Chasing Cara

Chapter One

I remember the first time I saw her. She was giving this speech about how she was going to save this so called "diseased" world. Great speech, but I was too busy memorizing the features on her face. Like how she has a mole on her left cheek. Or how her lips have a natural redness to them. I find it absolutely amazing how one person could feel so much emotion for another; and when that person commits, they would stand in front of the battlefield and fight hell on earth for that one person, yet this other person is completely oblivious to how they feel. Battle after battle, I grow tired of this war and wonder if this is even worth fighting anymore. Looking around, I can see thousands of men who fought this battle. None were successful. So what makes me different? We are all fighting for the same thing. From the looks of things, it's pretty clear I'm not going to win. So now I am faced with two choices. Option A, accept defeat and hang up my boots. Or option B, throw caution to the wind and fight for what I know is real. Man . . . high school sucks! Sitting in English class, I find myself laying my head on my desk because I really don't want to hear about Romeo and Juliet. He drinks the poison thinking she is dead but she's not. Then she wakes up finding him dead and thinks he is her true love so she must drink the poison to be with him in death. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for love! However, if the only way I can be with my true love is to kill myself, I'll pass. So in this dream I find myself zoning off too, I see her. Now to help you understand why this dream is so amazing, picture your boyfriend, girlfriend, or someone you really like. Envision them in a romantic setting; liking them calling you into bed for example. See how this dream is quickly grabbing your attention from the real world and pulling you into the void of your consciousness. Sadly, my dream quickly fades when I realize that the girl of my dreams sounds a lot like my teacher. I fight to stay in this dream but it's as if my teacher crawls into my dream as a monster whose one goal is to crush my dreams. "Justin! Wake up Justin!" Mrs. Parker yells. I am quickly awaken by the noise of my class laughing as a reaction of me talking in my sleep. "No. Please no!" I jolt up, gripping the side of my desk as if my life depended on it.

"Care to share with the class why your dream was so much more important than today's lesson?" Thinking quick on my feet I reply "Romeo and Juliet being the most amazing love story ever written, I was dreaming that I was Romeo himself. In addition, I could feel all his emotions when awakening to the love of his life lying beside him dead."

Mrs. Parker is astonished by the answer I have given. Nevertheless, she's not buying it. "Alright, so what exactly was Romeo feeling when Juliet is lying dead next to him? Also, could you explain to the class the significance of this event and why it shapes the story into what it has become today?"

I was not expecting that, but I'm already in this mess. Let's just see if I can jump out of the grave I've dug myself into. "I'm pretty sure Romeo felt like how any of us would feel. Losing the love of our lives would make all of us do anything to be with them again. I believe that this event is so significant because Romeo went to such extreme measures because he believed that taking his own life was worth it to see Juliet again."

If it were up to me, I'd give myself an A for effort with that response. Unfortunately, I'm not the judge of this competition. Mrs. Parker and I stare at each other in a vacuum of silence. "Justin, stay after class. I'm not letting you off that easily."

For a second there, I actually thought I had her beat. I mean when someone takes that long of a pause that has to be because they have nothing to say. Well, better luck next time. The bell rings and as everyone leaps out of their desks, I lay further back into mine and place my feet up on desk across from me. Mrs. Parker and I have had these after class chats before. Strangely enough, this one was different from the rest. She approaches me and knocks my feet off the desk and sits in the new vacant spot.

"Justin, I'm use to you coming up with these snappy comebacks. When you gave that response in front of the class, I was completely thrown off my feet. So we are going to make a little deal."

Oh my! A deal with Mrs. Parker? I am both scared and intrigued. I've never had a teacher make a deal with me. I guess that's why they say there's always a first for everything.

"I'm going to give you two options, Justin." says Mrs. Parker. 

Great, two more options to add to my ever growing list!

"Option A: I let you off the hook if you come here afterschool and help tutor some of the new students. Option B: you reject my offer and I am forced to send you to the principal's office for talking back to me."

I feel like the answer is self-explanatory but I am compelled to think both these options through. If I don't think both these options through, I just might pick the wrong one.  I analyze each option as if I was a detective on a murder case. Sitting at my desk, going through file after file because there has to be a flaw with one of these options. When presenting my evidence in front of the judge, it becomes clear that I am the guilty party.

I thrust my pinky in front of Mrs. Parker and say "You promise that not a single soul will hear about today's events besides you and me? No parents, no principal, absolutely no one!"

Mrs. Parker leans forward and entwines her pinky with mine.

"I mean good on this promise. Be here afterschool, and it'll be as if this never happened."

Our pinkies drift apart and I am granted permission to continue with my day. As the day continues, I sit in each of my classes thinking what's the worst that could happen after school? At lunch, my food becomes tasteless because my brain isn't concerned if this burger will satisfy my stomach. I only have three classes left, and I can only hope that these next three classes go by as slow as possible. It's sad to say but luck is not in my favor today. Just like that, the final bell rings. As I enter her classroom, I can see that no students have shown up for tutoring. Today may actually be my lucky day. Although just like with all movies, something has to happen. I hear a knock on the door, and she walks in.