"happiness is like a butterfly. the more you chase it the more it eludes you, but if you turn your attention to other things it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." - anonymous
NOW
the now
wake up.
my eyes open in what seems like slow motion and i stare at the ceiling for what feels like years. i hear my father downstairs, making his third cup of coffee. eventually, though, he leaves for work and that's when i decide i get up. slowly, i shift out of bed. i could tell it was cold outside today, but that wasn't all that shocking since it was september in california.
first day of sophomore year. ready?
i go to my closet and stare at the racks of clothes, mostly from thrift shops, and finally pick something: a rainbow striped tee-shirt and my overall cutoffs. i find my lucky knee-high butterfly socks and slip them on along with my Hello KItty Converse. last but not least, i find the good old 1990s chicago bears sweatshirt that i've had since 8th grade. i walk down the stairs, looking into the living room and seeing my poor momma. she's asleep and shivering, so i go over and slide a fleece blanket over her.
"sleep good, momma." i kiss her head and take the $5 bill she had left for me.
as silent as i can, i leave.
. . . .
"girl, there you are!" laurie parker squeals when she sees me pull up on my light blue and yellow cruising bike. her hair was newly dyed a dark cloudy blue, and the front bits were a soft pink. it compliments her chocolate eyes and milky skin and overwhelmingly quirky personality. she rushes to me, engulfing me in her typical cotton candy smell. "rue-barb, i missed you so much."
"missed you too, laur," i reply gently, "i love your hair, by the way." laurie parker looks at me with a sly grin.
"thanks, boo. this," she gestures up and down her body, "is gonna get me a boyfriend. there's no way that it won't." i laugh and she links our arms together. "what? it's true! now, come along my darling rue-barb. let's find us a luna and a theo."
we walk through the courtyard for maybe 10 minutes before we spot luna and theo sitting at the little table that we marked as ours by carving our initials -- llh, rfs-m, lpc, and tac -- on the top corner of it. theo's girlfriend, jana, is standing beside him and laughing at one of his jokes. laurie parker darts over to luna and slides beside her, hugging her tight. i join the four of them, taking the last space.
"well, look who it is!" theo says with a beaming face. "my beloved twin sister and dearest companion. you too, luna. and jay, of course."
jana and theo are both glowing a steamy but bright purple, waving a few red flags that they had probably made-out before we'd gotten there.
luna giggles and so does jana, taking a seat in the grass beside the table. luna slides a coffee over to me: a chai latte with honey, milk, and extra cinnamon.
"aw, thank you luna, darling," i say in a mocking british accent, taking a sip of the sweet drink. "is there any particular reason you've decided to buy me a coffee? a large, even?" i see her face flush just a little and she gestures for the two of us to get up and go to the shady area that she likes to call the "shush spot."
ah.
i get up and link my pinkie finger with hers as she stands.
"where are you guys going?" theo asks, cocking an eyebrow.
his color starts to bruise with suspicion.
i see luna cringe and smile awkwardly.
"oh, i just need to talk to sharkey about somethin, girl stuff'," she replies in her tiny anxious voice, eyes darting to the ground.
i wish theo would understand.
theo looks suspicious, but speaks calmly.
"alright. laurie parker and i have latin, so we'll see you later."
luna sighs in relief and we all say our goodbyes for the time being.
"so, lulu, spill it. who's the dream-girl who stole your heart?" i ask, grinning and bumping her in the elbow. she smiles, her cheeks colored a faint red.
"well...her name is veronica. she just moved into my neighborhood," luna says with a dreamy, far off expression. her sweetness smells like taffy itself, and she radiates a cloudy pink. "she's such a gentleman. she gave me her number, and her momma really likes me, says i'm sweet. i'm showing her around the school today." she looks flustered and excited and terrified all at once --body glowing electric blue and sick yellow and the same dreamy pink-- so i hug her frail body tightly.
"boo, it'll be okay, i promise. she seems like the coolest girlie ever, especially since she gave you her number and her momma likes you."
luna looks hesitant for a moment, but she smiles gently. "...yeah, you're right. thanks, miss sharkey."
"anytime, lovely."
she links her hand with mine as we talk about our mindless summertime memories and we start for world history.
Author Notes: hmmmm... i wonder if any of you appreciate invader zim as much as me....
anyways, how was it? *IMPORTANT: im changing Banks to Luna and Conan to Veronica.*
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Chile • 20 years old