Love by Numbers

Who did you say you were?

I am up and ready to go to school before my father is ready for work this morning. He asks me, "Are you the only one who's parents don't take them to school? I noticed as I left yesterday you seemed to be the only one on the bus. " I was shocked that he even said two whole sentences to me so I paused and then answered, " No father I am just the first one picked up." He responded, " How could I have never noticed before yesterday?" Someone write today's date down. My father said 3 sentences to me! I smiled all the way to the bus stop. It is the little things that make me happy. The bus was on times and my good feeling ran over into first period at school. The door swung open at the beginning of the teachers speach. In walked Vice Principle Seaburt and as he stepped in someone followed. A small boy with sandy brown hair and he had a nice tan. " This is our new student, Henry Voss. He comes to us from Sunny California." Our teacher for this lesson places him next to me and I am told to share my book. He smells of sunshine. Clean waters and sunshine and when I look into his eyes I notice they are an amber color. "Hi. You can be mine. I mean you can be my partner. I mean you can partner with me." The girl behind me snickered because I was just so awkward. I don't even remember her name and she has been there all year. Henry leaned over in his seat towards me and said, " I liked the first thing you said the best." Wait. What?" I then started giggling and snorted because I was so nervous. The whole class stopped and starred at us. They had never heard me laugh and I definately never smiled. Most of their mouths were open in disbelief. Henry said, "oh, oh". I think he thought we would be in trouble for my outburst but everyone just seemed stunned. I reverted back to my old self and it seemed to put the whole room right again and the lesson continued. As I was packing up my things when the class bell rang the teacher came over to us and told me that the vice principle wanted Henry paired with me for classes and I should show him around on my free period next. She handed us each a pink hallways. They were the wholly grails of hall passes. We would only need to drop our stuffing the free period room and then we had full access to roam the school. I had never had one given to me. This was a special day indeed. Henry didn't understand so I spent the first few wondering moments explaining the pink full access pass and how he shouldn't loose it while I showed him around. Henry was so cool and liked everything I showed him. The 45 minutes went fast and were running to get our things to go to lunch. Henry was smaller so I was faster and ran straight into a mountain of a man. Yikes! Henry halted in his tracks and he looked stiff. I looked up to see sandy brown hair and caramel eyes. He too smelled of sunshine and fresh water. I scrunched my face and apologized for inability to watch where I was going. This large hulk of a man laughed and waved Henry towards him. Henry obliged and said, "Crystal thus is my Dad. Dad, what are you doing here already?" Mr. Charles Voss stated, " Just to see how you were getti g on but I see you have made a nee friend that you are chasing already." He smiled and I was not sure if I should be scared of that many teeth or if I should try to smile back so it just came to a smirk from me. "Ah Dad. Really? Come on don't embarrass me! Go. I am fine!" His father leant down an swear he smelled me. " She seems nice. Have fun!" He turned and walked away. "Sorry about my dad. I was taught privately before and he isn't sure if I would like a real school setting. Guess you make all the difference as I thought I would hate it." He just gave me compliment. What do i say? Who am I? So as I am feeling dumb and I do not know how to act Henry comes close and says, "What is your name again?" And just like that I am grounded to the earth again. He really has no idea who I am and I just met him. One compliment and I loose all my composure. I state very blandly, " Me yomo es Crystal" He then proceeded to speak fluent Spanish which I do not. I could not understand all he was saying so I started to laugh again and the sound carried down the hallway and everyone stopped and looked at me that was in the hall. Henry looked around at everyone and back at me. When I stopped laughing the passer byes started back to what they were doing as well. "How do you do that?", Henry asked. "Do what?",I responded? " Every time you laugh the whole world stops and stares at you. Are you magical?" I snorted and said " YEAH RIGHT!" " If I tell you it may sound funny. No one has every heard me laugh at school. I think that is why all the fuss over it." Henry looked confused as he said, " You don't laugh?" I was still in a good mood and it felt easy to talk to him so I said, " No one has ever given me a reason to laugh and I rarely smile but now you have given me many reasons to do so...." It might have looked creepy but I cracked a smile. Henry smiled back and said " I now know my mission while I am at this school, it is to make you laugh and smile as much as I can." That was the start to my friendship with Henry Voss short cutie.

