The Impossible

• Claire Yorston, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2018

There it is again, that laugh. I could listen to it all day; though I wish I was the one to cause it. I never heard a laugh so like music. Like melted chocolate with a dash of sweet honey.
It's perfect.
She's perfect.
But of course, I could never tell her that. She probably doesn’t even know my name, even though we have the same maths class. She sits in the row behind me, two seats to the left, right below the window that she opens before every class because she likes to stare out it and enter fantasy to escape reality.
But not because she's a slacker. Maths just isn't her strong point. Maybe if I was actually brave enough, I could help her...
But as I said, she doesn't even know my name.
I quickly take a look behind me while I pretend I'm stretching my back; she’s talking to her friend Jacob. I can't hear what they're talking about, but whatever it is, it's making her laugh.
Of course Jacob makes her laugh, he's the most well-known kid in all of Grade 11. He's funny, talented, good looking; so basically, he's everything I'm not.
I realise my looking had soon turned into staring and I was about to look away when she catches my eye.
My heart beat quickens and a chill runs over me.
'Stupid! Why'd you have to stare for.' I chastise myself. I pick up my pencil and start drawing in my book, hoping I'd appear like I wasn't just staring at her.
I sense a presence standing in front of my desk, and I look up.
"Hi... Jeremy right?"
And all over again, my heart stops and quickens at the same time and I'm PRETTY sure I've had some sort of cardiac arrest.
"Um, yeah, that's me." I say, trying to form a proper, intelligent sentence.
"Um, this might sound a bit odd, and a bit of a long shot... But I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get a coffee after school with me?"
Stopped. Heart DEFINITELY stopped.
"...What? I mean... Wait, really?"
She smiles. At me, she's smiling at me. But not an; I’m-about-to-laugh kind of smile. More like a; is-this-guy-alright smile.
“Er, as I said, a long shot. But I’ve noticed you looking at me, and I guess I thought maybe you wanted to talk to me. But you’ve never really spoken in class, so I figured you were shy, and I thought I’d come and ask you... Obviously I’m mistaken, I’ll just go...”
“Wait! I mean, hang on. I will-I mean I do want to go to coffee, I just didn’t think you’d want to and I see you looking out the window, daydreaming all the time... Not that I’m staring! I mean I just-”
Lily’s smile widened.
“You noticed that?”
“...Yeah.”
Our eyes connected and it was silent for a moment, the best moment.
“I’ll...Meet you after English then?"
“Sure.”
And just like that, the impossible happened.