One moment is all it takes to make or break a person, whether they know it or not. Always a shy, quiet girl Jessica had lived most of her life in California. She had very few close friends and her love life was something of a joke. She didn’t feel like she was very beautiful. She was overweight, average height and felt more comfortable when her hair was cropped short. She had spent most of her life in the stories she read. In many ways she still believed in silly things like love at first sight and she desperately still wanted to believe in fairy tales and that handsome prince on a white horse.
It was a beautiful day in May when she met him. The warm California sun caressed her skin softly as a cool breeze whispered around her. That particular day was fairly average and unremarkable. She was simply going around the mall looking for a second job to help her parents with the bills at home, as her mother was sick and her father was not what you would call financially responsible. He tended to not pay attention to the money he spent, which is why they were fighting their eviction notice.
So it was to this mall, this place she would escape to. She took another drag from her cigarette as she sat outside the food court, watching the people below her as they hurried through life. Always rushing about, never stopping to look around them at such beauty as that beautiful day. Her head swirled as she exhaled, giving her a slight buzz that always made her giddy.
“Excuse me?”
The sudden voice behind her startled Jessica and when she turned she saw him. He was fairly tall, with the kind of bleached blonde hair that can usually be expected in California except his hair was long, down to the middle of his back. His clothes suggested he was probably into heavy metal and based on the doodles and markings on the backpack he carried he was pagan or satanic.
“Yes?” she answered timidly, trying to mask the butterflies welling up in her stomach.
“Would I be able to bum a smoke from you?” he asked. He was so polite and soft spoken Jessica was slightly taken aback.
“Sure.” She pulled out a cigarette and handed it to him. As he took it, he lit it and sat down next to her. He looked at her so intently it almost made her feel naked. Almost. She actually felt a bit overdressed in her ankle length black skirt and dress shirt. The only thing that gave her true personality away was the three inch heeled lace up boots she wore that she had bought at Hot Topic.
“You on your break?” he asked. She giggled at the curious expression on his face and the way his eyebrows arched.
“No. Job hunting, actually. What about you? Fun filled day of shopping or just a regular mallrat?”
“Just about to start my shift.” He grinned as he reached in his back pack and pulled out a hideous lime green silk shirt.
“Oh? Where do you work?”
“That Photo studio down over by Border’s. Well, technically I work at their kiosk right inside those doors.” He pointed towards the food court. He flicked his finished cigarette and turned towards the door. “The name’s Mark”
“I’m Jessica.”
“It was a pleasure. Maybe I’ll see you around.” He smiled at her. Jessica smiled and waved. She felt like an idiot but didn’t know what to say. She really wanted to ask him out but her shyness always got in the way and turned her into an old fashioned prude. Let the guy ask you out and all that. As he walked away Jessica was left to contemplate exactly how pathetic she thought her life was. Why couldn’t she have made the first move?
She always told people she was an old fashioned kind of girl, but that wasn’t true. She was just too afraid to be anything else. It was easier to just let someone else make the first move. Sadly the only person who had ever made any move on her though was her ex girlfriend Louise.
Louise was a small extremely heavyset girl with red hair that was kept really short. She always dressed in clothes that looked like they were made for someone a good 40 pounds lighter and because of her short stature, her extreme weight made her look like a balloon with legs. Sometimes the way she acted was almost as if she had never quite grown beyond the age of five. Jessica often felt herself just being led along when she was with Louise. Louise kept her submissive by talking down to her, would take her out and not buy Jessica any food, would purposely flaunt anything nice she got with the promise of possibly giving it to Jessica. Jessica didn’t even know it, but their relationship was very abusive mentally.
Even when Louise got married their relationship continued. Jessica didn’t feel quite right about that but she was afraid of being alone. Her best friend Sarah had her son and didn’t have as much time for Jessica as she used to. It wasn’t on purpose it was just the way it was. So Jessica clung to the worst person she could have. She knew though she wanted more from life. She just didn’t know what.
On that day when she met Mark, Louise and she were no longer in a relationship, but were still friends. After he left, Jessica picked up her cell phone and called Louise, eager to tell her about the cute guy that she met. There was no answer so she left a message, finished her cigarette, and went inside. As she walked around the different stores, her mind wandered to him. She smiled just thinking about him, the butterflies going crazy in her stomach. The day began to draw to an end and she had to catch her bus though. As we walked toward the exit she heard a familiar voice.
“Wanna buy a portrait for ten bucks?” She turned around to see Mark’s smiling face. She wasn’t very good at reading people, but she thought he seemed genuine. He began to tell her about some photo package and she smiled and nodded but really didn’t care. In the end though she bought one, even if just to make the moment with him last longer. She doubted she would ever see him again.
On the bus ride home, all she could think about was him. His adorable crooked smile, the way his green eyes sparkled when he was talking excitedly, that luscious blonde hair. By the time she got home, she was walking on air…until she heard her parents fighting yet again. Even though she wanted to be there to help her mom, she stayed away from the house as much as possible to avoid the fights. So the week dragged on, filled with work and more trips to the mall, even if just to catch a glimpse of him. She never did though. One morning however, while riding the bus to work, fate worked its magic. She wasn’t normally on this bus in the morning. Her boss had asked her to work the morning shift and Jessica appreciated the extra hours. Lost in thought, her bag in the seat next to her, she didn’t even notice the people as they got on and off. Until she heard his voice next to her.
“Hey doll, can I sit down?” Stunned she looked up into Mark’s gorgeous face. She quickly moved her bag and motioned for him to sit. They talked for half an hour, both missing their stops. It was then Jessica realized she’d met The One. This time she got his phone number and was walking on air all day. As soon as she got home she told her mother all about her dream guy. She dreamed of him that night.
0 comments:
Post a Comment