A/N: This story is for Vicki, and our lost memories of spring chicken and stickmen drawings.
Another sleepless morning.
Hitting the ice felt good and refreshing, I felt my worries melt away as I guided the puck into the unguarded net. Raising my arms in mock victory, I glided down the empty rink, bending until I came to a halt with my knees against the ice. I pulled off my gloves and proceeded to unbuckle my helmet.
Laying it next to me, I plopped face forward onto the ice, using my hands to brace the impact. I could feel the cold cutting into my palms and the blood rushing to my face as the icy, slick wetness touched my right cheek. Turning over to lie on my back, I savored the serenity of the moment, taking note of cobwebs on the edges of the high ceiling and the soft sound of my own breath.
The sound of the door being yanked open violently broke the calm, accompanied by a sharp, deep command, "WALLACE! GET OUT OF THERE!"
I let out a deep sigh and pushed myself up to my feet, grabbing my stick and helmet as I skated to the edge.
"How many times do I have to tell you Wallace," I could already envision Coach Collin's straight back posture, hands on his hips, eyes squinting as he said that even without looking up.
"Sorry coach. Woke up far too early and just thought I could get some practice in. I've only been here for less than an hour..."
"How many units are you taking?"
"Only two classes coach. I took 5 last summer, so it's a considerable drop in workload. I can handle it, you know that."
"Yes Wallace I know you're a genius yadayada… YOU KNOW WHAT I SAID! This is break week, no practice, just get your ass back to your books or whatever you want since you're so smart," He paused, grabbing my hockey stick, "I'm keeping this for the time being. You can touch anyone's stick, but not this kind. You got it?"
"Uh…yeah. I'll just uh…leave that and other sticks to you," I grinned
Coach Collins flashed a huge grin back, "Why thank you!"
I laughed and walked out the door; Coach Collins was louder than he was mean, but his sarcasm could make the biggest grown man cry or laugh, depending on how you take it. The sun was out in full strength and the warmer air outdoors condensed against my skin, creating an uncomfortable sticky feel. A perfect day for a cold shower and some relaxing curled up on my shady tree with a good book.
I leaned against the bark, adjusting myself to a comfortable position, "The picture of Dorian Gray" under my arm. It was one of my favorite books, something I could read and re-read again. This spot up the tree was not only great for reading and napping, it also provided a great vantage point for people-watching. It was always fun to see what your fellow students were up to whilst you sit up on a tree, hidden by the canopy and spy on them. The bench by the tree has seen its share of amusing activities. There I had witnessed intense make-out sessions, couple squabbles that sometimes turn into a bout of slapping, gossips, girl-talks, party planning, pregnancies and whatnot. Oftentimes things weren't quite so exciting; someone might be too engrossed cleaning their nose while looking surreptitiously about. At times like that, I decided it was best to close my eyes and take a good nap.
The campus wasn't too crowded today, it was summer after all. I flipped to the page where I last left off, wondering if I would get to catch the flower delivery again. For the past three mornings, I had noticed a man with flaming red hair walk past with a bouquet of flowers towards the dorm. He didn't look like a delivery boy, at least not from the way he dressed, but I would see him coming out of the dorms again shortly without the flowers. I wonder whom the flowers were for. If he wasn't the delivery boy, why didn't he stay longer? Was he trying to win over a girl?
I turned my attention to my book, but not for long, for a girl had approached the bench and dropped a big purple folder down with a clatter. Most people ignored the big tree I was on; far too used to seeing it day to day that it became a part of the unnoticed backdrop. To my surprise, she looked up at the tree, putting her hand over her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. For a moment, it was like she was looking straight at me, and I could almost see the reflection of the sunlight dancing in her eyes. Captivated, I stared at her, safe in the knowledge that she could not possibly see me in this thick canopy and hidden behind a particularly fat branch. I almost fell backwards when she waved and said with a huge beam, "Hello again you big tree!"
Grabbing on to the branch, I quickly regained my stability, heart racing from the incident. I shifted my body and settled on the branch as leaves fluttered down the tree furiously. I hope she hadn't seen me. She was settling down on the bench now and looking through her folder seriously, so it seems like she hadn't. I continued to observe her. There was something fascinating about the way she carried herself; it was hard to describe, but it gave me some sort of pleasure just noting her every mundane moves like taking her phone out of her bag and looking through her contacts.
"BEL!" She yelled exasperatedly into the phone, "I've called you a hundred times! Why didn't you pick up?"
Her voice and body language were excited, dramatic and almost comic. It brought a smile to my face instantly.
"Oh! Hey I need to do some work. Come and help me? I'm over by the big tree," She continued.
I wondered whom this friend she had enlisted to help her was. While waiting, she started to hum a song, and looked around and seeing that no one was in the vicinity, started to sing louder and louder. I chuckled; her voice was pleasant and rather soothing. I was starting to feel considerably calm and sleepy considering my lack of sleep. Leaning to the side against the sturdy bark, I watched her from the corner of my eyes and slowly drifted to …
"Jack Belton!"
I awoke with a start, only to hear her continue, "Some guy studying chemical engineering. Apparently he researched on this…. Hyper..hypereu..whatever the thing is, I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce this."
"Hypereutectoid alloy," I muttered to myself. Jack had been my partner in a few classes. Did she know him? But it didn't sound like she did. I looked down and noticed that she was reading out aloud from her purple folder. Her friend peered over to look at her file.
