Shorts Collection

Falling

Waking up to a sunny sky always seems to give the world a cheery disposition. Well, until you get to high school. I had woken up early this morning and actually put some effort into my appearance. Key word, some. I haphazardly brushed mascara on my lashes and smudged away the product that stuck to my eyelid before getting ready as usual. The drive to school had followed the same pattern. Sunshine, a smile on my face, and my radio happily ushering me along to school. Now usually, this would be the point where if anything was to go awry. Today, the only dampening of my day happened when I entered those doors and the sun was hidden.

"Hey Leanne! Wait up!" I turned around to see Kaitlin pushing her way through grade nines. She caught up to me as I reached my locker.

"Good morning," I said while opening my combination lock. "How was your weekend?"

"Oh same old stuff as usual." Kaitlin grabbed a snack from the top shelf of my locker as I shoved the books I didn't need below.  She spoke through her full mouth asking, "have you talked to anyone about the prom?" 

"Ha! No, but that was a funny joke." I rolled my eyes and slammed my locker shut. "If I had the guts to ask him out I would have already."

The 'him' in question was none other than Zander Winters, our school's golden boy who surprisingly had a good personality to match his face. Okay, so he wasn't a total golden boy, but he was popular, and athletic, and smart, and never really did anything to indicate that he wasn't kind. A real one in a million kind of guy in this school. If you asked me, he was a clear ten out of ten.

I had had a couple classes with him throughout my high school career, and he was friends with a couple of my friends' boyfriends. We even were partnered for a project once. The only issue was that I went silent around him. Not on purpose, just an effect of me trying to save myself from embarrassment. I did the work that had to get done and pretty much made a fool of myself every time I spoke. It was fine. I made my peace with it and now I only admire from afar. Life really was okay once I accepted that it would take a miracle for me to ever go on a date.

Kaitlin and I met up with the rest of our friend group before class. We were all sat together at 'our' table in the cafeteria before the school really started to fill up. Everyone was chattering about prom, even though it was a month away, while I finished the homework I had forgotten about. I had decided months ago that I wasn't going to let not having a date ruin my prom night, so I picked out a dress so I could go by myself, hang out with friends, and have fun. Hadley had accepted Cole's invitation in a heartbeat; everyone knew it would turn out that way since they've practically been engaged since ninth grade. Sara was going with Brett, Jules and Kaitlin had decided to go together, and Faith had accepted the first invitation she had received as well. It didn't really bother me, at this point I was used to being a ninth wheel anyway, and it wouldn't faze me much other than the fact that it was starting to feel old.

I was just finishing up when the table around me lulled in its conversation. When I looked up, Kaitlin and Hadley were whispering to each other and Cole had vanished. Whatever shenanigans they were up to, I wanted no part in. My sunshine-y day didn't have time for me to be babysitting almost full grown adults. Not even two seconds after I made my decision,  Kaitlin taps me on the shoulder and I turn around ready to shoot down an idiotic scheme. But that wasn't what I saw.

Zander Winters tripped right in front of me, and my gut reaction was to reach a hand out to help him up. He smiled and held onto my hand before Cole handed him a daisy and a sign. Once on his feet, he scratched the back of his neck, which I've noticed he does when he's nervous, and started speaking.

"So, uh, I know I kind of messed this up," he chuckled and continued, "because I guess I'm too busy falling for you to ask you to prom properly." And I swear my heart stopped. I stood there in shock until Kaitlin elbowed me in the ribs.

"Is that a yeah you'll come or did I just embarrass myself?" he laughed.

"Of course I'll go with you!" I pulled Zander into a big hug and accidentally crushed the daisy. But, if I'm being honest, I don't think either of us cared.