I walked down the school corridor, listening to the sound of kids chattering about stupid things. Girlfriends, boyfriends, shows that'd be popular for a week and then forgotten.. Headaches. Headaches. They were all so freaking tiny. Tiny ants. Wasteful conversations. Wasteful thoughts. The day had ended, yet people were still chattering like rats.
I realized my nails were digging into my hand as I clenched my fist. Here I go hating on people I don't know as always. Stuff like this is why I deserved to die, honestly. Who actually got mad just hearing other people talk?
I stared at the floor and heard a familiar voice... That rasp circled around my brain, making my thoughts focus on her... That angel from heaven above...
She moved through the halls like an otherworldly being. Her tall ethereal figure, her graceful movements, and her wispy hair. It was put into a messy bun and fell down behind her waving, spindly-like spider webs in the air delicately crafted trap the small ignorant wandering creature. I think Cleo actually proved the existence of a god. There's no way someone like her could randomly come into existence, not any chance...
I wanted to look away but my gaze followed her as she stepped through the halls. Seeing her made me so sad. Maybe today I'd actually get the courage to kill myself. If I became a ghost, I wanted to watch her. Would she notice the repulsive girl who vanished out of the hall someday? Probably not... The creepy girl who never spoke... the brat who was always angry.
But today something odd happened.
Briefly, she glanced at me.
Light brown eyes, briefly examining me before flickering away. My heart a skipped a beat. I wasn't sure that the series of events had actually taken place. Such a small instance of time with so many people in the hall . . .
I shook it off and decided to go upstairs. The roof was peaceful unlike the student-filled halls below. I didn't like this school very much. It was much too large and had unnecessary hallways and oddly shaped rooms, yet some construction worker actually blessed me with an opening to the roof. Technically, students weren't even allowed there, but who cared at that point? I'd found the keys after entering the janitor's room one time and finders keepers I suppose.
I unlocked the door to the roof and locked it behind me. I approached the edge and sat hanging legs off the roof. It wasn't very high from the ground, so if I fell i probably wouldn't die... I'd just be injured . . . though maybe I could fall and slam my head on the concrete.
People moved below, shifting, like bugs. I couldn't hear any of their conversations in particular, just blurry chattering. I lied back on the roof and took a deep breath. My mom would probably worry if I didn't come home in at least an hour... But she'd yell at me over something trivial if I went home anyway. Did I wash the dishes this morning? My room was messy. Why wasn't I eating properly?
I sighed and closed my eyes. Perhaps, I'd just take a nap.
A nap... Ended up becoming three hours of odd dreams. I kept shifting in and out of fantasy worlds. Maybe, I'd be holding Cleo's hand for a bit before disappearing into my room with her standing over me. It was honestly torture.
Eventually I opened my eyes but wasn't really convinced I was awake. My feet were pulled to my chest, and I wasn't as dangerously close to the edge. The chattering of the students below had been replaced by car horns and the occasional tweet of some lonely birds. I stood and stumbled a towards the door.
But when I opened the door, my brain shut down. I guess I was still dreaming. My vision was still blurry, but there was no mistaking it. Here she was standing in front of me in a cream colored sun dress . . . Cleo Sylvester.
"Valerie," her raspy soft angel voice spoke with a smile. "How are you?"
I stared at her, not really what sure how to respond. I mumbled, "Why are you speaking to me?" It was straight to the point. Perhaps, a bit harsh considering the fact that she was my unrequited love, but I had no chance with her. There was no point in pretending I was a nice person.
"I saw you come up here about three hours ago. I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said. There was no hesitation in her words. And somehow, even her rasp was smooth.
"So. . . You waited for me for three hours?"
"I didn't have anything else to do. My club meeting was cancelled."
I wanted to question her a bit more, but my brain was moving so slowly.
"I'm Cleo by the way," she continued. I looked at the ground. Was there any point in introducing myself? She obviously knew my name for some reason.
I was curious though. Had she really just seen me come up here? Waiting for three hours for anyone... Specifically me, someone she'd never spoken too...
"I was going to kill myself. You probably shouldn't follow me up here again just in case I decide to," I explained.
Oddly enough, Cleo didn't seem surprised by me. She actually smiled and put her hand on my shoulder. My heart was beating really quickly.
"It's great that you didn't; that would've been a bad outcome you know? I'm sure my presence helped you come to your senses. I'm basically an angel by the way. No one ever hurts themselves when they're with me." I nodded not really understanding her words. . . It'd been some time since I'd had a conversation with someone, and I was sure they hadn't call themselves an angel.
"I don't believe in angels." I wasn't sure where to look. Focusing so intently on the ground was difficult. I was just scared to drown in her honey colored eyes. I wish she'd go away. Pretty girls were so scary. Confident girls were scary. Actually, all girls were scary.
She laughed. "I hope I can make you believe in angels, Valerie." Soft, airy.. maybe she really was an angel. She lifted my head with her thin finger, forcing me to look at her. A tinge of red appeared on her cheeks as she opened her mouth to speak. "Can you look at me when you talk? I'd really like to see your face."
I nodded, and she removed her hand from my face. She brushed a strand of her hair back and more words escaped her lips. "To be honest, I really wanted to talk with you." She held her hand to a face, and I noticed the contrast between her pastel pink nails and her caramel skin.
"Would you like to hang out with me, Valerie?"