Read Airel for Free Online Page A
Authors: Aaron Patterson, C.P. White
sure of yourself, confident… without being a snob. And… I think you have absolutely no idea… how beautiful you are.” If anyone else would have said that to me, I would have laughed in his face. It would have been cheesy, dumb, overkill. But when he said it, when I saw the look in his eyes—I knew that it wasn’t just some dumb line, it was what he believed.
He thought I was beautiful.
Chapter VII
Okay, I was impressed. Or maybe I was weirded out that Michael spent over four hours shopping with me.
Kim and James were off somewhere together. I was sure he was going to kill Michael later for leaving him with her. And if Michael was just putting on a good face to make me think he was having a decent time, he was doing a good job.
I got a text from Kim saying that they were ready to go and if I was up to it, James wanted to see a movie. Shocker. He was having fun. One thing about Kim, if you were around her long enough, she was like a drug... very addicting. Poor James was getting an overdose and after today, he would be a hopeless case.
“I think your friend has a thing for James,” Michael said under his breath as we walked out of the mall and into the late afternoon sun.
It was shaping up to be a nice day, with a few lumbering, puffy, clouds just hanging around like ancient gods.
“You think? She’s liked him ever since she first saw him. But she’s not a cheerleader and he’s the star quarterback. I think if it wasn’t for you dragging him along today, he wouldn’t have ever looked twice at her. It’s funny how things happen.” I saw a hint of something in Michael’s eyes. Was it anger? No. Frustration?
“He’s a good guy. He’s not like you would think... not the usual jock.” His blue eyes looked down as if he was losing himself in a nearly forgotten memory that was now rising to the surface. “But yeah, Kim is cool. A little gabby.” He gave me a playful glance. “But overall—cool.”
I laughed and said, “That’s why I love her. She’s her own person. Not like the lifeless drones dragging their black skinny jeans and chains all over school. Nothing says, ‘I’m my own person,’ like dressing all alike, thinking just because you’re weird you’re an individual.”
“Whoa, easy!” Michael held up both hands in surrender.
Oops, too deep. I had a bad habit of over-thinking things. My dad said I was an old soul. Judging from experience, it was not exactly a good way to keep a guy. Most guys wanted to think they were the smart one in the relationship. I was never one to hold back just because the underdeveloped guy couldn’t hang. I had driven away more than one potential boyfriend that way and I cringed. Hold the phone. Relationship? So we spend a day with the guy and you’re thinking relationship? Stop it Airel. Over-thinking…
“Sorry, I just get worked up about stuff. I do have my own thoughts and ideas, but in this world that is kind of a turn-off for most guys.”
Michael was silent as I unlocked the car door. He was different in a good way. I mean, a really good way—but nothing seemed to faze or shock him. I bet I could go into talking about the meaning of fear and the hold it has on our society. Oh yeah, that’s totally hot... guys dig that. I could talk about how the media plays on our fear to keep us in line and he would respond with the idea that not everyone could be controlled. Ha, ha. Yeah. Then I could maybe throw in how there is still a silent majority that would not hold their peace for much longer. And then we’d be talkin’, baby… about nothing.
But all of a sudden he broke the silence, picking up the thread I had clumsily dropped on him. “No, you’re right. I call them robots—all trying to be different by being exactly whatever their master made them do. Like a collective consciousness.” He smiled and looked into my eyes. In that moment, I totally forgot what we had been talking about. I even forgot where I was. “So
He thought I was beautiful.
Chapter VII
Okay, I was impressed. Or maybe I was weirded out that Michael spent over four hours shopping with me.
Kim and James were off somewhere together. I was sure he was going to kill Michael later for leaving him with her. And if Michael was just putting on a good face to make me think he was having a decent time, he was doing a good job.
I got a text from Kim saying that they were ready to go and if I was up to it, James wanted to see a movie. Shocker. He was having fun. One thing about Kim, if you were around her long enough, she was like a drug... very addicting. Poor James was getting an overdose and after today, he would be a hopeless case.
“I think your friend has a thing for James,” Michael said under his breath as we walked out of the mall and into the late afternoon sun.
It was shaping up to be a nice day, with a few lumbering, puffy, clouds just hanging around like ancient gods.
“You think? She’s liked him ever since she first saw him. But she’s not a cheerleader and he’s the star quarterback. I think if it wasn’t for you dragging him along today, he wouldn’t have ever looked twice at her. It’s funny how things happen.” I saw a hint of something in Michael’s eyes. Was it anger? No. Frustration?
“He’s a good guy. He’s not like you would think... not the usual jock.” His blue eyes looked down as if he was losing himself in a nearly forgotten memory that was now rising to the surface. “But yeah, Kim is cool. A little gabby.” He gave me a playful glance. “But overall—cool.”
I laughed and said, “That’s why I love her. She’s her own person. Not like the lifeless drones dragging their black skinny jeans and chains all over school. Nothing says, ‘I’m my own person,’ like dressing all alike, thinking just because you’re weird you’re an individual.”
“Whoa, easy!” Michael held up both hands in surrender.
Oops, too deep. I had a bad habit of over-thinking things. My dad said I was an old soul. Judging from experience, it was not exactly a good way to keep a guy. Most guys wanted to think they were the smart one in the relationship. I was never one to hold back just because the underdeveloped guy couldn’t hang. I had driven away more than one potential boyfriend that way and I cringed. Hold the phone. Relationship? So we spend a day with the guy and you’re thinking relationship? Stop it Airel. Over-thinking…
“Sorry, I just get worked up about stuff. I do have my own thoughts and ideas, but in this world that is kind of a turn-off for most guys.”
Michael was silent as I unlocked the car door. He was different in a good way. I mean, a really good way—but nothing seemed to faze or shock him. I bet I could go into talking about the meaning of fear and the hold it has on our society. Oh yeah, that’s totally hot... guys dig that. I could talk about how the media plays on our fear to keep us in line and he would respond with the idea that not everyone could be controlled. Ha, ha. Yeah. Then I could maybe throw in how there is still a silent majority that would not hold their peace for much longer. And then we’d be talkin’, baby… about nothing.
But all of a sudden he broke the silence, picking up the thread I had clumsily dropped on him. “No, you’re right. I call them robots—all trying to be different by being exactly whatever their master made them do. Like a collective consciousness.” He smiled and looked into my eyes. In that moment, I totally forgot what we had been talking about. I even forgot where I was. “So