Tell Me A Story

Chapter 2

"So, what do you wanna be in the future, Adam?"

"Huh?"

That was a sudden question. We were just lying down in the roof, eating lunch and she asks that out of the blue.

"What do you wanna do for a living in the future?"

"Oh, uhh... I don't know, really..."

"Liar."

Up she goes, and stares at me while her face hovers over mine. I don't know if it was the midday sun or the fact she was so close to me that I had to look away. I sat up and turned towards her.

"I have a dream, but it's really stupid..."

"Wrong. No dream is stupid. As long as you have something to aim for, it's good to keep your head up high. I'd rather have my head in the clouds than stay down here in reality."

I scratch the back of my head and look down embarrassed. She's right. Your dreams are something that keep you going and moving forward. No dream is stupid.

"I uhh... want to be a novelist."

Suddenly, her eyes shine brighter than the sun.

"REALLY???!!! THAT'S SO COOL. I REALLY PICTURED YOU FOR SOMEONE IMAGINATIVE BUT I NEVER GUESSED YOU'D WANNA BE A WRITER. THAT'S REALLY AWESOME!!!"

Geez, now I'm even more embarrassed. I bet my face is really blushed right now. After a while, she calms down a bit and sits back down.

"Do you have anything written right now?"

I pulled out my worn notepad and handed it to her. I was nervous. It was just a handful of short stories I wrote in my free time, but she was the first person to read them besides me. Her face was plain as she began to scan page after page. I could notice small features pop up. A slight chuckle of happiness, a grunt of pain, a frown of sadness. I could only smile. I was happy my stories could make someone feel so many emotions just by reading.

After a while, she returns the pad back.

"Those were really good, Adam."

"Thanks, I'm glad you liked them." Then I put my pad away and looked at her. I realized I didn't know much about her. "What about you, what do you want to be in the future?"

"A wife." She winked at me.

This got to me and got me even more flustered. Relax, Adam. She's your friend.

"Joke, joke." She laughed loudly and grinned. "I actually want to be a singer."

"Well you do have an amazingly warm voice. I'm sure you'd be able to."

"Wanna listen?"

"Sure." Again out of the blue, but not like I wasn't curious.

She leaned against the fence of the roof and looked at me. She closed her eyes and what came next cannot be described. Her voice was more soothing than before, like being embraced by a warm and loving light. I don't know when she stopped, I just know that when she did, I could only stare as my eyes started getting watery.

"H-hey, I know I'm bad, but you dont have to cry..."

"N-no, it's not that..." I wiped my face and smiled. "It was just so beautiful, I couldn't help myself. You have an amazing voice."

She looked down embarrassed.

"T-thanks..."

I looked at her and smiled. She smiled back. This was fun. Guess being friends wasn't that bad. But what I didn't realize is that I fell in love with her even more.

"Say, wanna go grab a drink after school? I know a really good cafe nearby."

I came out of my trance.

"Sure, sounds like fun."

She smiled greatly once more. God, I love that smile of hers. The bell for class rang, and as we grab out stuff to head back down, I noticed something that chilled me down to the core.

On the side of her arm, barely hidden by her jacket, was a bruise.