The pitter patter of the rain was distracting. At least it was distracting to me. Everyone around me was soundly reading or writing, whereas I was flinching every time a rain drop hit the window pane. I sat by myself in the library with my biology text book out taking notes. I looked around the room at the faces of people whether they were familiar or strange to me. As you can see, or as anyone would be able to see, I wasn’t the most popular girl in this school. And by most I mean that I have two friends, both of which were off doing something way more exciting than what I was doing. I was performing my usual routine of being the loner outcast searching for refuge in the library. Such refuge was unable to be found seeing as how everyone in here wanted to be alone. I on the other hand was alone because I had nobody who would want to be around me. People perceived me as being shy and uninteresting, a perception I have dutifully upheld. I didn’t care that I wasn’t invited to all of the parties. That’s the last thing I wanted. All I wanted was to feel like I had a place, to feel like I belonged.
I sighed and began to tap my pencil against my pad of paper. I bit my lip wondering whether I should leave and put myself out of my misery or stay and toughen it out. I was in a library, no one here noticed me, yet it felt as if the fact that I could be found in a library was a sign of defeat. As if I had let the social ladder of this school defeat me. Absentmindedly I began to write again, pressing down with my pencil so hard that the snap of the pencil tip caused me to jump in surprise. “Shout” I muttered to myself, searching through my bag for another pencil or maybe even a pen.
“Need a pencil?” A voice asked me. My head snapped up in surprise. I looked toward the person who had spoken to me and was pleasantly surprised. A strange face smiled a cute crooked smile down at me, holding out a pencil for me. Even though I had never met this person before in my life, I knew exactly who he was. His name was Matthew Johnson. He was new to town and was in the same grade as me. From what had been circulating throughout the school, he was supposedly very handsome. Usually I didn’t pay any attention to the gossip but it was true. He was gorgeous. He had sparkling green eyes, short blonde hair and slightly tan skin. For a second there I almost forgot to speak.
“Thanks.” I said reaching out and taking the pencil from him. Our fingers just barley touched but when they did it felt as if his hand was burning. Maybe that had been just me and my nerves, I thought brushing it off. I looked at him smiling, waiting for him to leave, but instead he kept looking at me, smiling back. To my surprise, and to the surprise of those who were now looking at us, he pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, placing the couple of books beside him.
“Do you mind if I join you?” He asked me, not the way someone would normally ask where they don’t really care if you say no to them, he seemed to honestly want to know if he was allowed to sit with me. I smiled at him encouragingly and nodded. His smile ever so slightly grew and he kept his eyes locked with mine. I could have stared into those emerald green eyes forever but I finally forced myself to look down at my books. He cleared his throat nervously. “I’m Chase, by the way.” I looked back up at him and smiled warmly, surprise still overwhelming me.
“I know. We, um, have Spanish and math together.” I said, trying to make it sound like I wasn’t some kind of stalker. He smiled at the fact that I remembered which classes we shared. “I’m Andie.” I said, tucking a strand of hazelnut hair behind my ear.
“Well it’s very nice to meet you Andie.” He said smiling a charming smile at me. He did seem genuinely happy to meet me. I blushed a little bit from the intensity of his gaze. I could feel the incredulous stares of people all around us, especially of other girls around. Even guys were shocked to see him with me, or were they more shocked to see that I was actually paying any attention to another guy? It wasn’t that no guys had ever come up to me, it was just that none had been worth paying attention to. None but Chase. For some reason he was different.
We sat there for a half an hour just chatting and getting to know each other. I leaned over and looked at the books he had, surprised by the common topic.
“So you like werewolves huh?” I asked teasingly, surprised by how far out of my shell I had come. He shifted uncomfortably at the change in subject.
“Yeah, I just find the whole werewolf genre fascinating.” He said. I nodded.
“Yeah, they are pretty cool when they aren’t killing people.” I said jokingly. He laughed a little at my joke and then looked at his watch, frowning at the time.
“I have to go.” He said to my disappointment. I nodded, trying to look like I wasn’t all too disappointed. I could tell that he could see right through it by his smile. “I hope to see you again very soon Andie.” He said, smiling at me. I nodded and smiled back.
“Sure, I’d like that.” I said. I watched him walk away, knowing that I would see him again. Finally I had found someone who understood me. Finally I wasn’t alone