And He Held Her Hands

Written on: 5/10/07

The first glimpse of light always makes her eyes sore, as she muttered to no one in particular in a monotonous voice. The alarm clock responded by doing a routine gig, which it gave without fail every weekday morning, much to her dismay. She sat on her bed for a few moments, sprouting numerous profanities and decrying the education system – not a very feminine mannerism – yet there was no one around who could hear her.

She dragged herself out of her bed, and carelessly threw ‘Wawa’, her one-eyed teddy bear back onto the warmth of her blankets. The bear seemed to look at her resentfully for a second out of its black, gem-like eye. She did not care, however. She had more things to worry about; as if a resentful teddy bear could be more important than keeping her hair straight.

And whether he would come.

She bathed silently, with the cold water rushing down her face. Yet as the tap roared its finale, she shuddered in the cold air, which was stiff with emptiness and longing. As she slipped into her uniform – the distasteful piece of fabric which she was required to wear – her thoughts dwelled upon the homework she had not done, the project she has yet to research upon. However, all these were quickly dismissed and she thought of Melissa’s smiling face, that sweet smile that never failed to bring a smile to her face as well.

That smile, that smile.

Her hands flew down the buttons, and she was done in no time. Grabbing her bag, she took one last, long look in the mirror; her hair was straight and hung up to her waist, and her tie was the usual – loose and slanted – and she opened the door.

The lock flew open with a click that resounded around the house. Clearly, no one was home, even at such an unearthly hour. A note was propped up beside a lime-green lunch box. ‘Water the plants’ it read. She carefully placed the lunchbox in her bag and heaved the main door open.

The cool morning wind greeted her in a rare gesture of kindness. She stepped out and locked the door, checking it twice to make sure no one else could open it unless in possession of a key. Hastily, she rushed down the stairs, paying no attention to the withering plants which badly needed watering. ‘It would probably rain anyway’ she thought as she began her slow descend at the top of the stairs.

And there he was.

She bounded down the stairs, her feet moving in quick succession. With a final leap, she knocked into his frame, almost knocking him over with the surprise gesture. He turned around and smiled that warm, gentle smile that only he owned. He was not a heart-stopper, but his appearance was no doubt attractive.

Few people could pull off a fashion stunt in a school uniform – he was one of them. The sleeves were folded slightly, and the tie hung at chest level, giving it a free, carefree guise. The shoes were black leather, a material which few students of his age seemed to be interested in. Carelessly, he shook his eye-length hair out of his face.

And he took her hands.

Firmly.