Finding the Light
“BEEP BEEP BEEEEP” what is that? I tried to pry my mind from the thick fog that surrounded my thoughts, but I was eager to escape the incessant buzzing. I’m sure somewhere in my brain I registered that it was my alarm clock, but decided it was much easier to ignore it.
“AHHHHH!” I screamed as I sat up abruptly, what day is it? I looked around, I saw one set of bunk beds on my side of the room, and I saw a large desk strewn with papers on the other.
“Wait” It all came rushing back to me, staying up until three in the morning to finish an English project that my partners had decided to make me do all the work on, and worst of all; I ignored my alarm clock. I whipped my head around, oh no, I thought frantically the small digital clock read six thirty eight. I scrambled down the ladder so fast my foot hooked on the last rung and I fell flat on my face. I barley registered the sharp pain that shot through my nose, my mind was racing so fast, all I heard was six thirty eight, six thirty eight, six thirty eight. My first period started at seven, and I was on the opposite side of campus. I got up and stumbled toward the neat bathroom where I wrenched my hair back into a sloppy short pony tail; threw on some clothes, grabbed a mint (there was no time to brush my teeth) and ran out the door. By the time I was at the end of the hall and down the stairs I realized I had forgotten my backpack with the English project inside. I doubled back, by the time I was down the stairs for the second time it was six fifty. I ran and ran, dodging startled students, tripping over rocks; I even jumped over a bush at one point. I’m not going to make it, every time my mind reminded me I put on a burst of speed until I saw a tan metal door ahead of me which was set into a sturdy brick wall. I burst into the large classroom filled with talking students and looked at the clock, its mocking face read six fifty nine. I heaved a great sigh, for a moment I felt victorious until I saw that everyone was staring at me. What? I looked down and took in my appearance; I was wearing a tight black t-shirt that showed a small strip of my stomach, my pajama pants that had hello kitty all over them and my ratty sneakers. But that wasn’t the worst part; my normally frizzy curling black hair was matted on one side, sticking up on the other and was falling out of my half made ponytail. I felt my stomach lurch in horror, I quickly moved to my seat and plopped down in it, slowly taking my supplies out of my backpack and trying to keep my head low. I registered that someone nudged my shoulder; I turned around, a girl with pig tails and way too much blush was giving me a small pitiful smile and was trying to hand me a tissue. A tissue? I thought drawing up a blank.
“No thank you”, I said warily
“But your nose and cheek are covered in blood” she whispered to me apologetically
“What?” was this girl messing with me? Wait… I reached up and felt a sticky substance covering the lower half of my face.
“Crap” I said, probably too loudly, I accepted the tissue and murmured my thanks. I swore I’d take a chainsaw to the bunk’s ladder later. The rest of my day was no better. In third period I remembered that I had forgotten to wash my gym clothes, needless to say I swore I saw people subtly moving away from me. In sixth I fell asleep and was called on, the math teacher giving me a dirty look as she asked the same question to somebody else. By the end of the day I was exhausted. I should have gone back to my dorm room to change but I knew my roommate would be in there with her boyfriend having a make-out session, so I went to my favorite spot. My spot was curled beneath the largest tree on campus, a giant willow which resided near the farthest corner of the college. It was around a fifteen minute walk from my sixth period but it was always worth it. The willow tree provided enough shade to sit in but plenty of light to read by and it was always quiet and fairly deserted most of the time. After finally arriving I let out a deep breath and sat under the canopy tiredly. I really didn’t want to deal with reality anymore today so I pulled out the book I had been enjoying. I started to feel the world shift until it was just me and the willow; all the students voices around me growing into nothing but the sun on my face and the soft breeze brushing against my side. Just as I started to relax and let the story take me where it will-I was snapped back into reality.
“Hey babe what’s up?” I looked up to see a short boy with greasy black hair and baggy clothes staring at me.
“I’m sorry?” I stammered why was this guy calling me babe? Was he mocking me? My mind thought guardedly. Surely he wasn’t trying to flirt with me; I couldn’t get a guy’s attention even when I was wearing makeup and cute clothes.
“What’s your name sweet thing?” ok this guy is seriously mental, it didn’t help that he was blocking my light and keeping me from the calm I hadn’t found all day. I subtly moved to the right away from him and turned my body around so my back was to him, maybe he’ll go away once he realizes his mistake for mixing me up with someone else I thought hopefully.
“Hey don’t be like that”, he moved so he stepped in front of me, once again blocking my light.
“Look I don’t want any trouble”, I said not meeting his groping gaze.
“Don’t worry honey I won’t show you anything but a good time”, he said trying to sound confident. I was about to get up and walk away when my gaze caught sight of a man behind baggy pants guy. I couldn’t look away, He was extremely handsome, and he wore neat black jeans with converse, a tight blue shirt that showed his muscles and a brown hoodie. My eyes traveled to his face which was chiseled enough to show a strong jaw, cheekbones, and a mouth with full lips that looked like it was about to curl into a smile any minute. His hair was curly, medium length, and a blond color with natural brown highlights. Was he looking at me? No he couldn’t be, our eyes locked together and his lips curled into a beautiful smile that made my heart soar.
