The Girl Across the Street

The Girl Across the Steet 26

Yesterday I had lab so I hadn't gotten the chance to speak with Will but today I have gym. When I get out to the track, I see him sitting on the bleachers, talking to Kelley. He sees me and waves me over. I jog up to them.

"Hey Dylan!" Kelley greets cheerfully.

"Hey Kelley! How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks. I'll give you two the chance to talk. I'll talk to you soon Dylan! Bye Will." She pecks him on the cheek and he smiles back at her, holding onto her hand until the distance between them breaks the bond apart. She makes her way over to her friends and Will turns to me.

"That shirt yesterday certainly was something wasn't it?" He starts.

"I didn't realize you had seen it."

"It was pretty hard to miss in the hallways. I hope you didn't wear it thinking you were proving a point to me."

"I wasn't thinking about you at all. Actually, all I was thinking about when I decided to wear that shirt because I wanted to defend a friend and prove a point to every goddamn person in this school. The point that just because your clothes are little different, just because you act a little different, doesn't change who you are. They needed their eyes opened and goddamnit I was going to open their eyes."

"And did you prove your point? Are their eyes opened?"

"This isn't something that's just going to magically change in a day. It's something that's going to take a long time. One day isn't enough to prove a point so you know what? Let me get back to you later on that one."

"Was it for that girl?" He asks, nodding at Emma, who is walking around the track by herself, earbuds in.

"It wasn't just for her. It was for anyone else who wants to be different but doesn't have the guts to change. For people who aren't afraid to look a little weird sometimes. Simon is supporting me with this. I'm sure you saw him."

"I saw him alright. And you both looked like idiots. Some of the girls may have liked it, but I don't think it's going to get you anywhere."

"You haven't seen the little changes yet. You know Kate called Tara a bitch the other day? She was sticking up for Emma. My little sister is convincing my mom to let her buy a pair of pink pants. Emma is wearing her colors again, but in a way that's easier for people to accept. Simon is having a blast."

"That's only a couple people Dylan. Not nearly enough people to change anything."

"It's enough to get started. And that's all I need. I need this idea to get started and then, then it was snowball and get bigger and bigger until I can go through the halls and not feel like I'm seeing the same people over and over again. Maybe there won't be so much pressure to be perfect. Maybe we can get some diversity in our lives so we don't look back and regret things we could have done but didn't because we were too freaking scared. I don't want to change the world, just a couple of high schoolers."

            Will nods but doesn't say anything. I shake my head and walk away. I'm just not going to be able to convince him. I jog down the bleachers and as soon as my feet hit the rubber track, I take off sprinting. When I start to get tired, I slow to a jog but don't stop going.

I turn my music louder, skipping the slower songs on my iPod. Simon runs up to me and motions that it's time to go in. I check my watch and see that the period is in fact almost over.

We're almost late to chemistry but we make it on time, walking in with the bell. Everyone looks up, sees us and stares while we take our seats. By this point, I've actually gotten used to so many people staring at me, watching and scrutinizing my every move. The chatter hasn't been about my choices of shirt or friends, sure signs that things just may be improving.