Kansas Summer

Did You Ever Know That One Person?

The next day at school was all abuzz with gossip.

“So what was it like with her?” Elliott questioned me.

“Did she kiss you?” asked Sid.

“No, the correct question would be 'Did she slap you upside your head?'” corrected Christian.

“Guys, I just took her home. It's no big deal,” I told them. I closed my locker a little bit louder than I usually did. Turning, and walking away from my friends, I head to biology class.

I get to class three minutes early for the bell, and I read the chalkboard to see what we are studying today. We are studying SI Units. Great. It should be another boring class. The bell rings and Mr. Everett gets up to teach the class in his raspy old voice. It isn't that I'm not a good student, which I am, but the way he talks and the interest I have in relearning concepts keep me from showing how much I really enjoy school. Another thing that bores me in class is that Jenna isn't in this class with me. If she was, then I wouldn't be complaining. I found that my heart ached for her immensely, and I felt that I needed to have her beside me forever. “You're too young to love yet.” Those were my dad's words. I knew that he was right; I knew that there was a difference between true love and infatuation, but I was determined to avoid the latter. The hour dragged by so slowly that I thought someone forgot to set the clock. Presently, the clock did turn, and the bell rang to go to second class.

I looked forward to Algebra II. It was one of the only classes where I learned things that interested me. I wanted to be an aerospace engineer when I grew up, so math, but not necessarily biology, was important. Also, I had Sid and Christian in my class. Mrs. Young let us sit anywhere we wanted, so they sat by me.

“So tell us more about last night,” Christian prods me.

“No, the answer is still no!” I reiterate. “Besides, there isn't anything to tell anyway! I dropped her at her house and left!” This was stretching the truth of course, but this was the only thing I could say to get them off of my case. I turn around in my seat to face the board, but instead find myself face-to-face with an all too familiar face that belongs to Alyse Bauer.

“Hey, Colin,” she greets me dreamily. I don't want to go through this again.

Alyse is some kind of obsessed with me. She cannot stop taking her eyes off of me, talking to me, or annoying me. I think it stems from the mentality that since she is the smartest, the most beautiful, and the most likable girl at school, she should be automatically entitled to the heart of the best school athlete. Her viewing of my performance at try-outs yesterday doesn't help my cause at all. Everyone at school knows that I am incredibly skilled at Frisbee, and Alyse will be the first to rush to my side and “claim” me. I don't want to tell her that my heart is already taken (I remember my father's words), because I am too nice to say that, and besides, I don't even know if I truly am in love with Jenna or if it is just an illusion.

I decide to be polite, because that is the image I want to advertise myself with. “Hello Alyse,” I reply, with a hint of cynicism that she doesn't comprehend.

She takes her pencil and starts drawing hearts on my desk. “So, I saw you yesterday, and oh, my God, you were just brilliant,” she tells me in her sing-song, preppy-girl voice.

“For one, I caused a great deal of pain to another person, albeit a person on the opposing team, but that doesn't make a difference. And two, don't take the Lord's name in vain; I hate it when people do that.”

The bell rings finally, thankfully, and Alyse turns around before she too can ask me about my afternoon with Jenna. However, Alyse had me in her next two classes. I would hear it before school let out, that was for certain.