It was the first day of high school. I was so scared then I saw Markus and he walked over to me and grabbed my hand. We walked down the hallway together. I saw Tasha and said, “Hey Tasha how you doing. Did you have a good summer?” She looked like she seen a ghost then she asked, “What going on with you and Markus”? Before I could say anything, Markus said, “She is my new girlfriend”. Me and Tasha had the same look on our face. “We started dating on my 16th birthday” he said. She looked and walked off. When she got down the hallway I looked at Markus and said, “So I’m your girlfriend now? You know we never started dating. Everybody is going to be asking me if we go together”. He smiled and took my hair out of the ponytail I had it in and said, “Yes only if you want to be. I know we never started officially dating but when I kissed you I felt like we did. Tell them that we do and you’re in high school let your hair flow down. You’re beautiful with your hair down. Well you look beautiful anyway.” I smiled at him and shook my head. He gave me his jacket and told me to wear it because the rooms get cold. I took it and he walked me to my first period class. He walked me in and told the teacher to look after me and Tiffany. The teacher looked at me and Tiffany and said, “Ok I got you Markus, now go to class before you are late”. Markus said, “I am Mr. Johnson and see you after class Mon”. I said, “Ok see you later”. Tiffany looked at me and I looked at her like what. She said, “You and Markus are an item or what”? I looked so confused like what you mean. She said, “Oh yeah you aren’t into the stuff I read. I’m asking you do you and Markus go together”? I looked off and turn back around and say, “Yea we started dating over the summer”. “And you didn’t tell me”, Tiff said. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t know if it was going to for real yet but now I do”, I said so happy. We were in math class, the one subject I hated with a passion. But Mr. Johnson made it fun and easy. Every girl in the class thought he was so fine. To think about he was cute and he looked like an older version of Markus. But I did my math work and turned it in and told Mr. Johnson some of the work I didn’t quite understand. He said, “Well if you need help with something then I’m here every day after school and I will tutor you if you would like me to”. I said, “I would love that, we can start tomorrow if that is ok with you”? He looked and said, “That is fine see you tomorrow, Monica have a great day”. I walked out of the class and saw Markus leaning up against the wall looking so fine. He walked over and put his arm around my waist. His homeboy Malik seen us and was like, “Look at the cutest couple at Mincer High School”. I smiled and said, “Thanks Malik”. He said “You’re welcome Mo”. Markus walked me to my English class. I went in the class and didn’t know anybody in the class but everybody knew me. One girl came up to me and said, “Your Monica Brown, Markus Blackmon’s girlfriend right”? I was like, “Yeah who are you”? “Where are my manners I’m Jennifer Whit”, the little white girl said. I was about to say something but notice this boy looking at me from the back of the room. I walked back there and asked him what the problem was? He said, “Why are you with a dude like Markus Blackmon. He is a player. He isn’t going to be faithful to you. He is a football player and the co-captain at that.” I thought about it and replied, “You don’t know my boyfriend. He cares about me and wants to be with me and only me. Just because he is a co-captain of the football team but he is faithful. Don’t hate on my boyfriend because you’re not him.” After I said that I went and sat down in the chair next to the overly happy girl named Jennifer. We started talking and she became my best friend. Me, her, and Tiffany because the most popular girls in the 9th grade. The first month of school pasted and I’m still with Markus. We became the “It-Couple” of the school; everyone wanted a relationship like ours. When I was in elementary school I was self-concuss, I had a very low self-esteem level because I was a big girl and every other was skinny. Now my self-esteem was higher than it has ever been. I told myself I was beautiful every day and that I loved myself. I was just happy that I had a boyfriend. My mom thought I was too young to have a boyfriend but she was just as happy as I was happy. So every day I got dressed it took me an hour and 45 minutes to get dressed up. My little sisters and brothers told on me so much because I took so long in the bathroom. “Hurry up Monica we got to brush our teeth” Marlon and Martin my 9 year old twin brothers said. “Ok here I come hold up dang”, I said angrily. Everybody knows its takes girls forever and day to get ready for anything so why they were bugging I don’t know. So I went to school like always going to my classes even though most of them were boring. I caught up with Jennifer and Tiffany in our normal place right by the front door. We walked in the school together every day. People thought that me and Tiffany were sisters because we look just alike. Sometimes I wished we were sisters. Jennifer was like our white sister but she will tell you her mind in a quick second. I think we rubbed off on her. But this day was different I didn’t see Markus anywhere. He usually waited for me by my locker but he wasn’t there. I saw Malik and asked him if he seen Markus anywhere. He shook his head and walked off. I could tell that he was hiding something. I might have been 15 but I was smarter than most 15 year olds. Plus my big cousin Jasmine told me everything she knew about boys. She was 21 so she knew a lot but she only told me thinks that I would have understood. I just went to class I didn’t worry about looking for Markus. If he wanted me he knew my class schedule. So I walked in Mr. Johnson’s class and he said, “Monica can you come here please”. I was scared out my mind because the only time he asked anyone to come his desk was when you had a bad grade on a test. I walked over to him and said, “Yes sir is something wrong”? “No Monica I just wanted to ask you something”, Mr. Johnson replied. “Do you why Markus haven’t been