RYLIE

EVERYONE SCURRIED OUT of the lunchroom once the first bell rang like animals from the zoo. Lunch today was just typical. Nora posted a picture Elias and I took on Instagram and gained a couple of likes from it. During lunch period, Nora, Cannon, and Adrienne were chatting on and on about it, while I was sitting there, reading a book on my phone. I was irrelevant to the conversation anyway, so I figured that I should've stayed quiet.

That wasn't the case. I ended up talking a bit to Elias about his painting for a contest. It was casual and didn't feel so lonely. When lunch came to an end, we went our separate ways and I started my journey to my next class. It was Calculus and I didn't have a single friend there. I think Adrienne's in that class, but I never paid attention. I'll just assume that she is in the same Calculus class as me.

Speaking of Adrienne, she joined me as I prepared to walk up a flight of stairs, which left me dazed. Why did she want to walk with me?

"Hey," she beamed as she stood behind me while adjusting her brunette hair that was in a ponytail. "You're Rylie, right?"

"Yeah, I am," I confirmed, my hand wrapping around the rail as I climbed up the steep stairs, my legs already cramping. I was half convinced that the devil made them as a trap or something. It sounded childish, but climbing up and down these steep stairs is pain.

"That's nice. I just wanted to get to know you more. You're pretty quiet," Adrienne explained, her hazel eyes glimmering. "You do have Calculus for next class period, right?"

"I do," I said with a stammer. Instantly, I wondered why she was walking with me. I was used to walking from class to class with Nora, but then again, I hardly have any classes with her, so for some class periods, I walk alone. It's what I'm used to. Plus, why would Adrienne want to walk with someone like me? I'm almost positive that she has other friends that she can walk to class with. If not, she can walk with her boyfriend.

She reversed the topic as we reached the top of the stairwell. "How have you been doing lately?"

"I've been okay, I guess. What about you?" I asked in response.

"I've been alright. I'm all over the place right now . . . but I'm still okay," her voice sounded a bit shaky as she mustered a smile.

I took a quick glimpse at her. She was smiling, but underneath, I felt some kind of feeling that her smile was fake. Something could've been bothering her at the moment, but I had no clue what. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just overreacting. That isn't any of my business, anyway, so I shrugged it off.

We walked through the crowded corridors as the warning bell rang. It was wildly loud in the hallway, but between Adrienne and I, it was quiet. Neither of us said anything. Not like I'd know anything to say that would break the chain of silence, so she saved the day.

"It was nice talking with you, Rylie," she smiled as we approached class.

"Same to you," I nodded.

As I entered the classroom, I sauntered to the back. The room was half-full with students, who were chatting among themselves and the teacher was nowhere to be seen. As I took a seat, I reflected on the last few minutes and speaking with Adrienne. She seemed sweet, however, something about her seemed off, like broken glass.

I had no clue what it was, but it was quite intriguing.

After school, I headed towards the lake in town to hopefully cram some information into my brain for an upcoming exam. I settled to study outside just to get some fresh air, since I'm awfully inside a lot. In case Mom would be mad at me when I came home, I texted her that I wasn't going to be home for another hour, maybe two.

I knew that Elias was going to be here, according to what he told me at lunch today. He'll be working on his painting and I'll be studying, so we'll both be focused. Speaking of him, I could already see him as I neared closer to the lake. He was seated at a picnic table that was a distance away from the water.

The bristles of the juniper green grass I walked across brushed against the bottom of my shoes as I neared the table. Elias looked up, a welcoming smile spreading across his lips when he saw me. He set down his pencil as he pulled his canvas that was laid flat on the table towards him so I could have space for my belongings. I mustered a warm smile. "I'm sorry if I bothered you from coming here. I just needed somewhere to study and I didn't want it to be at home," I apologized as I took a seat, setting my backpack on the bench beside me.

"No, it's okay. I'm not bothered at all," he insisted as he picked up his pencil again. We were directly across from each other, which gave me the opportunity to see him drawing. Although I wanted to watch, I had to get done with studying, so I removed my binder from my backpack and took out a couple of papers from the rings so I could read over them.

At first, I was focused. The sharp aroma of the pine trees tingled my nose as the noises of flocks of birds heading north for migration chirped, guiding me to stay on task. I did pick up on some information, but I became bored as I continued to read through my papers. It was tedious and I already felt like moving on to something else. Instead of automatically giving up on studying, I took a peek at Elias' canvas. It was upside down from my view, but based on what I saw, he drew a person and was drawing various leaves in the background.

Yet again, I was fascinated on how he could draw so well and be so focused. It was like nearly every move he made with a pencil in his hand was excellence. Was it magic? It wasn't, but it was pure talent. His head shot up from his canvas, his umber eyes gazing into mine. It looks like I got caught staring for a bit too long. "You've already finished studying?"

"No, I just got sidetracked by you drawing. It's a lot more intriguing than studying, for sure," I joked as I straightened out my papers. "You draw so nicely."

"Well, thank you," he acknowledged as he turned back to his canvas.

"Mhm," I hummed as I sluggishly stared at my papers to get back to studying. I practically forced myself into reading over the information. It was tedious, but it has to be done. Before I could keep going, my thoughts were interrupted, but I didn't mind.

"So, Halloween is around the corner. Do you have any plans?" Elias questioned as he looked up from his canvas, a small smile spreading across his face. "Or plans for anything coming up?"

"No," I blurted out. "What about you?"

"I don't have plans, either. Maybe we can . . . hang out? You know, a casual hang out," he suggested, his hand combing through his moisturized, brunette curls. "Only if you're down for it."

"Sure, of course," I said the unthinkable. "What day?"

"Maybe sometime next week? Sometime after school, maybe? If you want, we can hang out at my house," he suggested. "As friends, of course."

"Sounds like a plan," I confirmed. "I'll need you to text me your address or something, through."

"Okay, hold on," he said as he took out his phone from what seemed like his pocket. After a couple of moments, he handed it to me so I can enter in my information. I typed in my name after I typed in my phone number and saved it into his contacts. I made a mental note to add him to my contacts once he texts me his address. I returned his phone, slightly looking forward to hanging out with Elias. 

For quite a long time, I was always the one to lock myself in my room and isolate myself from the world. However, this time, I felt different. It was like a rope that was steadily unraveling, strand by strand. I didn't quite feel like isolating myself from everything and everyone anymore. I was still my quiet self, but I somehow didn't have a huge desire to be hidden.

It was baffling and difficult to break down. I had questions, but there were no answers. The inquiry will probably sit in the back of my brain for a long time. I guess it won't hurt to try to figure it out on my own. Right?

Since school started, I started to come out and actually do something less. Sure, there were times where I stayed in the comfort of my room and just sulk, but I shockingly made two new friends and hung out with them for a reasonable amount of time. Technically, I have hung out with them along with Nora outside of school at Cannon's house, and that was just last week.

Alongside that, I did spend quite a handful of time with Elias, like when we took pictures for Taco Fiesta, or the few times during lunch period where we would just . . . be normal people and talk. He's so refreshing to talk to. It's not that I don't enjoy talking to Nora and Cannon— I do. It's just that Elias is . . . different. Elias made me feel so . . . different. He made me feel a way I haven't quite felt before. 

I was completely unfamiliar with the feeling. I couldn't put a finger on what it was.