by Katilyn S
I walked over to her and gave her a quick hug, trying not to hold on for too long. She grinned at me and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. I brushed a finger tip across the stud in her nose and moved down to her lips. I traced the outline of them and she opened her mouth slightly. An invitation. I shook my head and pushed her into the cab. Laughing, she did as I told and patted the seat next to her. I slid in and waited as she gave the driver directions.
“Waffle House?” I asked. She nodded and laughed.
“Yep. I was craving a waffle for breakfast this morning,” she explained. She slid over on the bench seat and laid her head upon my shoulder.
“Where’s Alex?” I questioned.
“He couldn’t make it. He has a date,” she laughed. Suddenly, I heard her let out a breath and I smiled slightly.
“You okay?” I wondered aloud.
“Never better,” she replied and took my hand in hers. I tried not to show my surprise, but I couldn’t help to look down at our intertwined hands every once and a while.
“You sure?” I mockingly pressed a hand to her forehead, checking for a temperature. “You don’t feel warm.”
“Would you quit,” she told me and pushed my hand away. She sat up and I immediately regretting making fun of her. I wanted to feel her skin against mine again. “I can’t hold your hand without there being something wrong?”
“You can’t,” I reminded her. She laughed haughtily.
“I told you I trust you,” she shot back. My eyes saddened and I looked away.
“But you don’t love me,” I stated. Claire was silent as we pulled up to the restaurant. We got out and I took her hand. She glanced at me with an exasperated look and I shrugged. “I never said I couldn’t hold your hand without there being something wrong with me.”
She laughed and all tension was lost. We walked together hand in hand into the restaurant. I led her to the bar and slid onto a stool. She hopped on the one beside me and looked at the menu. I tried to look at mine, but I was too distracted by the way she tapped her nails on the bar.
“Michael.” A waitress walked over to us, a pencil and pen in hand.
“Sarah,” I replied and smiled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Claire stiffen a look away. I frowned and nodded at Sarah. “The usual.”
“Okay, and for you?” She turned to Claire. Without meeting her eyes she looked over the menu and then over at me.
“Same as him,” she muttered. Sarah left and I watched Claire. Her body was turned towards me, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Claire,” I said. She looked at me for a brief second before looking down again.
“What?” she whispered with anxiety. I tilted her chin up until she looked me in the eye.
“I am here with you. Not her,” I explained. She nodded but stayed silent. “I love you.”
“I know,” she replied. “I’m sorry. It’s just hard for me.”
“I understand,” I murmured and took her hand. She squeezed it and smiled weakly.
“Thank you,” she mouthed. I nodded and Sarah placed our food in front of us. I nodded gratefully and she left us alone.
It was silent for a little while. The only sounds were of our forks and knives scraping against the plate and our moans of enjoyment. Finally we leaned back, our plates empty.
“Better than I remembered,” Claire said aloud. I nodded in agreement and stood up. I left some bills on the bar and took Claire’s hand. Together, we walked out of the restaurant and to the street.
I whistled for a taxi and one eased up next to us. We got in and Claire gave the driver another set of directions. I watched her, an impressed expression on my face.
“The park?” I wondered again.
“Yeah, I have something to tell you.” She grinned at me and settled back into her seat. Her hand stayed grasped in mine and we stayed that way until we arrived at the park.
Once out of the cab, she led the way, taking me to a spot under a tree. We sat down, me with my back against the tree, her with her head in my lap. I toyed with sections of her hair and she laughed.
“This is nice,” she commented. I murmured in agreement and touched the tip of her nose.
“What did you have to tell me?” I asked, curiousity bubbling inside of my voice. She giggled again placing one of her hands over mine.
“Okay, well I was actually standing over there on the walkway when I realized something. I was running. Well, sprinting actually. I had a lot to think about. Anyway, I was sprinting on that track, listening to rap music and suddenly it came to me.”
“What did?” I asked again. I knew she was enjoying this.
“I was thinking about you and how I couldn’t love you after my past. Then I saw Alex flirting with another girl and I realized that I shouldn’t be afraid of you. That I shouldn’t be afraid to let go.” She paused and smiled up at me. I felt as if I was going to burst if she didn’t tell me what happened.
“And,” I started for her.
“And I love you,” she whispered. The color drained from my face. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. She let out a laugh and placed a hand on my cheek.
“What?” I managed.
“I love you,” she repeated. “I love you and only you.”
“Really?” I grimaced at the doubt in my voice. She nodded and pulled my head towards hers. Right before her lips met mine, she smiled.
“Definitely,” she murmured and pulled me in the rest of the way.
Our lips met and I could see fireworks. I closed my eyes and let myself be lost in the moment.
Chapter 20-September 10, 2001 (Claire)
The bell rang and I turned my attention to the door. I could hear students conversing in the hallway, but so far no one had stepped into my room. I sighed and tried to stand up straighter. Behind me, my name was written in big loopy letters along with the assignment for the day.
“Where are my students?” I wondered aloud. Suddenly, a large group of students stumbled into my classroom. I smiled slightly and watched as they took their seats.