"Is that his picture?" Her friend asked.
"Yes," She replied, "But I better give this Belton guy a miss. I'll have trouble communicating with him. Moreover he looks like a geek."
Wait till I tell Jack! Wait a minute, what was she doing anyway? Why did she have a picture, and the way she describes it, is this some sort of blind date set up? I wish I could see the content of her folder from here.
She turned the page.
"Oh my gosh! This guy is cute!" She exclaimed animatedly.
I was almost confident that her folder was filled with photos of men, one of whom she would pick to go on a date with. Was she in some sort of reality show? Why would Jack sign up for a reality show? Who was she looking at now? Who was the cute guy? Did I know him too?
"Let me see!" Her friend said, grabbing the folder, "JOEL WALLACE!"
What?! I slid off the trunk slightly, and quickly grabbed something to regain my balance. Never did I ever expect my name to be read aloud.
She grabbed back the folder from her friend, "Look at his eyes, blue like the ocean!"
I wanted to burst out laughing; I could feel my stomach hurting from keeping the laughter in. I have never felt so glad being hidden up a tree. I wonder what she was thinking as she looked at my photo. She was liking what she saw, wasn't she? It was a pleasant thought, but a description such as blue like the ocean, I could feel my stomach pit again from holding in laughter.
"And look, look. I think he's got dimples, it's hardly showing here, but yes, I think he has dimples."
I touched the side of my cheeks, starting to feel that this was an incredibly surreal experience; sitting here while I hear someone describe my dimples…in fact it was starting to get rather embarrassing. What in God's name were they doing with my photo in any case? How did they even get it?
"So you're going to interview this Wallace guy then?" Her friend asked.
Interview? Wait a minute, I vaguely recalled something about being nominated for some award and having to submit my photograph. I believe they said something about being interviewed as well…
"Definitely!" She said, "Look, he's won several scholarships and awards. He also won several sports medal and he's known as the philanthropist the school. He helps people in trouble, and he is known for charitable deeds such as helping set up a foundation…"
She went on for several minutes about things I have done, most of which I felt was not much, but did sound pretty awesome the way she read them out in succession. She read them like it was a relay of the King's speech, but again with a touch of drama and animation. Holding my laughter and trying not to move was proving to be difficult. I have already made the tree rustle too much I fear I might make them suspicious. My foot was getting sore from sitting in one position and as I shifted my leg gingerly, I found myself slipping over a slippery mossy part of the tree, gliding halfway down the trunk, which I quickly hugged onto with both arms and legs.
What an awkward position! I suppose she could add "tree hugger" to my list of achievements now and that would definitely boost my repertoire in the field of environmental conservation.
I tried to slowly crawl back up the tree trunk. There was not much to hold on to, and the bark was rough against my bare skin. Luckily, I think she was still not finished with reading my supposedly many achievements. I could not hear her well in this precarious, not to mention extremely uncomfortable position. As I reached out to grab to a higher part of the branch, her voice rang loud and clear, "I've got nobody! I WANT A BOYFRIEND!"
It was more than I can stand. I felt my grip slipping as I slid all the way down the tree, landing with my butt on the ground and then falling backwards to my back. I heard her scream and at the same time realized the intense sting coming from my thighs. Even so, I ended up releasing all the laughter I held back up the tree. Tilting my head backwards, I could see the image of her and her friend upside down, looking at me in shock. It only made me laugh harder.
By now, the two girls stared at me as if I was positively mad. I took a deep breath. Man, did my bum hurt. I sat up and pushed myself against the tree to get up, hoping that I did not look quite as much in pain as I was.
Her friend came up to me, looking worried but still surprised, "Are…you ok?"
I gripped my back, biting my lips at the pain. This was so ridiculous; I have never fallen off the tree before. And here I was now, caught red handed for eavesdropping. And what was that last statement she said?! A boyfriend? It was too hilarious for words just thinking about it, I started to chuckle, but that hurt, but it made me laugh even harder.
"I think I'm alright." I told her friend, but just at the moment, a sharp pain shot up my leg, I swallowed the pain and tried to look all cool, "I like to climb this tree you see, and I couldn't help but listen in on a most interesting conversation."
That should throw them off, and it did. Her friend had only looked a little embarrassed, but she... she gave me a look of pure horror and mortification that I wanted to throw my head back and laugh. Some sort of realization seemed to creep up her face as well. I was so tempted to tease her and say, "Yes, m'lady, I'm the person in your photo."
I could just imagine how her face would look like if I did. As much in pain as I was, I have never felt so amused my whole life. I decided to settle for a milder comment, "Jack's not really a geek. He's a really nice and smart person. Oh by the way, it's hypereutectoid alloy."
With that I decided to make my escape. I wanted to maintain the cool image of an espionage jumping off ala insane Matrix-like skills, not some clumsy eavesdropper who fell off a tree.
"Have a nice day!" I managed as coolly as I possibly could and taking in one last image of her cute, frozen, flabbergasted look on her face, I turned and walked away in a most dignified manner, yowling in pain within as I did. Only out of their sight did I start hobbling my way to the school hospital, laughing to myself whilst wincing in pain.
She knew my name, but I still didn't know hers. I wanted to know her name and one thing for that's for sure, I needed to see her again!
END.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this short little one-shot. Joel Wallace is actually a character from a story I wrote a while back –"Love". This event is from a chapter of the same title, but from Joel's POV. The mini blurb is also from "Love".