{Wildflower-Beach House}
He had always admired her. She had this air about her, a classic, tragic beauty. She looked like a doll. Even when she was amongst her gaggle of friends smiling and carrying on he noticed that once they weren't looking, the corners of her rosy lips tugged downward and her eyes darkened once again. He didn't even know her name but he longed for her.
Even now as she stood alone in front of him in the lunch line with an apple clutched softly in her meticulously manicured ruby nails she bit her wobbling bottom lip and darted her emerald eyes around anxiously, she looked so pretty. "Yes?" Her eyes were curiously looking right into his widened ones.
He smiled and tried to shield her from his reddened cheeks by looking downward. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was staring." Oh god, that giggle. It almost killed him. She paid 50 cents for her apple and skipped away giving him a cheeky wave goodbye. His heart threatened to jump right out of his chest. He barely even noticed the lovely lunch lady trying to gain his attention to keep the long line awkwardly smiled and dropped his money on the counter and quickly walked outside and sat under a tall tree. Coincidentally she was outside too, just across the quad she stood against the brick wall of the school staring at her little black shoes.
He watched as her dark chocolate locks swayed in the gentle Los Angeles breeze, her sweet gaze shifted to him once again. He shot her the same cheeky wave she had sent him moments before. Her plump lips parted and formed a smile, and her eyes rolled with faux annoyance. She huffed and walked over to him stopping at his feet. She stuck her hand out to meet him. "Hi, I'm Gracie, and you are?" Her sweet voice trailed.
"Tate." He shook her hand and held it for a moment longer than he probably should've. Her other hand toyed with the golden heart-shaped locket around her neck and a soft smile played on her lips. His heart nearly melted,he wanted to drown in her sweet voice.
She sat on her knees across from him and played with the apple in her hands. "Gonna eat that?".
She stood up and smiled at him "Nah, you want it?" she said as she tossed the apple into his hands and walked briskly away.
Bile rose in her throat as she leaned against the door of the stall she frequently visited to calm her nerves. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her eyes darted across the entire cramped space. She was seeing double and her hands shook and sweat dripped from them as tears rolled down her cheeks. Another wave of nausea came and she vomited into the toilet. She flushed it with her clammy hands and walked to the sink. Tears still rolling down her cheeks, mascara flowing, and red lipstick smeared up her paled cheek. She fixed what she could and made her way to the nearest exit, power walking home tears still rolling down her cheeks. She was utterly mortified, and she felt guilty and defeated. Her facade had broken, even if only for a second.
She felt so awkward. She wasn't used to talking to someone she was actually intrigued by. Most of her in-school interactions boiled down to casual conversations made to support her carefully constructed 'cool girl' facade. But Tate was so handsome but not football-y so. His teeth were so perfect and he had these dimples they were so deep, he was the very vision of beauty. He was witty and charismatic, he seemed to look right through her, and that was terrifying.