I find it terrible how people go about living their lives like there’s nothing to live for when there is absolutely everything to live for, you know? You have dance classes, painting, poetry, boys, and music. Most people criticize my music. Normal people here in California listen to Katy Perry, Bring Me The Horizon, Lil Wayne (only God knows why), and all the rest of them. Me? I love musicals and operas. I am in love with The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Cabaret and everything. I’m never called a freak, because if I’m ever bullied my dad will shoot them, but still.
People call me Rei, but my full name is Cinder Rei Annabelle Gardella. Not even my mother says all eight syllables. No one really calls me Cinder Rei or simply Cinder. It’s always Rei or Gardella or Reibelle.
The heat of the streets of Somerset was blazing hot as I walked with my very best friend, Hally. Hally is always bubbly and talkative, but I think the heat shut her up for once because we were fast-walking in silence. Which is odd.
We were going to meet up with the gang at the library. The library was pretty popular during the summer – with people doing community service and hanging out and making out behind the bookshelves and all. Fun. Well, I can’t really be sarcastic, because it is fun. Mrs. Frederick used to be pretty uptight, but nowadays she’s gotten a few wrinkles and is mostly silent.
“I could really go for a slushie right about now.” Hally was talking, and I wondered just how long she’d been talking, because I sure hadn’t been paying attention.
“I could too. Sour lime? Yum.”
“That’s pretty gross, Rei. You should try some normal flavors. Like Coke or Pepsi or blueberry or something other than sour lime.”
We were about to enter the library when none other than Wyatt Hartley entered the stage. He was holding a stack of books, two or three, and I could tell when he spotted us, he was trying to walk the other way. Like I was going to stop him. Ever since he came to Somerset, he’s been kind of creepy towards me. Usually people warm up to me quickly because my father is well-known for being a retired FBI agent and we live in an enormous house and I buy amazing Christmas presents. I mean, not only is he cold, he’s downright scary. I had to sit beside him during homeroom last year, and he had this episode where he went absolutely nuts. He threw a chair across the room and stormed out at lightning speed. My heart was pounding more than it had ever pounded before, I think, because he looked like he would kill if someone started breathing.
So everyone stayed away. Not that he minded, of course. I mean, it’s not like he makes sure people stay away from him. It’s that if you try to start a conversation, it usually just stops after he says hello. The way he talks is weird, too, like he’s dyslexic or something. And for some strange reason, every time he’d walk into homeroom, I always got a whiff of pineapples.
It was absolutely awful after that. He dropped his books all over our exposed toes, making me shriek and making Hally squeal. He grunted, bending down and picking them up quite quickly. It didn’t hurt at all, just kind of awkward.
I didn’t even have time to bend down and help. He had them all lined up in exact position. Before he strolled away, though, I saw the spine of a pretty thick one that read Cancer: How to Treat It, which I found pretty weird.
He made eye-contact with me, as if to apologize, and off he went. He’s only been in this town since last Christmas break, and I’ve seen him in school and the library. That’s it.
“Um…” Hally had her eyes on his back the entire time we could see him. “He smells really good.”
I nodded. “Homeroom reminded me of shampoo last year.” Hally giggled, bit her lip the way she does as she stared after the stranger, then slowly turned to me.
“Rei…what do you say…we see what he’s always up to?”
I stared at her. “Hally. That’s kind of weird. Following a guy like him around town in ninety degree weather?”
“Aw, c’mon, Rei. I’m going without you then.” She started off down the sidewalk, her flip-flops echoing in my ears. I took a deep, boring sigh and started off after her.
We stalked him to the high school, which was right across the street. He walked around the building to the baseball field. Okay, I was getting curious. It was a Saturday in August. What was he doing on the school’s baseball field?
We hid behind the bathroom and concession stand building, watching him. Hally wanted desperately to go talk to him, but I gripped her arm.
“This is weird. Let’s go back and meet up with Tyler,” I whispered.
“Don’t you want to see what he’s up to?” she replied. She ripped her arm from my grasp and walked the dozen yards over to him. From what I could tell, all he was doing was sitting there. He didn’t have his books anymore, which was kind of weird, because as far as I know, he hadn’t stopped anywhere.
I turned around, bit my lip, pretended to be in drama class, and followed Hally over to him.
Wyatt was just sitting there, staring. Hally had stopped halfway, her brows furrowed. When I met her location, I could see what she was staring at. I hadn’t seen that before. There was a white bandage on his wrist, wrapped up around his thumb, wrist, ending halfway up his forearm. He must’ve just done that, because I’d seen him two days or so ago and he looked perfect.
Hally shook her head, though, and waltzed over to him, smiling. “Hey, Wyatt. Wanna play some baseball?”
