One
Delilah.
I shoved my hands into pockets of my jacket as I walked out of the building. I looked at the white snow all over the place. This year winter is longer than usual. It's mostly cold around here throughout the year but snow falls only during winter. But this year the snow doesn't seem to be melting away. And it also seems like it'll snow again today.
I was about to walk away from the building. When I heard someone calling my name from behind.
"Delilah?" I turned in the direction of the voice.
It was Troy Maxwell. I saw him earlier in the group meeting. He was just sitting there in his varsity jacket listening to everyone's story with a bored look in those blue eyes flawed with a little bit of green.
"I know you don't know me-" He started as he softly ran his hand through his dark brown chocolate hair.
"I do. You're Troy Maxwell." I answered before he could complete his sentence. "I've heard a lot about you from Flynn." I said as he seemed a little surprised.
"Oh." Was the response he gave. "Well, I just wanted to say that I really respected Flynn. He was a great player and I really enjoyed playing against him."
I gave him a small smile. "He enjoyed playing against you too. He really liked you and he always used to say that "this Maxwell dude's gonna blow everyone's mind someday". Those are his exact words." I let out a small laugh as he laughed along with me.
"So, isn't it too far for you to come here all the way from Eastville?" He asked.
"It's just a two hour ride." I shrugged.
"Is someone's going to pick you up or you have your own ride?" He asked as he held on the strap of his back pack hanging on his one shoulder.
"I'm gonna take the bus." I answered.
"I don't think any bus is gonna come today 'cause it seems like it's going to snow again. I can drop you off if you want." He suggested and I looked at him with a little scowl.
"I know I'm just a stranger but I can't leave you here alone knowing that it's going to snow and there won't be any busses coming in today." He admitted.
"That is correct but Eastville is two hours away are you sure you can drop me off there?" I asked.
"Yeah. I can do that." He shrugged. "Why don't you.." he said as he reached out into his pocket and took out his wallet. "..take a picture of my driver license and send it to your parents or anyone you trust. Just to be safe." He said taking out the license from his wallet and giving it to me.
I looked at him with in confusion. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"I just told you I can't leave you alone here." He answered.
I looked at him for a few moments. I don't know what is going through his brain but he's right there won't be any busses coming in today if it's going to snow and I can't call my parents all the way here. They'd be mad at me and tell me to find a group in Eastville. That is something I don't want to do.
I took the card from him as I took out my phone. I opened my camera and took a pic of it. I gave it back to him as I send the picture to my one and only sister Jon. Well her name's Joanna I just call her Jon.
"Okay. Let's go." I said and he smiled at me as he pointed at his black SUV parked nearby. We both made our way towards the car. He unlocked the car as we got in.
We both took off our jackets and put them in the backseat as we put on our seatbelts. He started the engine as we started to drive away from the building.
I'm sitting in his car because I kinda trust him. Flynn has told me a lot of times about Troy. He always said that he's not only a great football player he's also a good person and a complete gentleman. I've heard good things about Troy in school too. Troy became a topic of discussion when he scored a hattrick against our school and won that match. Flynn was really in shock when that happened. He was kind of a little jealous of him. But his behaviour towards him changed when he got to hang out with him during the after match party.
It's kind of tradition between Eastville High and Saint Germaine High soccer teams. They celebrate together after the match. Doesn't matter who wins the match. They just have to celebrate together. There are like a whole lot of strict rules of partying together too. And one of them is that you'll be banned from the team if you try to insult the loser team. It actually kind of creates a friendly atmosphere between the both schools. This tradition goes way back to the time when our schools were first built.
I put my cold hand near the heater just to warm it up.
"If you want to I can increase the heater's speed." Troy offered.
"No, I'm good." I said as he gave me a little nod.
"Can I ask you a question, Delilah?" He said with his eyes on the road.
"Yeah." I said.
"Why come all the way to Frostdale?"
I remained silent for a few moments trying to come up with words.
"You don't have to answer me if you don't want to." He said apologetically.
"No. It's fine. Actually, everyone knows me in Eastville. And if I'd go to a group meeting there. People would know that I'm still hung up on Flynn." I answered.
"Why would you care about people?" He asked.
"I don't. I'm just sick and tired of people coming to me with pity in their eyes." I answered.
He didn't say anytging in response. There was an uncomfortable silence enveloping the atmosphere in the car.
"So, why were you at the meeting?" I asked and he let out a laugh.
"My coach thought it'd be good for me. Because I haven't been able to focus after my dad died a month ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I said apologetically and he smiled.
"Yeah, me too." He replied. "Anyways I'm not going back there."
"Why not?" I asked and he shrugged.
"I didn't want to go there in the first place. And the coach actually send me there to hear other people's stories and realize that my life sucks a little less than theirs."
I let out a small laugh. "I think that might just work." I said and he smiled.
"Yeah. May be." He answered with his eyes glued on the road.
"Didn't work on you huh?"
"Not really." He answered. "I think it's kind of like in human's nature to always think that they're the only one in pain and others pain is nothing in front of theirs."
That really hit me hard. He is right. I mean if I look at myself I think that no one can understand my pain because they don't know what real pain feels like.
"Do you wanna listen to some music?" He asked. I think he felt a little awkward since I didn't say anything.
"Yeah." I said.
He gave me the aux cable with his one hand on steering and his eyes stuck on the road.
"Play anything you want." He said.
I took the cable from his hand as I connected my phone with it. I selected the shuffle play option on my phone's player and the soft sweet melody of "Somebody Else" by The 1975 started to pour in the car through the speakers.
Troy smiled a little. "I love this song." He said.
"Me too." I replied.
