Real Vibes

Beautiful.

That was how she liked to describe him.

The way his hair hung perfectly and his blue eyes shined bright when he mocked her made him the only thing that was ever on her mind.

A constant thought.

They had met 4 years previous. But the first day they truly noticed each other, well the first day she truly noticed him at least. Was when he was moved to the front of the bus; they caught to and from school each day – because he had paid no attention to the warnings the bus driver had given him about not sitting down properly in his seat. Her friend had begun a conversation, one based on politics; a main interest of theirs both, which she was quickly brought into.

That was the day her crush had truly begun.

Oh, so long ago.

Every day as he had played handball, she would walk by with her friends always throwing some sarcastic comment his way.

That to her, was the beginning of their friendship.

New Year's came and went that year and she only had two New Year resolutions; well if you could call them that. Firstly, she wanted to truly become his friend, and secondly, she wanted  to find out what he wanted to do with himself after school.

One day, early in February, just after a shower she decided to go the local library, dressed all in black with her hair thrown up in a bun she didn't expect to meet anyone there, least of all; him.

She heard her name being called and her cheeks instantly turned a bright shade of red, as she saw him sitting at the round wooden table in the corner of the large room filled from top to bottom with books.

"What are you doing here?" he had asked and that was when he had first found out about her.

He had always seen her as another sheep, the girl who was loud and did not possess anything that made her stand out from the crowd; both with looks and inner soul.

But that day in the middle of the room filled with thousands of stories they began writing their own.

They had got into talking about everything. From politics to their future, history to the books she liked to read. She had ticked off her New Year's resolutions, they were officially friends.

The world worked in mysterious ways.

It had gone from there. They talked now and again online and most days in school had the quick conversation or threw words each other's way that made the other laugh.

Her crush grew more and more over the following months.

As school came to an end and she saw no future for their friendship, her heart sunk in her chest; but she would not admit it, she would not say aloud how much she had truly fallen for him.

But destiny; it was something wonderfully magic.

They decided to go to a protest meeting against the taxes that were coming out on water.

As they both sat in a room surrounded by people speaking their thoughts out loud, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander to his face. The way he listened so intently to what everyone had to say, made her smile in a way like no other.

He'd turn to find her eyes and smile at her every time someone said something he knew she'd agree with or something he knew would have made her smile.

That was when she knew maybe they'd stay in contact.

As the summer came and she invited a friend she hadn't seen in a long time over she knew she'd be seeing him sooner rather than later.

She wasn't one for make-up, she didn't believe in dressing up to look pretty for others but her friend did and she decided that she'd dress up for the night. 

A while later she found herself sat in a room at a mutual friend's house.

He appeared shortly after they did and the party began. It was a crazy night, one that made her like him a lot more than she should. The stuff he had said made her heart race.

Even as the night ended with him and her best friend getting off with one another she knew this wasn't just a crush anymore.

Weeks passed by.

They talked; he said stuff that drew her in more and more.

Her mind became invaded of thoughts about him and when she finally planned a camping session with him and all their friends her body was a sack of nerves, she knew nothing would happen but hope can strife on even without a match.

When the night finally arrived and the party was in full swing she downed the last of her vodka, stupid decision on her part and before she knew it was conked out in her tent.

She awoke freezing. Her teeth shattering and her body shaking from the cold; making her way out of the tent to get closer to the fire, barely taking note of anything else.

Except one image would stay in her mind for a long time; he was sat on the grass with a girl she had hardly spoken to all night on his lap.

And even in her state of fuzziness, jealously still found a way to run through her veins.

When he saw her emerge from the tent shaking from the cold, he immediately tried helping her. Taking her back to the tent and finding whatever there was to keep her warm.

Before either of them knew what had happened she was wrapped up in his arms. He was trying to keep her warm and they were talking about anything and everything. Anything they thought left their mouths. The deepest conversation they had and would ever have.

She was still shaking in his arms and the next words to leave his mouth would change her.

"I know a way to warm you up."

Oh hell, he sure did. The way he made her feel as they lay in that tent trying to keep warm was something she never felt before; fragile, beautiful, special. She knew nothing would happen after this but that didn't change a thing - in that moment all she felt was happiness.

And as their time came to an end, she realised that over the past year she had truly found herself.

She had found her passions, her goals in life. She had learned that true beauty was all in personality.

Even as the next day came and went she could still feel the piece of joy he had given her life.

This world was hard to understand; but she knew no matter what hardships were thrown her way, she'd survive them.

He had taught her lessons she had needed to learn, that happiness was in the simple moments, the simple words. The world that surrounded them was full of surprises, ones you'd never see coming and that to really be 'beautiful' was all about how you put yourself across to certain people.

Some didn't believe it; but she did and would for the rest of her life.

Beauty was all about what was inside.