What Lies Beyond the Eyes

y at the TV screen along with Rom before my entrance, gave me a confused look and asked, ”Why? Whats up? ”

I nonchalantly tried to explain coolly my plan, ”I was thinking going to the mall would be better than just staying here all day. Driving in one vehicle would be more efficient than taking two, and I thought driving in your Hybrid would be better than cramping in my car. Plus theres an arcade at the mall we can go to that has games to play too. Im sure Rom will be just as happy to beat you at those games as she is in this one. Ill pay until you can beat me in one game, so Ill probably be broke by the end of the trip. ”

Sandys mouth dropped from shock at my suggestion and almost immediately bounced up and stated proudly, ”Ill have you know I still hold the record for most tickets collected at a Chuck E Cheese for one day. Besides, Im sure Rom and I agree that our only competition will be to take you down. ”

Well, Im relieved to hear that this idea doesn seem to be a miss with the main person Im trying to cheer up. ”Wait, ” I paused amid her ecstatic jumping. ”They keep track of how many tickets you earn in a day? ”

”Well when you go there all the time and become friends with the employees they start to keep track… ”

”When did you— ” I started to ask but couldn finish.

Sandy started marching across the living room with Rom in tow as she pulled out her keys, ”Lets go! ” She announced with a giddy grin.

Rom followed close behind her like a duckling following her parent, and I couldn help but smile to myself. Those are the fiery eyes that are more like the Sandy I usually see, but Im starting to think they
e hiding something with how often they disappear only to come back as if theyd forgotten something.

I waited for Gia and Danny to file out of the house. I almost went back to his room to make sure they didn go back to making out, but they eventually came out of his room looking disheveled. Gia went out the door, but before Danny could I closed it in his face.

”What? ” He asked. ”I thought we were going to the mall? ”

I rubbed my face to ease my frustration. ”Your fly is down. ”

”What?! ”

He hurriedly zipped it up, and I slapped my face, ”How did you even do it that fast?! ” I asked him, almost impressed. ”I just saw you two! At least tell me you used the rubber! God, Mom will kill me if she found out! ”

”Relax! ” He interjected to calm me down, ”We didn do it. We
e both still virgins. We just quickly played around and thats it to kind of finish the mood I had started to make until you barged in! I promise! Knowing we had a time constraint actually made it more exciting and easier to quickly— ”

”Okay! ” I quickly stopped him before he could get any further. ”I don need to know the details! Just knowing you didn put your hand in the cookie jar without a glove on is all I need to know. ”

I couldn believe he did that. I couldn even fathom myself doing that, much less doing that and still not having the common sense to lock the door. Whatever happened to wholesome high school relationships? Ah, thats right. Wholesome and high school teenagers are not two things that go together. I was just wholesome because I was just very alone.

Which I was fine with even though it wasn by choice at first, and I had to go through multiple events that both ruined my perception of other people and ruin my perception of myself. Looking back I was really cringey, so I deserved being mocked. It was my fault in the end really. I was stupid, so I can really fault anyone but myself. So I stayed kind of isolated. Being friendly with everyone but not getting too close, that way people won find out how cringey I am. Its better for everyone, myself included, if I was just alone…

But if I know that its better for everyone for me to be alone, I don know why I keep torturing myself by trying over and over again to make deeper friendships. Maybe Im just a masochist that likes to be hurt emotionally over and over again? Maybe if I was better and more like Danny things would be different? Gah! My emotions are so conflicting! I just wish… I wish I would stop feeling.

”So we
e good? Are you good? ” Danny asked, interrupting my realization that I missed my youth. Ah! I started tearing up for some reason!

I sighed and quickly wiped my face and said, ”Yeah I guess. I won tell mom if you won tell her, oka— ”

HONK!

”Oh yeah we
e going to the mall! ” I suddenly remembered. I was too caught up in what I just witnessed to think of anything else.

Danny opened the front door and chastised me, ”Wasn this your idea? ”

”Shut up! ” I commanded him as I locked the door behind us.

We made our way to Sandys car, who was anxiously tapping the steering wheel to tell us to hurry up. Before we opened her cars, I had one more thing I needed to tell Danny in private. ”Hey Danny! ”

”Yeah? ”

”Lock your door next time for **s sake. ”