Hm, I usually dislike first person as a rule, but I thought this one called for it. It's from Robin's pov if you can't tell, although I suppose you could insert whoever you wanted in there, since his name is never mentioned. And just as a reminder, none of these little drabblish one-shot things are related. Sooo...I don't own it and enjoy.
I try not to have any illusions about myself. Sometimes I can be a real dumbass. That's why I can admit that I screwed up my chance with Rachelle. Let's see: senior year wasn't my best year. It was the year I realized that a bag of chips didn't constitute a meal, that burping really wasn't that funny, and that being good at guitar hero meant absolutely nothing. But all of that is nothing in comparison with what I learned about myself that year: I was a coward.
The first time I met Rachelle, she floored me. Not literally or anything like that. But you know what I mean: she was the first girl I'd met that wasn't instantly impressed just because I could consistently shoot a three and had a killer jump shot. I was in the library, looking for a book I needed for some history project. Since it was common knowledge that she practically lived there, I asked if she could help me.
She looked at me as if I was crazy. "Are you sure you're not lost? You realize you're in the library, right? This isn't the gym."
I looked at her for a moment, trying to decide how to react when I just burst out laughing. "Okay, I admit that was a good one. I'm looking for a book."
She rolled her eyes and for a moment she looked like she was going to make some snappy comeback. But then she gave me a slight smile and sort-of cocked her head for a moment. "I can help you." I was so surprised that it didn't even register that she'd handed me a book, until she'd already turned to leave.
When I looked at the title, I couldn't help but call after her, "Wait."
She turned around, "What now? I did my good deed."
"This isn't the book I need. I need a book on history to do a report on. Somehow, I don't think Mr. Alexander would appreciate me doing it on 'Jane's Adventure'" The book was probably around five pages and consisted of 'See Jane Run. Jane Runs Fast.' I couldn't help but laugh a little. This girl had guts; we'd only met about 5 minutes ago and she'd already dissed me twice.
She smirked a little, "You said you were looking for a book. I gave you one. I don't work here; find it yourself, or do you not know how to use the computer?"
I left to find a computer, knowing that this wasn't over. When I located the book I'd need, I found Rachelle on tiptoe the next aisle over, trying to reach a book. I decided to give her a taste of her own medicine, "Need a ladder?"
"You think you could give me a hand?" she asked. "Or is that too complicated a task for you?"
"Sure." I smiled extra big and then started clapping excessively. "There. I gave you a hand."
That's pretty much how the rest of that encounter turned out, both of us making snappy comments back and forth. When I had to leave for basketball practice, I could sincerely say I enjoyed my time with her.
Everytime I saw her after that, my heart would start beating madly in my chest kind of like it did when we were running low on time and were behind on a team. So I started experimenting with my routes to class and lo and behold – I started seeing her more often. Even though we didn't exactly say anything to each other, we didn't have to. We'd just see each other and she'd throw a piece of paper at me, imitating a basket and laugh. I'd put my nose in a book and pretend to run into trash cans.
Somewhere around a week had passed and our game was still going. I came back to my locker to find a note taped to it. Seems that someone had stolen my homework and if I expected it back, I needed to meet her at a local coffee shop.
I found that I could talk to Rachelle about anything: my fears for the future, how I lost my virginity, and my secret love for romance movies. After that, we dated for a while and I found that Rachelle had become my best kept secret. I was getting pretty vague when I blew off practice or missing out on the gaming marathons that had practically become ritual.
The guys finally cornered me one day after coming to the conclusion that I must be depressed or something. I finally decided to tell them about Rachelle and me. "Rachelle? The girl with purple hair and high tops? You slumming or something?"
I figured after their initial ribbing it would stop. But not a day passed that somebody didn't make some kind of a crack about her. I finally got pissed enough to tell them off when someone asked me if I was going to make her wear a bag over her head at prom. But then their ribbing wasn't just joking around anymore. They would forget to tell me about practice, neglect to invite me to team events and the lunch table all of a sudden became too full for me.
I'd decided I had enough. I stopped talking to Rachelle. I would purposefully avoid seeing her at school, ignore her calls, make plans to meet her and then just not show up. I was hoping I could get out of this easily and nobody would really know about it. But Rachelle wasn't easy. She demanded I tell her what was going on. I told her I'd meet her later and explain, but I chickened out last minute and ditched her.
The next day, she was furious. She called me out in front of everyone; she called me a coward and said that she wished she'd never met me. Then she gave my friends the letters I'd written her. They cracked up, reading them aloud and I all I could do was stand there, mortified.
I wasn't embarrassed, because I'd been humilitiated, but because I knew she was right. I looked over at my 'friends' and I realized what a huge mistake I'd made. I tried to apologize. I begged; I pleaded; I did everything I could think of to try to get her to take me back. But like I said, Rachelle wasn't easy. She completely ignored me.
Rachelle ended up going to college in another state, and I never heard from her again. I know that I can't change what happened, so I guess I'm glad I learned what I did. I still think about her though and I wonder what could have been.
I feel like the ending is too similar to, well - every other ending I write. Let me know what you think, though. About anything.
