Chapter Eight:

Every so often Will would ask me again if I needed help with my books, and again I would decline it. I don't know what's going on… it just slipped out of my mouth before I even thought about it. Then, eyes downcast, I would walk away. I tried to ask Jamie what I should do, but I kept feeling too embarrassed to mention it. This went on for two whole months until the most astonishing moment of my whole life occurred. I would remember it for the rest of my life, and I'm sure that Will will remember it too.

I was walking home again after spending an afternoon in the library. The clouds were dark, and I was trying to hurry home before it rained. I was preceding well, and it looked as if the clouds would hold until I got home. When I passed the graveyard, however, I saw a sight that made me stop.

Will was standing there, all alone. No friends of his- or missing props- were with him. He looked lost in thought, staring at all the graves. Taking another look up at the sky, I thought he should be heading home. He made no intention of moving, though. Looking in the direction of home, I thought for a long time. Should I go in there and warn him? In the end, I did.

He was surprised to see me. "Maria? Shouldn't you be home by now?"

"I was at the library." I tried to smile as I lifted a few books. He didn't smile. He looked sad. Maybe it was just because he was in a graveyard…

"It looks like it'll rain soon," I said softly, tilting my head so I could see his face better. "Shouldn't you head home?"

"I think clearer when I get wet." was all he said. He looked away for a few moments, but I stood there patiently. I wasn't leaving until he decided to go home. I didn't want him to sit in the rain for the rest of the night. Everything seemed all right as I stared at him, admiring his way of standing… admiring his eyes… his shoulders… his… everything. The moment was broken when Will finally faced me and asked, "Why didn't you let me help you? With the books, I mean."

I stepped back a little, as I sometimes do when I'm surprised. I started twisting and fumbling with my fingers nervously, trying to find the right answer in my head. "I…I didn't want to embarrass you… I mean… you never wanted to be nice to me in front of everyone before…"

"But I asked you… didn't that mean anything? Didn't you think that I wanted to?"

For a moment I didn't say anything. I started to hear other noises around us, and I knew it would be raining soon. "I…I don't know… I couldn't say anything that I wanted to say… with everyone else watching us."

He walked closer to me and looked at me in the eyes. "What would you say if I asked you right now?"

"Ask me what?" I asked stupidly. I admit it… there were times when I was a little slow. He didn't seem to mind, though.

He just smiled like he had before, and pointed to my pile of books. "Do you need help carrying them?" I smiled and looked down at my feet, then at the books.

"Yes. I do."

He took half of the stack of books, and we started to walk around the graveyard, forgetting about the rain and dark clouds above us. I was glad that the clouds decided to hold a little while longer.

"So, Maria," Will asked after we walked a few strides in silence. "There's something I've been waiting to ask you."

My heart suddenly started thumping in my chest. Who knew what he was going to ask? What if it was the question I had always dreams of?

"What did you think of me before this whole mess started?"

I frowned. Did he call it a mess? I hoped this wasn't a trick. "Well, I-"

"Now be honest." he ordered.

I gulped. "Well, I…I liked you a lot… even though we never talked and you never knew who I was. I thought you were really mean, but I couldn't help it." I breathed out cautiously, hoping I wasn't hurting his feelings or anything. He didn't seem offended.

"Yeah… I was a big bully, wasn't I…"

"A little…"

He laughed at me, and then we fell into another silence. We walked step in step, his hands were in his pockets while mine were twisted together in a nervous knot.

"I never thought you'd ever talk to me." I whispered. For a long while I thought he didn't hear me, and I was too nervous to repeat it. Finally, he dismissed my thoughts.

"I never thought I'd meet a girl like you either," he said. "Or a girl like Jamie."

Jamie… My best friend… one of the nicest people I had ever met. "Do you talk a lot?"

"Yeah," he confessed. "She makes me think a lot."

"What about me?" I asked cautiously. Now he had to tell me the truth.

"What?"

"What about me?" I repeated.

