How To Not Life

1st Real Crush: Percy Jackson

Up until 4th grade I tended to be very quiet in class. Yes I am an extrovert but I only tend to be so around my friends. IN class, I was much more scared of the teacher and focused in class. However, this changed in 4th grade. In 4th grade, we had a new student who just moved to Georgia and his parents sent him Paran on the Mount. We will call him Percy Jackson because he got me into the Percy Jackson series.

Now Percy was this tall lanky brunette without a hint of muscle. He wore glasses and was very much the definition of a shy cute nerd. Everyone immediately ignored him and he was sent to his assigned seat right next to me. I introduced myself to him and he did the same very quietly. Before class started I decided to ask him for his favorite color which he replied was blue. I immediately smiled proclaiming that was my favorite color as well. From then on we immediately clicked. We talked everyday sharing things we never shared with anyone else. (Child Killer was I a different class so I never saw her.) So I spent all my time with Percy.

It got to a point where my teacher, in front of the whole class stated, "Katie I am glad you are making friends and actually talking for one but I would like you to be quitter and pay attention." This made me embarrassed and I stopped talking for a little bit but one smile from Percy and I would start talking again. He told me all about his life and how his Mom taught at the school which was the only way they could afford to go to the private school. He also talked about how his Father was in the military and always away. Therefore, he basically grew up without a father figure.

Percy also shared his passions and worries. He loved music but worried about getting lessons since his mom could not afford it. He wanted to learn chess (and Paran on the Mount offered a free chess club twice a week for all grades) but was worried he would be labeled more as a nerd. I told him we could join the club together and if anyone had a problem with it who cared. So we joined the chess club together spending even more time together.

He also shared his interest in reading with me. Letting me borrow his Percy Jackson books. I immediately fell in love and we started talking about them. He also told me how he played tennis and wanted to join the tennis team in middle school. At this point, I had developed a crush on Percy. I decided I would start to learn tennis so I could join the team with him. I ended up taking lessons everyday with the school coach and fell in love with Tennis myself. All in all 4th grade was a great year. I made a new friend and crush in Percy who trusted me immensely. He told me multiple times how I meant so much to him. Then at the end of the school year I threw my birthday party and I invited the whole grade including Percy.

There's a swimming pool in my backyard so I always invited people to swim and just hang out. Being the host I decided to greet everyone when they came in. When Percy came he gave me a hug and went to set my gift down with the others. His mother (who at this point I became very close to) pulled me aside saying, "I just want you to know how much effort he put into your gift. He worked weeks and redid it so many times so it would be perfect." I nodded her and thanked her. I then went back to the party and hung out. Soon it was over and Percy pulled me aside for one last hug. He was leaving for the whole Summer to go to a Lacrosse camp so we wouldn't be able to hang out. However, he promised to see me the first day of school and we would catch up. I nodded and hugged him goodbye.

As soon as everyone left, I opened up Percy's gift. It was a beautiful hand made blue leather necklace. The necklace had several charms on it like the sun, a flower, a book, a tennis ball, and a chess piece. I then saw the card. I read the card. It went something like this,

"As you know I am leaving for the Summer so I wanted to make you something to remind you of me. I made this necklace with two pieces of leather crossing together to remind you of our friendship and how we are always connected. I picked blue since it was our favorite color. I then picked charms that reminded me of you. The sun was because you brightened up my life and made me feel welcomed from the first day. The flower is because you are pretty. The book because you are so smart and we both like reading. The tennis ball because I can't wait for us to join the tennis team together. The chess piece because you always push me to be better and do things I want to do. You taught me not to worry about other people and just focus on us. Anyway, I want you to wear this necklace until I return. See you in the Fall."

Needless to say I never took that necklace off that whole Summer even when I went to my tennis camp. Soon Fall came around and this was the most excited I have ever been for school to start. I remember going to school wearing the necklace so Percy would be able to see it. I stood outside the classroom waiting for him. Finally I saw him and I ran over to him yelling his name. He looked at me and immediately turned around and walked away. I was so confused.

Throughout the first week I tried to speak to Percy but he always ignored me. He had come back form the Lacrosse Camp and he was different. He was lean and had muscles. He traded his glasses for contacts. Instead of a nerd he was now popular. All the girls flocked to him and all the guys talked to him. I never talked to Percy again. I wore the necklace up to 8th grade waiting for Percy to come back to me but he never did.

Finally one day in 8th grade I was walking outside to get to lunch. (Quick side note my school had a huge campus that contained multiple buildings for different grades and subjects. We also have a lake where we would go fishing and outdoor kayaking.) On this day the wind was just right and the sun was warm. I was walking by the lake and thought of Percy. I decided it was time to let him go. So just like the Titanic, I through the necklace into the lake where it remains to this day (unless someone fished it up.)