Henry kept pushing me to my limits and because it was Henry I would oblige. He could get me to do anything with him. Every week we had an ice cream only lunch per Henry's request. We talked about school. Both of us were only children but unlike my abscent parents his were on too of his every move and borderline smothering. Henry tested my limits and I tested his. " Do you think parents could pull away from you for half an hour this week and you could come over to my house so we can get the social media project finished?" Henry grumbled. We were peas in a pod. But when puberty hit Henry it hit him hard 9th grade was more than voice changing for Hen. Remember his father well can I say that old saying hold true in thus case. Like father like son. wholly growth spurts batman. Can you say 6' 2" at 16 years old and his voice deepens over night no squeaky cracks like Joseph in Gym Class. Henry went from smaller than most to bigger than all of the grade! I smiled and just enjoyed the look of him now. Gosh 16 was hitting me hard too. Things that never seemed to matter now matter and I pay attention too. I am prone to pangs of jealousy and depression when Henry can not hang out. I miss him when we don't have classes together. I feel funny when he gives me a hug. It leaves a tingling feeling that I do not want to go away. What is the matter with me? My heart started racing and I wanted to reach out and touch Henry on his shoulder to steady myself but I missed and stumbled. He turned and just pushed on me in time to hold me back up. " What is up Crys? Are feeling ok?", Henry said. To my ears is sounded under water and then everything went out of focus and then faded to darkness. When I came to I was in the nurses office on a cott. My head was throbbing. " What is happening to me?" I said this outload not thinking anyone would answer me back but then I hear a load booming Male voice. " You are going through your first heat my dear." Heat? Who said this? Around the curtain steps Henry's dad Charles Voss. Why is he here? Where is Henry? He could sense my questions and started to speak. "Henry was frantic when you fainted so he called me first. I am number 2 on his speed dial. I came as quickly as I could. I am well educated in medicine and I can help with this in particular. I feel like you should know that while you are like this you should stay home until it passes. I will write a note for the school and your parents so they know the recommendation." " Where is Henry?", I asked. His father cleared his throat, smirked and said, " He is with his mother. You can call him later and see him after this passes." " Thank you" was all I could say back to him. What is a heat? Am I contagious? Wholly Mary Mother of God. " No one called my parents right?" when he shook his head no I let out a breathe that I had been holding in. I do not want to bother them with this. Charles looked worried at my reaction. I just grinned at him. I was to go straight home as I was told. I had to walk as there was no bus yet and no one to call. I was told to take no rides from anyone. Charles said it wasn't safe but funny that he didn't offer to drop me at home. I felt feverish on the walk home. I jumped in a cold shower and then threw myself on the bed naked under the fan. I fell asleep just like that. I started to dream and I dream in color so they can be either really good or really bad. This one was good. I was with Henry and he gave me my first kiss and every touch made me tingle and I would get hotter an hotter until I was begging for his kisses and anything he wanted to do to me. I woke up soaked in sweat and my bed looked like a crime scene! I got my first period. Yes I was a late bloomer at 16 but at least I knew what was happening. I could now get pregnant if I tried anything that I only dreamt about. I cried because I was tired of caring for myself and just felt overwhelmed about cleaning everything up. Doing laundry at midnight is not what I was thinking of doing this late at night. I just want to go back to bed but I have to raid moms stash of pads and clean everything up. I felt bad going through my moms stuff to find what I needed but no one was home anyway. In her bathroom it looked like she had been there recently but there were a few different things in her bathroom i hadnt seen before. A pair of mens boxers and tube socks. Did Dad wear these? I picked up and threw everything in their hamper. I found what I was looking for and took off to the wash room with my bedding. As I stand their yawning I realized I didn't have a fever. The doorbell rang. Who would be coming over at midnight when no one is home? No one tried calling me. I will just ignore the doorbell and hope they go away. Nope it went off again. "Not good!" I trudged up the basement steps and peeked out the window. I couldn't see who had rung the doorbell. Great going into this blind then. I take a deep breathe and open the door slowly and then fast as I see a very wet Henry. It was pouring rain outside. I grabbed his jacket and pulled him into the house and out of the rain. "Hey", he said. " I missed you. I had to come see if you are ok and then I got rained on." He smirked. I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around this wet mans torso as I am now the short one. Henry laughed. No one cared if I lived or died but this man. No one cared about me more but this man. I loved no one more than i loved this man. " I love you too", he said. This creeped me out. Must be us just on the same wave length again. It happens a lot. He finishes my sentences and I his. I want the hug to never end but it does and then we were in this weird starring contest. He was trying to read my thoughts and I was watching for any excuse to kiss him right there and then. He chuckled, "Why did this just get weird? You know I love you. I know you love me. We should just get it over with and put a label on this and say we are boyfriend and girlfriend. I do not want any other girl and I hope you don't want any other man." My mouth is wide open and I am in awe. I close my jaw and then asked, "Can you pinch me? Am I dreaming?" He started to laugh as I have never heard him laugh before. Did I crack a joke? Was I a funny person? No and No. Perhaps I looked absurd. oh great! Henry then turned to the door to leave. I grabbed his arm to stop him. He said, "You don't want to stop me tonight. I can tell your heat is coming back and if I don't get out of here I will not be able to control myself." He stalked away and shut the door behind him. What a weird exchange. I am getting hot because I am thinking of him as my new and only ever boyfriend. I screech a little and ran back down to my laundry. Dryer is now going round and round. I want to nod off right in the basement but I have to waite for my bedding. I am so very hot. What is the matter with me? Should I call my parents? Call a cab to go to the Emergency Room at the hospital? I am not even sure what this is that is happening to me. I need release. Thee dryer dings. I am off running for my room to just spread the sheets and blankets and crash to sleep. The warm blanket soothed some of the pain in my stomach. I dream of Henry and wake hot and Sticky. Another cold shower then back to bed. Henry is mine!!! The voice in my head kept screaming. I felt like my dreams were driving me crazy.