His Nerdy Red

《Nerdy Red Pt. 9》

/Everything's messed up/

《RYLAN》

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I got dressed for the art gallery, but I didn't end up actually going to the gallery. I stood in front of the school for awhile, and forgot about the fact that this was an assignment. An assignment that would later on be graded. Also a bad grade could result in me not getting president of the yearbook committee. But I wasn't thinking about that, I hadn't been thinking about anything.

I turned on my sneakers and proceeded to walk down the street. Rain that had fallen and hour earlier, made puddles on the sidewalk. Instead of thinking, I trained my mind to avoid the puddles. Something mindless, something blank.

Within a few hours I had no idea where I was. A car pulled up beside me on the sidewalk. They rolled down their passenger side window, and the voice that rang out belonged to Parker.

"Nerdy Red, what are you doing? You missed half the exhibit."

I keep walking so he can't see the tears on my face. He follows me in his car.

"Nerdy Red, we still have an hour to take pictures for our assignment."

When I don't reply to that, he parks his car and jumps onto the sidewalk beside me.

He sees the tears running down my cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

I wipe them away, "Um, nothing." It's nothing he can fix.

He grabs my wrist, only tight enough to make me stop walking. He pulls me around so I'm facing him.

"I was waiting for you, you have the skills. I don't. We're a team, remember? You have the talent, I have the big mouth. You take the pictures, I talk about them. We can't operate alone."

Somehow, he reminds how important yearbook class is to me.

"I'm sorry," I say.

He ignores my comment, he looks at me with concern. Concern in Parkers eyes?

"No, it doesn't matter." He says, even though it is a big deal. It's his grade too. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong? And why your walking around alone in this part of the town?"

"I - I was just thinking."

"Which lead you to crying?"

"My parents are getting a divorce." I blurt. I would have never told Parker. Ever. Never.

But he's the only person I talk to besides my parents. Who else am I supposed to vent too?

His eyes go wide, like he's discovered a million year old artifact. "Oh, I'm sorry Rylan."

"It's not your fault, I just don't know what to do with myself. I feel lost. Everything's changing, everything's messed up."

"Messed up?"

"Yeah, for one I'm standing here talking to you of all people about my life. Then, Sky moves away. Now my parents are getting a divorce? I mean I didn't even know they were having troubles." I mumble the last part.

"It happens to the best of people." Parker say.

I look at him, "how would you know?"

"Because, my parents had the best kind of relationship. But financially, things weren't there. He divorced my mom, and moved away from us. I haven't seen him for more than a few years."

I close my eyes, "I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"It's alright." We stand there for a little while longer.