Wyatt kind of just slowly moved his head in her direction. I couldn’t exactly tell if he was looking at her or the dirt. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, then he slowly shook his head.
I walked over after that, either to save Hally or him, I wasn’t sure which. “Hally, he probably doesn’t want to. It’s too hot. We’d melt.”
“I’m just trying to be polite.” She was quiet for a moment. “What happened to your arm?” Very polite.
I realized he really was staring at the dirt when he moved his eyes up to meet hers. It was then that I realized his eyes were blue. A real pretty light blue, too. I always thought they were brown or hazel or something.
The anti-social spoke, though. “Nothing.” It wasn’t a sentence, but it was something at least! It was an answer. Which was an improvement.
Hally nodded. “Well, it looks pretty bad…whatever it is.” She took a seat beside him. Even I could see him tensing and I was about half a yard away. “Do you like baseball, Wyatt?”
I inched over to them, cautious. When no one moved, I sat down on the bleacher bench below them, looking up at him. He really was quite cute, really. He had brown hair with streaks of just about every hair color in it. When he’d said “nothing”, I’d caught a glimpse of his straight, white teeth. His jaw was perfect, his eyes were gorgeous…
“…Rei? Hello? Earth to Reibelle? Are you still breathing?”
I blinked from my trance, gazing up at her now. “What?”
“I said, Wyatt wants to play baseball. Are you going to join us or not?”
I stared at her. “Hally, you don’t even know which way to go on the bases.”
“I don’t care. Wyatt will show me.” She looked at him, grinning. “You can bat first, since that’s what you want to do.” It was when he actually moved that the his shadow gave away and I saw a Louisville Slugger on the bleach floor. I don’t notice things very well, apparently.
I’d played softball for about four years, so I knew how to pitch, but not very well. I took a deep breath and followed the bouncing Hally to the triangle. I looked back, and Wyatt was walking directly behind me. Like, directly behind me because when I stopped to see if he was actually going to play he ran into me. I was about to fall, but he grabbed my arm in one graceful move. Whoa.
He went to base, swung the bat around a few times, and got into batting position. It was weird seeing him in a position like that – usually he’s slouching or sitting or standing normally. I cleared my throat, took the ball from Hally. I bent, centering it, and then I sloppily through underhand.
Well, maybe he didn’t think it was sloppy, because the ball sailed over our heads, and it would’ve sailed probably to the library if the gate didn’t stop it. I couldn’t believe it.
He wasn’t doing much running, though. When we turned around to gawk at him, he was already striding away, the slugger in hand. Good way to get us off his back, I must say.
People call me Rei, but my full name is Cinder Rei Annabelle Gardella. Not even my mother says all eight syllables. No one really calls me Cinder Rei or simply Cinder. It’s always Rei or Gardella or Reibelle.
The heat of the streets of Somerset was blazing hot as I walked with my very best friend, Hally. Hally is always bubbly and talkative, but I think the heat shut her up for once because we were fast-walking in silence. Which is odd.
We were going to meet up with the gang at the library. The library was pretty popular during the summer – with people doing community service and hanging out and making out behind the bookshelves and all. Fun. Well, I can’t really be sarcastic, because it is fun. Mrs. Frederick used to be pretty uptight, but nowadays she’s gotten a few wrinkles and is mostly silent.
“I could really go for a slushie right about now.” Hally was talking, and I wondered just how long she’d been talking, because I sure hadn’t been paying attention.
“I could too. Sour lime? Yum.”
“That’s pretty gross, Rei. You should try some normal flavors. Like Coke or Pepsi or blueberry or something other than sour lime.”
We were about to enter the library when none other than Wyatt Hartley entered the stage. He was holding a stack of books, two or three, and I could tell when he spotted us, he was trying to walk the other way. Like I was going to stop him. Ever since he came to Somerset, he’s been kind of creepy towards me. Usually people warm up to me quickly because my father is well-known for being a retired FBI agent and we live in an enormous house and I buy amazing Christmas presents. I mean, not only is he cold, he’s downright scary. I had to sit beside him during homeroom last year, and he had this episode where he went absolutely nuts. He threw a chair across the room and stormed out at lightning speed. My heart was pounding more than it had ever pounded before, I think, because he looked like he would kill if someone started breathing.
So everyone stayed away. Not that he minded, of course. I mean, it’s not like he makes sure people stay away from him. It’s that if you try to start a conversation, it usually just stops after he says hello. The way he talks is weird, too, like he’s dyslexic or something. And for some strange reason, every time he’d walk into homeroom, I always got a whiff of pineapples.
It was absolutely awful after that. He dropped his books all over our exposed toes, making me shriek and making Hally squeal. He grunted, bending down and picking them up quite quickly. It didn’t hurt at all, just kind of awkward.
