Sophia strolled in the park, happy to be outside on such a beautiful day. She took in the crisp, golden leaves, the crystal clear lake, and the red cardinals trilling out a melody from a nearby tree. People walked by, some nodding their heads politely, others ignoring her completely. She paid no mind to the rude people. No except Carrie could bring her down on this gorgeous day. She took another deep breath, still admiring every wonderful thing about the park. Without warning, what felt like a large weight crashed into her torso, making tears sprout in her eyes. “Hey!” she yelled, practically crying in agony, “watch where you’re… going…” She trailed off, staring at the person in front of her. It was a handsome young man, with curly brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. He smiled, and Sophia felt her knees buckle beneath her. “Hi,” he said. “H-hello,” Sophia responded. She couldn’t help but stare into his eyes; they were like two deep pools of water which she could never swim out of. The boy looked worriedly at the place where he had bumped into her. “I’m sorry,” he started, “I didn’t meant to…” Now he was staring at her, lips parted in the middle of a sentence. A pair of boys walking by snickered, and Sophia shot them a dirty glance. She turned back to the boy, smiling softly. “I’m Sophia,” she said. “I’m… Elijah,” he said. “Wanna walk together?” Sophia asked. Elijah nodded, grinning back. Sophia looked away for a moment, contemplating her luck, before Elijah turned to face her. “Um, so, how old are you?” he asked. “I’m 16, going on 17,” she responded. “What about you?” Elijah whistled through his teeth, scratching his head awkwardly. “Uh, same as you, same as you.” A couple of girls walking by eyed them suspiciously, whispering as they walked by. “Uh, do you wanna, like, sit down?” Sophia queried. Elijah nodded again. They sat down on the nearest metal bench, Sophia adjusting her sweater. She was self-conscious, always tugging on her skirt or shirts. This didn’t seem to bother Elijah, as he was busy tying his hair. A small rustle sounded behind both of them, but Sophia paid it no mind. Nothing could ruin this moment. “Eh… what are your interests?” Elijah inquired. Sophia excitedly discussed her singing and acting, Elijah chiming in with songwriting. As it turned out they had very similar interests, and they were both in honors classes. They laughed and talked about their favorites books and movies. If Elijah’s eyes had sold her from the beginning, Sophia was now totally and completely smitten. Elijah cleared his throat after laughing at a quote Sophia had made from a movie, then beamed. “I’m really glad I met you today, Sophia,” he said. Sophia blushed. Another, louder rustle sounded behind them, and Sophia finally turned to see what it was. The thing that was making the sound must’ve known it was being watched, as out from behind the bushes jumped Carrie. “CARRIE” Sophia yelled. “WHAT THE HELL?!” Carrie chuckled uncomfortably, then yelped and ran away. Sophia jumped up, ready to race after her, but Elijah pulled her back down. “Don’t bother,” he said. Sophia protested for a second, then sat back down. “Would you like to get together sometime?” Elijah asked. “Yeah, I would love to!” Sophia replied. They quickly exchanged numbers and waved good-bye. Sophia started walking home, her head feeling like it was full of rainbows.
