Messed Up Vita

Chapter Thirty

For the first time ever in my life, I think, I can't wait to get to school early. Even when I have a day full of sitting in a classroom, doing homework and nothing else. I texted Joey and said for me to meet him by the trees on the left of the school.

   Putting on my old running shoes, I think I can make it in sweatpants and a baggy tee while running. I slip on a sweatshirt for the way. I hoist my backpack over my shoulder and say goodbye to Linda stiffly (she was shocked by my new haircut). I run before I'm even out of the house. I jump from my small steps onto the cement, where I take off down the sidewalk. I'd forgotten my headphones and phone, but thoughts are already buzzing through my head. Mainly questions I'm going to ask Joey that I still have on my chest.

   I make it to the trees before I realize, and I have to make a sharp turn to avoid running into a couple of girls. Unfortunately, I slip on the dewy grass and fall face-first onto the grass, my arms hardly stopping the fall. I groan an "oww" and roll over onto my back. I struggle to my feet, but I stop when I see a face staring down at me.

   "Uh, whoops," I say, staring right at Death Head.

   "Eliot?" he says, voice surprised. "Your hair. . ." 

   "I cut it," I tell him. "Myself." He helps me up with one hand, hoisting me up like I'm a rag doll. I brush the dirt off my sweatpants, light dew soaking through the felt.

   "I like it," he says, smiling at me. He was wearing his glasses, to my delight. "Always fall like that?" he asks. 

   "Usually, yes."

   He laughs, and actual laugh, and points up to the grass. "Still want to meet over there or what?"

   I look behind us at the girls who were cupping their hands over their mouths, whispering. I catch one of the them, a small girl with bleach blond hair, looking over at us.

   "Hey!" I shout, startling them. "Mind your own beeswax, Hair Extensions!"

   They cast us snotty, annoyed looks before sashaying away.

   Joey slowly takes my hand, so slowly that I nearly, impossibly miss it. I pinch my lips together and take his hand back, for the first time. It was soft but big, like a baseball mitt, except more human-like. They were the perfect hands to play guitar, and I was a bit jealous. I hated my tiny hands. He doesn't look over at me as I lead him into the lingering trees, not to be called a forest, because there were clearly paths of people everywhere, and there was absolutely no undergrowth. Lack of that made the treeless branches look even more open, but I wanted to be in here anyways.

   I stop him right beside a big oak, similar to the one in the park. I should still smell the mustiness of the morning and it's dew, standing under the empty branches. The sun hadn't risen yet, so it wasn't quite dark, but it wasn't light out, either.

   "So?" Death Head asks me.

   "Let's start with one thing," I say slowly. "Why were you always avoiding me in the halls, before you told me about. . .  you know, you're not-there girlfriend."

   This time, he blushes. You can't really tell, because his cheeks are already red, but he ducks his head. "Uh, I figured that if I stayed away from you, I could forget about you. When you didn't let me forget you, I got a little annoyed. Stupid, right?"

   I can't help but smiling. "You're lucky I find that sweet, you loser."

   He smiles back, and we just sit there, smiling, like a bunch of idiots.

   "And?" he asks me. "You give the impression there's something else you need to ask me."

   I take a deep breath, taking both his hands in mine. They were cold, but I take them anyways. "Why did you get into trouble that one day, at the school? You know, on Monday?"

   "I punched a kid."

   I raise my eyebrows. "Seriously? Why?"

   "No reason," he says, shaking his head. 

   I smile mischievously. "Tell me. Come on, Death Head."

   He shakes his head, but finally gives in after a moment. "Augh. Because they were mocking you and a few other girls from the talent show. And me, too. I think they were in the advanced math classes."

   "That explains it," I shrug. "Did you punch him good?"

   He smiles. "Just as good as you."

   "Did you see me?" I say, raising my eyebrows.

   "Of course. No kid didn't," he says. "or didn't hear about it a million times later."

   I cringe. "Sorry."

   "Well, I take it we're evenly idiots," he says. "Right?"

   "Right."

   Joey stops talking for a moment, and I narrow my eyes, concerned. There was a deep look in his honey eyes, like he was thinking of how the universe was created. He stares at me, just looking at me. I quickly wipe my mouth, worried there's something on it from breakfast. 

   "Hello?" I say, waving a hand in front of him, momentarily letting go of his hand.

   He steps forward, closing the space between us. Just like that night after Mason's football game, my back is pressed against something. This time it's a tree. Nerves rise in my stomach as I feel the warmth off of him, literally. His breath smells like lemon drops again, and I'm wondering if that's all he eats. 

   "Here," he says softly, his breath vaporized in the bitter air. He pulls out something from his thin jacket pocket. It was a piece of paper, folded twice to make a square. "Open it later, when you can."

   "Alright," I say, taking it from his fingers. I slip it into my back pocket, along with my phone. 

   He stares at me, something seeming to nag at him. His jaw twitches like he wants to tell me something, and his lips pinch together. I wrap my arms around his waist and lean against him, savoring the warmth his body brings to mine. I rest my head against his chest as he wraps his arms back around me.

  "Did you really mean it?" I whisper.

   "What?"

   "That you love me."

   He pulls back so he could see my face. "Of course I meant it. Let's go. Class is going to start soon." He wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads us away from the tree, and kisses me lightly on the head. 

    I don't deserve him, I think to myself. He's so. . .  not like me. I wish I could see inside his head to see why he likes me.