The Yellow Umbrella

Spring (Mia)

The plan was simple.

Ditch Jake when I graduated.

Then, I would skip back to New York, enjoy my summer free from the cling monster, and start school in the fall.

Simple, right?

But when I tried hinting at a break up the second the weather started getting a little warmer, it did not go well. At all. Scratch that, it was worse than the time I thought I could rock bangs and a pixie cut.

We were sitting up in his room on his bed, me on the top bunk, him below typing away on his computer click click clicking away at the keys. I swear, sometimes it felt like all he cared about was writing or video, anything on that stupid laptop. He even brought it to school everyday, whipped it out in every class. Like ever heard of a notebook?

I'm pretty sure in a list of things he cared about it was:

Computer

Dogs

Film...

356. Mia

That's how I felt. Yet, it also felt like he wanted to drown me in attention at the same time. What are you doing after school, Mia? Weekend, plans? Let's hang out!

Let's hang out! was the worst one. I didn't even get offered a choice.

Whenever I tried to say I was busy, he would take me on a guilt trip, saying we only had so many months before we graduated. Times like that I just wanted to screech, "Yes, exactly! I want space, I need space!"

The feeling I hoped would go away during winter break kept digging deeper and deeper into me, demanding it be felt. Demanding I couldn't pretend it wasn't there. I even threw out Harvey's number in an attempt to not tempt myself.

There Jake was typing away on his stupid laptop after he nearly killed us driving turning back to his house when 'creativity struck' halfway to the mall. Did he ask me if it was okay if we didn't go to the mall?

Nope.

I was stuck there staring at the ceiling while an almost eighteen year old boy oozed creativity and still had a bunk bed.

Every girl's dream date.

The clicking seemed to only get louder and louder, basically screaming, "Let's annoy the hell out of Mia hehe!"

Let's not, I responded in my head.

Click. You're stuck with Jake.

Click. You're gonna marry Jake.

Click. Jake. Click. Jake.

"So," I said loudly enough that he could hear me over the typing, "What are we going to do after we graduate?"

"Hmp," Jake mumbled, "Haven't really thought about it."

Sure you haven't.

"Don't you want to meet new people, experience new things...?" I let my voice trail off, hoping he would get the hint.

"Nah."

All I wanted was a conversation. Maybe if he knew how I felt, we could come to a resolution. But I was worried that maybe I'm not a relationship person, that the problem is me and it would hurt him in the long run.

I hung upside down from the top bunk, my hair cascading behind me. I stared at him, his eyes locked on the computer screen, the faint glow heightening his features. He sorta looked like a vampire. Annoying, but still a very cute vampire.