Too Close [Wattys2015]

Chapter 28: Overlooked

"We seriously aren't ditching again, are we?" I cross my arms, narrowing my eyes at a smiling butt hurt jerk.

"Ding, ding, ding." He uses his index finger to hit his nose on each 'ding'. "You're correct."

"But. .I'm grounded." I try to defend.

"And," he chuckles. "My names Collins."  We gather our stuff. "Now are we done stating the obvious? Now let's go ditch."

He grins- widely may I add- at my glaring face. And for some, reason I can't protest anymore.

***

I think that love makes you reckless. There is bad and good things to love. It can make you do irrational and rational things. It can make you feel amazing, happy, just everything.

That significant other can make you feel special, like you only matter to them. And butt hurt jerk made me feel that way.

And, of course, there is the bad things to love. But let's no go into that or I'll get distracted.

Distracted from what you may ask? Well I may get distracted from butt hurt jerk's hand in mine as we drive down the road towards wherever he is driving us.

I don't bother asking him where we are going because I'm too lost in thought and staring outside the window.

We arrive at a supermarket. He opens the door, getting out of the car and walks towards the supermarket.

"What are we going to get?" I ask as we walk down a snack cake isle.

"We are getting," he grabs a box and shows it to me. "some muffins."

"And why is that?" I raise an eyebrow as we walk towards the cashier.

The man rings up the blueberry muffins butt hurt jerk chose, which paid the man quickly and we left.

We climb back in the car. "Why aren't you interrogating me like you usually do?"

I buckle my seatbelt, I was ditching and being rebellious but I was still going to use safety first. "Because I figured you wouldn't tell me anyway."

He ponders over that for a second. "You are correct, but it's cute when you get curious and ask me where we are going."

"Oh trust me," I say. "I am curious, a lot actually."

He starts the car, putting it into drive and speeding off. "Well ask me questions."

"I figured it would be annoying, not cute." I say before asking anything.

He chuckled, glancing at me quickly before looking back at the road. "You being annoying? I don't think there is such a thing. I mean you could be annoying at times- but it will always be cute."

I try to fight a smile, but end up failing. "Fine, butt hurt jerk, where are we going?"

He gives me his cute smile, showing off his dimples. "Somewhere."

I sit up straighter. "I've always wanted to go there!"

He plays along. "And that's why we are going there."

Then I turn serious. "Where is somewhere?"

He puts one hand dramatically in the air. "Somewhere is a place where all is fun, never boring. It is a place where friends go to seel memories and laughter. Where lovers seek affection and much, much more."

"Well I guess it should be somewhere nice,"

***

"Why are we at a junkyard?" I gets out of the car, muffins in hand and two waters that he had bought also which I hadn't notice and standing in front of the car- waiting for me.

I scramble out, joining his side. "I asked you a question,"

We start to walk. The place didn't smell bad-just like mud and gas and dust, lots of it, but also the undeniable reek of fish.

Stacks of scrap metal were in piles everywhere, but there was a pathway to walk. "Oh, I heard you," Butt hurt jerk says, taking a sharp turn. I almost trip on a piece of what looks like a car part. "Doesn't mean I have to answer though, cupcake."

I scoff. "Whatever."

We walk and walk until finally he stops and sits down on an old, rusty car that has no wheel on the back. There isn't a driver's door nor it's passengers. The rusty color was kind of a brownish color, but the remaining color of the car shown through at some spots.

"Whoa," I say in awe.

It was a pretty car, even if it couldn't drive and was full of rust.

And in a junkyard.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" He spoke.

"She is," I said carefully sitting down, not wanting to break anymore of the rusty car.

"Oh I wasn't talking to you," he says. "I was talking to the car about you."

"Oh," I kinda blush. Kinda. Okay maybe more than kinda. "Uh, thanks."

He cheekily smiles. "Anytime cupcake." He opens one of the waters.

"So, you brought me here of all places because. . . ?" He hands me a bottle of water.

"Would you have rather went somewhere else?" He asks, looking at me with worry.

I shake my head. "No it's okay." I take a drink of the water. "But why are we here? Like, of all places why here?"

He takes a deep breath. "I used to go here a lot after my mom died, and I still go here sometimes, but of course not a lot. And, well, I just like it here. It's different and calming."

"How so?" I ask him as he opens up a muffin and hands it to me before getting some of his own.

"Well, most people go to common places, like a lake or their bedroom or gazing at the stars. And well, I just like going here." He says calmly. "Also, I like that it's calming because most people would see this place at a first glance and think 'ew gross a junkyard' and be grossed out. Because it isn't as pretty when it meets the eye at first."

He takes a bite before continuing. "But also the more you look, deeper and deeper, the more beautiful it really is. It's mostly overlooked, no one bothering to see the junkyard, not even how amazing it is with all this scrap metal and such."

I swallowed my muffin, thinking. "I see your point," I said.

The corners of his lips perk up a little. But before he can say anything I speak up again. "We are kind of like the junkyard."

He is silent for a while, thinking over what I said. And it was true, in a way, we were overlooked by many just like the junkyard was. No one bothered to talk to us, like the junkyard, well in the junkyard's sense come inside the junkyard. And we don't catch the people's eyes, same as the junkyard.

He soon figured out what I meant. He chuckled. "Well, you're right we are like the junkyard."