the way back

two

As Tally began her daily after school run her conversation with Will played in her head. 

"Do you always eat alone?"  Will asked.

"Well that's kinda what you do when you don't have friends to sit with," Tally said meeting his gaze.

"C'mon, a pretty girl like you should never eat alone." 

Tally smiled a soft smile back, unsure of what to say.

"Well, there's always an open spot at my table," Will stated as he begun gathering his bag and newfound paperback. 

"What about you," Tally began as he turned to walk away, "Not very many jocks come to the library, willingly."

"I guess I'm not like most jocks." 

Will seemed like almost every boy Tally had met, despite his earlier statement. Overconfident and overly ambitious. But with dreamy brown eyes. Dreamy brown eyes?  Tally thought, I'm losing it.  It's not that she didn't think he was a nice guy, he'd seemed genuine. But, after her last relationship ended in heartache, Tally was a little more skeptical when it came to guys. 

Tally's  freshman year had started out promising: a cute new boyfriend, an unbreakable friendship and a glowing summer tan. Slowly her year crumbled into one of the worst years of her life. 

Tanner was a typical beach boy, sunglasses always perched on top of his sandy blonde hair, shorts a permanent part of his wardrobe, despite the fact that it did get cooler in the winter, and plenty of lazy smiles. And Tally, along with half the eighth grade class it had seemed, had the hugest crush on this boy. Unfortunately, Tally was painstakingly quiet and shy. She had even pegged herself the forgettable one of her friend group--  not that she ever told anyone that. It seemed that no one, especially Tanner, would ever notice her. 

Until one day. He did. That summer before high school they tumbled into a relationship that made Tally feel noticed. Tanner made her feel noticed. He listened to when she vented, rode bikes with her up the boardwalk, and took her on cliche walks on the beach. It couldn't get better than this, Tally often thought to herself. But as school started again, Tally was lost in the crowds again and Tanner had eyes for someone else-- her best friend.

Tally shook the thoughts of Tanner from her head as she ran up her driveway, finishing her three mile trek. She climbed her way up the front steps and through her door, and dragged herself into the kitchen for a glass of water. 

"What an athlete," her younger brother Jackson said from the kitchen island where he was browsing on his laptop. 

Tally rolled her eyes. "Says the boy who thinks online shopping is considered a sport."

"Not a sport. A lifestyle." Jackson shot back. 

Tally snorted. Her brother, though she considered him her best friend, had some interesting hobbies: online shopping, social media stalking, and nail art. The latter of which came in handy. I may not have friends , but at least my nails look cute, thought Tally. 

Jackson was two years younger but six inches taller than Tally. It didn't bother her that her brother towered over her until others thought she was the younger sibling. His curly black hair and eyes so dark they looked black, made him identical in features to Tally.

"You'll never guess who I talked to today." Tally sat next to her brother at the island. "Cute jacket by the way," she said noticing her brother's laptop screen.

"Hmm, Zac Efron." 

Tally smiled, "Trust me, if I had talked to Zac Efron you'd be hearing about it way sooner than now."