For my own silly personal reasons, I've been lugging around a bunch of old 3.5" floppy disks from move to move, anticipating that some day I'd get a disk drive to read them and download anything good off of them. Well, there were definitely some gems in there. Here's a story I wrote about one of my first boyfriends, from junior high school.
May 11, 1996
It all started on May 10th, 1996. I think this was the best night of my life, so far. This is a tale of both happiness and sadness, romance and hate, regretting and forgetting. All in a period of two hours. I know, one day, I will be digging through my papers and see this. I will laugh and remember and maybe even cry. I will stop and reread this. Here it goes.
I was getting ready to go to another chorus skating party. This was going to be a drag, I thought. Lauren is the main partier, and she couldn't make it. No, maybe I shouldn't go. I mean, the most that will happen is that I'll see Kevin and Liz kiss or hug and I'll see them having fun being a couple. I'll either ask Kevin or another boy to skate with me. He'll say no. I'll cry for ten minutes and end up skating with Jenny or Cindy. We'll do the Hocky Pocky, YMCA, A Very Simple Dance, and all the while I'll be loud and obnoxious. This was really going to be a bore and the only reason why I was going, is because he'll be there. Ear Boy. Brian. You see, recently, we've been sitting closer together, hanging out more together, laughing together, the kind of stuff that hints we might like each other. It wasn't only him, either. It was me, too. I liked him and I would die to go out with him. I think tonight I'll make this goal: Not to ask any boy to skate with me. Just go with the flow. Hang out. No lovie-dovie stuff. Maybe my rubber chicken will have some fun with me. I packed my rubber chicken, money and I went into the family room.
"Okay, I'm ready to go, Christy." I said to my sister. She got back from college just yesterday.
"Ask Linda if she'll take you." I tramped upstairs. I called to Linda. She was sleeping. She asked me to ask Christy to take me. Maybe I'll never get a ride. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I asked Christy and she got up, obviously annoyed.
We got into the car when she asked, "Okay, do you know where this place is?" I thought she knew. I sighed and said, "I guess."
It was hectic trying to get there. She told me I had ten minutes and if we couldn't find it, we'd go home. But, we didn't miss a single turn. Even though we were both aggravated, we got there.
I skated a little. No one is coming, I realized. Well, Brian wouldn't let me down, would he? No. He'll come. Still, he is my best male friend and I wasn't going to blow it by asking him to skate. When he arrived I was relieved. We'll have a good time, I assured myself.
I good time, indeed, as I soon found out. We raced a little and he came up to me and said, "Laura, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure" I said. I was sure it would be something not important, like what I was having for dinner or what a rubber chicken is.
"Will you skate with me for the couples' skate?" I was stunned but not surprised at the question. I had been waiting for something like this. Why hadn't I seen it coming? Why else would he have asked me if I was going to the skating party? He wanted to prepare himself.
Yet, I quickly responded with an excited "Yes." I think, I can't remember but I think, he then said cool. I was still shocked by it and my response. Apparently the song was really good because people were cheering now. I was cheering loudest. Not for the song, for the current exciting point in my life. I screamed, "Yea! That was awesome!"
I told Kevin about it. I tried not to confront Brian about it. Obviously, Kevin didn't realize. He made it obvious that he knew and was stunned. He pointed back and forth from Brian to me. Then he grinned his funky grin. What a weirdo!
Apparently, someone else wanted to skate with Brian. I knew Brian would say sorry and skate with me. No, he would not miss this. I tried to track her to tell her that he was reserved. I told Liz and she hunted her down for me. I am pretty sure Brian and I were doing the same thing all night. I think we both wanted to eat after we had skated. To sit down together after being worn out. He didn't eat yet, I didn't eat yet. I asked the DJ when a couples dance was coming on. He said the next one would be. I told Liz so she and Kevin could come out, then I looked for Brian. He skated with the other girl. Why? Why? At a time like this? WHY? I started to cry. I automatically hid in the bathroom. It's not a permanent hiding place because eventually, someone would come in and pity me. Everyone will hug me, but I'd go on crying. I tried to wash my face, only to start crying again. Just as I'd expected. Katie came in and saw me crying. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, gathered around me at one point, except HER. She was having to much fun with Brian.
I soon heard that Brian was waiting for me. I'm going to blow it, I thought miserably. He can't see me like this. I must have a really big rash on my face. Yet the girls consistently pulled on me to go until I yelled NO! and started crying again. They realized they weren't going to get me out. So they brought him IN. They forced him in and I covered my face. No, he can't see me like this! I looked up to see him looking right back at me. I got up reluctantly and he gently took my hand. We went out and skated. I felt sad because everyone saw me like this, yet, I felt happy. Everyone knew about me crying and what had happened. Surprisingly, no one starred at me. They were happy to see me finally hold his hand. Why do my friends have to be so helpful? It was perfect. We’d skate, we’d eat, we’d most likely go out.
It was perfect. We ate together. We skated together. We raced together. It was funny. It was so funny. Like a fairy tale that had ended. Happily ever after. Until the word spread that SHE was crying because he wouldn’t skate with her, AGAIN. This made him feel really uncomfortable. Happily never after? I’ll kill her, I thought.
We decided to skate one more song and then I’d hand him over to HER. Later after the party, she said thanks. I was still mad, though. But I think it made Brian and I more comfortable. Then the story of Kevin, dear Kevin came to me. What a way to end the night. Yet, though he had major problems of his own, he only made it more perfect more Brian and I. He asked me if I’d go out with him. I said yes. He asked me why I didn’t ask him out. I looked at him sternly and said, “Kevin, of all people you should know that I have had terrible luck with boys. He told me he would tell Brian to ask me out because I would say yes.
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