No One Saw Her [Contest Edit]

No one saw her.1

She was sitting alone on a park bench, her dark hair contrasting sharply with her fair skin, causing her to fit in with the stark landscape behind her. Light gray sky, dark feathery trees, white blossoming weeds adorning dark green grasses, a dark lake reflecting a light sky. She sat with her back to it all, not seeing. People passed her by, not seeing.2

She felt as low as she had ever been. She was a naturally dramatic person with distinct ups and downs, but in all of her dark times, she had always known that she would surface back into herself. But now she was out of touch with herself, and she felt as if she might never pull through.3

How come no one noticed? The people who loved her, who saw her everyday, who knew her. No one saw, no one noticed, no one cared. She was tired of it all. Of caring that they didn't care, of noticing all the people in the world who did care, just not about her, of her own self-pity. She was ready for a change but she couldn't make it herself. It was all out of her hands and she hated the feeling.4

"What's wrong?"5

She looked up at the speaker, then immediately away, annoyed. He was a charming boy with dark hair and dark eyes, a ready smile, and a bright coffee cup with the Starbucks lady smiling benevolently from the side of it.6

He sat down next to her, ignoring her hostile look. He left about a foot of space between them, but draped his arm over the back of the bench, briefly patting her shoulder before dropping his hand behind the bench.7

She shifted forward, irritated by his aloof, assuming attitude and his cheesy British accent. Why did they talk like that anyway? It just made them sound stupid.8

"If it's boy problems, love, I can end them right now."9

She finally looked at him, her temper evident in her eyes. He wasn't fazed, only serving to piss her off more. "Boys are the least of my problems."10

He nodded, and settled himself against the bench. "Good to know."11

She sighed; he wasn't going anywhere. She didn't know why she was so put off by him. Hadn't she wanted someone to notice? She should qualify that; someone she cared about, not some desperate stranger in need of a booty call. "Do you ever feel ignored?"12

He chuckled. "Well, yes, actually.”13

She glared at him. He put his hands up, sloshing brown liquid out of his cup. "Sorry. Go ahead."14

"Like when you really really need someone to see you?"15

He studied her. "Who?"16

She sighed resignedly and examined her fingernails. "My mom."17

There was silence. She looked up and almost laughed at the look on his face. That was clearly not the answer he expected.18

"Your mum?"19

"No. Mom. In America, we say, ‘mom’."20

"Oh, piss off," he waved this away, spilling more coffee. "Why do you want her to notice you?"21

She suddenly realized how stupid she sounded and shut her mouth tightly. Why had she bothered to come? Why had he bothered to join her? Why had she opened her mouth? Why did she care if she looked stupid in front of him?22

He sensed her withdrawal and put his hand on her shoulder again. "It doesn't matter anyway. I see you."23

She looked at him closely, wishing she could see deeper inside him. He looked back and she felt like he could see deep inside her. She moved slowly, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. They sat, seeing.