A Crack in Destiny

Chapter 4 - Reality

"Where could he be?" I wonder aloud. Turning over on my side, I couldn't help but feel lonely and bored waiting around in bed. This wouldn't even have to happen had my parents not grounded me! Not to mention, school was pretty awful today too, which makes it the cherry on top.

Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed the repeating sounds against my window. Already knowing who it is, I quickly throw on a light grey cardigan over a flowing, emerald colored sundress with matching sneakers. I glance out the window to see Julian standing on my lawn down below. Okay, Vera. You can do this.

Trying my best not to think about what I'm about to attempt, I tenderly lift up my window, causing it to creak. I shut my eyes tightly hoping that my parents couldn't hear. When there isn't another sound throughout the house, one tiny little squeak feels like somebody just slammed a door. I held on to the windowsill with a death grip. Cautiously, I move my body out through the window. Now, my entire body was flush with the exterior wall of the house. The one flaw in my plan that I've just managed to remember is that my parents' bedroom window is directly below mine.

"Crap!" I whisper.

"What is it, Vera?"

"I forgot that my parents are in the window right below mine," I whisper as loudly as I possibly can, thinking aloud.

"So?"

"Are you dense? They might hear me and see me when I jump down." My fingers begin to hurt and drain of color as they clutch onto the windowsill.

"Okay. So just don't yell on your way down, and instead of falling to the ground, I'll catch you. This way, you won't make any noise and won't wake up your parents."

Great, now it's definitely going to go horribly wrong.

"Alright, I'm going to let go in a few seconds so get ready." Julian moves so he is directly underneath me.

One.

Two.

Three.

I shut my eyes tightly as I feel my stomach reach up to my throat. No longer experiencing the terrifying sensation of falling, I open my eyes to be met with Julian's bright ones. For once, his face wasn't formed into a frown and his eyes didn't seem broken. Instead, his eyes were fixated on my face.

"Do you want to put me down, now?" I inquire as he blinks, finally remembering that I was still in his arms.

"Oh, right." He blinks as if he were snapped out of a daydream. Julian sets me down carefully on the grass.

"Are you ready to leave or are we just going to stay here and defeat the entire purpose of sneaking out?" I snap at him. I can't understand why he's moving at the pace of a tortoise.

Not waiting for him, I walk across my yellowing lawn to the westward direction of town where the entertaining stores were situated. Running after me, Julian eventually falls in line.

"Where were you thinking of going?"

"No idea," I reply flippantly.

Small talk is extremely irritating and not really worth my time.

What seemed like a million stores surrounded me. They were all painted vibrant colors and had bright lights on their storefronts, warding off the darkness from engulfing the town. The sidewalks were littered with families, couples, and the sort. Infectious laughter swirled in the air and Julian seemed to catch the disease.

Randomly selecting a store, I cross the street, not bothering whether Julian was behind me or not. Opening the glass door, I step inside and feel the comforting cool of the air conditioning. It was quite a relief compared to the disgusting, blaring heat outside. I take in my surroundings and notice a high ceiling with a dark blue dotted wallpaper covering the walls. The floor was made up of white and black checkerboard tiles. In front of me were clusters of people running around, screaming, and laughing in front of brightly painted and plastered machines. I realized I stepped into an arcade.

"An arcade? Vera, I didn't know you were into video games." Julian said, mirroring my thoughts exactly.

"Yea, me too." I grimace, unable to believe that I stepped into an arcade.

"What are you doing just standing there? Come on, let's go!" He exclaims grabbing my hand and dragging me along with him to a game titled "Street Fighter II." I roll my eyes.

"You can't possibly expect me to play this with you and take it seriously."

"Of course I do." Feeding the machine a quarter, Julian's eyes light up as the screen changes to show a character roster. Randomly selecting one, I wait for Julian as he carefully goes over each character, mentally contemplating which one would suit his current mood. To the right of us, I admire a tall boy with hair as dark as the night sky and similar eyes to match. He was completely engrossed in the game in front of him. Something about his complexion gave me the feeling that I know him or have seen him before. After the boy was faced with a victory screen, he briefly turned towards Julian and me and that's when I realized that he goes to our school. I usually see him around during passing periods but never got to know him. He was extraordinarily attractive and I couldn't stop looking at his handsome face. I saw him walk up to a girl who's face resembled that of a mouse. She was relatively short in comparison to him and had light blonde curls with similarly faint blue eyes. As they stood together, their clothes contrasted immensely with her wearing a white tank top and faded blue shorts; the nameless boy was clad in a dark shirt and pants, matching his eyes and hair.

With an unusually annoyed tone I hear Julian ask, "Are you ready?"

Whipping my head back to face him, I noticed his eyes flaring with a hint of anger at me. As the game begins, I hit random buttons, not knowing what would be the correct input or move in the circumstance. In under ten seconds, I lose the round and the point goes to Julian. Understanding that I didn't stand a chance, I brush my hand up against his as the second round starts. He tenses and freezes up at the action. I take advantage of the opportunity and beat him in the second round just as quickly as he had in the first. Julian continuously blinks at the screen as if he couldn't comprehend what just happened. A smirk appears on my face but I do my best to try and hide it.

Predicting that the same strategy won't be successful a second time, I lightly knock my leg against his and let it rest there. He hadn't stopped pressing buttons this time, but was obviously in his head because it only took me five seconds longer to see a victory screen pop up for myself.

"But..." He trails off helplessly.

"But what?" I ask, trying my best not to laugh at his confusion and vulnerability.

"I was doing so well and you were doing so poorly."

"Yea, well what can I say? I guess I'm just a quick learner." He won't take his eyes off the blinking defeat screen. "Come on, let's go to a different game. I'm bored of winning." I noticed a light pink color fill his cheeks before I turn away from him to leave.