Arriving at the theater 40 minutes early due to an unusually
punctual Metro would have catastrophic consequences for my well-being. I waited
in the lobby as the staff cleaned the theater. I avoided eye contact with
everyone that I could. That is until I saw her.
Our eyes locked for half a second. Too long for either of us
to pretend that we were perfect strangers. In that brief moment we recalled
seeing each other every day in high school. Walking to different classes, waiting for the
bus, being forced to work together on some project. Neither of us were
interested in the other. We never talked socially just occasionally being in
the same room due to the fact that our friends would hang out in groups.
After that eternal half moment we went our separate ways. Neither
of us being able to stomach forced conversations about how we’ve been and what
we were going to go see. Of course I wish my tale ended there. We continued to
run into each other, coming out of the restrooms, at the concession stand, at
the same screening of this film!
I knew that she must have thought me to be some sort of
stalker. She must have thought that she had become an obsession of mine. This I
tell you was not the case! She would be so lucky for me to spend more than a
minute recollecting anything about her. Though I didn’t know her well, I knew
she would think me a creep. This ate away at me, devouring any sense of
self-worth I may have clung onto.
As the trailers illuminated the audience I could see from
the corner of my eye that her disdain for me only grew. A cold sweat befell my
broken body. I gripped my seat handles tight. Once the film was over, I knew
what I had to do