She was lovely. I was walking to my favorite spot on campus which resided under a willow tree when I found it to be preoccupied. She had round cheeks with full soft lips, and eyes that were so blue I could see the purity of the color from where I was standing across the field. She wore a black t-shirt that showed a small strip of stomach which accentuated her beautiful sensuous curves and hello kitty pajama pants that made me want to hug her she was so cute. Her hair was short and black but when it caught the sunlight it turned into a dark brown. Her hair was curled into tight natural ringlets that were currently tied in a ponytail. I was transfixed by her small smile which showed a cute dimple when her bright eyes met mine. Unfortunately there was a boy who blocked my view and was obviously making her uncomfortable. I felt a surge of protectiveness for her and moved across the clearing. By the time I reached the boy she was standing and hurriedly packing her bag. I clasped him on the shoulder tightly; he turned around and shot me his best glare.
I smiled politely and turned him around to face me “What were you saying to my girl?” I said warningly, even though I didn’t even know her name. The words in my mouth felt strangely right, like I had known her my whole life.
He looked me up and down with his measly grin that showed uneven teeth “Sorry bro, but I think the girl should decide who she wants”, he said smugly. I moved in front to protect her from his disrespecting gaze.
“Say something like that again to her and you’ll regret it”, I said entirely intent on doing more damage to him then was necessary. He looked at me and curled his dirty hands into fists, I saw him open his mouth as if to say something, then deciding against it, he took one last look at her then at me and turned and walked away. I smiled triumphantly and turned to look at the girl I wanted to protect for the rest of my life. She looked up at me uneasily, distrust filling her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked concerned
“Um…thank you”, she stammered clearly confused.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable”, I said honestly, what if she thinks as bad of me as the other guy? What if she actually liked the other guy and I assumed… my mind raced panicking.
“No, I…I’m Rachel”, she said a beautiful smile forming on her lips.
“I’m Will” I said relieved “Do you want to take a walk with me?” I asked bravely, my heart pounding worried she would say no.
I couldn’t believe he was standing before me looking like he was with the most gorgeous girl in the world. “Yes” I said my smile growing wider “I’d like that”. I had finally found the light I was looking for.
“BEEP BEEP BEEEEP” what is that? I tried to pry my mind from the thick fog that surrounded my thoughts, but I was eager to escape the incessant buzzing. I’m sure somewhere in my brain I registered that it was my alarm clock, but decided it was much easier to ignore it.
“AHHHHH!” I screamed as I sat up abruptly, what day is it? I looked around, I saw one set of bunk beds on my side of the room, and I saw a large desk strewn with papers on the other.
“Wait” It all came rushing back to me, staying up until three in the morning to finish an English project that my partners had decided to make me do all the work on, and worst of all; I ignored my alarm clock. I whipped my head around, oh no, I thought frantically the small digital clock read six thirty eight. I scrambled down the ladder so fast my foot hooked on the last rung and I fell flat on my face. I barley registered the sharp pain that shot through my nose, my mind was racing so fast, all I heard was six thirty eight, six thirty eight, six thirty eight. My first period started at seven, and I was on the opposite side of campus. I got up and stumbled toward the neat bathroom where I wrenched my hair back into a sloppy short pony tail; threw on some clothes, grabbed a mint (there was no time to brush my teeth) and ran out the door. By the time I was at the end of the hall and down the stairs I realized I had forgotten my backpack with the English project inside. I doubled back, by the time I was down the stairs for the second time it was six fifty. I ran and ran, dodging startled students, tripping over rocks; I even jumped over a bush at one point. I’m not going to make it, every time my mind reminded me I put on a burst of speed until I saw a tan metal door ahead of me which was set into a sturdy brick wall. I burst into the large classroom filled with talking students and looked at the clock, its mocking face read six fifty nine. I heaved a great sigh, for a moment I felt victorious until I saw that everyone was staring at me. What? I looked down and took in my appearance; I was wearing a tight black t-shirt that showed a small strip of my stomach, my pajama pants that had hello kitty all over them and my ratty sneakers. But that wasn’t the worst part; my normally frizzy curling black hair was matted on one side, sticking up on the other and was falling out of my half made ponytail. I felt my stomach lurch in horror, I quickly moved to my seat and plopped down in it, slowly taking my supplies out of my backpack and trying to keep my head low. I registered that someone nudged my shoulder; I turned around, a girl with pig tails and way too much blush was giving me a small pitiful smile and was trying to hand me a tissue. A tissue? I thought drawing up a blank.
