Across From Me

One

Elizabeth Lee sits with her backpack in her lap. She had her earbuds in both ears but there wasn't any music on. Her phone didn't charge the night before, it had already died. But she sat with her earbuds in her ears, listening in to the conversation going on around her.

Perhaps that was something she had no business doing, but it wasn't like it was anything interesting anyway. Without the context of the conversation, it was meaningless.

Beth enjoyed being alone. She found people a bit too much for her to deal with. In middle school, she had dealt with drama the entire time, and by the end of the eighth grade, she was grateful her friends were going to go to different schools than her. Yeah, that was mean, she acknowledged that, but her energy had been completely depleted by them.

She liked her family to be the only friends she had. Beth and her sister didn't always get along, and her brother teased her a lot, but she was fine with only having to deal with them. It was nice just being able to go about what you want each day without having to visit this person or that person.

Which is why she felt bad for Clementine Higgins.

She had known her in middle school, not directly, but just that she was there. She was a nice girl who everyone seemed to like. She was involved with the school, got good grades, and was pretty. She always had this circle of friends around her, who Beth didn't know well enough to judge them, but they seemed like lively people if a bit loud.

Lately, though, Beth noticed that Clementine seemed to be keeping more to herself, and talking a little less than she usually did. She was still Clementine, just a little more toned down. Still involved with the school, still was pretty, even more so, and still was kind as ever.

This is why Beth was so confused when she stopped hanging out with her friends. But that wasn't Beth's problem, it wasn't even her place to wonder.

The bell rang, and Beth picked herself from the floor and began to walk to her third period.

Beth almost fell asleep halfway through the class. Her teacher had a monotone voice that droned on and on and every time she was in that class, she felt her eyes get heavy. It wasn't until the class got loud did she open her eyes in confusion.

They were changing seats.

Beth silently hoped and prayed she didn't get someone annoying who talked a lot. But in that class, there seemed to be a lot of people who she didn't exactly like very much. It was petty drama from middle school, or a comment she may have said in the past that may have annoyed them. Their annoyance is why Beth tried to avoid them at all costs.

"Alright," The teacher, Mr. Hudson, said. He walked over to the table at the front of the room, and started reading names, "Alice, Bella, Corey, Hannah."

He continued reading names until he got to the second to last table at the back. Few students were standing then, and it didn't seem to be anyone she found particularly frustrating. She picked at the dry skin on her lips, she needed to use chapstick more.

Mr. Hudson started reading names, "Elizabeth, James, Clementine, Amina," He pointed down to the seats they were to be sitting at. Elizabeth took her seat. Next to her, Clementine sat down.

Nothing else happened after they were assigned their new seats. Mr. Hudson forced them to say their names and an interesting fact about themselves around the table. Beth said she enjoyed chess and swimming. Clementine said she liked to analyze art.

When she left the class, the new seating arrangement left her mind immediately. She was too focused on her math test that was creeping up in the back of her mind.

Beth was smart, she kept up with her classes, and she was good at answering questions. But she hated doing it for a grade, she felt as if that wasn't passionate learning. She felt learning was fun, she enjoyed looking at the stars and learning about them. She enjoyed the strange parts of history and writing stupid analyses of ancient literary texts. But she hated having a grade put onto her work.

She understood to an extent why it was taught that way, but it did little to make her stop hating it. Especially the stress during test days. But for now, she was going to have to suck it up and do it anyway.

Back at home, she lay on her bed. She wasn't thinking about anything in particular, she just looked at the wall. Her room wasn't in the best of states. It was messy, with things strewn about on the floor. Papers scattered on her desk, chess pieces on the floor, dishes and plates she hadn't taken down yet.

Her curtains were closed. Truthfully, she had always known Clementine was her neighbor. Which is why she kept the curtains closed. Bad design is what had her window right across from Clementines next door. Sometimes she saw Clementine get into her car with her mother, to drive to school. Other times she saw her in her front yard at sunset, observing the setting sun and the magnificent painting of colors across the sky.

Beth would be taking out the trash, and she would see the girl sitting in the grass in her front yard, drinking from a Coke can and smiling in contentment.

Beth was jealous of her at that moment, she looked at peace.

Beth got up from her bed, shaking the memory from her head. She had always wondered what Clementine was like, she always seemed so at ease and content with her life. Sometimes she would open her curtains, and she would look across the way and wonder about her. Beth's hand gently pulled back the curtain, letting sunlight stream in.

To her surprise, she saw Clementine sitting by her window, gazing outside like she was lost in thought. Clementine noticed her immediately, sitting up and smiling at her. She pushed her window open, and Beth moved to do the same.

Clementine was radiant as ever, and with the brightness of a million suns, she said, "Hello! It's nice to finally meet you!"