Beyond Memories in Dreamland

Actually It's Saturday Morning

Hello to you too is the guy for real. Hello to you too are you serious. Ummm... let me tell you what mister it's the middle of the f*****g night and you're in the middle of an abandoned park just watching a girl that you don't even know like the most creepy mother fucker and all you have to say is Well hello to you too. Are you shitting me?  Well at least that's what I had wanted to say but instead I said this:

"Who are you? And how do you know about my park?"

"You're kind of rude and presumptions aren't you? How do you know this isn't my park" I could see a smile playing in the corner of his lips, he was trying to keep a straight face, he was teasing me.

"I don't think I'm being rude at all considering the fact that not even a minute ago I caught you being the biggest creep on the planet just staring at me without even announcing yourself." Humph... that ought to show him.

"Well I wasn't really expecting anyone to be out here to be honest with you. And I didn't mean to stare but I was surprised that anyone would be out here at this time of night." He said and I got the feeling that he was actually. That he was being honest with me. "Hey what are you doing out here in the middle of the night anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing"

"Touché!" he chuckled. "Look" he started "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot here. My name is Carter I just moved into the neighborhood a few weeks ago." He stuck his hand out towards me, I just looked at it skeptical. "I think this is the part where you tell me your name?" His hand was still outstretched.

"How do I know you aren't an ax murderer?" I asked crossing my arms around my chest.

He put his hand down "Good question, I didn't think about that. But now that you mentioned it how do I know you're not one?"

"Touché!" I smiled but ONLY a very little smile. I stuck my hand out for him to take "I'm Richelle" he took my hand and shook it and when he did I took the opportunity to grab onto it a little tighter than I normally would and yank him towards me. I placed my head just to the side of his next to his ear and said "And I am most definitely an ax murderer." His eyes grew wide for a moment before looking to my face and seeing the huge smirk I had plastered on it. I pulled my body and hand back away from his and started to laugh. And not a cute chuckle kind of laugh either a full body laugh that came straight from my core and made my whole body shake with each giggle. Tears starting to leave my eyes "I can't believe you believed me for a second. You should have seen the look on your face. s**t I wish I had my camera so that I could have documented that priceless Kodak moment. I was just f*****g with you!"

His facial expression changed from scared to annoyed once he realized I was messing with him. "You don't scare me" I scoffed "No, really" he tried again "I wasn't scared at all I just wanted you to think I was." I could tell he was just trying to save face, he didn't want some girl he didn't even know to think that he was some guy that gets scared easily. "Seriously I wasn't... well anyway" he trailed off rubbing the back of his neck seemingly nervous "what are you doing out here anyway?"

"I was stargazing" I said matter of factly.

"Okay, but why are you doing it out here all alone?" he questioned.

"Are we seriously going to do this back and forth thing again. The one where you ask me why I am out here all alone and then I retort by telling you I could ask you the same thing."

"I guess not..." he said at first but then a strange expression passed across his face before he said "On second thought I think we are, because I already know why I am out here all alone, and I've already told you that I am new here which sort of explains me being by myself since I don't know anyone here yet. So that just leaves you... are you going to tell me why you're out here all alone or not?"

"I'm mean there really isn't a reason I just am, I wanted to go stargazing in the middle of the night so I did end of story." I said it in a way that I hoped let him know that I meant business and not to ask me again. I mean who is this guy anyway. I don't owe him any sort of explanation for my choices. "So where did you move here from?" I asked trying to change the subject and redirect the attention back on him.

"Me?" He asked questioningly I gave him a look raising my eyebrows slightly as if to say: There's no one else out here buddy. He seemed to get the message because he continued "Well we just moved from Georgia actually."

"That explains the southern accent. My Grandparents are from Georgia. Were you bummed you had to move here?" I was actually curious and even though I hadn't had any sort of contact with my grandparents since the incident at the courthouse I always found that when you're meeting new people it's best to find something in common with them so they feel more comfortable. This is especially true when you don't want to give away any information about yourself. I've learned that usually when you give people the opportunity to talk about themselves they will.

"I guess I was a little bit upset about it I mean it's my senior year and I really didn't like the idea of having to start over with everything you know? Make new friends, find a new place to hang out, try out for sports teams that I would otherwise had an automatic place in, and all that jazz, but I've never been one to back away from a challenge. Besides from what I've seen so far I think that I am going to like living with Riverbrook. Also I've always wondered what California was like and now I'll get the chance to find out."

"Well I can tell you that Riverbrook is a great place to live at least from my experience. It's nice to live in a place in California that has a small town feel to it but not so far away from civilization that you can't enjoy what the city has to offer if you want." as I said it I knew that I really meant every word that I said. Most of my friends can't wait to leave this place and I always thought I felt the same but now I am not so sure.

"I know what you mean. My home town in Georgia was really similar. So what grade are you in?"

He wasn't asking a hard question and it was one that I knew would some up eventually but I always tried to share as little about myself as possible even with my closest friends. "I'm a senior this year as well. What school are going to?"

"Riverbrook High School. My parents had wanted me to go to that private school Riverbrook Christian Charter but I convinced them to let me finish out in public school since I have always gone to public school and I don't like the idea of being around a bunch of snooty hoity toity kids all day everyday" I gave him a look because I couldn't believe how judgmental he was being. I mean to judge someone based on the amount of money they make is outlandish. James and Gypsy are extremely well off and if it hadn't been for them I would probably be dead right now. I think he realized that I was taken aback because he broke the silence between us suddenly "Oh s**t you go there don't you? Crap I can't believe I didn't see it before. Of course you would think this park is yours all of you rich kids are the same, it's always take take take with you isn't it. This kind of thing is exactly why I didn't want to go to that school cause I'm not like that." What the f**k is this kid's problem and why does he have such a problem with people who have money. "All you kids with money think you can do whatever you want and mommy and daddy will just take care of it for you. This is why I want to go to public school to avoid people like you."

As his was finishing up his ti-raid about how much he dislikes rich kids I couldn't help but feel defensive. This guy didn't even know me and he was standing here judging me for something. I mean where the f**k does he get off doing something like that. Rich kid or not he was judging an entire group of people based solely on how much money their parents made. I have never thought of myself as a rich kid by any means, I mean living with Gypsy and James had its perks and they made sure that Britt and I had everything that we could ever want but they never flaunted it and neither did I. I was always grateful for what I had and shared it whenever I could. How dare this guy say those things to me? If he thinks that I'm going to stay here and take this then he has another thing coming.

"You know what? Screw you..." just as I am about to go off on this guy Joy's voice pops into my head Elle if someone wants to believe something bad about you let them, it's not worth it to try and change what someone thinks about you once their mind has already been made up. "You know what never mind you're not worth it."

I turned around to head back to my house and put this entire interaction behind me when I was stopped by the sound of Carter's voice.

"Good riddance rich girl, have a good Friday night in your castle" he laughed out.

"Actually it's Saturday morning" I said smiling that I at least got to correct him "Oh, and Carter stay the f**k out of my park." And with that I put my head phones back in my ears, pressed play, and began the short walk back home with my empty mug in hand.

I just hoped that I didn't see Carter at school on Monday. The less I had to deal with an asshat like that the better off my life would be.