The Life of an Audacious Teenager

Courage

High and low pitched voices mixed with sneakers hitting the linoleum floors filled the hallway. Bodies brushed against one another and backpacks hung over broad shoulders. Gentle laughs bounce off the walls while teachers stand next to doors ushering kids inside. In the distance I hear Mrs. Tolgens voice as she warns everyone about the quiz. I feel the small smile on my face as I pass her class and I hear the complaints of students who forgot to study. Faces pass by me in a blur. A girl with long blonde hair pulled up in a pony tail and brown eyes walks past me hand in hand with a boy with shaggy hair and a bright smile. Another girl passed by, dark brown hair with glasses perched on her nose. She kept her head down as she maneuvered her way through the bodies. A boy trailed behind her, looking more interested in the way her brown hair swished than the students he was constantly running into. More faces passed and I decided to look at shoes than heads. Most of the shoe population were vans and converse though there were some boots and tennis shoes connected to people passing by. A familiar pair of worn out gray and black checkered vans caught my attention. My eyes traveled up to meet his in a quick motion, the eyes that met mine were connected to a familiar face.  Brown hair, styled in a messy way, (his trademark), light brown eyes that I remember constantly gazing into, soft lips that used to hold words that would always make me laugh. Long, muscular arms that used to wrap around me to keep me from danger, mostly my own mind. He passed by quietly as he became another face in the crowd. He wasn't just another face in the crowd, and maybe that's why I noticed such small things. I wanted to find him. I wanted to meet his warm gaze and feel at home again. I want his vans to stop in front of me like the used to and I want to hear his smooth voice while he talks about what his brother did or how his classes went. I want his hands to hold mine. I wanted him to search for me too. 

But this is high school and people don't take the time to search for girls like me.

The constant chattering slowly died down as students entered their classrooms. A few others walked leisurely with a friend, talking about last nights football game or something they're remotely interested in. As the background noise decreased, the thoughts in my head increased. There are so many things I wish I could say in the short amount of time it takes to get from one side of the building to the other. I could stop the girl with the blonde hair and the boy she was holding hands with "Hey, Selena. Hey, Noah. How's it going?" I could talk to the boy that trailed behind Analeigh. "Ryan, if you like Analeigh so much, just talk to her." I could stop him and tell him the truth. "God, Preston, I just really fucking miss you."

But like I said before, this is high school and I haven't built up the courage.