Page 30 of Perfect Tragedy
“This really isn’t necessary,” I argue once more.
“I don’t mind.”
He places me in the car again and I once again find a song on the radio after he starts the car. “Can we roll down the window? It’s amazing out tonight.”
“Sure,” he immediately finds the button and lowers them.
As we drive, the breeze moving through the car feels heavenly. It raises my hair off the back of my neck and I place one of my arms out the window and wiggle my fingers feeling the wind blow through them. My eyes close and I lose myself in the moment.
The feeling in the air is mesmerizing - when summer’s so close you can get lost in it’s warmth already. Plants, trees, and flowers are all blooming making the air fragrant. Breathing in deeply, I open my eyes and look up to the sky. In the dusky sky, the stars are just starting to appear, their twinkling lights making me smile. I know when it’s full night the sky will be filled with them. It won’t be long before the days are much longer, the sun not setting until after nine o’clock at night, or later the deeper we get into summer. The days may feel longer but I know it will go fast and it won’t be long before Blake and Jack leave me and head to wherever they’ve decided to go for college. Because I know them. And I know they’re leaving this town just like I want to some day.
Looking over at him, I catch Blake staring at me. The way he looks at me makes me tremble. I feel like he’s taking a snapshot so can revisit it later.
When we pull up to my house I can’t help but feel disappointed. The time I get alone with him is… well never anymore. I feel reluctant to give it up, but it is what it is and I’ll be grateful for the time we had. I know I’ll store it away to dissect later. It’s just the way it is – precious to me, regardless of facts and truths.
“Thank you,” I tell him, turning to him, “For the ride, the burger, the company.”
“You don’t have to thank me for any of that.”
“Well, I do all the same.”
With a final smile, I pull the handle of the door and place one foot on the ground before he calls my name, “Sienna?”
“Yeah?”
I look back at him with a smile. He stares at me in that way he did earlier tonight when I walked out of my house. “I think… I think I’ll always remember the way you looked tonight. You looked beautiful; no, youarebeautiful.” I swallow thickly, his words taking me off guard and making my breath catch. “I just wanted… needed… to say that.”
I open my mouth but words don’t come out. I don’t even know how to respond. It doesn’t seem to matter though because he simply smiles, “Good night.”
I step out of the car and walk up to the house. My breaths come out sharply, my heart beating double time. Part of me wants to turn around and run to the car, to ask him why he said that. To demand to know what it means, if anything at all. When I open the door, I hear the car start pulling away, and I turn suddenly to run back, but stop when I see he’s further away than I expected.
The moment is gone.
I stand on my porch and stare at the car long after the taillights are no longer visible.
6
I’m in one hell of a crappy mood. It started this morning when I couldn’t find my favorite t-shirt which made me run late, and Jack was so irritated he grumbled at me the whole way to school. When we pulled up I saw Hailey talking to Blake and even though it didn’t look like he was into the conversation it still pissed me off. Rumor is that she’s willing to do “whatever it takes” to get him back. She’s been around him constantly and it really annoys me. She’s even gone as far as pretending to be nice to me when I’m anywhere in the vicinity of Blake and he can overhear. It’s gag worthy.
My mood continued when I got my English essay back that I wrote on the bookCrime and Punishmentand I got a B+. Not an awful grade, but not the one I deserve in my opinion, but clearly my teacher doesn’t agree.
They were out of my favorite soda at lunch. Henry, an annoying boy in one of my classes sneezed on me. I tripped down the hall in front of everyone and some people clapped, assholes that they are. Jessica, a girl that has a locker next to mine opened hers so hard it smacked me in the back which I’m positive left a mark.
Plus, when I should be concentrating, I remember Blake’s words to me, “I think I’ll always remember the way you looked tonight.”They run through my mind like a marathon runner and trying to define them in every which way possible is about to make me insane.
So yeah.
It wasthatkind of day.
Really, I shouldn’t have been surprised when we’re heading home in Jack’s car after school and Blake turns to me from the front seat to tell me something that makes my stomach drop.
“Hey,” he begins and I look at him in question, “Jack and I want to talk to you when we get to the house.”
“Okay…”
He doesn’t say anything else, just turns around and raises the volume on the radio.
I stare out the window on the ride home, feeling uneasy.
