brite-full-story

was accepted to. It didn’t matter
to her because it meant she had
potential. It was just the beginning.
Naomi always felt a tinge of guilt for
her dad’s lack of social or dating life
but he always assured her it was the
life he had chosen for himself. He
said he could never imagine loving
anyone more than her mother so
there was no use in searching.
Her mother had died shortly after
delivering her. “Complications
beyond anyone’s control,” her father
would say whenever she’d tried to
ask. When she was old enough to
recognize the pain that reflected
in his eyes when her mother was
brought up she stopped asking.
She decided to make peace with it
and support her father any way she
could from that moment on.
Naomi was the only child and filled
her days with reading. She began
speaking and reading at a young
age. Her teachers would always
encourage her father to place her in
the gifted classes. Steve (her father)
had always been proud of her
abilities but never wanted to push
her to grow up too fast. In a way she
was grateful he always wanted the
best for her but she also wondered
if maybe she would have been able
to maintain closer friendships with
kids her level. Even though she
never had problems making friends
she never seemed to really connect
with anyone either.
Naomi had a high school boyfriend
she met her junior year and dated
for 4 years. He was kind and she felt
strongly for him but still had no
problem breaking things off when
she left to Kansas. She missed the
companionship at times but knew
deep down he was never the one
she would end up with. Tim on the
other hand had been shattered by
the news. He didn’t see why they
couldn’t maintain a long-distance
relationship until she was ready to
come back to Colorado. That was
just it though, she never planned
on returning to Colorado other
than to visit her dad on occasion.
Tim had his whole life planned
and it all revolved around their
hometown. Naomi refused to
become a housewife and mother. At
least for now.
There had also been red flags with
Tim she wasn’t sure she could get
over. His jealousy for example
always seemed irrational and his fits
of rage were always embarrassing.
She could recall on more than one
occasion needing to talk him out
of a fight because he swore another
guy had been “undressing her with
his eyes.” She hated that expression
and it made her feel like she had
done something wrong.
Naomi never seemed to notice the
attention she would get from men
young and old. She was bright,
beautiful and very charismatic. Her
features although not striking were
unique and the way she carried
herself with humble confidence
was refreshing to anyone who
crossed her path. She had a smile
that would light up a room and an
infectious laugh. Still, she never
could quite see herself the way
others often did.
As her mind got carried away in a
flurry of thoughts she didn’t notice
the backpack in her path until it was
too late. She tried to hit the brakes
but still hit the backpack which
jolted her forward and made her
lose her balance. She attempted to
fall gracefully which only made the
entire experience worse as the bike
had a mind of its own. It toppled
over and pinned her left leg.
Completely embarrassed she
noticed she was right in front
of the café where most students
grabbed their breakfast and
beverages in the mornings. She
was irritated this happened here of
all places. No one even attempted
to help her. They just looked on
feigning concern. The whole
episode just fueled her irritation
even more. Especially when she
noticed HIM watching her.
He was sitting calmly at an outdoor
table sipping his coffee and
watching her with what, disdain,
pity, glee?! It was all she could
do to keep from yelling, “What is
your deal?” She had noticed him
on campus before and seen him
at parties occasionally. “That’s
Konstantin Price. The biggest babe
here,” Cyndi had said when Naomi
first noticed him at a school event
earlier in the year.
He was incredibly good looking but
seemed to be the type that knew it
and used it to his advantage. Ugh,
what an arrogant jerk! Something
about him just got under Naomi’s
skin. The way he’d walk with his
head and nose turned up like he
owned the place just pissed her off.
As his green eyes watched her, for
a moment she thought he might
have been checking her out but she
quickly dismissed the idea. What
would a guy like that see or want in
a girl like her?
What is there to check out Naomi?
Your clumsiness? She thought to
herself as she stood up and began
pedaling again. As she passed by
she realized he hadn’t taken his
eyes off her the entire time. “So glad
I could be your entertainment this
morning,” she mumbled angrily as
she whizzed past him.
Now being 30 minutes late to her
class she knew she’d be spending
her Friday night playing catch up in
the library. Man! She had actually
been looking forward to a night off
to unwind with Cyndi at the party
everyone had been talking about.
Oh well, there would always be
more parties.
Brite :
PART II