by Rua Hasan
I ran down stairs to the kitchen and saw that my mom haven’t made dinner at all. Well, that was strange. My parents used to leave something for me to eat before going somewhere else. It wasn’t that I was always hungry; I just found it strange.
I walked into the living room and grabbed the house phone. I dialed my mom’s number, but no one answered. I dialed dad’s number, but he didn’t answer either.
I was just about to go upstairs to my room when the doorbell rang. I skipped toward the front door thinking it might be them. When I peeped through the peephole, it wasn’t my parents standing outside but two men wearing police uniforms.
I opened the door and stared up at the strangers who were standing in front of me, both of whom gave me sympathetic looks for some unknown reason. I lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
“Can I help you officers?”
They both glanced at each other then looked at me.
“You must be Crystal Clare,” one of them said.
I nodded my head slowly, wondering why and how they knew my name.
“Yes, that’s me. Is there something wrong?” I asked nervously.
“Yes. Unfortunately, your parents were in an accident, and we need to take you to the police station for some information.”
My eyes widened, and my heart started to beat so fast that I could feel it hitting my chest. I felt a lump form in my throat as his words sunk into my brain and my world started to spin.
“An accident?” I gasped softly.
I felt tears form in my eyes, and my palms began to sweat.
“Are they okay?” I asked.
I couldn’t imagine living without my parents. They were one of the reasons I stayed positive in life. They were amazingly supportive and always gave me warm hugs when I needed them.
If something were to happen to them, then I would be in this life all on my own. I didn’t have anyone else here in this small town to take care of me. My life would become way worse than it already was.
One of the policemen took off the cap he was wearing and looked down at me with tender eyes, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said.
After hearing those words, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. My parents were dead.
***
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the doorbell rang. I took the sunglasses off my head, placed them on the counter, walked over to the front door, and took my shoes off. I looked through the peephole and smiled.
I quickly yanked the door open only to face the sight of Matt holding a broom.
“Matt!”
I jumped into his arms, causing him to drop the broom as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He picked me up off the ground, and our laughter filled the air.
He put me down on my feet and smiled, showing me his straight white teeth. He then looked at me from head to toe and whistled as he gave me a wolf grin.
I laughed as I punched his shoulder playfully.
“Oh my god! It’s been ages,” I said, letting him in before closing the door behind me.
“Yeah, I know, right? How have you been?” he asked.
“I’ve been good. What about you?”
It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen Matt. But ever since I’ve moved to my grandparents’ house in New York four years ago, we have been keeping in touch by using Facebook and FaceTime. Later on, I bought my own phone, and we called each other every day.
“Better now that you’re here,” he answered, as we walked toward the living room.
“You look the same like I never left,” I said.
He still looked and felt like the Matt I knew many years ago, except that he had grown much taller and broader with facial hair.
“You…well, you look—”
“Different?” I asked.
He shook his head and gave me a smile wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“Beautifuler,” he said.
“That’s not even a word, idiot.” I chuckled, punching his shoulder again.
“It is for me,” he said.
I smiled at his compliment.
Now, don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t like in the past four years I’ve been trying to change myself and get skinnier so that everyone would like me. No, that’s not what happened.
I got depressed when my parents died and lived in a place I’m not familiar with. I had to meet new people which I wasn’t a big fan of, but I found a solution to deal with it.
No, it wasn’t drugs or alcohol. It was exercise. I would go out for a run and feel free. I wouldn’t stop until I was panting for air and soaked all my clothes with my own sweat.
Doing the same routine every day, running became a hobby and made me into how I looked today.
“I hope you’re ready because this place needs some cleaning,” I said, as I grabbed his broom and threw it at him.
“Some?” he asked, as he grabbed the broom. “You mean, a lot. This place hasn’t been touched in ages.”
I cleaned the kitchen while Matt got to work in the living room. My house didn’t seem huge when I lived here with my parents. We had two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom. But now that I was going to live here all alone, it seemed so big and lonely.
I thought about it a lot and came to a conclusion that I wouldn’t be moving out anytime soon. This place was sentimental, and I couldn’t just let it go. I was pretty sure this was what my parents would have wanted, and I booked the nearest flight ticket to return home, the minute I turned eighteen. I’ve been planning that ever since I’ve left.
I was never close to my grandparents. I appreciated them for taking me in though, but I knew that once I turn eighteen, I’d be on my own.
After an hour and a half later, Matt and I were done cleaning the first floor. I walked out of the bathroom after cleaning myself up and saw Matt in the kitchen drinking some water.
“Let’s take a break and have something to eat. I’m pretty sure you’re hungry,” he said.
I watched as Matt took his phone out and ordered pizza. I took two cups and a bottle of Pepsi to the living room and placed them on the coffee table in front of the couch. I sat down and grabbed my phone out since the TV wasn’t working, and it needed some fixing with the wires and stuff.