“We have a new teacher.”
“What happened to Mrs. Jewel?”
“I heard she retired after last year.”
“Dang it. I loved her.”
“I wonder if she is good enough to be our teacher.”
I silently listened to their conversations and frowned as they criticized me. I tugged on the hem of my vintage tee, pulling it down over my black skinny jeans. I checked out my high tops and lowered my hand, making the bangles around my wrist jingle. I sighed as the bell rang once more.
Alex ran into the room, an apologetic smile on his lips. I stared at him in disapproval as he took his seat next to a tall latino girl.
“I hope you aren’t late like this all of the time, Alex,” I warned. Blush crept up his neck and he shook his head.
“I won’t,” he said. “I promise.”
“Good.” I smiled at him and clasped my hands together. “Hey, everybody. My name is Ms. Barnes and I am your new senior art teacher.”
“Are you any good?” A boy called out from the back. He had short blonde hair and bright eyes that were lit up with anticipation.
“Any good at what?” I asked.
“Art?” he replied. I laughed and turned to my desk. I pulled out a large canvas and kept its back to my students.
“Well, who here believes that if I wasn’t good at art, then I would be teaching you all,” I suggested. I watched as a few students raised their hands tentatively. I smiled.
“Well, can you?” the boy called out again. I turned my canvas around and propped it up on my easel which was centered at the front of the room.
“You tell me,” I said and stepped away. I heard gasps of disbelief and a few murmurs here and there. The boy who called me out, stood up in the back and walked closer to get a better look.
“You painted that?” he asked in a shocked voice. I nodded.
“I did,” I muttered and placed a hand on his shoulde
r. “You like it?”
“Definitely,” he answered and smiled at me. I took a step back a studied the painting myself. I had done it yesterday after being bored for two hours straight. Michael was working and Alex had another date.
The painting was of a man in his late twenties. He had long black hair and bright green eyes. He was wearing a fire fighter’s uniform and in the background was a building that had caught on fire. It was a really good painting if I did say so myself.
“Was there a model for it?” A girl walked over to us, also studying the painting. I shook my head.
“Actually I did this from memory,” I explained. She nodded her agreement before looking back at me.
“Who is it?” she asked. I paused and my gaze swept over the classroom. The students were waiting for my answer; they all looked to be on the edge of their seats.
“Um,” I mumbled. “It’s my boyfriend.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet,” she cooed and went back to her seat. The boy followed her and I faced my class.
“Okay, well let’s start by getting to know each other,” I said and smiled at them. A few smiled back and I laughed. I walked over to the first table and pointed to a small girl with long blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail. “Starting here, let’s go around and say our names as well as the medium we like to paint in. You can start.”
I nodded at the girl and she swallowed loudly.
“Well, my name is Jennifer and I like charcoal,” she managed. I smiled at her and listened as the next boy went. We did this for a few minutes and when we got to the back where Alex was sitting I froze.
“I’m Alex and I like colored pencils,” Alex proclaimed and smiled at the girl beside him. She blushed and looked over at me. Her dark skin shone in the flourescent lights and her long brown hair hung straight right below her shoulders. She had streaks of red, purple and blue in the strands of hair and her eyes were a dark brown. They were wide, set in a small, but open face.
“Hi. My name is Hope and I like colored pencils as well,” she murmured and pushed her hair behind her ear. I noticed she had multiple piercings in her ears as well as one in her nose. I smiled at her and watched as Alex grasped her hand under the table. She laughed nervously and grinned at him.
The other students went through their names and at the end, I went back to the front of the room.
“Okay, so today I think that we should decide on our project for the first four weeks. I have heard great things about you guys, so I am expecting a masterpiece.”
Everybody looked at one another, fear taking over their expressions. I laughed, making them jump.
“I’m just kidding,” I giggled. They let out sighs of relief and laughed along with me. “But I am expecting something decent. I don’t want you slacking. I know all of you are great artists.”
“What do we do? Like, what’s our subject?” Hope asked. I shrugged, causing a few students to shoot me strange looks.
“Whatever you want,” I told them. “It can be realistic or abstract. It can be of people or of animals. I can be watercolor or acrylic. You decide. You are the artist and I am giving you reign over everything.”
“Wow,” Jennifer muttered. “Thanks, Ms. Barnes.”
“All of the supplies are in there,” I pointed to the supply closets. “And the aprons are hanging up by the door.”
There were a few whispers around the room and students started to stand up.
“Okay guys. Let’s get to work.
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At hte end of class, I started to walk around the room, glancing at everybody’s work so far. I was thouroughly impressed as I strolled through the room.
“Wow, Jennifer, that looks really good,” I cooed as I watched her put some finishing strokes on the bird she was working on. She had done it in charcoal and so far, it looked amazing. It was beautifully drawn and the wings were spread into a graceful pose.
“Thanks,” she said and put down her piece of charcoal. “I love birds.”
“I can see,” I laughed. “Good luck on the rest of it.”
“Thanks,” she said again and stood up to clean up the rest of her mess.
