Across the Way by Audrey Parker (best book recommendations txt) 📕

What you hear currently in a romantic comedy is the goody-two-shoes girl falling hard and swift for the bad ass player. She loosens up, he tones it down. They magically fall in love.
But what if that didn’t happen? What if the boy who was president of the drama club and had braces was swept away by the girl with the I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude, streaks of pink, blue, and purple in her blonde hair, and all the piercings to match? What if that happened? What if?
My guess is that the boy would be someplace he wouldn’t normally find himself. Someplace his friend on the chess team dragged him to. He would nervously be picking over the merchandise, while looking around, spying on the other people in the shop. The bell chime on the door would ding when she entered with a friend or two of hers, just as wild as her. They would be laughing loudly and would magnetically pull the attention of everyone in the store. They would pretend not to notice and would take their time grabbing what they needed to, and practically ignore the suspicious cashier as they handed him the money to pay. The boy would not realize that he was starring openly, mouth hanging open and in danger of drooling. The girl would glance over suddenly, and take a few seconds to notice him. He would snap out of his daze as their gazes locked, and look away, to whatever’s in his hands, to whatever’s on the shelves.
Her friends would command her attention back as they prepared to leave. She would still be staring at the boy, wondering where she had seen him before. He looked familiar but his name wouldn’t stick in her mind. She would leave with her friends, though not fully aware of what they talk about. The boy would be mystified too, and run her name and image through his head as he wondered what had just happened. Eventually, he would leave too, and near forget.
What if I told you that had happened, because a chance for them to make it work out like a fairy tale stood. Once. Their situation was clichéd. A spat between their parents prevented them from taking that encounter any farther - publicly like a Romeo and Juliet love story. If it wasn’t there, there were many different paths for them to take. But it was, so their choices were limited.
But that was months ago. They continued on with their lives. The boy did his schoolwork, listened to his parents, stayed away from partying and drugs. He was never invited to participate. The girl cut her classes continuously, stayed away from her home until two or three in the morning, and didn’t break her habit of tobacco. If the boy represented the daytime, the girl stood in place of the moon. If his life is in black and white, truth and lie, hers is catatonic, bursting with the colors of the rainbow in every which direction.
The boy and the girl being together, it was an event that no one ever expected to have to cover for. Their lives were thought to be too different to be able to intercept. Only one person knew, and it was her college-aged sister. She let them stay in her apartment.
Their names were Nicolas and Missy. If people could have soul mates, theirs were made for each other. It was obvious in the glances that they stole, the kisses they shared, the passion in the air. They were in love. <3

Publication Date: 07-22-2012

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