A Rainbow In The Sky
The aroma that fills Cave Coffee Shop is one of the strong roasts of coffee beans and sweet creamers. My wheels effortlessly glide over the wooden floors, glistening from a fresh wax. Silhouettes of barren trees look like they have been sketched straight onto the wall—the drawings from floor to ceiling behind the register.
Phoebe moves a chair away from a table near the window, dropping her bag in it.
“Thanks,” I say, parking my wheelchair in the now empty spot as I watch fat raindrops flash against the window.
“I’ll get the drinks this time.” Phoebe sways up to the counter.
“Wait,” I call, holding up a twenty-dollar bill.
“Nope.” Phoebe waves away my offer without turning around. Her wet sneakers smacked against the wooden floor. Leaving me to watch her sun-bleached ponytail bounce against her slender neck as she walks.
“At least it’s better than the time she stole your bag, so you would have no other choice than to let her pay for your drink,” Remy says, taking the seat across from me. Curls the color of bubblegum past her narrow shoulders, she plops her backpack down on the table, pulls out a sketchbook and a pencil, and begins doodling.
“Excuse me, that was one time,” Phoebe calls from her position near the counter where she is waiting for our drinks.
“Whatever, Phee. Oh, it looks like your girl is working, Felicity,” Remy says.
“She’s not my girl,” I say, my head turning anyway despite my words. But, sure enough, Luna Frost is taking orders with a smile that lights up her gray eyes like the sun lights up the sky after a big storm.
“She could be, though.” Remy continues her sketch.
“No, she couldn’t.” I pull my bag off the back of my chair. Digging around for my psychology textbook. Avoiding eye contact with Remy during my search.
The book falls from my grasp, landing on the floor with a thud! My eyes snap up towards the sound, stares ultimately finding me, and heat rushes to my cheeks. Luna’s eyes lock on mine for the briefest of seconds before her attention goes back to the cash register.
“Here, I’ll get that.” Remy hops up, picks up my textbook, and places it in front of me. On her way back to her seat.
“Thanks.”
“Of course,” Remy picks up her pencil as she goes back to her sketch.
“What are we talking about?” Phoebe asks, coming back to our table. She is carefully balancing three mugs in her hands.
“I was trying to convince Felicity to make a move on Luna.” Remy takes the tallest glass from Phoebe. It’s filled to the brim with her strawberry milkshake, whipped cream overflowing, dripping down the sides.
“Yes, I agree this needs to happen, preferably today.” Phoebe places my mug of coffee in front of me.
I wrap my hands around the mug. Noticing how much my Electric Blue nail polish is starting to chip off. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. I put my hand up to prevent my friends from interrupting. “For all I know, she’s straight. So, it would be pointless anyway.”
“She could be gay or bi. The only way you’ll know is if you try,” Phoebe says, grabbing her copy of The Road from her bag.
I run my fingers through my dark hair. The thick strands come to an angled end at my chin. “It’s better for me not to know. We can have a love story in my imagination, and I don’t have to get my heart broken.”
“Or she could feel the same way, and you two could live a real love story.” Phoebe chimes in, thumbing through her novel. Her gray-blue eyes match the cloudy sky outside. Red rounded glasses sit on top of her head. She puts her book to the side as she starts to tap pale pink nails against her mug, most likely filled with hot chocolate.
Remy puts her pencil down, laying it across her drawing. The vibrant red and blue inks of the mermaid tattoo contrast the creamy skin of her forearm as she reaches for her milkshake. “You could always roll up to her and throw a bunch of rainbows in her face,” Remy says, slurping her milkshake throw a plastic straw.
“How do you throw rainbows at someone?” Phoebe asks.
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.” Remy shrugs, her brown eyes shining like black diamonds.
“No, it’s not happening.” I hiss the venom in my voice, as poisonous as the bite of a green-tailed moccasin. “Obviously, we’re not studying. So, I’m going to go.” I shove my textbook back into my bag, hanging it again on the back of my chair.
I place my hand on my joystick, easing my wheelchair backward. My tires squeak on the wood as I move. I let out a frustrated sigh when I reached the door, unable to push it open and drive through it alone. “Can one of you open the door for me?” I look back at my friends.
“It’s pouring outside. Don’t be ridiculous.” Phoebe stays planted in her seat. She is tightening her black raincoat around herself in an act of defiance.
Remy gets up from her seat, walking ahead of me to hold the door open. Up close, I can see how her fingers are smudged with graphite. A green sweatshirt hangs over the band of her paint-splattered jeans. “Text us to let us know you make it home safe?”
I nod, not trusting my voice. Knowing my words will be laced with misplaced anger. When my wheels reach the sidewalk, raindrops hit me heavy and hard, like a pitcher strikes out an unprepared batter. Goosebumps rise on my bare flesh, thanks to the holes in my worn blue jeans. I continue to drive straight ahead, following the sidewalk, not knowing where I’m going and not caring.
*
I’m not surprised when I end up in the middle of the bridge. The rain has let up; only a mist hovers in the air now. The sky is still clustered with fluffy gray clouds, but streaks of sunlight are starting to peek through the sky.
The last time I was on this bridge, the sky was bursting with colors. Pinks and oranges stained the sky. They swirled together as if they were bleeding from the clouds overhead. Julia and I were bathed in a warm light. I remembered her features had an extra glow to them that night. The specks of gold shone brighter in her hazel eyes. Her olive skin shone against the fading sun. The playful smirk was like that of a court jester, but I knew the words about to come out of her thin lips would stab me worse than the blade of a knight’s sword.
“I love you. You know that, right?” Julia’s voice was thick with unshed tears.
I nodded. I wiped tears that had begun to streak down my cheeks away. Tears were not helpful here. They couldn’t fix anything. Crying couldn’t bridge the miles that were soon to be between us. “I love you too.”
“We could try?” she offered as she placed her hand over my own.
I shook my head. We decided the miles wouldn’t be kind to us. “We can’t.”
“I know,” Julia’s head was hung, and bronze curls covered her eyes. “What do we do now?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“We move on and try to be happy.”
I shared a last kiss with Julia before we went our separate ways.
*
Today, on the same bridge, I watch a faint rainbow appear in the sky. I snap a picture of it, hoping to hang on to this moment’s peace. Fortunately, my phone tells me it’s 5:30. Cave doesn’t close until 7:00. I can go back, maybe even get some studying done this time.
Outside of Cave, I catch my reflection in the front window. The natural red highlights in my hair are showing. The purple sweatshirt I’m wearing adds a tint of violet to my dark blue eyes. I take in the details of my chair: the wheels stained with grass from hours of driving through the grass; chasing after a soccer ball with my cousins like the world cup is at stake. The blue lightning bolts that Remy spray-painted on the sides of the red base. Today for the first time, I see my chair for what it is. A part of me. Not my defining factor.
A young boy with shaggy blond hair dressed in a T-shirt and jeans walks up behind me. “Do you want me to get the door for you?”
“Yes, please.” Rolling into Cave, I send the picture of the rainbow to Julia. I am attaching the message.
Just another day trying to be happy.
Once I send the text, I get in line, ready to give Luna my best smile.