There was a moment of silence, and for a moment I thought he didn't know what to say. "You make me think too… I think about you a lot. I was trying to get to know you by asking to carry your books… We would walk together and it seemed easier to talk to you that way…"

"Like right now?"

He nodded. "Like right now."

He took a moment to look at the books I got from the library. We walked in silence for a little while longer, and I looked around at the graves we passed. I wondered if he knew anyone who was buried here.

"So you like to read?"

"Yes."

"What's your favorite book?"

"I can't choose one." I said, laughing sheepishly. It felt so strange to walk and talk with him for some reason.

"I've never read a book in my life." he confessed.

"Oh…" For a few agonizing moments, I didn't know what to say. All those years dreaming about him, and I had nothing to say. I looked down at the ground in despair. All in a flash of light, I felt lost, even though he was right next to me. Would I ever feel comfortable around him?

"So…" he started up again. "What has Jamie done for you?"

"She's been really nice to me… she's been trying to boost my self confidence… And I think she's been trying to get me to talk to you too."

"Of course she has," he smiled. "How come you have no self confidence?"

"How come you didn't have anything nice to say to me before all this happened?" I was surprised myself by the question. It didn't even feel like I said it. It felt like someone else.

"I deserved that… I wasn't making it any easier for you, was I…"

"Not really."

He ran through his hair and stopped. I almost kept on walking, but, luckily, I saw him stop and I stopped a few footsteps away. He turned towards me, but I could see that he was thinking, so I waited patiently. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you so much." He finally said. "You should have a lot of confidence in yourself."

"It's not your fault." I said honestly, looking down at my feet. "I guess the person I was chosen to be turned out that way."

"And the person I was chosen to be turned out to be a bully." He stared straight at my face for the first time that day, waiting for me to raise my face and look straight at him. Only when I started to feel rain did I look up.

"I think we should head home." I said as I looked up at the sky. In the corner of my eye I saw Will frown, but in the end he agreed.

When we were finally out on the sidewalk and out from underneath the trees, the rain started to come down as hard as it could, and the wind started to blow. I laughed as he took my hand and we ran and ran, already soaked to the bone. I suddenly felt alive. I loved the feeling so much that I wanted Will to feel it too.

"Will?" I screamed over the sound of the wind. I came to the halt and stared up at him.

"Yeah?" he screamed back.

"Do you think we could change who we were chosen to be?"

"What do you mean?"

I pulled my wet hair away from my face. "What I mean to say is… Do you think you and I could change from the shy and the mean into something… more?" For a moment he stared at me, wide eyed, the rain dripping down his face. "Jamie said she was praying for us." I yelled. "I prayed for you too!"

For a split second I thought Will was crying. After a second of shock, I realized it was just the rain. I waited for his answer, but he didn't say anything. I stood there helplessly, wondering what I should do or say. It wasn't until a couple seconds later that I saw the answer in his eyes. What could I possibly become?

Suddenly I felt upset. I felt even more upset than I did after I punched Will. Back then I was upset for myself, but now I was upset for him. "Will…" I said softly, and I wondered if he could hear me. "Will… you told me I should have confidence in myself… Don't you have any for you?"

"I do," he finally said. "But I was the bully- the big guy on the block- for so long… and then Jamie…" he paused. "And you… It's really confusing."

"Welcome to my world."

"What?"

"I said," I tried to scream as loud as I could. "Welcome to my world."

He smiled a little, and then I felt his hand fold around mine. He led me down the sidewalk, and led me to my house. How did he know where it was? He let me as close as to the steps leading to the door, but then he stopped and smiled at me.

Now we're back at the beginning. I tugged at my hair, waiting for him to say or do something. I started to calm down as he kissed me. Everything felt so right as he buried his hands deep in my hair. The kiss was much deeper and meaningful than our first kiss. Not even the rain could make this a sad moment. I like the rain… I thought.

He held me as we stood outside in the rain. We made a silent vow that we'd help each other, somehow, become something more than what we believed we were. Jamie was probably right; All of this was part of God's plan. But what, I asked myself, was next in God's plan? What did he want us to do? I had no idea.