I didn’t even have time to bend down and help. He had them all lined up in exact position. Before he strolled away, though, I saw the spine of a pretty thick one that read Cancer: How to Treat It, which I found pretty weird.
He made eye-contact with me, as if to apologize, and off he went. He’s only been in this town since last Christmas break, and I’ve seen him in school and the library. That’s it.
“Um…” Hally had her eyes on his back the entire time we could see him. “He smells really good.”
I nodded. “Homeroom reminded me of shampoo last year.” Hally giggled, bit her lip the way she does as she stared after the stranger, then slowly turned to me.
“Rei…what do you say…we see what he’s always up to?”
I stared at her. “Hally. That’s kind of weird. Following a guy like him around town in ninety degree weather?”
“Aw, c’mon, Rei. I’m going without you then.” She started off down the sidewalk, her flip-flops echoing in my ears. I took a deep, boring sigh and started off after her.
We stalked him to the high school, which was right across the street. He walked around the building to the baseball field. Okay, I was getting curious. It was a Saturday in August. What was he doing on the school’s baseball field?
We hid behind the bathroom and concession stand building, watching him. Hally wanted desperately to go talk to him, but I gripped her arm.
“This is weird. Let’s go back and meet up with Tyler,” I whispered.
“Don’t you want to see what he’s up to?” she replied. She ripped her arm from my grasp and walked the dozen yards over to him. From what I could tell, all he was doing was sitting there. He didn’t have his books anymore, which was kind of weird, because as far as I know, he hadn’t stopped anywhere.
I turned around, bit my lip, pretended to be in drama class, and followed Hally over to him.
Wyatt was just sitting there, staring. Hally had stopped halfway, her brows furrowed. When I met her location, I could see what she was staring at. I hadn’t seen that before. There was a white bandage on his wrist, wrapped up around his thumb, wrist, ending halfway up his forearm. He must’ve just done that, because I’d seen him two days or so ago and he looked perfect.
Hally shook her head, though, and waltzed over to him, smiling. “Hey, Wyatt. Wanna play some baseball?”
Wyatt kind of just slowly moved his head in her direction. I couldn’t exactly tell if he was looking at her or the dirt. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, then he slowly shook his head.
I walked over after that, either to save Hally or him, I wasn’t sure which. “Hally, he probably doesn’t want to. It’s too hot. We’d melt.”
“I’m just trying to be polite.” She was quiet for a moment. “What happened to your arm?” Very polite.
I realized he really was staring at the dirt when he moved his eyes up to meet hers. It was then that I realized his eyes were blue. A real pretty light blue, too. I always thought they were brown or hazel or something.
The anti-social spoke, though. “Nothing.” It wasn’t a sentence, but it was something at least! It was an answer. Which was an improvement.
Hally nodded. “Well, it looks pretty bad…whatever it is.” She took a seat beside him. Even I could see him tensing and I was about half a yard away. “Do you like baseball, Wyatt?”
I inched over to them, cautious. When no one moved, I sat down on the bleacher bench below them, looking up at him. He really was quite cute, really. He had brown hair with streaks of just about every hair color in it. When he’d said “nothing”, I’d caught a glimpse of his straight, white teeth. His jaw was perfect, his eyes were gorgeous…
“…Rei? Hello? Earth to Reibelle? Are you still breathing?”
I blinked from my trance, gazing up at her now. “What?”
“I said, Wyatt wants to play baseball. Are you going to join us or not?”
I stared at her. “Hally, you don’t even know which way to go on the bases.”
“I don’t care. Wyatt will show me.” She looked at him, grinning. “You can bat first, since that’s what you want to do.” It was when he actually moved that the his shadow gave away and I saw a Louisville Slugger on the bleach floor. I don’t notice things very well, apparently.
I’d played softball for about four years, so I knew how to pitch, but not very well. I took a deep breath and followed the bouncing Hally to the triangle. I looked back, and Wyatt was walking directly behind me. Like, directly behind me because when I stopped to see if he was actually going to play he ran into me. I was about to fall, but he grabbed my arm in one graceful move. Whoa.
He went to base, swung the bat around a few times, and got into batting position. It was weird seeing him in a position like that – usually he’s slouching or sitting or standing normally. I cleared my throat, took the ball from Hally. I bent, centering it, and then I sloppily through underhand.
Well, maybe he didn’t think it was sloppy, because the ball sailed over our heads, and it would’ve sailed probably to the library if the gate didn’t stop it. I couldn’t believe it.
He wasn’t doing much running, though. When we turned around to gawk at him, he was already striding away, the slugger in hand. Good way to get us off his back, I must say.
