The Twists and Turns of Love
Eric
Eric hadn’t stopped thinking about the girl he had run into that morning. The moment they had shared a look, he seemed entranced by her. Her attractiveness came from how simple and down to earth she looked. Eric had never been so captivated by a girl before.
Sure, he had had girlfriends and all, but it had been more of a personality thing; he had fallen for them when he got to know them.
But here was this girl who he knew nothing about, except that she was rushing off to school, and he thought about her all day. He wondered what her name was, what type of jokes made her laugh, what she liked to do in her free time…
“Eric, have you read To Kill A Mockingbird yet?” his best friend, Tim, asked.
“No, and I’m not planning on reading it. It looks boring and probably is too.”
“But what about the test?”
“I’ll just ask someone for a summary.”
“They say this teacher asks really specific things.”
“That’s what they always say,” he rolled his eyes.
Eric picked up the book and stared at the cover. Well, it didn’t incite him to read any more than the yawn-worthy description on the back cover.
He decided to go back to the place where he had seen that mysterious girl that morning, hoping she would pass by heading home from school. Then, he could go talk to her. Would she be freaked out? I mean, they didn’t know each other and he wasn’t even sure if she remembered what had happened earlier that day. Maybe more interesting things happened to her daily and that had been the least important one.
Eric remembered the look on her face when she had turned around and waved. Was she just being polite or was it something else?
He was going to go insane if he kept thinking about this girl. He pulled out a pad of paper and began to write a poem:
At the first glance I knew
There was something special about you
The look in your eyes showed something more
Hidden somewhere in your soul
Some light lit up when we met
A bright flame that doesn’t let me forget
He crumpled it up and threw it away. It was terrible. Now he couldn’t even write something decent anymore.
She had said she like poetry, hadn’t she? Maybe he could write her something. But there was that fear again of looking like a lovesick idiot falling for a complete stranger.
Eric went to the same place he had crashed into her. He leaned against a wall, and waited. Guys and girls who seemed to be coming from a school passed by, but he didn’t spot her anywhere.
He waited there for two whole hours but got no results. It was frustrating to think she was out there somewhere, and he didn’t know where. If only he had a stroke of luck. He needed it desperately. Nothing else seemed to matter except finding that girl.
~~~
Eric awoke the next day without a single idea on how to find her. It was Saturday, so it was useless to go to the nearby schools. It was turning into an obsession, and it was almost better that he had no idea how to find her. That way, he could forget her.
Maybe he could do something else to get his mind off of her. He was even considering reading To Kill A Mockingbird. Okay, maybe not. He wasn’t that desperate. Yet.
His cell phone started vibrating in his pant pocket.
“Hello?”
“Eric? It’s Brandy.”
Brandy was this girl who had a huge crush on her. She was always calling him to do things together. I mean, she wasn’t ugly or anything, but she was a little annoying. But today it was the perfect thing to forget.
“Hi, Brandy. What’s up?”
“Are you up for a dinner at Norm’s?”
“Uh, sure. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Okay. See you later.”
“Bye.”
As soon as he hung up, Eric realized maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to it. It might be a long night.
~~~
“What would you like to drink?” the waitress asked, wearing a bored expression on her face.
“I’ll take some water,” Brandy said, flipping her curly hair over her shoulder and fixing her side bangs for the millionth time that night.
“Coke for me.”
The waitress lazily wrote it down and stomped off.
“Look at these pictures of me,” she said, handing him her Blackberry, “Don’t I look great?”
Eric looked at them and feigned they were. Those were probably the worst pictures of her he had ever seen, but he kept that little fact to himself.
While Brandy went on and on about how well she was doing at school, Eric thought about the girl he had crashed into the day before. If only he were there with her and not Brandy.
“Wasn’t I right?” she asked.
He didn’t even know what she was talking about.
“Of course.”
“See, that’s what I like about you, you totally understand me.”
“Um, yeah.”
Eric looked at his watch. It was only 7:30. He groaned inwardly, the date would be eternal at the pace it was going.
