As he walked away, I positioned myself in bed and leaned back into my pillows and looked out my window. My lights turned off, thinking it was him, I didn’t even turn around and I said thank you, and fell asleep. I woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm clock. It read 9/28/04 7:30am, quickly and annoyed I push the button with my hand to stop the sound and I turned my head back into my pillow. Then after a second, I look at the clock again and dart out of bed.

I think to myself, ‘I’m late! I cant believe that I’m late.’ I yell, “Saul!” as I’m getting ready, “Saul! Please get the car ready!!” No response, I quickly justify his lack of response thinking ‘maybe he went shopping?’ I finish getting ready and run out of my room. As I run out the front door I notice that the car keys are still hanging. Closing the door I think, ‘he’s probably out in the back.’ I check the time, its 7:34am and run to the bus station.

After a long hour and forty-five minute commute due to traffic, I get to school at 9:36am and go straight to the office. At the attendance window the clerk tells me, “You do know that school starts at 7:50am, Miss Levine?” I respond “Yes, ma’am. It wont happen again.” Another one of my biggest lies ever told.

I get a late pass and report to 3rd period. The first class I never attended the day before. I let out a huge sigh and hurry my speed to head towards my class. I take a deep breath before going inside, straighten my hair, fix my skirt and then I walk inside. “Mrs. Tronug?”

As she responds “Yes?” I look around and before I am able to speak, I see him. I feel my face petrified. Its him! ‘Omg! I cant believe it’s the guy with the orange!’ Just as I finish my thought he turns to me as if he heard something and rolled his eyes. As I force myself to turn to the teacher, I hear a pshht, and I turn to see who called me. Confused I look around and make eye contact with whom I thought I heard the sound from. My eyes jump from face to face and then I get to him. He looks at me and for the first time we lock eyes, and it’s as if my body is possessed. I feel a shiver and an overwhelming feeling, like if now at this moment I know that I know him, even though I just met him.

I snap out of the eye lock as my teacher frustratingly says “Miss Levine!?” I snap my gaze to her and say “Oh, I’m sorry. Yes?” She proceeds and tells me to take a seat all the way on the right.

I take my seat and she continues with the history lesson. As I write the notes down, I hear mumbling and yet I know I don’t actually hear it, then Mrs. Tronug is suddenly reminded that I was the only one not here the day before and stops class and says, “Now hopefully you will be joining us every day Miss Levine because absences like that of yesterday will count very badly towards you. Make sure you get the notes from a fellow student otherwise you will fall behind and fail.”

I look down almost discouraged at the fact that I was scolded, in front of class, this had never happened to me. I always tried to make sure that I was invisible to my fellow students and my teachers. And it worked so well, that most teachers would ask “Who is Magenta?”

As she turned around I hear a loud voice from behind me say “Don’t worry Miss Tronug, I got her” I turn around and see orange guy as he raises what seem to be the notes from yesterday. She ignores him and I stay looking at him.

Of course it would be orange guy, I get irritated, ‘I know who you are’ I think to myself ‘And I wont fall to this trick of yours.’ I quickly respond to him “It’s ok, I’ll ask someone else to let me borrow them.”

I turn around and continue to write the notes down. As class continues a girl seating behind me nudges me and hands me a folded paper. I open it, and sure enough its from him. On the paper it says:

“Hi, I’m Michael. You don’t have to act all mighty just because you think you know who I am! I was just trying to help and you never even said thank you to me for saving your insignificant life. I didn’t have to show you my powers, I could have walked away.

Don’t even bother asking anyone else for the notes, because Mrs. Tronug made it very clear that anyone who helped you, would get homework points taken away. And I’m guessing that no one else in this preppy school would want that.

So meet me after school to get the notes. I know you will find it very interesting because I’m going to have to show you about proper manners.”

I sit there thinking that it is true, he did save my life. And then I felt angry, how dare he say I’m insignificant!? He didn’t have to!? Having those powers means it is his rightful duty to save another persons life! How arrogant and an ass he is, I will NOT meet him. I can’t believe there are guys like him that go here. He is nothing like Jorge!

I sip my tea again and continue, “Saul, th…there is something different here, and I don’t know what it is but I can feel it…..” he looks at me strangely as he takes a seat near my bed, “…and the weirdest thing of all is that I’m not afraid. Like, before when girls would try to befriend me and boys tried to talk with me, even if it was to ask a question, it was very easy to ignore them and walk away so as to not get any attention to myself, just like I had always planned,” I look up at him and see his disapproving face go down, “But today,…” he looks up, “I talked to a girl, in Spanish, and it felt like she was my best friend, as if I had known her all of my life…” still looking at him I see his face turn to a happy face.

“Maybe, if it isn’t too bold, Miss Levine,” he proceeded carefully, “this move will turn out to be the best thing to happen to us since we left your aunt and uncle. Here you will be able to have what they never permitted you to have, and the one thing you continue to believe is unnecessary because of how they had you in their solemn grip. Maybe accepting this girl’s friendship will finally open your eyes to what you have been missing” he says smilingly.

I sigh and roll my eyes, but in a joking matter, and think sarcastically ‘Augh I’m surprised he didn’t say true friendship… or something. Who needs that…’ knowing that all he wants is the best for me.

He had always wanted the best for me. As he picks up the tray and leaves, I fondly remember how he had saved my life. A father figure, truly worthy of the name, father. He was the one who supported me when I had tried to get away from my aunt and uncle, not caring of the consequences.

I look down at my cup, and as the cup’s liquid swirls I am put in a daze and the images of some names come into my head, I can’t see them clearly, but I can hear voices like they are yelling for each other. Soon my head is filled with this unsettling feeling again and I close my eyes to drown it out, but it isn’t working, I begin to panic and look around for my medicine. Shaking my head and unable to see clearly I think to myself, ‘Twice in one day, ever since it’s started it has never been this bad.’ Then Saul comes in  and asks if I want more tea. All of a sudden the commotion stops, and I stop and look at him. Not wanting to worry him I quickly say yes and he walks over to re-fill my cup. As he does he asks “So, Miss Levine do you have any homework?”

I say no, and he looks at me questioningly. I look up at him and say, “Actually, that’s one thing that I wanted to talk to you about. Today was a really strange day, not only about the girl I talked to, but there’s more.” He looks at me a bit surprised and takes a seat near me like before. “I also met a boy…” I see his face intrigued and my face begins to tingle, “and I was also atta…” Clash! Before I am able to tell him the rest of my day we both turn towards the door in the direction of the sound outside. He excuses himself to check it out and before I try to even get up, he says “Please Miss Levine, I will take care of it.”

Looking back to this day, I can’t help but think and wonder what would had happened if I had gotten up with him? Maybe I could have helped him, maybe I could have done something….

But no, that was not my fate. On that day I lost the man who I loved as a father. The man who after he lost everything was there for me. Who refused to give up on me, and gave me hope to continue on. He helped me to move forward and have trust in myself. Constantly told me that I was special, and that great things would come my way.

I always thought that in a way he was full of shit, telling me lies to make me feel better, but now…. wherever he is…. I know he was right. This was the first day of the rest of my life, and it had some of the worst memories that I often wish had never happened, it was the worst day that could have ever happened to me up to that point, and it took me forever to realize it. Often I would think that if I had just realized sooner, or had called him on his cell phone, that maybe things would have been different, but no. That day I lost Saul. That night he left my room to check that noise and never came back.