around the cafeteria, looking for someone in particular. The place was filled with students, doing last-minute reviews. Finally, she spotted him. She approached slowly from behind, reaching inside her pocket. She got right up to him. Seeing he was finishing his lunch, she took her moment and dropped what she held before him.
"Still got room for dessert?" she asked. Kyle looked down to find two oatmeal cookies, carefully wrapped, resting on his book. He grinned and looked back to see a smiling Liz standing behind him.
"Sure," he said as she sat across from him, "How are you?"
"Well, I'm great! I don't know why, but I woke up this morning and I felt just... full of energy!" she said, in a very cheery tone.
"Excellent," said Kyle as he handed her one of the cookies.
"Thanks. I thought that this was a tradition I wanted to start up again. Unless of course, you're scared of what everyone will think..." she said with her everlasting smile. Kyle pretended to look scared, then broke into laughter.
"I think I can take it," he said, then looking at his watch, "We better get moving if we don't want to be late for the exam."
"Okay." They got up and started walking, still munching on their cookies. "It's so bright," noted Liz, "Hard to believe there was a storm last night..."
"I know, it's like it never happened. All I have to know it happened by, is the memory of your presence." She smiled and put the last bite of her cookie in her mouth.
"I don't know about you, but I don't think I'll ever forget last night."
"Yeah... me too," said Kyle as the two entered a classroom.
Blackout + 3
Liz sat outside school, sipping on her fruit juice. "Liz!" called Kyle as he dropped in the seat next to her.
"You're excited."
"Yesterday, I asked my dad about the picture," he said, taking it out of his pocket.
"What did he say?" she asked.
"This," he said, pointing at the two kids on the picture, "This was our very first meeting."
"What?" she said, snatching the picture out of his hands and staring at it. "Unbelievable..." she whispered with a smile.
"I told him about what had happened... well... not all the details, but..." said Kyle.
"Oh..."
"He wanted me to ask you if... um..."
"Yes?"
"He wanted me to invite you to dinner over at our house on Sunday. If you don't want to come, it's okay, he'll understand. I..."
"I'd love to," she said simply.
"Really? I mean, if you don't want to, just say so..."
"Kyle," she said as she took his hand, "I would love to have dinner with you and your dad on Sunday. Okay?"
"Alright."
"What time should I arrive?'
"Around six, I guess."
"Great, I'll be there," she said as she handed him his cookie, as she had done now for three days.
"Thank you," he said with a smile.
"First meeting, uh?"
"I know..."
"That means I knew you before any of the others, before Maria, Alex..."
"Does that make me special?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Oh, of course! Didn't you get your prize?" Both laughed.
"No, I didn't. I'm hurt..." he pouted.
She hit him on the arm and said, "I'll try to find you something."
"Ah, that's more like it." She smiled and got up.
"Let's go."
"Where?" he asked. She turned back.
"Exam..." He frowned.
"Do we have to?"
"Come on, cookie boy," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Remember, no finals and it's mop and bucket for you."
"Very funny."
"I know."
Blackout + 5
The doorbell rang and the Sheriff went to answer. It was Liz. "Hey, come on in," he said as he let her in.
"Thank you." She entered. "It's very nice of you to invite me, Sheriff."
"Oh, please, I'm not on duty. Call me Jim, I insist."
"Okay... Jim."
"Good. And you're welcome," he said with a smile. They were joined by Kyle.
"Hey! You're here!" he said.
"Yes, I'm curious about the menu."
"So am I, he's been in the kitchen for hours," said Jim.
"No way! You cook?" Liz asked in surprise.
"You tell anyone, suffer the consequences," he said with a small smile.
"Well then, let's go!" said Liz.
The three sat and had dinner. Kyle had made a fabulous dinner, which made the evening even more interesting. Noticing there seemed to be something going on, Jim excused himself by saying he'd start cleaning the dishes. Kyle and Liz remained and continued their conversation. Eventually, Liz announced it was time for her to go home.
The two walked to the door. "Thank you for tonight, I had a really good time here," she said.
"Me too," he said with a smile, "Maybe..." He paused, suddenly getting nervous.
"Maybe what?" asked Liz.
"Maybe we could do something like this again... but just somewhere else..." Liz froze in place, unsure she'd heard right. But from the look on his face, it didn't look like he was. She thought for a few seconds, then nodded.
"O... okay."
"Really?" he asked.
"Sure, sounds like fun."
"Well... when?"
"How about next weekend? Finals will be over by then."
"Okay, we can decide the rest later." She stepped up and kissed his cheek. He blushed a bit and she left laughing.
Blackout + 7
"I can't believe this is the last final exam of the year! Next fall, we'll be juniors and then one more year after that and we're done!" said Liz excitedly as she turned to Kyle. He smiled as they pulled up in the school parking lot.
"Slow down, slow down, we're not there yet," he said.
"Can't a girl get excited?"
"Fine, never mind," he said with a grin. He hesitated, then spoke up. "Liz?" She turned to him again.
"Yes?"
"Well, it's been a week since the blackout, and we haven't really spoken to the others. They don't even know we have a... date, this weekend."
"So, you want to tell them?"
"I do." She nodded.
"Alright. We can tell them the next time we see them."
"Sounds good to me." They got out of the car and headed to the open area with tables, so they could review for their last final.
"What's the plan for this weekend? The date..." she said.
"Oh... that's a surprise," he said teasingly.
"Mean," she said as she handed him his cookie.
"Just trying to make it more... mysterious," he said in a low voice.
"Very funny," said Liz, then, "Look, there's Michael and Isabel. We can go tell them first."
"Alright. How do I look?" he asked with a grin.
"We're not off to meet the president, here! Relax," she said as she took his hand, finished her cookie as he did too, and they headed towards Michael and Isabel. For some reason, they seemed to be heading towards the same spot as Kyle and Liz were...
The two walked calmly and nervously all at once, hoping that it would all go well. They knew it didn't matter what they thought... not really, but it was still important to them.
They came up to an open space and stood frozen in place when they saw...