And it wasn’t helping forget the other girl. On the contrary, it was making him want to find her even more.
Sure, he had had girlfriends and all, but it had been more of a personality thing; he had fallen for them when he got to know them.
But here was this girl who he knew nothing about, except that she was rushing off to school, and he thought about her all day. He wondered what her name was, what type of jokes made her laugh, what she liked to do in her free time…
“Eric, have you read To Kill A Mockingbird yet?” his best friend, Tim, asked.
“No, and I’m not planning on reading it. It looks boring and probably is too.”
“But what about the test?”
“I’ll just ask someone for a summary.”
“They say this teacher asks really specific things.”
“That’s what they always say,” he rolled his eyes.
Eric picked up the book and stared at the cover. Well, it didn’t incite him to read any more than the yawn-worthy description on the back cover.
He decided to go back to the place where he had seen that mysterious girl that morning, hoping she would pass by heading home from school. Then, he could go talk to her. Would she be freaked out? I mean, they didn’t know each other and he wasn’t even sure if she remembered what had happened earlier that day. Maybe more interesting things happened to her daily and that had been the least important one.
Eric remembered the look on her face when she had turned around and waved. Was she just being polite or was it something else?
He was going to go insane if he kept thinking about this girl. He pulled out a pad of paper and began to write a poem:
At the first glance I knew
There was something special about you
The look in your eyes showed something more
Hidden somewhere in your soul
Some light lit up when we met
A bright flame that doesn’t let me forget
He crumpled it up and threw it away. It was terrible. Now he couldn’t even write something decent anymore.
She had said she like poetry, hadn’t she? Maybe he could write her something. But there was that fear again of looking like a lovesick idiot falling for a complete stranger.
Eric went to the same place he had crashed into her. He leaned against a wall, and waited. Guys and girls who seemed to be coming from a school passed by, but he didn’t spot her anywhere.
He waited there for two whole hours but got no results. It was frustrating to think she was out there somewhere, and he didn’t know where. If only he had a stroke of luck. He needed it desperately. Nothing else seemed to matter except finding that girl.
~~~
Eric awoke the next day without a single idea on how to find her. It was Saturday, so it was useless to go to the nearby schools. It was turning into an obsession, and it was almost better that he had no idea how to find her. That way, he could forget her.
Maybe he could do something else to get his mind off of her. He was even considering reading To Kill A Mockingbird. Okay, maybe not. He wasn’t that desperate. Yet.
His cell phone started vibrating in his pant pocket.
“Hello?”
“Eric? It’s Brandy.”
Brandy was this girl who had a huge crush on her. She was always calling him to do things together. I mean, she wasn’t ugly or anything, but she was a little annoying. But today it was the perfect thing to forget.
“Hi, Brandy. What’s up?”
“Are you up for a dinner at Norm’s?”
“Uh, sure. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Okay. See you later.”
“Bye.”
As soon as he hung up, Eric realized maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to it. It might be a long night.
~~~
“What would you like to drink?” the waitress asked, wearing a bored expression on her face.
“I’ll take some water,” Brandy said, flipping her curly hair over her shoulder and fixing her side bangs for the millionth time that night.
“Coke for me.”
The waitress lazily wrote it down and stomped off.
“Look at these pictures of me,” she said, handing him her Blackberry, “Don’t I look great?”
Eric looked at them and feigned they were. Those were probably the worst pictures of her he had ever seen, but he kept that little fact to himself.
While Brandy went on and on about how well she was doing at school, Eric thought about the girl he had crashed into the day before. If only he were there with her and not Brandy.
“Wasn’t I right?” she asked.
He didn’t even know what she was talking about.
“Of course.”
“See, that’s what I like about you, you totally understand me.”
“Um, yeah.”
Eric looked at his watch. It was only 7:30. He groaned inwardly, the date would be eternal at the pace it was going.
And it wasn’t helping forget the other girl. On the contrary, it was making him want to find her even more.