I watched wistfully as my bus sped down the street. I glanced at my watch
and groaned. I had just missed it by exactly four fifths of a minute. Even
if I knew how long that was, I'm sure it wouldn't have made much of a
difference. On top of my already painfully slow day of school, I was now
stuck walking home. It's not like it wasn't nice out—the cool air played
with my face. But still...it's not like I lived right around the corner. As
small as Castle Rock was, I was lazy and didn't feel like walking.
I looked around hopefully for a ride home. To my dismay, most people weren't stupid like me and had caught the bus. The others who drove were milling around the parking lot. No luck, I wasn't friendly with any of the ones I saw. Finally, amongst the crowded steps of my high school, I spotted Chris and a different girl then the one at lunch—this time a bubbly redhead—sitting secluded on the steps. He was whispering into her ear and I grimaced—would the boy ever give it up?
I didn't care how intimate they were—I wanted a ride home dammit. Dragging my bag behind me, I trudged over to him and cleared my throat several times so he would realize I was there.
"Ahem." He looked up distractedly and the girl pouted.
"Uh—Lark, I'm kinda busy here," Chris said, pulling away from the redhead. She looked at me angrily but I ignored her.
"I need a ride home," I said bluntly. It wasn't helping that the wind was blowing my long, brown curls all around my face and I couldn't see right. I squinted at him and tapped my foot expectantly.
Chris looked at me like he couldn't believe I was asking such a task. Heaven forbid. "Uh—don't you take the bus?"
"I missed it."
The redhead was getting antsy by now and when she saw the expression on my face—which couldn't have been welcoming—she grabbed her purse and looked at Chris.
"Wait—no," Chris said, throwing me the deadliest look. "Jen—"
The girl shook her head and stalked off into the crowd. Chris whipped his head around and glared at me, gathering his books and standing up. "Dammit Lark!"
I widened my eyes. "What?" I asked innocently. I still needed that ride home.
"Just because you've never had a boyfriend, does NOT mean you can screw all my chances," Chris said irritably. I glared at him.
"Oh please, Chris. That girl wasn't even pretty."
Chris shook his head. "Right—and this is coming from the girl who runs around playing ball with me and the guys."
I glared at him and shoved him so he stumbled into a few freshmen. They scurried away looking harassed. I laughed but Chris shook his head.
"Right—so, can I drive?"
~*~*~
"Chris, please, turn this crap off!" I begged, listening to some death music. I didn't even know who it was by—I couldn't tell you. Buddy Holly? Chris sang the song under his breath and bobbed his head to the music. I gave him a look of pure disgust.
"You poor, poor child," I said, sighing and letting my hands play with the wind as we drove in his truck towards my house.
He looked at me and smirked that smirk of his. I looked away—I didn't like the feeling of vulnerability I felt whenever he smirked like that. I didn't like it at all. I hated how my stomach lurched when he smirked like that.
"Hey—I could have said no when you wanted a ride home," he said, turning down the radio a bit. "You ruined my chances with Jen."
I scoffed and laid my head back. "But you didn't say no. Actually you said 'screw you bitch, get in the car' but all's well that ends well."
He laughed and I grinned. No matter how much we bickered, Chris really was one of my best friends—if not my best friend. I'd grown up with the kid ever since grammar school and we never got tired of each other. All those summers he spent teaching me how to play ball, all the late nights at my house when his dad got really bad. It all meant something to me, it made Chris have this special place in my heart. But sometimes, I wondered how much I really meant to him.
We finally got to my house, and I sighed as he pulled into the drive way. I saw the look on Chris' face, the look of anxiety he got whenever he was about to go home and face the worst.
"Er—you can stay if you want," I said opening the door. "You know, if you want. Just for a little bit."
Chris bit his bottom lip—a nervous habit of his. He looked apprehensively at my home then down at his own two hands. Finally, he shook his head and grinned sadly at me.
"I better not. My mom might—you know—need me. Uh—I'll see you tomorrow Lark."
I nodded and grabbed my bag. "Okay. Bye."
