And I Know I'm Not a Memory Yet

Middle school was a stage in life where things started to change.

In Elementary School, the only things you had to worry about was playground bullies and scraping your knee. Everyone started off innocent, not knowing what the world was like around a life revolving around slides, swings and crayons. Ignorance was pure bliss.

Then, you feel like a big kid, entering middle school with a grin and a sense of superiority. You were definitely wrong about knowing the world, because there was more to it than you would ever expect.

Xxx

I don't know Cameron Hurley personally, except for the fact that he was the most popular boy in my sixth grade class and everyone knew it. If he wasn't busy obliviously wooing girls over with his black floppy hair and smile, he was on the soccer field, running and kicking goals.

Back then, I wasn't interested in any boys, I was only interested in beating Cameron in a game of soccer.

I watched the way he kicked and the way he ran on the field, he was like a quick and sly fox. I guess you could say that he didn't know who I was, no one ever did. All Cameron ever paid attention to was his game and his friends. He could care less about girls and school work. As for me, I never spoke. I was the quiet girl in the back of the class with only two friends at most, but I always had a lot of things running through my mind. And everyday, I dream of the day I would beat Cameron at his own game.

I was competitive child, but so was he.

It all started during recess when Cameron pushed one of my friends, Jillian, hard onto the grass. He wasn't in the best of moods because his opponent had cheated by tripping him on the field. Jillian was only trying to tell him that she was his side, but she ended up annoying him even more.

“Just leave me alone, you stupid girl! