My Paradise

How we met

We met in highschool.

Not too long before we graduated.

I was just another girl in the background, and to me, he was just another face in the crowd.

I didn't even know of his existence up until he walked up to me one day during break when I was sitting alone, minding my business and enjoying my book.

"Hey." He said with a low, deep voice, making me raise my eyes and notice his presence as he stood in front of me with a ghost smile.

"Um... Hi?" I said, but iy came out more as a question.

"Where are your friends?" He asked, looking around as if looking for someone.

"Busy." I simply said as I closed the book on my lap.

My friends really were busy: Jamey was in detention — no surprise there, she's always getting into trouble, Lissa and Jody had volunteered to help Mrs. Ranji with something and lastly, Corey was absent. It was her "off day" as we called it because she was always absent. Every chance she got, she would be absent.

Anyways, I was left to sit at our usual spot alone, and whoever saw me probably thought I didn't have any friends.

That one nerd who was an outcast, with no friends and only books to keep her company, like in the typical teenage movies.

But nah, I just liked reading and just so happened to not care that I looked depressingly lonely to the others around me.

"Can I sit with you?" He asked and I raised a questioning brow.

"Why?"

"To keep you company." He moved to sit next to me without my confirmation, making me shift to put space between us.

"Where are your friends." I asked as I looked him up and down.

What does he want? I thought to myself.

"They're over there." He said, pointing to a group of boys, some of them were looking at us with smiles while the rest of them were minding their businesses.

Something's off.

"What do you want?" I finally decided to ask him out loud.

"As I said before, to keep you company." He said with a small shrug and smile, revealing a lone dimple on his left cheek, as he opened a bottle of flavoured water that I hadn't noticed he had.

"I'm fine alone." I said lowly as I stood up to leave, but he quickly grabbed my wrist with a cold hand and strong grip, but not strong enough to cause pain.

"What's the rush? Break's not over yet." He said with a polite smile and I looked into his eyes and saw something that I couldn't quite decipher at that time. "Just let me sit with you today. Just one break." He continued, desperation leaking into his voice.

"Why do you care? You don't even know me." I said, sitting back down, but still keeping my distance.

"No... You don't know me." He said casually, taking a sip of his water.

"That's not creepy at all." I said lowly, making a face.

He chuckled like I had just told a joke, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound that way. I just meant that I've seen you around."

"Uh-huh. Right." I said, going back to my book.

"I'm Wyatt, by the way."

"Yeah, sure." I murmured, not really paying attention to him anymore.

"And you are...?" He prompted me to give my name and I looked up at him to see that stupid grin on his face.

Does this kid ever not smile?

"I thought you already knew who I am." I said before looking back at my book in my hands.

"Not your name."

"Okay then... It's Lesley."

"It's nice to formally meet you, Lesley." He said, seemingly testing how my name would flow off his tongue, but I just kept quiet as I continued reading. "That seems like an interesting book..." He continued, trying to break the ice by making small talk.

"Mm." I hummed, not really paying him attention.

"What is it about?" He asked as he brought his hand out to check out the book in my hands, but instead, he knocked over his water and it spilled onto my book, some of it dripping onto my skirt.

"Oh shit, I am so sorry!" Wyatt said as he grabbed the book from my lap, but that just made things worse.

Since non of us had thought to lift the bottle first, it emptied out on me as I tried to stop Wyatt from taking the book — or doing any more damage.

"Stop!!" I yelled out in frustration and he froze.

I was practically soaked from the front. My white shirt becoming transparent and making my black bra even more prominent in the thin fabric, and my skirt was soaked through, making me uncomfortable at the wet contact on my bare thighs.

I stood to keep more water from going through my skirt. I held the wet clothes away from my skin with my index finger and thumb to keep from sticking onto me.

"I am so, so, so, so sorry." Wyatt kept apologising, which just kept annoying me.

I closed my eyes as I took in deep breaths, trying to keep myself from blowing up at him. "Wyatt." I said through my teeth, trying to keep my annoyance at bay. "Stop talking."

He stopped talking immediately and looked at me with what seemed to be puppy eyes.

"Shit, I need something to cover myself." I mumbled as I let go of my skirt and jumped over the little bench I was sitting on.

Suddenly, Wyatt took his jersey off and handed it to me. I looked at the jersey for a bit, then at Wyatt.

"Here, to cover yourself." He clarified and I took it cautiosly. "I really am sorry."

"Whatever." I mumbled as I wore the jersey without thinking and quickly ran to the bathroom to get myself cleaned, muttering all the curses I knew under my breath, most of them directed at Wyatt.

I was so pissed now because there was no way I could get myself dry before break ended and my book was ruined.