The teenaged girl's eyes were blank as she juggled the soccer ball between her feet. The hours of practice in weather that had bitten at her skin or melted drops of sweat from her face had paid off.
Pulled tightly behind her head were healthy curls of blonde and brown. The water that splashed on the ground could not break her focus from the ball. It didn't seem to bother her at all. Her sweater, which hung loosely around her tall, fragile frame was soaked to black.
I watched the ball closely, not knowing or caring how wet the rain was making me. I hadn't seen this girl in a long time.
She caught my stare and smiled. When she opened her mouth her teeth sparkled flawlessly and I raised an eyebrow.
"Ya, I got the braces off about a month after you left. Looks way better don't cha think?"
I just nodded. I hadn't seen Brittany since I moved out of Elk Grove, "Why am I meeting you?" I questioned her with a whisper of a voice.
Brittany just laughed, "I thought it would be obvious," her voice still cracked when she was happy. "I'm the reason you are the way you are. You know, the whole 'monkey see, monkey do' thing."
I was more confused than ever and it must have showed on my face since I heard Brittany laugh with a slight snort when her voice cracked again.
"Think about it Shelly, when you were all alone in Elk Grove I'm the one who was your friend and guide. You always thought the atmosphere changed you into a better person," with one last motion she kicked the ball into her hands, "but it was me."
A quick flash of lightening blinded me for a second. I blinked my eyes rapidly until I could see the rain again. Something was wrong, though. Brittany was gone and her soccer ball was left in her place.
 Alatria · Sat Nov 18, 2006 @ 12:22am · 0 Comments |
