Page 4 of Treasured Secrets
Chapter 2
Dealing With the New
Change is hard for everyone, but change is necessary to truly live and grow.
As the night descended upon us, the rough, exhausting day seemed to be over. We rose from the table at the restaurant and started to leave, when I saw that same beautiful guy I had seen at the mall. My heart sunk when I saw the girl he was with.
Her arm was linked with his, and she was smiling as her silky blonde, almost white hair flowed to her waist. She looked a little older, possibly early twenties. I thought he was closer to my age.
"What're we looking at?" Gear asked while tossing his arm across my shoulders as everyone started heading out to the vehicles.
"Not... nothing," I said with a tremble.
I swallowed hard, trying not to let my eyes gawk any longer. I turned to him just as his wife, Olivia strolled up to his side. She smiled warmly at me. She was petite, much like the rest of us. Her golden ringlet hair was soft and bouncy.
"You look like you're ready to start school," Olivia said with her gentle grin. "New hair, new clothes, new shoes... new you."
Ash had murdered my long hair that had reached my waist. Now it barely draped past my shoulders. My clothes.... ugh. I wasn't used to the tight jeans with purposely placed gashes and fray. They're brand new and look to be years old. Apparently aged denim was a fashion statement - though I had no idea what statement it could possibly make.
The shirts were either really tight or flowing and loose - nothing in between. Tonight, Ash had put me in a white shirt that fell from one shoulder. Again, no clue as to why this was fashion. It seemed like someone messed up on the pattern and made one sleeve too long.
"Yeah. A new me," I said through a hoarse whisper.
My eyes drifted back to the guy. He was heading toward the game room attached to the restaurant. I just wanted to... I don't know what I wanted to do.
As Selesha and Jay walked by, I turned back to Gear.
"Can I meet you outside? I just need to use the restroom," I lied.
"Sure. You can ride back with us."
I nodded and headed toward the restrooms, but as soon as they exited, I changed course and headed into the game room.
What am I doing? What am I thinking?
An array of mixed emotions swirled around and tormented me as I sought to find answers for my irrational behavior. Without my permission, my eyes sought him out of their own accord.
"Oh this is stupid," I mumbled when I couldn't find him. Had I gone crazy?
I turned around and slammed into something that smelled like heaven, felt like a rock, and burned me through to my core. I gasped, taken aback from the colliding onslaught of sensations.
Icy blue eyes stared into mine, and my heart tried to leap into my throat. My legs became rubber, doing their best to fold beneath me.
"Excuse me," he murmured with a smirk, letting his delicious voice find my wanting ears.
My mouth dried, words refused to form, and my attempt to look like anything but a fool failed miserably.
"E...ex...cuu...s..." Yep. Pathetic. I know. But that's all I could muster. My IQ plummeted in that instant, and I became an unintelligible ball of mush.
He smiled bashfully then, apparently realizing I was gawking shamelessly. I couldn't stop though.
"You okay?" he asked after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, and I blushed fiercely, still unable to speak anything of any sense.
A squeak left my lips in place of the words I wanted to say, and he chuckled lightly.
"Okay then. I need to get back to my family," he said softly, smiling as he passed me by.
A lost opportunity crumbled before me, and I shivered in his wake. How did I just manage to completely unravel and humiliate myself?