Matt walked into the room and sat next to me. We spent time talking about everything that happened in the past four years and how the people at school were sorry for me and my loss. I wasn’t planning on holding grudges against anyone, but I could never forget what they have done to me.
I told him about New York and how awesome it was. But I guess I was just a Californian girl who could never trade California for any city. I was born here after all.
Twenty minutes later, a knock was heard on the door. Matt got up to open it while I sipped on the Pepsi I had in my hand. I wasn’t such a big fan of soda and preferred juice more, but there wasn’t any in the fridge at the moment. I needed to buy groceries.
Matt came back with a box of pizza in his hand. I licked my lips as my stomach grumbled in hunger. When the box was opened, we dug in and ate until we were full. We pretty much finished the box, but you can’t blame us. It’s been a long day.
We sat in silence, gathering our thoughts until Matt spoke.
“You ready for school on Monday?” he asked.
I sighed. I knew this topic was going to be brought up. Besides, I still had to go to school.
I wished I could delay the time of me having to go to school sooner.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding my head. Let’s just hope that some things have changed while I was gone.
chapter 2
I was in a peaceful place as if I was floating on a cloud in heaven. Not a sound could be heard and it felt amazing just to live in the moment. It was as if all of my problems had just disappeared with a snap of a finger.
Too bad it didn’t last longer because I was awakened from my slumber by an annoying sound. I turned around further from the beeping source and shoved a pillow
over my head, hoping that it would at least lower the volume that was separating me from my beautiful sleep.
I ignored it until it completely disappeared. I let out a sigh of relief as I sunk further into the comfortable mattress. I heard the sounds of birds chirping outside my window as if they were trying to wake me up, but my eyelids still felt heavy.
I needed more sleep before the dreadful Monday comes. Suddenly, the annoying sound returned. I groaned as I lifted the pillow off of my face, and turned around to see my phone vibrating on the counter next to me.
With one eye opened, I grabbed my phone to check and see who on earth was calling me at a time like this. I checked the caller ID which read Matt Jones and debated on whether I should answer it or not.
Picking the right choice, I pressed decline and placed my phone back onto the counter. I pulled the covers over my tired body and slept like there was no tomorrow. Well, I tried to, but unfortunately, my phone rang again. I let out another frustrated groan and got off of my bed, wanting to rip my hair out, and grabbed my phone.
I pressed the answer button and put my phone on my ear.
“What do you want?” I grumbled at my best friend, who had the nerves to wake me up so early.
“Rise and shine, sunshine!” His happy voice beamed through the speaker.
“Rise and shine my ass! Now, tell me what you want.”
I heard Matt chuckle on the other end.
“Oh, I can see you’re a morning person huh?”
I rolled my eyes and started to rub the sleep out of my eyes.
“Are you going to tell me or what?” I asked. “Because you’re wasting my time. I have better things to do.”
I heard him scoff on the other end of the line.
“Sure, like what? Sleep?” he asked.
I nodded my head but remembered he couldn’t see me.
“Yes, that is what normal people do at times like this.”
“Look at the freakin’ time! It’s almost eleven,” Matt said.
I removed my phone from my ear and looked at the time which read 10:49 AM. My eyes widened in surprise, and I rubbed them. How on earth did I sleep that long? My body was used to waking up early for a run, but I couldn’t blame myself for that because yesterday was a long day with all the traveling and cleaning.
I looked around my bedroom to see that it was perfectly cleaned. I mean, there were some things that needed some fixing, like the decorations that hung everywhere from my 14 year old self.
Oh, and a bigger bed of course. I placed my phone back to my ear and sighed as I realized I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. That’s just how my body worked. “Big deal!” I said.
“There better be a good explanation as to why you’re calling, Matt. I will walk all the way to your house and shove your head into a trumpet.”
Matt seemed unaffected by my threat and chuckled to himself.
“Yeah, that would be awesome. But unfortunately, I don’t have one,” he said, pretending to sound sad.
“Just get to the point,” I said, clearly annoyed.
“Fine! You’re boring,” he answered. “Get dressed. I’m picking you up in an hour so we can go grocery shopping. Unless, you want to starve because your fridge is completely empty.”
I let a moment of silence pass as I debated on whether I should go fill my fridge or just stay in bed all day. I let a sigh of defeat escape my lips when I realized that I needed food more.
“Fine, but lunch is on you,” I said as I walked toward my closet.
“Fine, whatever. See you in an hour,” he said.
We said our ‘goodbyes’ and hung up. I grabbed a pair of skinny jeans and a white blouse, then rushed to my bathroom. I took a twenty-minute shower, did my daily morning routine, and put on my clothes. I put a single coat of mascara onto my lashes and some lipstick to bring out my soft, pink lips.
I still had a few more minutes left until Matt arrived, and I walked into the kitchen as my stomach growled in hunger. I couldn’t survive the day without my breakfast; it was like my energy booster for the day. I’d just feel heavy and tired.
