Of Tears and Raindrops: Peter's Perspective

I gaze out at the lake, enjoying the feel of the sun shining down on my face.  It’s a perfect summer evening; a perfect time for fishing.  As I cast my line, I look out over the beach at the beachgoers.  A few pretty blondes in bikinis catch my eye, and I gawk at them like a deer in the headlights.  They wrinkle their eyebrows in disgust and turn away.  Yeah, that’s pretty much my life story.  And not just in the “lady department.”  For some reason people just don’t like me, and I don’t know why.  I think they’re all just jealous.  I mean, who wouldn’t be?  I’m fricken awesome!  That’s what I try to tell myself at least… 

 

A huge jerk on my line surprises me, breaking off my thoughts and causing me to lose my footing, almost falling in the lake.  Of course, the beautiful blondes see the whole thing and are snickering conspiratorially.  Smooth move, Peter.  Smooth move. 

Trying to explain myself and to maintain the amount of dignity I have left, I yell, “I’ve got one!  I think it’s a big one, too!” It must be a big one to have given such a big jerk, right?  Well, I guess it depends on your definition of “a big one.”  As I reel in the line, I am disappointed to find a measly blue gill.  This makes the bikini girls laugh like hyenas.  I groan and slap my palm to my face.  Well, I try to reassure myself, at least I caught myself and didn’t actually fall in the lake, too.  I never would have lived that one down.  I’m sure the word would have been all over town, in the headlines of the newspaper the next morning even.  I can see it now: “Local Teen Boy Falls in Lake While Catching a Bluegill.”  Okay, so I might be exaggerating a little bit, but not too much.  I wouldn’t put it past this dinky town to write something like that for the newspaper. 

 

I take my fish off the hook and toss it back into the water.  Cautiously, I venture a look over in the direction of where the blondes had been.  I’m filled with relief when I see that they’ve left, and then my relief turns to delighted nerves as I notice a new figure standing by the water’s edge.  It’s Melody.  Just saying her name in my mind makes my heart skip a beat.  There’s just something about her that I can’t help but be attracted to.  I can’t define what that something is, though.  I mean, she’s kind of weird and sensitive, and she’s really nothing that special to look at to be completely honest.  I think it’s just that she’s so sweet.  I’ve never had anyone treat me as nicely as she does.  I’ve always been the outcast, but Melody makes me feel like I actually belong.  Battling with thoughts of whether to go and talk to her or not, I finally decide to be brave and wander over to where she stands.  I mean, I can’t make any more of a fool out of myself today than I already have, can I?

 

“Melody?” I say, my voice cracking on the last syllable.  In regards to that last question, yes, I can make more of a fool out of myself today.  I’m just full of surprises. 

 

Melody turns toward me. I smile like a dork to complete the whole dorky look, of course.  I might as well, right? 

 

“Oh, hey!” she says.  “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

 

“Yeah, I didn’t expect to see you either,” I say.  “What are you up to?”

 

“Oh, just enjoying the nice summer evening, you know?” Melody says.  “It looks like you’ve been fishing.  Have you caught anything good?”

 

I groan inwardly.  You have no idea...  “Nah.  Just a few blue gills.”

 

“Well, on the bright side, at least you didn’t get skunked.”

 

“True, true,” I say.  I think I would have rather been skunked actually, I think to myself, as I smile ironically at the ground.  I look up eventually and find Melody’s eyes on me.  Man, I never realized how amazing her eyes are!  To be honest, I’d never really looked her right in the eye.  I have issues with eye contact; it’s an odd quirk I have.  I find myself looking into her eyes though, falling in actually.  They’re deep and brown; it’s like I’m falling into a mug of hot chocolate.  I have a sudden desire to kiss the lavender lids that frame those sexy eyes.  Embarrassed and self-conscious, I blush and try to repress my desire, while at the same time I notice a wisp of hair that has fallen over Melody’s left eye.  Before I can stop myself,   I reach my right hand over and push the hair behind her ear.  Still in shock, my hand lingers on Melody’s face for a couple seconds that seem to freeze in time before I pull away.  We stare at each other for a few moments until I see a tall blonde guy approaching behind Melody.  He taps on her shoulder, and she starts in surprise.   Turning away from me, she addresses the guy, who I now recognize as someone I know from school: Micah. 

 

“Hello,” Micah says.  He looks from Melody to me and back again.  “I hope I wasn’t, um, interrupting anything…”

 

Oh, yeah, I’m sure you were hoping that.  Of course you were, you bastard.  I take a good look at him and don’t like what I see.  I see one of those “perfect” guys: Ken, Prince Charming, whatever you consider the “ideal” guy, that’s what’s he is.  He’s tall, skinny, blonde, and athletic.  Then there’s me: the dark-haired, moody, junk food fiend. 

 

“Oh, no, of course you weren’t interrupting anything!” Melody says.  Umm…speak for yourself, I think to myself.  “I was just soaking up the sun, and Peter, my friend from work here, happened to notice me while he was fishing.”  She gestures to me.  “Do you guys know each other at all?  Peter goes to our school, too, but he’s a couple grades ahead of us.”

 

“Yeah, I know him,” I say.  I wish I didn’t though, I add in my head.  “Micah, right?”

 

“Yep, that’s right.  I think I remember you, too,” says Micah.  “You’re part of that band the Turbo Toasters, right?”

 

Melody looks at Micah in confusion and then sets her eyes on me.  “You’re in a band?  You never told me that!  That’s so cool!”

 

“Well, you never asked.  It’s not that big of a deal,” I say, trying to be humble since I know she loves humility, and I’ve shown I’m pretty good at being humiliated, especially today.  “I mean, it’s not like we’re famous or anything.  It’s just for fun really.” I never thought she would be interested in my band, to be honest.  She didn’t seem like the type.

 

“Speaking of things untold, I have something to show you,” Micah says to Melody.  “Follow me.”  Melody gives Micah a questioning look, but he just beckons her to tag along.  I trail behind, curious what untold secret Micah could have.  He’s probably an actual prince or something.  It wouldn’t surprise me.

 

“So, what do you think?” Micah says.

 

I peer around Micah and Melody, seeing a moped.  It’s bright red, rusted in a few spots, and has tons of bumper stickers plastered to it.  So, this is his secret, huh?  Lame.  I smile to myself in satisfaction until I notice the look of delight on Melody’s face.

 

“I love it!” she says.

 

Micah smiles obnoxiously.  He’s very pleased with himself, I can tell.  It makes me want to punch him in the face.  It would rip that smile off his face, that’s for sure. 

 

“Would you like to go for a ride?” Micah asks Melody.

 

 “That would be awesome!” she says.

 

“Great!  Go ahead and hop on then.”

 

Melody sidles onto the moped, and Micah sits down in front of her.  Their proximity causes a pang of hurt and jealousy to rise in my throat.

 

“Hold on tight!” he says. 

 

Melody blushes as she wraps her arms around Micah, causing a lump to form in my chest this time.  My throat is throbbing with repressed emotion, and now my heart feels like it’s literally breaking.  This all sounds cheesy, I know, but it’s true.  I’m not just making this up.

 

The moped revs up to life, and the duo speeds away.  Melody gives me a wave, and I just stand there, rooted to the spot.  A dead tree in the middle of the parking lot.