See You In High School

February 10th, 2004

I had a lazy sunday, woken up by my mom at 10:30 AM, slowly brushing my teeth, and walking to the dining table as mom made pancakes. She walked over and set down a stack of pancakes and a tall glass of orange juice, pinching my cheek as she walked over to the kitchen to wash off dishes. I began ripping into my pancakes when I heard a knock on the door. My mom sighed and walked over to the door, "Oh, hello." She said, opening the door wider. I peeked over my seat, trying to see who was there.

"Hi, I'm Katy. Katy Lorelli." A woman said, "My daughter wanted to come say hi." I jumped off of my chair and slowly walked to the door, confused as to who was there. I was a few feet away, a familiar face peeked behind the woman, "Oh, how sweet. What's your name sweetie?" My mom asked, bending down and tilting her head.

"I'm Raya. Raya Lorelli." I tensed up for a moment before I smiled brightly and ran to the door, "Raya," I said, holding the door and waving to her, "Luca!" She squealed, running to wrap her arms around me. I did the same, shoving my face into her shoulder until she pulled away.

"Can we play in the backyard, momma?" I turned to my mom, giving her my biggest puppy eyes and pleading hands. Raya chuckled and followed my lead, begging my mom. My mom laughed and gestured for the Lorelli's to step inside, "Let me make you something while the kids play," My mom insisted as they walked over to the living room, letting me and Raya run off to the backyard.

                                                                                         ~

After a few hours, Raya's mom walked out, "Kids, come inside. Lunch is ready." She called out. Raya beamed at the thought of lunch, "Come on, Luca!" She said, giving me her iconic smile and dragging me by my arm back inside. As we walked over to our parents, they set down two plates beside each other with two glasses. Me and Raya sat down and picked up our sandwiches, both of us having different ones. Raya apparently likes sweet things, her sandwich filled with chocolate, strawberries, and bananas. Mine was a simple sandwich - they described us a lot, in a way. Raya was kind, gentle, and brave to be something unique. I was basic, easy, and uninteresting.

I liked the way Raya was; I almost wished I could be like her. As we ate our sandwiches, our moms sat next to us, talking about adult things, "Husband at work?" Katy's mother questioned, recalling not seeing a man in the house. My mom frowned and shook her head slightly, "It's just me." She corrected, taking a sip of her coffee after she spoke. Katy's mom took a deep breath, piecing the picture together. She sat her hand to my mothers, leaning towards her, "If you need anything, me and Donte will always be there." She promised, nodding and smiling sadly. I saw my mom's eyes water. She immediately brushed off the sappy-ness, looking up at Katy and nodding in agreement, squeezing her hand firmly. Raya looked at me after she finished her sandwich, wiping off the chocolate from her face, "Hurry up, Luca. I wanna see your room!" She said, jumping up and down in her seat. I laughed as she did, finishing my last few bites of my sandwich.

                                                                                        ~

As the sun began to set, painting the day a giant mix of colors. Orange, purple, red, pink, and yellow dance around each other as the day begins to end. Me and Raya sat down in the grass of my backyard, watching the sun say it's goodbye to our neighborhood. I tilted my head over to my house, my mom and Katy sitting in two chairs, chatting with each other as me and Raya sat.

Raya laid in the grass, stretching her arms over her head. I looked down to her for a moment before following her lead, falling into the grass and placing my hands on my stomach. Raya sighed, shutting her eyes for a moment, "I like you, Luca." She said, glaring at me and smiling the way she always did at me. I looked over at her, trying to keep cool but my mouth spread into a goofy smile at her words, "I like you, too." I said to her, tapping my finger to my wrist as we laid there, watching the sunset. She laughed and shifted her legs up, crossing one over the other as she spoke, "Then you'll marry me one day?" She asked, moving her hands from her head to her lap, curling them together and tilting her head. I jumped up and pressed my knees to my chest, looking down at her as she watched me, "Could I?" I questioned, not knowing how to court someone.

Raya laughed once more, the sound echoing in the back of my mind ever since, "Of course you can! We like each other, right?"

I nodded in agreement. She looked back up to the sky, watching as the bright colors danced off of the sky, letting the deep dark void of space say hello to us. I sighed and shut my eyes, wanting this moment to last forever, when Raya sat her head down on my shoulder, shutting her eyes as well.

I rested my head on top of hers, watching as the sun finally said goodbye.

AAAAAAAA I'm having so much fun writing this !! Excited for people to read and enjoy this story I made up on a random Saturday!!! ~Sav<3