The Girl I'm In Love With
Joe was seated at his desk, trying to take advantage of the extra free class time by working on an assignment from earlier that day. His head bent over his desk, he focused his attention on the work before him. His attention was however snapped away from him when a pair of thin legs clad in well fitted, slightly faded jeans passed beside his desk on their way to the front of the room. His eyes drifted upward, following the slim figure. Dawn. She was perfect. Natural in beauty, she had shiny, light chestnut colored hair that fell in big loose curls just below her shoulders. Her skin was a healthy tan, with a few almost unnoticeable freckles splashed across her face. She was talented, an artist at heart, and a top student - smart, helpful, and patient. Always upbeat and optimistic; she was nice to everyone, and everyone adored her, Joe included. He had never really spoken to her aside from the occasional greeting in the hall, though not for lack of trying. It was just that whenever he had tried, he became flustered and tongue-tied. He had, however, watched her from afar.
The bell rang. Students, eager to meet up with friends and exchange a few words before the next class, exited the room quickly. Only a few were left behind. Dawn, among the few, was still seated at her desk, looking through her bag for something. Joe stood, deciding to try and talk to her. He felt his stomach tug inside him. Maybe he should just go, forget talking to her...no. He couldn't back down. He nervously approached her desk. She looked up, a sweet smile on her lips. A wave of panic washed over Joe. What was he supposed to say? Searching his brain, he quickly blurted out, "I'm having trouble understanding an assignment. Do you think you could help explain it to me?" There. He'd gotten that part out.
A small spark of recognition flashed in Dawn's eyes. "Sure," she said, her voice sweet. "What exactly were you needing help with?" Just then the bell rang again, signaling they only had a few minutes to get to the next class. "On second thought, meet me at lunch and we can go over it?" she suggested, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Joe, who had been struggling to pay attention to anything other than the fact that her eyes were the most interesting shade of brown with hazel specks, that and that she was actually talking to him, suddenly came to the realization that she had asked him a question. "So-sorry, what did you say?" he asked, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
Seeing him blush, Dawn smiled and repeated herself, "Lunch. We can meet and I'll help you. Sound good?" She put a book into her bag, and slipped it over her shoulder.
"Yeah. Lunch. Cool," Joe managed to get out. Dawn nodded and stood, making her way to the door. Joe followed closely behind, out into the emptying hallway. Feeling a little more at ease, he let out a grateful thanks.
Dawn was already heading the opposite direction towards her next class. She turned around, grinning. "No problem. What are friends for?"
There she goes again,
The girl I'm in love with,
It's cool we're just friends.
He would never admit it, for that would seem stalkerish - something he was certainly not, but here he was, waiting outside her class for her in hopes of walking to lunch with her. Yes, he'd memorized her schedule. This class, or more specifically this teacher, was known for getting out late. The bell had rung a few minutes earlier, but the door was still closed. Trying to look casual, Joe leaned against the wall, watching students find their way to the cafeteria. Finally the door swung open, and the first few people started to come out. He stood, waiting, looking for her. He soon saw her, giving his heart a sudden jolt. Their eyes met and he offered a friendly wave. She made her way over to him, a pleasant smile on her face.
They walked in easy silence - aside from the massive amounts of noise coming from everyone around them - to the cafeteria. Entering the double doors, the noise only increased. "Maybe the library would be a better option?" Dawn spoke.
Joe nodded in agreement. "Okay," he said. They turned around, taking their lunches and books to the quiet comfort of the library.
We walk the halls at school,
We know it's casual.
"Alrighty, let's get started," Dawn said, settling herself in a chair at a table. "What were you needing help with?" she asked as she pulled out a couple pencils. Joe froze. He hadn't gotten that far in his "I need help with an assignment" plan. He opened up his backpack, quickly searching through it. In desperation he pulled out a random book and set it down on the table. Geometry. Well, that would have to work. "Geometry?" Dawn confirmed.
Joe nodded his head. "Yeah. I was, uh, having trouble with understanding the instructons," he lied. He had perfectly understood the instructions, luckily Dawn didn't know that because they were in different math schedules.
Dawn reached over and opened up the book. "Chapter 14 right?" she asked, flipping pages until she found the right one. "Okay, so what you have to do is..." she leaned in towards Joe explaining different things. Time flew. Joe sat, captivated. Her voice was soft and melodious; she smelled of flowers and fresh air and sunshine.
All too soon the bell rang; lunch period was over. Joe sighed softly, and stretched. "Thanks a lot for the help," he said, a grateful smile on his face. He was more at ease now.
Dawn smiled in return. "Well, you're welcome. If you ever need more help, I'm always willing," she offered. Joe's heart jumped at the prospect. They'd already gotten most of his geometry assignment done, so he couldn't ask for continued help on that. He searched his mental schedule for anything else he might "need help with." Nothing he could come up with. Just as well. He didn't want to seem to eager, and hey, no harm in being just friends. For now.
