I am the Skeleton in the Closet

Taking it at Face Value

When I turned sixteen, I got my first car. It was a small silver car, still today it was one of the best cars I've ever had. I was actually kind of surprised to hear they were planning on getting me one for my birthday. I didn't know how to react when it got to the house. Was I supposed to be happy? I was excited and grateful for the car, but I didn't know how to express it. I had already locked down all of those emotions so all there was to do was be indifferent. About a week later I got my license at the Secretary of State. The very next school day I registered my car and got my parking space. I had gotten the car part way into the school year so my spot couldn't have been further from the school. The parking lots were set up a little funny. There was staff and handicapped parking out front then student parking to either side of that. I was parked in the lot to the right. It spanned all the way to the back of the school and stopped just before a drop off that they claimed was a hill. I was in spot 365 if I remember correctly. That spot was all the way to the second to last line of parking pretty far to the right of the lot. The only markers you had for the spot were painted on the pavement. Since my birthday was in November, I had less than a month to memorize the landscape around my spot to be able to find it without the number before the snow would cover all the lines.

Brad and I started carpooling to school after that. Neither of us liked the bus much. It was always over crowded with a bunch of kids we didn't like but had to interact with. Everyday he would leave his house a little early to walk over for me to drive him. I liked having the company for the drive. It was like nothing had changed.

I started talking to a boy named Eric not long afterwards. He was an awkward guy and I think that's why we got along. He had a stutter so every sentence was muddled with "Um, um, uhhh"'s until he finally got to the point he was trying to make, typically half way after you've stopped listening. His hair was bright red but eventually faded to a pale blond. He was so pale that stepping foot out into the sun immediately resulted in a sunburn of drastic proportions. He stood about my height and wore blue wire framed glasses.

We met in marching band; or was it regular band? I don't quite remember where we met but a bit afterwards he friended me on social media. He started messaging me not much after. Soon enough he told me he had something he needed to tell me.

Hey can you meet me at school tomorrow? I have to ask you something.

Can't you just ask me now?

No it's a surprise.

OK then, where do you want to meet?

We met in front of the school's auditorium. It ran perpendicular to the band/theater hall in the back left hand corner of the school.

"Hi Elise." Eric waved as I strutted over after class.

"What's up?" I asked. Wonder what he wants to talk about? Something with class?

"Just umm uhh bare with me here. I umm I um uh wanted to um um uh... I just wanted to know if you um um uh... hang um uh ou out some um uh time..." He paused with his hand over his mouth expectantly.

I was still unsure what he was even talking about, what I had gotten out of that was him asking if I wanted to hang out. "Sure?" I both stated and asked. All he wanted to know is if I wanted to hang out? Sure we could be friends.

Seeing my confused squinted eyes he continued. "I just um um think that you're um um um um uh um um uh pretty. I uh mean um uh beautiful. Um uh... I mean um we uh have uh um um fun ta uh tal uh talking on um um uh mess-messenger. I um um thought we um uh um..." He paused again with his hand over his mouth gazing into my eyes like a kicked puppy. "Wha-wha- um um uh what do do do you think?"