I shoved my hands into pockets of my jacket as I walked out of the building. I looked at the white snow all over the place. This year winter is longer than usual. It's mostly cold around here throughout the year but snow falls only during winter. But this year the snow doesn't seem to be melting away. And it also seems like it'll snow again today.
I was about to walk away from the building. When I heard someone calling my name from behind.
"Delilah?" I turned in the direction of the voice.
It was Troy Maxwell. I saw him earlier in the group meeting. He was just sitting there in his varsity jacket listening to everyone's story with a bored look in those blue eyes flawed with a little bit of green.
"I know you don't know me-" He started as he softly ran his hand through his dark brown chocolate hair.
"I do. You're Troy Maxwell." I answered before he could complete his sentence. "I've heard a lot about you from Flynn." I said as he seemed a little surprised.
"Oh." Was the response he gave. "Well, I just wanted to say that I really respected Flynn. He was a great player and I really enjoyed playing against him."
I gave him a small smile. "He enjoyed playing against you too. He really liked you and he always used to say that "this Maxwell dude's gonna blow everyone's mind someday". Those are his exact words." I let out a small laugh as he laughed along with me.
"So, isn't it too far for you to come here all the way from Eastville?" He asked.
"It's just a two hour ride." I shrugged.
"Is someone's going to pick you up or you have your own ride?" He asked as he held on the strap of his back pack hanging on his one shoulder.
"I'm gonna take the bus." I answered.
"I don't think any bus is gonna come today 'cause it seems like it's going to snow again. I can drop you off if you want." He suggested and I looked at him with a little scowl.
"I know I'm just a stranger but I can't leave you here alone knowing that it's going to snow and there won't be any busses coming in today." He admitted.
"That is correct but Eastville is two hours away are you sure you can drop me off there?" I asked.
"Yeah. I can do that." He shrugged. "Why don't you.." he said as he reached out into his pocket and took out his wallet. "..take a picture of my driver license and send it to your parents or anyone you trust. Just to be safe." He said taking out the license from his wallet and giving it to me.
I looked at him with in confusion. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"I just told you I can't leave you alone here." He answered.
I looked at him for a few moments. I don't know what is going through his brain but he's right there won't be any busses coming in today if it's going to snow and I can't call my parents all the way here. They'd be mad at me and tell me to find a group in Eastville. That is something I don't want to do.
I took the card from him as I took out my phone. I opened my camera and took a pic of it. I gave it back to him as I send the picture to my one and only sister Jon. Well her name's Joanna I just call her Jon.
"Okay. Let's go." I said and he smiled at me as he pointed at his black SUV parked nearby. We both made our way towards the car. He unlocked the car as we got in.
We both took off our jackets and put them in the backseat as we put on our seatbelts. He started the engine as we started to drive away from the building.
I'm sitting in his car because I kinda trust him. Flynn has told me a lot of times about Troy. He always said that he's not only a great football player he's also a good person and a complete gentleman. I've heard good things about Troy in school too. Troy became a topic of discussion when he scored a hattrick against our school and won that match. Flynn was really in shock when that happened. He was kind of a little jealous of him. But his behaviour towards him changed when he got to hang out with him during the after match party.
It's kind of tradition between Eastville High and Saint Germaine High soccer teams. They celebrate together after the match. Doesn't matter who wins the match. They just have to celebrate together. There are like a whole lot of strict rules of partying together too. And one of them is that you'll be banned from the team if you try to insult the loser team. It actually kind of creates a friendly atmosphere between the both schools. This tradition goes way back to the time when our schools were first built.
I put my cold hand near the heater just to warm it up.
"If you want to I can increase the heater's speed." Troy offered.
"No, I'm good." I said as he gave me a little nod.
"Can I ask you a question, Delilah?" He said with his eyes on the road.
"Yeah." I said.
"Why come all the way to Frostdale?"
I remained silent for a few moments trying to come up with words.
"You don't have to answer me if you don't want to." He said apologetically.
"No. It's fine. Actually, everyone knows me in Eastville. And if I'd go to a group meeting there. People would know that I'm still hung up on Flynn." I answered.
"Why would you care about people?" He asked.
"I don't. I'm just sick and tired of people coming to me with pity in their eyes." I answered.
He didn't say anytging in response. There was an uncomfortable silence enveloping the atmosphere in the car.
"So, why were you at the meeting?" I asked and he let out a laugh.
"My coach thought it'd be good for me. Because I haven't been able to focus after my dad died a month ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I said apologetically and he smiled.
"Yeah, me too." He replied. "Anyways I'm not going back there."
"Why not?" I asked and he shrugged.
"I didn't want to go there in the first place. And the coach actually send me there to hear other people's stories and realize that my life sucks a little less than theirs."
I let out a small laugh. "I think that might just work." I said and he smiled.
"Yeah. May be." He answered with his eyes glued on the road.
"Didn't work on you huh?"
"Not really." He answered. "I think it's kind of like in human's nature to always think that they're the only one in pain and others pain is nothing in front of theirs."
That really hit me hard. He is right. I mean if I look at myself I think that no one can understand my pain because they don't know what real pain feels like.
"Do you wanna listen to some music?" He asked. I think he felt a little awkward since I didn't say anything.
"Yeah." I said.
He gave me the aux cable with his one hand on steering and his eyes stuck on the road.
"Play anything you want." He said.
I took the cable from his hand as I connected my phone with it. I selected the shuffle play option on my phone's player and the soft sweet melody of "Somebody Else" by The 1975 started to pour in the car through the speakers.
Troy smiled a little. "I love this song." He said.
"Me too." I replied.
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