A Case of Black and Blue

10 | Feeding Ducks

 Despite swallowing my pride and having apologized to Leo, that phone call was the last I'd heard of him. I even told him I had been thinking about him too and he still completely ghosted me.

That douchebag.

Truth be told, I could've reached out as well, but I had already done that when I apologized. It was now supposed to be his turn to initiate contact. That was in the official rulebook of communicating with someone you were interested in.

Darcy thought I was being too stubborn and wanted me to reach out, but I refused to stoop to that level of maturity. I wanted to be immature and cranky and so that's exactly what I was.

At first it was hard and I kept looking at passing cop cars extra hard to see if it was him, but then a few more weeks passed and I just went on with my life and studies.

Finally, the weather was just a tad bit warmer and we were officially on spring break. Darcy's whole family, including Joey, her parents and grandparents were on vacation at their beach house in Florida. She had invited me, but because my savings were scarce and I already had to budget for the fact that I wouldn't be working an entire week, I sadly declined.

Which sucked at first, feeling poor and trapped, but it actually worked out nicely as I was able to have the house to myself, being able to walk around in nothing but my underwear and use all the added free time to get a jump on some assignments.

I was glad I decided to make the most of it and today was supposed to be the warmest all week so I decided I'd go get a few groceries I was running low on and have a picnic for one at the park.

Which, to be completely honest, wasn't my original hopes for the warmest day.

As much as I wanted to sound like the cool, independent woman I was supposed to be, I had tried inviting all the other few friends I had to my picnic, but they were all either out of town or already busy with other plans. So, unfortunately, I was left to do it alone.

At the grocery store, I strolled through the aisles with a basket in hand. I needed bread, cheese, pickles and maybe some flavored sparkling water. I also picked up some chips and candy at the self-checkout, just because I was an adult who could buy whatever I wanted.

"What's up, Cala?" George, one of Joey's friends who also worked at the grocery store, came up to me as I scanned my goods.

"Hey, George. Not much, just trying to enjoy spring break. How have you been?" I asked and then struggled to get the barcode on my bread to actually scan over the laser.

"Just ready to graduate and be done with school," He said.

"Tell me about it." I slid the bread over the scanner one more time and smiled when it beeped through.

"I used to be so excited to turn eighteen, now I want to be five again."

I finished scanning my items and inserted my card into the chip reader. I looked at George who, as most boys at his age, was taller than me. He was just as thin as Joey, considering he also swam, but wore glasses and still had a lot of acne covering his face. This kid was definitely going to be a giant in a few more years.

"Yeah the days of PBS kids, naps and juice boxes," I reminisced, "I miss that too."

George laughed, "Well, I won't hold you up. Enjoy the rest of your spring break, I'll see you around."

"You too!" I responded and he waved me off.

Oak Hill park had to be one of the best attractions our town had to offer. It was right behind our town hall and although not the biggest park I'd ever seen, still very sizable. It featured a paved walking/biking trail, different sized ponds, a stream that lead to a nearby river, a small playground in one corner and a large hill that a huge oak tree sat atop of. Hence the name, Oak Hill park.