If only there was an apple I could nip on. I was sipping on a glass of water when I heard a honking sound outside my door. I grabbed my bag and walked outside my house and saw Matt waiting for me in the car as he waved.
As I closed the front door, I saw a guy open the front door of the house next to mine. I couldn’t tell who he was or what he looked like because he was wearing a hat covering his face and sunglasses. I was just about to walk over and greet him as his new neighbor, but he didn’t notice me and walked straight through the door, closing it behind him.
I shrugged my shoulders and thought about introducing myself to the neighbors later on.
I walked toward Matt’s car and sat in the passenger seat. We gave each other a hug and drove down the road. Matt had been teasing me about stuff throughout the entire ride like telling me that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and asking what crawled up my ass.
I rolled my eyes and wondered how he could be this energetic when the first day of school was the next day. I tried to keep my mind off of what I had to face, but it kept drifting to possible thoughts of how everyone would treat me.
Would they possibly treat me differently because of how I looked?
I hoped not because my friends right there were fake. I told myself to be careful on who I hang out with and get attached to. I was just thankful that Matt was always there by my side. I was ready for what was to come because this time, I wouldn’t be crying or running away.
After my parent’s death, I became a much stronger person and learned to face my fears―even if it was Tyler Grey, who I hoped had moved all the way across the globe. I haven’t heard much about him since then. It’s not that I care about how he’s doing or anything; it’s just that I didn’t have the courage to ask Matt. I just didn’t like his name rolling off my tongue.
A few minutes later, we parked outside the supermarket which took us forever to do. The parking lot was full, and each time we found an empty spot and attempted to take it, someone would be there before we made it.
I got out of the car as I happily finished the doughnut Matt gave me. I felt my energy boost because I finally had something in my stomach. Matt had his car locked and walked towards the entrance door of the supermarket with me following right behind him.
When we got inside, I sighed in relief, feeling the cool air from the air conditioner hitting my skin. I looked around to survey the place, noticing how it was not too full but not too empty either. Matt grabbed a cart and started to walk towards the vegetable and fruit section.
“Why are you even helping me when you could have enjoyed the last day of summer before school starts?” I asked, as I grabbed a plastic bag and started to shove apples into it. Oh, I loved apples.
“Crystal, we all know I’m the responsible one in this relationship, so I might as well help,” he said as he dropped his arm on my shoulder.
“Sure, keep lying to yourself. We both know you just want to spend some time with me,” I said, grabbing a bag of carrots.
“Damn it! My cover has been blown,” he said sarcastically before shoving me towards the unhealthy food section. I wasn’t even done getting what I wanted, but Matt seemed like he couldn’t care less because he was placing stuff like Nutella and skittles into the cart.
Hey, I not complaining though.
“Besides, I need to make sure you buy healthy food so you could stay healthy and strong,” he said, putting two bags of Lays chips into the cart.
I gave him a stern look, wanting to call him immature at the choices he was giving me.
I took a bag of Lays and placed them back onto the shelf.
“You know I don’t like Lays,” I said, grabbing a bag of Cheetos instead.
Matt gave me a goofy smile.
“Of course, I do. Just checking to see if your taste in food is still as boring as always,” he teased, but I ignored his comments. When the ca
rt was finally filled with a combination of healthy and unhealthy choices, we walked toward the dairy section and grabbed a gallon of milk. I took a crate of eggs while Matt put some yogurt into the cart and walked toward the meat section.
“Matt!” I whined.
He turned around to look at me sternly while lifting one of his eyebrows at me.
“Please, don’t tell me you’re tired already,” he said as he stopped the cart. I shrugged my shoulders as I placed my arms on the cart for support.
“My legs hurt.”
He gave me a pointed look.
“Says the girl who goes for a run every day,” he said.
I wrapped my arms under my chest as I pouted.
“That’s a completely different thing,” I said.
“Enlighten me then.”
***
Matt made sure to carry the bags to the front door with me after dropping me off. I gathered all of them in the kitchen and made sure to close the front door behind me. Once I had everything in place, I saw Matt walk towards the front door.
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow, Crystal. Have a ni—”
I grabbed his shoulder, turning him around as I glared at him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked.
He gave me a confused look as he lifted his eyebrow.
“Home?”
“Oh, no you don’t. You owe me lunch remember?” I reminded him.
“Fine, get in the car,” he said while grabbing his car keys from his pocket.
A few minutes later, we were standing right outside McDonald’s. I did a little happy dance in my head when I smelled the scent of heaven from a couple steps away. Yes, I do know it was quite unhealthy, but what could I do? I just loved the food here. We walked through the door and headed to the cashier. I followed what Matt ordered: a chicken sandwich and some fries.
When our food was ready, we walked toward an empty table that was right across a window and sat down. We ate our lunch as we chatted about random things like life, school, and aliens.