Now, to be fair, I wasn't staring for very long. Just long enough.
I'd gone to the New Year's Eve gathering at Times Square because, well, it's Times Square. And I'd decided it was well past time to stop moping about New York and Mom not being here. And I caught sight of Valkyrie, and the outlook for the evening got a lot better. I also saw that she was standing close to Jessica, but that was okay. Jessica was cool.
They were across the square, so it took some time for me to get across to her, what with the crowd and all, but by the time I got there, I saw that Valkyrie and Jessica were walking away. Very close together. And here I made my first serious mistake. I followed them.
I know that was wrong of me. I know it was basically stalking, but I couldn't help myself. I hung back so they wouldn't see me, and kept them in sight most of the way to the pier, when I lost them. And then I made my second serious mistake: I kept looking for them.
I don't know what I was thinking, really. I had no claim on Valkyrie. She'd made that very clear. But the thought that someone else might have made a claim on her... I couldn't let it go. And it pulled me forward. And I searched the pier, hoping against hope that I was mistaken.
And that's when I saw them.
Seeing them hit me like a punch in the gut. For a moment, I could only stand, staring. Then my brain spoke up, and told me that I had to get out, now. I had to move. Move, feet! Move!
I turned, and without meaning to, started running. And I ran right into a trash can and knocked it over with a tremendous clatter. That was my only lucky break that night -- though it didn't feel so at the time -- because it slowed me down enough that I didn't completely stagger off the curb and onto the street. And the yellow cab was able to screech to a halt in time. I just slapped my hands down hard on the hood -- I didn't hit the windshield with my body.
I stood, frozen, the cab driver shouting at me. And I looked back at the pier. Of course they'd seen me.
I turned, then, and walked away, across the street, as quickly as dignity would allow.
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I'd gone to the New Year's Eve gathering at Times Square because, well, it's Times Square. And I'd decided it was well past time to stop moping about New York and Mom not being here. And I caught sight of Valkyrie, and the outlook for the evening got a lot better. I also saw that she was standing close to Jessica, but that was okay. Jessica was cool.
They were across the square, so it took some time for me to get across to her, what with the crowd and all, but by the time I got there, I saw that Valkyrie and Jessica were walking away. Very close together. And here I made my first serious mistake. I followed them.
I know that was wrong of me. I know it was basically stalking, but I couldn't help myself. I hung back so they wouldn't see me, and kept them in sight most of the way to the pier, when I lost them. And then I made my second serious mistake: I kept looking for them.
I don't know what I was thinking, really. I had no claim on Valkyrie. She'd made that very clear. But the thought that someone else might have made a claim on her... I couldn't let it go. And it pulled me forward. And I searched the pier, hoping against hope that I was mistaken.
And that's when I saw them.
Seeing them hit me like a punch in the gut. For a moment, I could only stand, staring. Then my brain spoke up, and told me that I had to get out, now. I had to move. Move, feet! Move!
I turned, and without meaning to, started running. And I ran right into a trash can and knocked it over with a tremendous clatter. That was my only lucky break that night -- though it didn't feel so at the time -- because it slowed me down enough that I didn't completely stagger off the curb and onto the street. And the yellow cab was able to screech to a halt in time. I just slapped my hands down hard on the hood -- I didn't hit the windshield with my body.
I stood, frozen, the cab driver shouting at me. And I looked back at the pier. Of course they'd seen me.
I turned, then, and walked away, across the street, as quickly as dignity would allow.