Weathered Chances

It started out as what I thought was an ordinary meeting. It was drizzling and the weather wasn't good the whole day. The weather, if by chance, could have something to do with that meeting - some sort of sign of what was to come.

I could still remember my outfit that day: a loose navy blue shirt and jeans, a very plain and unattractive attire. I didn't have the time to think of a better outfit since I was feeling nauseous at that time. They might have thought of me as an anti-social type because I could not fix my posture due to back pain.

The meeting was fine. The woman, whom my mother got acquainted with, was a teacher who happened to be an alumnus of the university where my father had also graduated in college. My mother always loved this kind of topic - meeting another person from the place where she had grown up. They exchanged stories and I learned many things about her. But, I barely got any idea who this woman was talking about: a boy of my age. She told me she loved the school very much and I guessed her son might be staying here for another year until graduation. The woman asked me if the boy was my classmate. She told me they were the Sadlers, but I still could not identify the name. She asked me where my classes were located and I answered that we were on the ground floor. She was confused. She didn't know that the classrooms for the juniors were now on the first level.

I did take note of some clues she dropped on the identity of her son. Just by listening to their conversation, I had the idea that this guy might be someone intelligent, being a consistent honor student from his previous school. I also took note of how his mother had beautiful big brown eyes.

I tried to search who this guy was. I thought maybe if our mothers became friends, we could get along with each other, too. That weekend, because I was sick due to the cold weather, my best friend Marco came over to my house to check up on me. I used this opportunity to get information from him about the new students. He was very competitive and aspired to be the class valedictorian; thus, he always kept track of his competitors. As I had anticipated, he already did a background check on the new students. He said there were at least seven in his class who were consistent honor students in their previous schools. He droned on and on about them, but only one name stuck in my mind: Sadler.

Monday came and after a weekend of pouring rain, the sun was finally peeking out. The school ground was still wet. This was our first flag ceremony this year. I didn't know that this was also the start of another chapter in my life.

Finally, I saw him. My eyes were still functioning so well that I could even read his name plate. He did have big brown eyes - the most beautiful I had ever seen. I never really cared at that time. I never knew he would be playing a big part of my confusing growing-up years.

The Sadler guy and I never talked for the first few months since the school year had begun. Our mutual friends served as a bridge for us to get acquainted. He didn't attract me when I first heard his voice nor the times when we were greeting each other. But as each day passed, something started to grow within me. Those greetings maybe were the reason; no - maybe it was because of his eyes that hooked me. Yes, his eyes. I realized every meeting, every greeting, everything went into slow motion. I just knew that whenever he looked me in the eye, I was melting.

At first, I had to stop the rousing feeling. I made a promise to myself before the school year started that I would stay my heart away from guys for the meantime. I got tired of one-sided crushes. I thought I should just focus on my academics.

This isn't the first time I broke my promise. I couldn't stop myself. Maybe it was by chance that I spilled it in front of the Virgin Mary statue inside the Church. It was dim. The only light then came from the stained glass window above. Marco confessed to me his secret first and I felt ashamed of not telling him mine. He said he's starting to like someone; so, I also confessed to him the guy I liked. We were both feeling the same - trying to stop the rousing feeling because we could sense danger in it.

Soon, the Sadler guy and I became close, at the same time that Marco and I drifted apart. I thought we were giving each other space to become close to the people we liked. The closeness I had with my new crush was as close as being a couple. But, we were never officially together. That's what people just thought. They thought there was something strange going on between us. How I wish all of their thoughts were true!

Then one day, he whispered to me, while we were in a crowd, the three words I longed to hear from him. It was sunny, and the light rays dancing around his face made him appear dreamy. But, I did something stupid which made him avoid me like a coward: I turned him down. Since then, things were never ever the same.

I guess it was a good thing that we ended our story that way. It was beautiful in a way because I experienced what it's like when someone likes you. Maybe in the end, all I wanted was just that - attention. We were both too young to be in something serious. Still, the ending broke my heart. I kept asking myself of all the what-ifs, how that ending scenario would've played out differently.

I woke up from that beautiful nightmare when I learned that he already had a girlfriend even before we met. Luckily I turned him down because if I hadn't, I would have had a bad reputation of stealing another girl's boyfriend. It was raining at that time when I learned the truth. Weather, it seemed, was consoling my feelings.

Then, there was Marco. Apparently, he was just waiting for me to turn over a new leaf. He was waiting for me to realize myself of the dangers on the path I had taken because he thought that's how people grow. Without a word, I started crying and he gave me a hug.