Memories of Orange
by Chiara Tetreault
“But you lied,” the words left my lips fiery, almost singeing my tongue.
He stared blankly at me, leaning back to avoid my flames for a few seconds, only to readjust his position and look at me head-on with big brown lifeless orbs. Bewildered that I would have the nerve to expect the simple truth, he opted for degradation. Suddenly, he rose out of his seat to fire an assault of screaming accusations.
“I’m not you! I’m not smart like you! I don’t have motivation like you! I can’t keep up with you! It’s too much pressure, you act just like my Mom!”
I became quiet as remnants of spit hit my face like a slap. As he continued to spout off, my focus shifted to a poster just right of his shoulder hung high on the wall.
WHAP! He clapped in my face to regain my attention.
“Look at me!”
The poster was the Frank Ocean, Nostalgia, Ultra mixtape. Showcasing a bright orange BMW surrounded by a myriad of leaves. Serving as an escape, I studied the intense orange car, inviting like a tangerine. I wondered if the gleaming orange exterior was now riddled with rust or if the car was wrecked, stripped for parts, or slowly decaying in a landfill somewhere. As I considered the car’s current whereabouts, POW! His fist slammed into his desk, jolting me back into reality. His brother called out,
“Is everything alright in there?”
Surrendering to Nostalgia, Ultra I allowed my mind to drift again.
I was sitting in my sixth-grade art class when I first saw him.
Laughter erupted into the air as Andre cracked a joke about Ms. Katz,
“Those are some goofy shoes she got on.”
We all burst out into giggles. She had on oversized clogs decorated in orange glitter. You almost had to look away from the glitter– sparkling brightly in stark contrast to the pale yellow walls. As the laughter was fading, my best friend pointed out an unfamiliar face three seats down.
“He’s new I heard,” she said leaning forward to get a good look.
He sat uninterested, head resting on his palm, chestnut skin adorning his scrawny frame.
“He doesn’t talk much”
Ms. Katz hollered to get our attention as she handed out another impromptu quiz. I glanced around the table at my friends clothed in navy buttoned-up shirts.
Andre peered down at the first page and whispered, “So who got the answer to number one?”
I rolled my eyes then looked up at the new student once more. Peering down at the quiz, he lifted his pencil.
The clock read 1:15. It was time. The classroom was brightly lit with fluorescent lights and the desks were neatly lined up in five rows. My teacher was bent toward the whiteboard, writing a seemingly endless string of numbers. I cleared my throat, reaching my hand up to get her attention. Her tightly pulled-back ponytail swung as she turned to face us.
“Yes, Chiara? Would you like to solve the equation?”
“No, um, can I go to the bathroom?”
She begrudgingly gestured towards the pass, “Be prepared to complete the next question when you get back.”
I nodded, without any intention of coming back soon. I quickly exited my seat, grabbed the pass, and slipped out the door, where he was waiting.
“Took you long enough”
“By two minutes!” I retorted, pushing his arm. He laughed and tucked his neatly parted, shoulder-length twists behind his ear.
“Come on,” he gestured forward and we headed towards the gym. He opened the door and peeked both ways before we slipped inside.
“I hope you’re ready to lose,” he shouted, jogging ahead and grabbing a stray basketball. The orange sphere shot towards me, catching me off guard. It fell out of my grasp and bounced off the ground. I snatched it out of the air and began dribbling toward him.
“Smile for the camera!”
I shifted awkwardly in my gown, adjusting the tassel on my graduation cap, and flashed a smile. I looked around briefly at the sea of familiar faces around me; friends, family, and teachers congregating together in this dramatic send-off. Feeling melancholy, I fixated on the sky which had transformed into a beautiful deep orange as the sun descended. I felt a squeeze at my hip as he pulled me closer. As he smiled at me, his eyes reflected the sunset.
“This is only the beginning”
And suddenly it wasn’t so clear anymore.