“No thank you”, I said warily
“But your nose and cheek are covered in blood” she whispered to me apologetically
“What?” was this girl messing with me? Wait… I reached up and felt a sticky substance covering the lower half of my face.
“Crap” I said, probably too loudly, I accepted the tissue and murmured my thanks. I swore I’d take a chainsaw to the bunk’s ladder later. The rest of my day was no better. In third period I remembered that I had forgotten to wash my gym clothes, needless to say I swore I saw people subtly moving away from me. In sixth I fell asleep and was called on, the math teacher giving me a dirty look as she asked the same question to somebody else. By the end of the day I was exhausted. I should have gone back to my dorm room to change but I knew my roommate would be in there with her boyfriend having a make-out session, so I went to my favorite spot. My spot was curled beneath the largest tree on campus, a giant willow which resided near the farthest corner of the college. It was around a fifteen minute walk from my sixth period but it was always worth it. The willow tree provided enough shade to sit in but plenty of light to read by and it was always quiet and fairly deserted most of the time. After finally arriving I let out a deep breath and sat under the canopy tiredly. I really didn’t want to deal with reality anymore today so I pulled out the book I had been enjoying. I started to feel the world shift until it was just me and the willow; all the students voices around me growing into nothing but the sun on my face and the soft breeze brushing against my side. Just as I started to relax and let the story take me where it will-I was snapped back into reality.
“Hey babe what’s up?” I looked up to see a short boy with greasy black hair and baggy clothes staring at me.
“I’m sorry?” I stammered why was this guy calling me babe? Was he mocking me? My mind thought guardedly. Surely he wasn’t trying to flirt with me; I couldn’t get a guy’s attention even when I was wearing makeup and cute clothes.
“What’s your name sweet thing?” ok this guy is seriously mental, it didn’t help that he was blocking my light and keeping me from the calm I hadn’t found all day. I subtly moved to the right away from him and turned my body around so my back was to him, maybe he’ll go away once he realizes his mistake for mixing me up with someone else I thought hopefully.
“Hey don’t be like that”, he moved so he stepped in front of me, once again blocking my light.
“Look I don’t want any trouble”, I said not meeting his groping gaze.
“Don’t worry honey I won’t show you anything but a good time”, he said trying to sound confident. I was about to get up and walk away when my gaze caught sight of a man behind baggy pants guy. I couldn’t look away, He was extremely handsome, and he wore neat black jeans with converse, a tight blue shirt that showed his muscles and a brown hoodie. My eyes traveled to his face which was chiseled enough to show a strong jaw, cheekbones, and a mouth with full lips that looked like it was about to curl into a smile any minute. His hair was curly, medium length, and a blond color with natural brown highlights. Was he looking at me? No he couldn’t be, our eyes locked together and his lips curled into a beautiful smile that made my heart soar.
She was lovely. I was walking to my favorite spot on campus which resided under a willow tree when I found it to be preoccupied. She had round cheeks with full soft lips, and eyes that were so blue I could see the purity of the color from where I was standing across the field. She wore a black t-shirt that showed a small strip of stomach which accentuated her beautiful sensuous curves and hello kitty pajama pants that made me want to hug her she was so cute. Her hair was short and black but when it caught the sunlight it turned into a dark brown. Her hair was curled into tight natural ringlets that were currently tied in a ponytail. I was transfixed by her small smile which showed a cute dimple when her bright eyes met mine. Unfortunately there was a boy who blocked my view and was obviously making her uncomfortable. I felt a surge of protectiveness for her and moved across the clearing. By the time I reached the boy she was standing and hurriedly packing her bag. I clasped him on the shoulder tightly; he turned around and shot me his best glare.
I smiled politely and turned him around to face me “What were you saying to my girl?” I said warningly, even though I didn’t even know her name. The words in my mouth felt strangely right, like I had known her my whole life.
He looked me up and down with his measly grin that showed uneven teeth “Sorry bro, but I think the girl should decide who she wants”, he said smugly. I moved in front to protect her from his disrespecting gaze.
“Say something like that again to her and you’ll regret it”, I said entirely intent on doing more damage to him then was necessary. He looked at me and curled his dirty hands into fists, I saw him open his mouth as if to say something, then deciding against it, he took one last look at her then at me and turned and walked away. I smiled triumphantly and turned to look at the girl I wanted to protect for the rest of my life. She looked up at me uneasily, distrust filling her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked concerned
“Um…thank you”, she stammered clearly confused.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable”, I said honestly, what if she thinks as bad of me as the other guy? What if she actually liked the other guy and I assumed… my mind raced panicking.
“No, I…I’m Rachel”, she said a beautiful smile forming on her lips.
“I’m Will” I said relieved “Do you want to take a walk with me?” I asked bravely, my heart pounding worried she would say no.
I couldn’t believe he was standing before me looking like he was with the most gorgeous girl in the world. “Yes” I said my smile growing wider “I’d like that”. I had finally found the light I was looking for.
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