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I highly doubt Benjamin would approve of me lying down in the middle of the road.
I slipped on my old ratty sneakers and big hoodie, because it was really cold for September, opened the window and crawled out into the azalea bush. Since I was home alone, the front door was an option, but it was a lot more fun this way.
Ducking low behind the bushes at the edge of Mrs. Bate's yard, I headed westward to the center of the cul-de-sac.
There were no street lamps in the middle of the cul-de-sac, which is why I liked it so much; it was easier to see the stars. I stepped into the very center, looked heavenward and dropped to the ground. I sprawled out on the cold cement with arms at my sides and tried to relax every bone. The stars were in perfect alignment around the waning moon.
I do this a lot- just lay in the middle of the street- sometimes in the middle of the day. It scares my mother to death to watch me lying motionless. And I know that I'm the talk of suburbia. They call me an unhealthy freak; which is probably why I didn't get very many babysitting gigs. As a kid hearing that, it does something to you.
I was in my own world for only a short time before feeling someone's eyes on me. At first, I thought it was a neighbor warning me that they were backing out, but when I looked up it was the albino kid, the one whose face I'd never seen. He was staring down at me perplexed. He was ridiculously handsome for a twelve-year-old - much less an albino - he just looked very old for his age, and I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to make fun of him. He kneeled down next to me.
"Are you okay?" he asked uncomfortably, eyebrows pushed together.
"Yeah, I am. Why?" I asked, forgetting that I was lying in the street like roadkill.
The boy seemed intrigued by my lack of caring.
"Well, when I see a random girl laying in the middle of the road, I tend to want to ask these questions," he said.
"Do you come across many of us often?"
"Surprisingly no, I don't, but when I do come across such a rarity, I never remember to ask why they do it."
"It's relaxing when I can't sleep. I like to watch the stars."
"In the middle of the road?" he asked incredulously.
"You know they make these things called telescopes?" he laughed.
But when he laughed, it wasn't at me exactly or to make fun of me. I couldn't help but join in.
"Yeah, you know I've heard of those things, but I have no use for them; come on, try it," I said, patting the cement next to me.
He wavered, looking around.
"I don't think so," he said uneasily.
"Are you chicken or something?" I asked, conveying the most seriousness. His face hardened.
"No."
I believed him. There was something in his young- old man face that convinced me of that right away.
"Then stop acting like one."
"And we won't get run over?" he asked. I laughed again.
"Do you see any cars?"
I saw a little smile and then he laid down rigidly, ready to jump up at any moment. He reminded me of a giant cat.
"So what's your name?" he asked casually, eyes darting towards the open road.
"Charlotte Todd. Nice to meet you," stretching my arm over my torso for him to shake.
He took it; his hands were clammy and cold.
"I'm Moody Johnston," he said, dropping my hand. I peered at him out of the corner of my eye.
"That's a strange name," I whispered, mostly to myself.
I had never met someone with an interesting name. I had grown up in a sea of cookie cutter names like Brittany and Ashley.
He laughed.
"It's not my real name; it's more of a... nickname."
"How did you get that nickname?"
He ignored the question and it wasn't until later that he told me.
"Well, then, what's your real name?"
"It's a stupid name," he sighed.
"I won't tell."
He looked at me and smiled; it was brief and more like a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Promise you won't laugh?"
"Yeah, I promise."
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