~*~*~
[^_^ ~*ReViEw*~ please? They are much, much appreciated. Thanks to all my reviewers! I'll do shout outs in the next chapter...depends on how many reviews I got! *HeEhEe* Alright now, I know I'm boring ya'll. Love & Strawberries, The Good Girl]
I looked around hopefully for a ride home. To my dismay, most people weren't stupid like me and had caught the bus. The others who drove were milling around the parking lot. No luck, I wasn't friendly with any of the ones I saw. Finally, amongst the crowded steps of my high school, I spotted Chris and a different girl then the one at lunch—this time a bubbly redhead—sitting secluded on the steps. He was whispering into her ear and I grimaced—would the boy ever give it up?
I didn't care how intimate they were—I wanted a ride home dammit. Dragging my bag behind me, I trudged over to him and cleared my throat several times so he would realize I was there.
"Ahem." He looked up distractedly and the girl pouted.
"Uh—Lark, I'm kinda busy here," Chris said, pulling away from the redhead. She looked at me angrily but I ignored her.
"I need a ride home," I said bluntly. It wasn't helping that the wind was blowing my long, brown curls all around my face and I couldn't see right. I squinted at him and tapped my foot expectantly.
Chris looked at me like he couldn't believe I was asking such a task. Heaven forbid. "Uh—don't you take the bus?"
"I missed it."
The redhead was getting antsy by now and when she saw the expression on my face—which couldn't have been welcoming—she grabbed her purse and looked at Chris.
"Wait—no," Chris said, throwing me the deadliest look. "Jen—"
The girl shook her head and stalked off into the crowd. Chris whipped his head around and glared at me, gathering his books and standing up. "Dammit Lark!"
I widened my eyes. "What?" I asked innocently. I still needed that ride home.
"Just because you've never had a boyfriend, does NOT mean you can screw all my chances," Chris said irritably. I glared at him.
"Oh please, Chris. That girl wasn't even pretty."
Chris shook his head. "Right—and this is coming from the girl who runs around playing ball with me and the guys."
I glared at him and shoved him so he stumbled into a few freshmen. They scurried away looking harassed. I laughed but Chris shook his head.
"Right—so, can I drive?"
~*~*~
"Chris, please, turn this crap off!" I begged, listening to some death music. I didn't even know who it was by—I couldn't tell you. Buddy Holly? Chris sang the song under his breath and bobbed his head to the music. I gave him a look of pure disgust.
"You poor, poor child," I said, sighing and letting my hands play with the wind as we drove in his truck towards my house.
He looked at me and smirked that smirk of his. I looked away—I didn't like the feeling of vulnerability I felt whenever he smirked like that. I didn't like it at all. I hated how my stomach lurched when he smirked like that.
"Hey—I could have said no when you wanted a ride home," he said, turning down the radio a bit. "You ruined my chances with Jen."
I scoffed and laid my head back. "But you didn't say no. Actually you said 'screw you bitch, get in the car' but all's well that ends well."
He laughed and I grinned. No matter how much we bickered, Chris really was one of my best friends—if not my best friend. I'd grown up with the kid ever since grammar school and we never got tired of each other. All those summers he spent teaching me how to play ball, all the late nights at my house when his dad got really bad. It all meant something to me, it made Chris have this special place in my heart. But sometimes, I wondered how much I really meant to him.
We finally got to my house, and I sighed as he pulled into the drive way. I saw the look on Chris' face, the look of anxiety he got whenever he was about to go home and face the worst.
"Er—you can stay if you want," I said opening the door. "You know, if you want. Just for a little bit."
Chris bit his bottom lip—a nervous habit of his. He looked apprehensively at my home then down at his own two hands. Finally, he shook his head and grinned sadly at me.
"I better not. My mom might—you know—need me. Uh—I'll see you tomorrow Lark."
I nodded and grabbed my bag. "Okay. Bye."
~*~*~
[^_^ ~*ReViEw*~ please? They are much, much appreciated. Thanks to all my reviewers! I'll do shout outs in the next chapter...depends on how many reviews I got! *HeEhEe* Alright now, I know I'm boring ya'll. Love & Strawberries, The Good Girl]