James Has A Crush
I wouldn’t say that I became obsessed with Mollie Parker after that first day at the Academy, but on the same note, she didn’t become just another face in the crowd for me. On the contrary, Mollie Parker’s face became imbedded in the fabric of my mind, a shining light piercing through a sea of darkness. Now, you may think that is slightly melodramatic and that, for a seventh grader, I didn’t know what I was feeling, but I knew. I knew like you know something bad is going to happen before it actually happens. Mollie Parker was going to be a big part of my life…whether it was in a good or bad way, I didn’t know.
The years passed quickly after that, and before I knew it, I was in high school. There wasn’t much of a difference between middle school and high school, mostly because both were in the same building. Due to the Academy’s low student population, the school was able to house both in one building, making it a much easier transition than what would happen in the public sector. Most people, I assume, would have been disappointed at the lack of change happening, but I’ve never been one of those people. I was content with stasis.
If there was one thing that I noticed began to change, however, it was the interactions between boys and girls. Nobody seemed to change too much between eighth grade and freshmen year, but it was like a switch had been flicked. Before I knew it, this boy was going out with that girl, or that girl was trying to hook up with this boy. It was absolute insanity, and I didn’t understand it. It hit me the hardest one day when my best friend, Joseph Owens, and I were sitting in our usual spot under the tall oak tree next to the Academy, writing our lunch away.
“I think I’m finally going to ask Zooey out,” said Joseph. He said it nonchalantly, as if he had practiced saying these words time and time again in front of a mirror.
“Um, okay? Since when did we start to like girls this much?” I responded, dropping my pen into my notebook and looking at him in bewilderment.
“Oh come on,” Joseph replied. “You know how long I’ve had the biggest crush on Zooey.”
“Yeah, since you were, like, in kindergarten?”
“Exactly,” said Joseph, returning his attention to whatever he was working on in his notebook. “And she’s felt the same way. She told me. We’ve known this for a while now. I just think it’s the only right thing to do now.”
I looked at him, a puzzled expression creeping across my face. Like I said before, I had never thought about us changing from what we were. Sure I understood that girls and boys had always had crushes on each other, but to get to the point of actually going out with one another, to be considered boyfriend and girlfriend, I didn’t know what to say to that. I had always thought this point would come much later in our lives, but here Joseph was telling me that this was the next logical step for a freshmen boy who had a crush on a girl; that it was the only right thing to do.
“Hm, I guess you’re right,” I looked down at my notebook at what I was writing. “I just never thought about it, I guess.” I guessed a lot at fourteen.
“You should start,” replied Joseph. “Because I already know one girl that would love to go out with you. She has the biggest crush on me. She’s a friend of Zooey’s.”
And the first person to pop into my head was Mollie. That had to be who Joseph was talking about. Zooey and Mollie were best friends, and there was no denying that she and I had always had a special connection. This was the special part in my life Mollie was going to play…she was going to be my first girlfriend. Everything that had led up to this moment, all the memories of her and I together, it all pointed to this. She was going to be my first girlfriend and we were going to get married one day and it would be the best story to tell our future children. All of this passed through my head in a matter of seconds and completely made me deaf to what Joseph was telling me.
“James? Hello? Earth to James…did you hear what I said?” I woke up from the Mollie Marriage Montage that was playing through my head and tuned into what he was saying.
“Uh, yeah I did. It’s Mollie, right?”
“What? Mollie? No, Jojo, man. Jojo has the biggest crush on you. She’s been talking about it with Zooey nonstop. Apparently you’re the only thing she talks to Zooey about these days.” Joseph looked up and gave me a wink. “You’re a little stud James Castle. She’s cute too, man. There is no denying that. Nothing next to my Zooey, but I’m slightly biased.”
I laughed, and shook off his comment. “I don’t think so man. I don’t know if I’m ready for all of that stuff yet.” I lied.
