I met Ben Palmer when I was ten years old. My sister had a birthday party on the summer of 2009 and my Mother forced her to bring me with her. She wasn't happy about it, but she took me anyway, and didn't notice me much after our mother dropped us off.
On a hot summer day at the comunity pool in Cortlandt town Recreation Center, stood a 10 year old awkward boy at the edge of (what appeard to be) a gigantic pool, afraid of the water. My sister was unaware of this fear as she left me behind wide eyed and with a stomach filled with butterflies. I guess I was so concetrated on the water, that I didn't notice a brown haired boy standing next to me with little curious eyes.
" Aren´t you gettin in?" he asked gesturing towards the small waves of the pool
" Why not?" he asked after I shook my head no
" I am afraid of the water" I admitted not looking at him, expecting laughter, or mocking
" I was afraid of the water too... But then my brother pushed me and I learned to swim. It's really fun actually, once you learn how to swim" He smiled " I could teach you if you'd like"
" What if I drown?" I asked sighing and keeping a steady gaze on the water
" If you drown, you drown" He said with a shrug " My Paps always says that when your afraid of something, you should just count to three and do it, but then again, my Paps says a lot of stuff and I heard my Dad say that he was a bit bad on the head... But yeah, you look cool, I bet that once you learn you'll be the best ! "
" Okay... " I said taking a shaky breath
"We'll jump together, that way if you drown I can help you" I simply nodded afraid to the bone. "Okay, 1...2...3 ! "
I obviously drowned, I had never swam in my life, and there I was thinking that because this boy I had just met trusted me enough to let me jump into my death was right, that I would make it and that I would be fine. In the end when the life guard dragged me out of the pool, and made sure that I was fine, the boy came running towards me and said " Your the bravest kid I know! , I think you deserve a cookie pop!" . In the end, I did end up being the best swimmer in the family, and on the swimming team, but I gave it up once I started going to High School.
And since then, we were unseparable. I think it was the fact that I trusted him so much, that he gave me that confidence to jump, that made it "click", it sounds really cheesy, but its the only way I can explain it.
Ben and I, we did everything together, and for a long time it was just us, but on seventh grade, Kim joined our little circle.
Quick fact about Kim, she was beautifull, simply that. Ben has had a crush on her since she joined us on our little adventure that was life. She was one of those people who lighten up a room where ever they go. While Ben was a sporty kind of guy, Kim was a huge bookworm, and very down to earth.
So our trip down memory lane is over, and we're back to the part when Zoe joined our Sophomore year.
Her response to our English professor amused my classmates, which I guess was a bit of a relief, I mean, she was intimidating in all obvoius ways.
"Very funny Miss Jefferson, but I don't like comedians in my class, so would you give us the honor of knowing your name?" Proffesor Grassel asked
" Zoe" she looked to the ground, which was a pity, because she was so beautiful
With a "take a seat" her small presentation was over, and the class started its usual course. I thought I would see her paying attention, listening intently to the professor, but instead I found her gazing out the window with hooded eyes, or folding a piece of paper from her notebook shaping it into a bird, or simply drawing with a black pen on her hand for the entire class, it's not enough to say that I didn't pay much attention to class.
When the bell rang, I tried to pack my stuff as slowly as posible, gaining time, with her, with her presence. She took her time, first making sure her pen had the cap on the right side, closing her pencil case, sliding one stap of her backpack on her shoulder, then the next one-
" Hey Will, are you coming or not? " Ben asked poking his head through the door
I hurried outside the classroom, with one last glance towards her, but I can swear on my life that I saw her smile to the ground.
