right?" Melissa asks
me a few times.
I do want to tell her what’s going
on, but she wouldn’t understand. Marriage is not an iron fist
asphyxiating her the way it's crushing my throat. I’m worried she
might tell on me. I know she would, for what she would believe to
be my own good. I can't even trust my best friend with my secret.
There is no one I can rely on, no one I can talk to about the
doubts plaguing my mind. I’ll just have to follow my instincts on
this and go wherever they take me.
When five p.m. finally arrives, I
leave school in a hurry. Melissa thinks I’m going back to my house
while my mother believes I’m with Melissa. Lies like these never
end well. You either end up getting caught or in deep trouble with
a fate worse than the one you were trying to escape. I know that,
but my situation is already dire at best, and when I think about
meeting Chi, my mind blurs and my rational thoughts turn to
fog.
I walk down the stairs to the
entrance of the school and take a few looks around before I cut
through the woods and head up the hill. Nature is on my side,
hiding me. I walk about a mile, scanning the area with caution the
entire time. When I reach the Arch, I step under it to find Chi
leaning against the stony wall, with his knee lifted up so his foot
touches the monument. The back of the Arch opens to the valley
below and the sight is incredible—all shades of green, with trees
always thriving and benefiting from the recurring
rainstorms.
I’m relieved Chi is here already.
It would have upset me if he hadn’t made a point of being on time.
I’m glad he truly wanted to meet me and wasn't just playing games.
He turns around and beams at me. His smile is breathtaking—his
teeth nicely aligned, white and perfect against his tanned skin.
His grin reaches his eyes, and he looks more handsome than I even
remembered.
This is trouble sent my way to
test me, and I want to fail so badly. I want to fall, fall so hard
I'll break as I hit the ground. I'm drawn to him by magnetism, a
strong pull I can't control, and I know I won’t be able to turn
back now. My insides are in knots, from fear, anxiety, and an
urgent need for him to touch me. I wonder what his lips would feel
like pressed against mine, and I pinch myself for even thinking
such a thing. I don’t know what's come over me. I avert my eyes as
his proximity makes my body shake. My cheeks burn under his stare
and my head spins. I'm sure he can sense my embarrassment, but he
does nothing to show that he has noticed anything.
“I’m glad you made it,” he says,
forcing me to look at him. “I was hoping you’d have the guts to
come. I guess I was right about you.”
I’m not sure what he means by
that. I can’t think straight. My heart is beating fast, pumping
blood to my head, loud and deafening, jumping over and over again,
almost tearing through me. Being here alone with him is
terrifying.
I just stand here and hold my
hands together so he doesn’t see them quivering. I don’t dare talk,
for fear of saying something dumb. I’m not sure I can keep my voice
steady either, and I don’t want him to know how much he’s affecting
me. But he's staring at the valley below us, with his hands in his
pockets, his demeanor calm and confident.
“Isn’t this view perfect?” he
asks.
“Yes, it is.” My voice shakes
slightly when I reply, and I want to slap myself for it. I try to
push the dread away and force my mouth open to speak. “Why did you
want to meet me?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he
replies.
Well, of course it’s not obvious
or I wouldn’t ask. I want to tell him that and make him shut his
mouth. But it would come out as aggressive and there is no reason
why I should be defensive.
"Do I need a specific reason to
talk to a girl?"
He fully turns to me now, but I
stare at the scenery. I don’t want to meet his eyes; I might lose
myself in them.
“You looked so sad that day." My
heart squeezes at his words. He pauses and I
me a few times.
I do want to tell her what’s going
on, but she wouldn’t understand. Marriage is not an iron fist
asphyxiating her the way it's crushing my throat. I’m worried she
might tell on me. I know she would, for what she would believe to
be my own good. I can't even trust my best friend with my secret.
There is no one I can rely on, no one I can talk to about the
doubts plaguing my mind. I’ll just have to follow my instincts on
this and go wherever they take me.
When five p.m. finally arrives, I
leave school in a hurry. Melissa thinks I’m going back to my house
while my mother believes I’m with Melissa. Lies like these never
end well. You either end up getting caught or in deep trouble with
a fate worse than the one you were trying to escape. I know that,
but my situation is already dire at best, and when I think about
meeting Chi, my mind blurs and my rational thoughts turn to
fog.
I walk down the stairs to the
entrance of the school and take a few looks around before I cut
through the woods and head up the hill. Nature is on my side,
hiding me. I walk about a mile, scanning the area with caution the
entire time. When I reach the Arch, I step under it to find Chi
leaning against the stony wall, with his knee lifted up so his foot
touches the monument. The back of the Arch opens to the valley
below and the sight is incredible—all shades of green, with trees
always thriving and benefiting from the recurring
rainstorms.
I’m relieved Chi is here already.
It would have upset me if he hadn’t made a point of being on time.
I’m glad he truly wanted to meet me and wasn't just playing games.
He turns around and beams at me. His smile is breathtaking—his
teeth nicely aligned, white and perfect against his tanned skin.
His grin reaches his eyes, and he looks more handsome than I even
remembered.
This is trouble sent my way to
test me, and I want to fail so badly. I want to fall, fall so hard
I'll break as I hit the ground. I'm drawn to him by magnetism, a
strong pull I can't control, and I know I won’t be able to turn
back now. My insides are in knots, from fear, anxiety, and an
urgent need for him to touch me. I wonder what his lips would feel
like pressed against mine, and I pinch myself for even thinking
such a thing. I don’t know what's come over me. I avert my eyes as
his proximity makes my body shake. My cheeks burn under his stare
and my head spins. I'm sure he can sense my embarrassment, but he
does nothing to show that he has noticed anything.
“I’m glad you made it,” he says,
forcing me to look at him. “I was hoping you’d have the guts to
come. I guess I was right about you.”
I’m not sure what he means by
that. I can’t think straight. My heart is beating fast, pumping
blood to my head, loud and deafening, jumping over and over again,
almost tearing through me. Being here alone with him is
terrifying.
I just stand here and hold my
hands together so he doesn’t see them quivering. I don’t dare talk,
for fear of saying something dumb. I’m not sure I can keep my voice
steady either, and I don’t want him to know how much he’s affecting
me. But he's staring at the valley below us, with his hands in his
pockets, his demeanor calm and confident.
“Isn’t this view perfect?” he
asks.
“Yes, it is.” My voice shakes
slightly when I reply, and I want to slap myself for it. I try to
push the dread away and force my mouth open to speak. “Why did you
want to meet me?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he
replies.
Well, of course it’s not obvious
or I wouldn’t ask. I want to tell him that and make him shut his
mouth. But it would come out as aggressive and there is no reason
why I should be defensive.
"Do I need a specific reason to
talk to a girl?"
He fully turns to me now, but I
stare at the scenery. I don’t want to meet his eyes; I might lose
myself in them.
“You looked so sad that day." My
heart squeezes at his words. He pauses and I
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