“Come on! Zooey and I are going to the movies this weekend and she’s bringing Jojo. I kind of already told her that you would come too so that it would be a sort of double date.”
I didn’t think that something like that could actually be a “sort of” thing. Either it was a double date or not. There was no “sort of” about it. This was a double date, but the “sort of” was meant to disguise it. It did a terrible job of it too.
He waited for a response. I could see the anticipation in his body language and in his eyes. “Please James, please, please, please. This is the night I’m going to ask Zooey to finally be my girlfriend. It would mean so much to me if you were there to experience it with me, man.”
I thought it over and looked at the anxiousness in his eyes. He really wanted this. Joseph was never the one to look desperate, but he was showing some major vulnerability. This was big to him and I couldn’t help but sympathize with him. I once wanted a first edition “This Side of Paradise” that bad and I remembered the pain I suffered when I didn’t get it.
“Fine, alright, I’ll go,” I sighed. “But only because you’re my best friend and my brother from another mother.”
Joseph threw his notebook to the side and slapped me on the back. “Two things; 1) I love you so much right now, you have no idea. And 2) never EVER use that expression again, okay?”
I smiled. “Okay, sounds like a deal.” We went back to our respective writings for the rest of lunch. As I wrote, my thoughts returned to the crush and my high hopes of it being Mollie Parker.
So Jojo was the girl who had a crush on me? It wasn’t Mollie? Disappointment was flowing through my veins as I looked out to three girls who sat in a triangle in front of the Academy. Jojo was very cute, with her short, black pixie hair and her petite, but oh so curvy body…but she wasn’t Mollie. Mollie who had this gravity about her that enticed me and pulled me towards her more than any other girl. If this was indeed the year I was to take the leap that all the other boys were, I wanted it to be with her, not Jojo.
But as I surveyed Jojo more and thought about how I may never have this chance to go out with a girl again in my life, the decision became easier and easier to make. Jojo was gorgeous and she had a crush on me; James Castle who wore horn, rimmed glasses, had the muscle tone of an eel, absolutely zero coordination, and zero experience talking to girls. Of all the boys in all the school, I was the least likely boy to get the chance to date a girl ever again. So, in the end, Jojo was beginning to look like a much better candidate for my first girlfriend.
The years passed quickly after that, and before I knew it, I was in high school. There wasn’t much of a difference between middle school and high school, mostly because both were in the same building. Due to the Academy’s low student population, the school was able to house both in one building, making it a much easier transition than what would happen in the public sector. Most people, I assume, would have been disappointed at the lack of change happening, but I’ve never been one of those people. I was content with stasis.
If there was one thing that I noticed began to change, however, it was the interactions between boys and girls. Nobody seemed to change too much between eighth grade and freshmen year, but it was like a switch had been flicked. Before I knew it, this boy was going out with that girl, or that girl was trying to hook up with this boy. It was absolute insanity, and I didn’t understand it. It hit me the hardest one day when my best friend, Joseph Owens, and I were sitting in our usual spot under the tall oak tree next to the Academy, writing our lunch away.
“I think I’m finally going to ask Zooey out,” said Joseph. He said it nonchalantly, as if he had practiced saying these words time and time again in front of a mirror.
“Um, okay? Since when did we start to like girls this much?” I responded, dropping my pen into my notebook and looking at him in bewilderment.
“Oh come on,” Joseph replied. “You know how long I’ve had the biggest crush on Zooey.”
“Yeah, since you were, like, in kindergarten?”
“Exactly,” said Joseph, returning his attention to whatever he was working on in his notebook. “And she’s felt the same way. She told me. We’ve known this for a while now. I just think it’s the only right thing to do now.”
I looked at him, a puzzled expression creeping across my face. Like I said before, I had never thought about us changing from what we were. Sure I understood that girls and boys had always had crushes on each other, but to get to the point of actually going out with one another, to be considered boyfriend and girlfriend, I didn’t know what to say to that. I had always thought this point would come much later in our lives, but here Joseph was telling me that this was the next logical step for a freshmen boy who had a crush on a girl; that it was the only right thing to do.
