The Winter breeze nipped at my nose as a shoved my gloved hands down my pockets. Fighting, that's all that seemed to happen nowadays at my house. Ever since my perfect sister fell apart, my parents have constantly been on the edge. So, that leaves me to explore Toronto without a bedtime, they rarely notice when I leave the house, and I use that to my advantage.
After wandering for what seemed like hours, I decided to take a break. As my back leaned on a brick wall, the rest of my body started to fall into a squatting position on the pavement. A mildly pointy object in the pocket of my jeans poked at my hip. I reached deep into the pouch to pull out the lighter and beat up pack of cigarettes. I've never smoked before, and frankly, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to. Ever since my father "quit" smoking, he's been hiding his stash in weird places. I happened to stumble upon them inside a hollowed out book laying carelessly on the desk of his study. He'll wonder where they went, but won't say a word considering that his secret would be out. It was the perfect crime. I fumbled for the switch, and stared intensely at the flame, contemplating my next move. My hands started to shake as a pulled out a fresh cancer stick.
"Aren't you a little too young to be smoking?" An amused voice asked.
The unexpected sound made my body jump, causing a laugh to emit from the nosy stranger.
"Maybe I am. What's it to you, anyways?" I replied coldly. There really wasn't a reason for me to be rude, other than the fact that I didn't want to be bothered by overly friendly Canadians at the moment.
"No reason, but guys don't find it cute when a girl has smokers' breath." I could feel his presence getting closer as he squatted down to my level. Turning towards his direction, I saw a large figure with a five o' clock shadow. He seemed to be genuinely interested in what I had to say next, so I continued with this game.
"Honestly, I don't even smoke. I just- I think- It's….I wanted to try it, is all." I sighed, allowing the flame to disappear with the Winter's breeze.
"Good." He plucked the pack from my hand and pulled a cigarette out. "Light me up." He put the small object to his lips and turned towards my direction.
After a few tries, I got the flame to stay alive long enough for me to light the end of it. He took a long drag and released the smoke, sighing in relief. "I haven't had one in days. Thanks, kid."
His last words slightly irritated me. I wasn't a kid, I was a fifteen year old girl who's always treated like a child. "My name is not kid. It's Maya. Maya Matlin." I stated firmly.
"Matlin? So you're Katie's little sister? How's she doing? I mean, with her presidency." He asked curiously.
This boy seemed to know how to push all the right buttons. Another thing I hated: Being reminded of my sister every time I mention my last name. Matlin? You're Katie Matlin's sister! Your sister is such a wonderful president! Do you plan on following in her footsteps? Katie is so smart and funny and perfect blah blah blah.
"Great, until she had to go to rehab and her idiot best friend took over. I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Who are you?" I asked, still a bit skeptical of my decision to label this person as normal.
"Sav. Former Degrassian and student body president, if you were wondering." He smiled, blowing a puff of smoke in my face.
I coughed in annoyance as I snatched the cigarette from between his lips and threw it as far as I could throw.
"Hey! I wasn't done with that!" Sav exclaimed reaching for another one in the pack.
"Nope." I took it from his anxious grasp and tucked it away into my pocket. "Girls don't find it cute when a guy has smokers' breath." I mimicked Sav's tone perfectly, and he huffed in defeat.
"Fair enough. I'll catch you around ki- Maya." He flashed me a tiny half smirk before rising from the concrete and leaving.
I didn't follow his lead until his whole body was completely swallowed by the darkness. I was made a mental reminder to ask Katie who exactly Sav was when she had the free time. Or maybe not. What's the fun of trying to figure someone out if you already know what they were all about? For now, Sav'll just be my own walking puzzle. Why was a thinking so far into this though? Odds are, I'd never talk to him again, but I don't know. Something about that boy just makes me want to find out more. Inhaling deeply, I headed towards the direction of my hellhole