I don't want to lead you on,
But the truth is I've grown fond...
They left the library and went their separate ways. The rest of the day passed in a blur of classes, friends, and new projects and assignments. The final bell rang and students rushed to get outside into the warm sun. Joe stood lazily on the stairs near the front door where he normally met his brothers every day after school. A flash of curly light brown hair caught his attention and he turned to see Dawn, walking down the steps. She looked up, catching him staring. She smiled and waved, then kept walking.
"What's with the goofy face?" a voice asked, coming up behind him. He jumped, slightly startled, and turned around, seeing his brother, Kevin.
"Oh. Hey, Kev," he said, trying to sound casual. He shifted his backpack to his other shoulder, not looking at Kevin. He started to walk, Kevin following him.
"You never answered my question," Kevin reminded. Joe kept his gaze on the ground. "Did I see Dawn Smith waving at you?" Kevin pressed.
Joe's face flushed. "It was nothing..." he mumbled. He increased his speed slightly, but Kevin effortlessly kept up with him.
"What was nothing?" Kevin pried.
"We were just studying. She was helping me with a math assignment," Joe said quietly. He slowed his pace back down.
Kevin stopped abruptly. "Math? But you're good at math. It's one of your best subjects!" He paused. "Did you fake it? You did didn't you? You faked needing help so you could talk to her.
"Do you like her?" Kevin continued, not noticing Joe's silence. "You do!" he exclaimed, seeing Joe's face redden even more. "You should ask her out," he said.
Everyone knows it's meant to be,
Falling in love just you and me,
'Till the end of time, 'till I'm on her mind,
It'll happen.
Joe burst through the back door of his home and ran upstairs to his room, trying to escape Kevin's endless questions and accusations. He threw his bag down on the floor and jumped on his bed. He sighed contentedly and continued to lay on his stomach, thinking. Without intending to, he fell into a half sleep, dreaming of her.
I've been making lots of plans,
Like a picket fence and a rose garden.
I just keep on dreaming,
He woke with a start, the realization that it was just a dream saddening him.
But it's cool cause we're just friends.
He sat up, running a hand through his hair. He reached over to his desk, picking up his laptop. There was a possibility...maybe... He logged onto his messenger. A little smiley popped up. Yes. He had gotten lucky. A year ago Joe had done a project with Dawn and she had given him her screen name. He'd never worked up the courage to use it though, and she wasn't on all that often. Quickly, before he lost his nerve, he clicked her name and a box came up.
DJdanger says: hi!
dawn says: Joe?
DJdanger says: Oh, ha. yea it's me.
dawn says: Okay. =] So what's up?
DJdanger says: Nothing much.
dawn says: Me neither.
DJdanger says: Sooo. I should probably be working on homework.
dawn says: Yeah. Me too.
DJdanger says: I'll see you tomorrow?
dawn says: Sure. See you.
DJdanger says: later.
Small talk on IM,
Just one word sentences.
It's cool we're just friends.
If I had my way,
We'd talk and talk all day.
Joe signed off. His stomach growled, and he realized he had hardly eaten anything at lunch that day. He placed his laptop back on the desk and went downstairs in search of something to eat. He walked into the bright, open kitchen. Nick was seated at the table working on the some of the work he'd missed at school as he'd had a dentist appointment. When he saw Joe enter the room he grinned. "I heard," he said.
Joe, oblivious, grinned back and ruffled Nick's hair. "Heard what, fro bro?" He walked to the refrigerator, pulling out some leftovers.
"About Dawn," Nick said, watching for Joe's reaction with interest. Joe froze. Then he turned around slowly.
"Kevin tell you?" he asked dully. Nick nodded, still smiling. Joe sighed and rolled his eyes. "We're just friends!" he exclaimed.
"That's not what I heard," Nick grinned. Almost as if on cue, Kevin walked into the kitchen.
"Well it's true. We're just friends," the truth far from what Joe wished for.
"I was just going to say I think you'd be great together."
Everyone knows it's meant to be,
Falling in love just you and me,
'Till the end of time, 'till I'm on her mind,
It'll happen.
It was happening. Some said they were too young, but he didn't care. It had been a few years since that day he'd finally gotten up the nerve to talk to her. And that had to have been the best thing he had ever done. Joe stood at the front of the church, that same tugging feeling in his stomach that he got whenever he thought of her. He looked around. His mother and father were seated up front, along with his brothers. He looked out further into the church where friends and family filled the seats. They smiled at him when he caught their eyes.
Music started, and his eyes snapped to the aisle. After what seemed forever, he finally saw her. She walked slowly, a bright smile lit on her face.
Thinking about how,
We're gonna say our vows.
It's cool we're just friends.
She walks down the aisle,
I see all my friends smile.
They said their vows. He lifted the veil, her eyes shining with happiness. Gently, he lifted her face to his, pressing his lips against hers.
Dawn. She was perfect. Beautiful, kind, intelligent. His.
'Cause now we're more than friends.