“Hm, I guess you’re right,” I looked down at my notebook at what I was writing. “I just never thought about it, I guess.” I guessed a lot at fourteen.
“You should start,” replied Joseph. “Because I already know one girl that would love to go out with you. She has the biggest crush on me. She’s a friend of Zooey’s.”
And the first person to pop into my head was Mollie. That had to be who Joseph was talking about. Zooey and Mollie were best friends, and there was no denying that she and I had always had a special connection. This was the special part in my life Mollie was going to play…she was going to be my first girlfriend. Everything that had led up to this moment, all the memories of her and I together, it all pointed to this. She was going to be my first girlfriend and we were going to get married one day and it would be the best story to tell our future children. All of this passed through my head in a matter of seconds and completely made me deaf to what Joseph was telling me.
“James? Hello? Earth to James…did you hear what I said?” I woke up from the Mollie Marriage Montage that was playing through my head and tuned into what he was saying.
“Uh, yeah I did. It’s Mollie, right?”
“What? Mollie? No, Jojo, man. Jojo has the biggest crush on you. She’s been talking about it with Zooey nonstop. Apparently you’re the only thing she talks to Zooey about these days.” Joseph looked up and gave me a wink. “You’re a little stud James Castle. She’s cute too, man. There is no denying that. Nothing next to my Zooey, but I’m slightly biased.”
I laughed, and shook off his comment. “I don’t think so man. I don’t know if I’m ready for all of that stuff yet.” I lied.
“Come on! Zooey and I are going to the movies this weekend and she’s bringing Jojo. I kind of already told her that you would come too so that it would be a sort of double date.”
I didn’t think that something like that could actually be a “sort of” thing. Either it was a double date or not. There was no “sort of” about it. This was a double date, but the “sort of” was meant to disguise it. It did a terrible job of it too.
He waited for a response. I could see the anticipation in his body language and in his eyes. “Please James, please, please, please. This is the night I’m going to ask Zooey to finally be my girlfriend. It would mean so much to me if you were there to experience it with me, man.”
I thought it over and looked at the anxiousness in his eyes. He really wanted this. Joseph was never the one to look desperate, but he was showing some major vulnerability. This was big to him and I couldn’t help but sympathize with him. I once wanted a first edition “This Side of Paradise” that bad and I remembered the pain I suffered when I didn’t get it.
“Fine, alright, I’ll go,” I sighed. “But only because you’re my best friend and my brother from another mother.”
Joseph threw his notebook to the side and slapped me on the back. “Two things; 1) I love you so much right now, you have no idea. And 2) never EVER use that expression again, okay?”
I smiled. “Okay, sounds like a deal.” We went back to our respective writings for the rest of lunch. As I wrote, my thoughts returned to the crush and my high hopes of it being Mollie Parker.
So Jojo was the girl who had a crush on me? It wasn’t Mollie? Disappointment was flowing through my veins as I looked out to three girls who sat in a triangle in front of the Academy. Jojo was very cute, with her short, black pixie hair and her petite, but oh so curvy body…but she wasn’t Mollie. Mollie who had this gravity about her that enticed me and pulled me towards her more than any other girl. If this was indeed the year I was to take the leap that all the other boys were, I wanted it to be with her, not Jojo.
But as I surveyed Jojo more and thought about how I may never have this chance to go out with a girl again in my life, the decision became easier and easier to make. Jojo was gorgeous and she had a crush on me; James Castle who wore horn, rimmed glasses, had the muscle tone of an eel, absolutely zero coordination, and zero experience talking to girls. Of all the boys in all the school, I was the least likely boy to get the chance to date a girl ever again. So, in the end, Jojo was beginning to look like a much better candidate for my first girlfriend.
No comments:
Post a Comment