West Coast of Clare

Chapter 1: Want Some

"I love you." Those were the three words I had first told my beautiful girlfriend Alisha when I finally got the guts to ask her out and she accepted. It was true at the time, so I had thought. Alisha and I met in our biology class in high school. It was my junior year of high school as they would call it in America. I had seen her around school a million times before and I knew she was one of those super popular girls. I guess she was so popular not only because she was a cheerleader, but because she was the CAPTAIN of the cheer team. What I didn't really understand was why she actually liked me in the way I liked her. So here's what happened. It was the first day of biology class and she had the choice to sit next to the guy every girl in the school had the hots for--his name is Zayn if you were curious-- and then there was me. Instead of sitting next to Zayn she decided to sit next to me which meant she was going to be sitting next to me in biology for the rest of the semester. I was a bit confused because I was just a chubby ginger kid that didn't do sports. I didn't like her but I didn't hate her either. I just typically tried to stay away from the populars because I was just a typical average kid. Once she and I talked more I realized that I actually loved her. I swore I loved her too.

"Lad, she likes you. I can just see it in the way she looks and smiles at you." That's what my friend Harry said one day when we were standing in the lunch line waiting to get our food. 

"No, I highly doubt it. I do love her, I really do, but look at me. I'm a ginger and I don't do sports. She would never date someone like me," I replied back to him. It was true, she wouldn't date someone like me. Pretty blondes with green eyes just don't date ginger boys with blue eyes. It just doesn't work. Plus, I knew that her friend Mikaela totally hates me just because I prefer writing songs and playing guitar rather than getting drunk at parties. 

A few months after I met Alisha I finally decided to go to a party and it was at her house. It was New Years Eve and I decided that I wanted to start the new year of 2006 off to a good start. I bought her a necklace with a small heart on it and a four leaf clover inside of it. I was going to ask her out that night. When I arrived she was no where in sight. Hopefully she wasn't with some boy. That was the thing I was most nervous about, finding out that she's been dating someone else all these months while I flirted with her every day in biology. I loved her. My life revolved around her. She was on my mind for hours a day. 

11:30pm. I remember it all too well. I had finally found her. She was with her group of friends out getting some food at a fancy resturant and there wasn't a single boy in sight. I asked her to go on a private walk with me outside to watch the fireworks. 

"So I wanted to ask you something, and I've been thinking about it for a while now but I wasn't sure exactly how to say it but now I'm confident that I've figured out the words to say. We'll cut to the chase. Alisha Vowell, I have been into you for months now and you mean the whole world to me. I really think that you're the one that is supposed to be in my life as my lover. You are always on my mind and I feel lucky being such close friends with you. So I was wondering if you'd like to be my girlfriend and if you wanted to go get dinner on Friday night." We stood there staring at each other in the eyes. I started to see a smile form on her flawless face and tears water in her eyes. As people started to countdown from 10 in the background because the new year was going to start in that many seconds we continued to stand there.

"Absolutely," is what she said and we stood there for a few more seconds looking right at each other.

"....2...."

"I love you," I told her. Then I kissed her.

"....0....."