Love At First Sight (Sort Of)

True Love Isn’t Real. 

That is my rule of life.

If you lower your expectations you won’t get hurt.

You don’t look at somebody and immediately fall in love.

I guess that’s what happens in those old Disney movies.

But it’s about more than what you look like. 

There are other things you need to take into account. 

Personality

Smarts

Love for Life

There is no such thing as love at first sight.

Or so I thought.

My name is Karli.

And this is my love at first sight story (Sort of)

I sat in the middle of a long history lecture in a room filled with angsty teenagers. Not. Fun. I sat in the back trying my best to avoid eye contact. That’s my way in life. You go on without being noticed, because your not important in anybody else’s stories unless you cause drama. If you don’t make there life more interesting what does it matter?

I’m one of those girls who just doesn’t try at all. I have one of those really short haircuts that makes me look like Will Byers from Stranger Things. It’s dark brown, and I have plain eyes to go with it. I was never born to be known for something. I was born to be a nobody. And everybody I know agrees with me. 

“Karli,” the boy in front of me says. I look up at him, and there’s nobody other than Noah Finkilico staring up at me. I know this is the part where you think I’m going to fall in love with his handsome blue eyes and his luscious blonde hair. You think this is the part where he tells me his tragic story and I fall in love. We go out and live happily ever after. Well that’s not what happens. 

When I didn’t answer he said, “Do you know the homework?” of course. He didn’t need my company he just needed the homework.

“I have no clue,” I said, pulling my hood over my head. He shrugged and looked back up to the front. 

The class didn’t go any faster after that. I just sat in the back drawing circles in my notebook. 

When the bell finally rang, I grabbed my bag and walked quickly out the door. The only place I go where I’m fine with being around people is art club. The place I can go where everybody is as weird as I am.  It’s like the outcasts of the school made their own club. The art room was filled with all of my “friends” We don’t like to call each other friends, because we are known for being alone. 

I scanned the room looking for anyone new. And there he was. Hiding in the corner. Noah. He was hiding in the shadows. I was assuming he was drawing, but I couldn’t tell.

And I know all of you are thinking that this isn’t a coincidence. This is not true love. This is NOT the part where I go up to him and help him draw a heart. This isn’t a cheesy Hallmark movie. Sure it is pretty weird that the one person I’ve talked to all day is the newest member of my favorite club, but you know. 

I sit on the other side of the room doing my best not to make eye contact with him. And every time I glanced over to where he was sitting, he wasn’t paying any attention to me. That’s when I realized what he was doing. He was drawing. On his arms. He seemed to be using some type of sharpe, but from here it looked like an outrageously sharp pencil.     

I pulled out my sketch book, forcing myself to stop looking over at him. I tried to draw a flower, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. His blonde hair that was so messy it was cute. And his immaculate blue eyes. And here I was thinking about his looks acting like a Disney princess waiting to be saved by her prince. Nope. I’m done thinking about Noah Finkilico.

At around 4:30  I packed up my stuff and was about to walk up the door when he walked up to me. And by he I mean the person I’m trying not to think about.

“What do you want?” I asked doing my best not to look at him, but I couldn’t help glancing at his arms. They were covered by his sweatshirt, but I could see something red on his hand. I looked away and went back to stuffing my stuff in my bag.

“Well, I have a question and your an artist so I thought I could ask you.” he said quietly.

“There are plenty of other artists here, just look around,” I said waving my arms around the room. But I realized we were the only people left.

Don’t even think about it. This is NOT another sign I should kiss him and be his little perfect princess, but this isn’t a Once Upon a Time story. This is a story of an average, boring, American living her average life. So quit thinking about it. 

“Fine,” I said sitting down “what do you want to know?”

“Well, I need a new medium,” he said quietly fiddling with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. “I’m running out of room,”

“How can you run out of room? It’s art, there is plenty of supplies,” I said. 

“Just give me a medium. Any medium.” he said.

“Fine,” I sighed, “what about water color.” I lead him to the back of the room and showed him the canvas and water colors. 

“Thanks,” he said quietly reaching up to grab the brushes, when his sleeve rolled down. I gasped. It was beautiful. Intricate swirls and designs. There were faces I didn’t recognize and landscapes. It was all mixed together perfectly and his entire arm was filled with the drawings all the way up to his shoulder. And it wasn’t in sharpie like I was expecting. It was in pencil. Or at least I think because now all it is is red. You could still see the designs, but they looked burnt into his skin. 

I wanted to look closer, but he realized where I was looking and he pulled down his sweatshirt, but I walked closer. I grabbed his wrist and pulled up his sleeve. And he didn’t fight me. He just stood there looking down at his arm. It was the same intricate swirls and shapes, but the closer I got, the more I realized it was different. Each of the swirls and designs had words around the border. They were so small you could hardly notice. All of them said inspirational words like Peace and Love. 

“Why?” was all I could ask. 

He just shrugged, “I guess it makes me feel like I’m actually here, you know what I mean?”

I didn’t respond, but I know what he meant. I felt more human when I drew. Well I draw on paper, but you know we take what we can get. I  nodded and we just stood there, me holding his hand.

And then I kissed him.

Please take note, I kissed him. Not the other way around. He didn’t wake me up from a coma, or break a spell. But I liked it. A lot. 

When I pulled away, he was smiling. It wasn’t like a huge smile, but one of those cute, small ones. And I smiled back at him. 

Warning- we don’t live happily ever after. Sure we do for a little. We go out. I make friends. I’m happy. He would draw on my arms, and I would draw him. We were a real thing. And I loved every second of it. He met my parents and I met his little siblings. 

We went to plays and art fairs. We tried things together. I could really talk to him. Like really talk to him. I told him how I used to surround myself with darkness so that I could breathe, but now I realize I was suffocating myself. He was there for me. He supported me.

He told me about his family problems. How his dad was a bipolar drunk, and how his mom died a couple of years ago. He talked about his trama. It took awhile for him to open up, but he did. 

We told each other everything. 

And then we broke up. See this thing called college is like the evil queen of my story. He was going to NYU and I was going to the University of Iowa. So we decided to be long distance friends. 

Well that didn’t work either. He made friends and so did I. I met people, went to parties, got good grades and made time for myself. 

So this is my Once Upon a Time Story. 

I found someone who I thought was going to be the one.

We broke up.

I got over it.

Maybe this can be one of those sadistic princess stories. 

He was my prince in shining armor. 

And I was his warrior in shining armor. 

And he accepted it. 

He made me feel sane. 

My name is Karli

And this is my Love At First Sight Story (Sort of)