Waiting for Love

Lindsay hurriedly dodged  coming students, head hung low as she scurried to math. She couldn't stand being the center of everyone's love life; she couldn't watch everyone give lovey-dovey looks, or see people's hands entwined-- it brought a twang of pain to her heart. Not that anyone would have feelings like that for her; Lindsay was the girl. The dreaded girl.  The one.  No one would help Lindsay change this-- not her mother, not any teacher, not her only friend, Carissa. The life that was given to her was meant to stay… or so Lindsay thought.

There was one boy though. One boy who seemed to change everything. One boy who could change everything; Ethan.  Just saying his name brought tingles to Lindsay "Ethan," she whispered, and she shivered with delight."Brrrrrring!" Rang the bell; the whole class jumped out of their seats and started collecting their things, while Lindsay was already out the door. Lunch was the one time Lindsay could attempt to make social contact as social contact= more opportunities, more opportunities= friends, and friends= potential BOYfriends. Lindsay understood this circle of social contact; in fact, she lived it, dreamt it… this could be a new way of life! Lindsay approached Ethan, preparing herself to ask a question about the "math homework," when she froze in her tracks. Ethan was already talking to Annabeth, the freak of the school (well, really she wasn't a freak… she was just freaky popular.) "Okay…" Lindsay thought, "She might just have a question about math homework too." Lindsay tried to convince herself of this the whole time Ethan and Annabeth walked hand in hand down the hallway. "Freak."

That afternoon, Lindsay raced home from school only to find her mother and father sitting at the kitchen table. “Dad,” Lindsay hugged her father “What are you doing here? I thought that you weren’t coming back from Arizona until Thursday!”

“Well, I was given the chance to leave early, so I did!”

“What about you, mom?” Lindsay asked, “Don’t you get off from work at 5:30?”

“Yes, honey, but we have very important news.”

“Oooh, is it good news?”

“Well, it might trouble you a bit, but-“

“-We’re moving!” My dad interrupts.

Lindsay’s eyes widen, “Really?”

Her mother warms Lindsay in her embrace whispering “Yes honey, we are moving to North Carolina two weeks from now. Your father got a job transfer.”
“Seriously?” Lindsay questioned.

“Yup—now I know this might break your heart but-

“Whohoo! We’re leaving, we’re leaving!” Lindsay raced up the stairs, “I’m gonna start packing!” She shouted to her parents.

“Don’t take this too hard!” Her father called after her jokingly.

When Lindsay was out of earshot, her mom mumbled, “Did you think she was going to take it that well?”

“I could have guessed,” her father replied with a smirk plastered on his face.

                The two weeks have passed but Lindsay hadn’t told yet one person about the move; no one would even notice she was gone, what was the point?  Lindsay had just collected her algebra homework nonchalantly, and quietly listened to her history teacher ramble on about a research project on Abraham’s Assassination in the year 1865. To everyone else, this was what they thought of Lindsay, this was normal behavior.  But inside, this wasn’t normal for Lindsay, she felt as if she was soaring! This is what she had wanted ever since she got to this ugly little town, and now she’s got it. A new life was on its way, no one was even going to notice that she had gone for the better. There was one person though. One person who knew something was about to change; Ethan. Ethan had broke up with Annabeth a few days before, knowing, knowing in his heart, that something was going to happen for him. He knew in his heart, that this, that this was love. But for whom, he couldn’t tell. One day though, just one day is all it took, for him to understand. Lindsay briskly walked past Ethan in the hall, and Ethan, felt a wave of courage sweep over him as he called after her, asking her if they could talk. Lindsay just kept strutting down the corridor with her head held high. And so, that night, Ethan had sent out a box; a small, black box with a grey ribbon attached on top.

And, that night, Lindsay’s family finished up last minute packing.

And, two days after, the box sat on her doorstep, waiting.

Waiting for love.