going to his classes do you”? , he asked. “No I don’t, I thought he was going to class all this time. I will ask him when I see him”, I said. I went around asking all his friends has they seen him but they all said the same thing. I was starting to worry about him. I went to his house and as I was about to ask his mom if she knew where he was, she said, “Monica have you seen Markus? The school called and said he missed a week of school. I’m worried because he never missed school.” I replied, “No I was about to ask you the same thing.” I went and looked around and asked everyone if they saw him. I found him but it wasn’t the way I wanted to find him. He was kissing Bethany Wright. She was the Cheerleader Captain. She was an 11th grader. I walked over and said, “What the hell is going on Markus”? “Who the fuck is you and why are you talking to my boyfriend like that”? , Bethany said. I replied calmly, “First of all who the fuck is you cussing at and secondly I’m his girlfriend”, “people at school know that I’m his girl not you, so you can go on somewhere with that shit.” She gets up and asks Markus who is his girlfriend. This stupid nigga say, “To be honest I’m dating both of yall at the same time.” I walk over to him and slap the shit out of and say, “You can have that nigga. He ain’t nothing but a low down dirty muthafucker and I can find better”. I walk off and walk to Tiffany’s house crying my eyes out. She answers the door and say, “What’s wrong Mon”? “He cheated on me with Bethany Wright”, I said with tears falling down my face. We walked in and I saw someone sitting on the couch watching basketball. So I ask Tiffany “Is that Michael on the couch”? She said, “Yea that’s my big head cousin Michael, why”? I paused and said, “Dang he grown up a lot he don’t look like Beetle Juice no more” We both started laughing and he heard as a turned around and said, “Monica is that you”? I said, “Yea it’s me Beetle Juice.” He got up and hugged up and said, “How long has it been”? “4 years big head, how have you been”? , I asked smiling. Tiffany left us alone so we can catch up. I started the conversation by saying, “Wow Mike you look great. How is your girlfriend?” “We broke up 2 years ago”, he said laughing. I looked so funny and started laughing too. “Why were you crying earlier? I heard it and I could tell you were crying”, he asked. I didn’t say anything then he grabbed my face and made me look him in his eyes. Then he asked me, “Why don’t you want to tell me? It that dumb ass bitch made nigga Markus isn’t it. It is I’m going to tell him about himself. Why would you let a girl so beautiful go.” “How did you know it was him? You have been in Cali for the past 4 years.” I said wondering. “Tiffany told me yall started talking and I already knew he wasn’t right for you because how he acted in middle school. I knew he was going to break your heart but you were so happy so I didn’t say anything. I’m so sorry Mon; I should have said something before. I just didn’t know when and how to tell you”. , Michael said almost crying. I looked at him and hugged him so tight and said, “Michael it’s not your fault. To be honest I might have not even listen to you in the first place.” “He made you so happy and he was your first love.” “He was my first love but he didn’t give me my first kiss you did”, I said. “You remember that. We were like 11 and we were talking about couples and how they kiss. Then you were like what if we never have our first kiss or have it with the wrong person. Then I was like well why don’t we kiss eachother and get it over with. Then we kissed eachother”, he said smiling. I said, “Yeah I remember that because after we kissed you ran into a wall. Then 3 weeks later you asked me was I pregnant because you mom said you would get a girl pregnant if yall kiss. We both started crying and I went and told my mom I was pregnant because I kissed you and your mom walked in you told her what I told my mom and they started laughing”. We talked all night because I called my mom and asked could I spend the night. I knew she didn’t care but I just had to ask her. We both were so glad it was Friday and it was the weekend. I fell asleep in his arms on the couch. The next morning Tiffany came and said, “What went on last night? Yall fell asleep together. You were I his arms.” “Nothing went on last night. We just talked about the old days. And things that went on back then’, I said with a big grin on my face. She looks at me and shook her head. I went and woke Michael up but he doesn’t wakes up. So I kiss him and he wakes slap up. Then he says, “What was that for? But whatever it was for can we do it aging?” I started laughing and we kissed aging. So now you know about my break up with the boy of my dreams and the reunion of the boy I had my first kiss with. I told you the bad, then the good, now it’s back to the bad so let’s go back to the past. So the weekend was over and we had to go to school and I was happy because Michael was transferring to Mincer High School. So I walked down the hallway with Tiffany and Jennifer as normal. Then Tasha walks her toothpick looking ass over to me. Then she says, “I heard you and Markus broke up. I guess he came to his senses and broke up with you.” Her friends started to laugh. Then I said, “No dumb ass I broke up with him because I caught him cheating. I’m not like you who get broken up with in front of the whole school at a pep rally.” Tiffany and Jennifer start laughing and we walk off like bosses. Then I saw Markus up against his locker talking to his homeboys. I had on the tight red dress, with my hair curled up, with my high heels on, and my eye shadow popping. I was looking so sexy trying to make him jealous and it was working. My girls had the same thing on looking sexy too. Then Markus says, “Aye Monica can you come over here for a minute?” I walk over there and say, “What’s up? How is bitch I mean Bethany doing? Did she break up with your bitch ass?” His homeboys stated laughing. “Yeah she broke up with me. I was wondering if maybe we could try aging”, he said. I said, “Hell to the fuck no, I would never go back with you if my life depended on it”, and walked off like the boss I am even.