I walked over to the back of the room, where Alex and Hope were hard at work on their own drawings. I stood behind them and cleared my throat. They looked up at me, startled.
“It’s almost time to go. You guys need to start cleaning up,” I warned. They nodded and walked away, leaving me to look at their drawings.
Hope’s drawing was of a large dragon. It was intricately drawn; the details were exquisite. She had started to color the face green and the shading was perfect.
I never meet anybody who can shade like she can, I thought and smiled to myself.
Then, I looked at Alex’s. He had drawn a large butterfly, which was also exquistely detailed. He had already colored the body of the butterfly and his shading was very nice. But it wasn’t as good as Hope’s. They walked back over, hand in hand.
“Guys, these are amazing. What gave you the ideas for these?” I gushed. They gave each other a look before turning to me. Hope spoke first.
“Actually, got the idea from Alex’s tattoo on his arm,” she explained and nudged Alex. “Show her.”
“No thanks,” I interrupted and recieved a strange look from Hope. Laughing, Alex rolled his eyes.
“Hope, Ms. Barnes is actually my sister,” he explained. A knowing look crossed over her face and she smiled.
“That’s crazy,” she exclaimed. “You two look nothing alike.”
“Everybody says that,” Alex and I said in unison. We laughed and I touched Alex’s shoulder.
“What about your drawing?” I asked. He blushed and I immediately regretted asking him.
“Um, well Hope has a butterfly tattoo on the small of her back,” he mumbled, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. “That’s my inspiration.”
“Aw, that’s cute,” I said. “Are you two official?”
“Yes,” Hope stated immediately. Alex laughed at her excitement and tightened his grip on her hand.
“Well, Hope,” I started. Alex groaned and I shushed him, “you will have to come over for dinner sometime. Or we can go out. I would love to get to know you.”
“Thanks,” she replied. “Same here.”
The bell rang-a shrill sound- and everybody grabbed their bags. They called out their goodbyes to me and left my room. I sighed and leaned against a table.
“Today is going to be a long day,” I said to myself as another group of students walked in the door.
Chapter 21-September 11, 2001; 5:49 a.m. (Michael)
Flames flew into the air. Smoke poured out onto the streets. I could hear screaming, as people ran towards me. Moms clutched their little kids to their chests; tears streamed down their cheeks.
“What’s going on?” I called out, stopping a woman with my arm. She stared at me, her eyes wide and bloodshot. With a shaking finger, she pointed behind her. I looked up and felt my breath leave me. Two tall skyscapers towered above me. Their tops were not visible under all of the black smoke. I lowered my gaze and saw what everybody was scared of. Two gaping holes were drawn into the sides of the buildings, fire leaping out. Faintly, I could hear people screaming for help from the hole.
I looked down and noticed that I was in my fire fighter clothes. My helmet was situated on the top of my head and I took in a deep breath. It was time.
“It’s the big one, bro.” I heard Andrew’s voice beside me and glanced over at him. He, too, was in his uniform, an oxygen tank strapped to his back. I nodded.
Firefighters would always say that to one another. We would say it as a goodbye. “See you at the big one.” I never thought it would actually happen.
The smoke was thickening in front of us. Andrew nudged me and together we ran into the black abyss.
“Argh!” I shouted and sat up. Sweat poured down my chest and my breathing was harsh; it hissed through my clenched teet
h. I ran a hand over y forehead, wiping off the sweat that had beaded there. I glanced at my clock; it was time to head to work.
I eased out of my bed, shivering as my feet hit the hardwood floor. I stumbled into my bathroom, grumbling all the way. Glancing into the mirror, I grabbed my mouthwash. I gargled for a minute before spitting it back out into my sink.
Whistling to myself, I turned on the shower. I jumped back as the cold water splashed onto my face.
“At least I’m awake now,” I muttered and took off my tshirt.
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After getting out of the shower, I slid on a pair of shorts and my FDNY t-shirt. I towel-dried my hair, then threw the towel on my bed. I slid on my tennis shoes and walked out of the room.
I went to the kitchen, where I grabbed a banana from the bowl on my counter. I peeled it quickly, stuffing half of it in my mouth. I took a piece of paper and a pen from a drawer and set it on the small table in the kitchen. I quickly wrote a note to Claire.
Hey Claire.
Dinner tonight? See you at 7.
Love, Michael
I folded it and stuck it in my pocket. Smiling to myself, I went to the living room and sat on the couch. I finished my banana and thought of nothing else but Claire. Her stormy grey eyes. He short cinnamon hair. The way she smiled when I surprised her.
“Oh, Claire,” I murmured and stood up again. I threw the banana peel into the trash and walked out of the door. I stopped by Claire’s apartment to slide the note under the door and then was on my way.
I took a quick taxi down to the station. On the way we passed by the Twin Towers. I marveled at their gorgeous structure and then we passed by them.
I smiled to myself as I got out of the taxi. I checked our station’s building up and down before going inside. Once inside, I was greeted by a round of applause. I froze in the doorwayand watched as all of the fire fighters walked towards me. I raised my eyebrows in confusion.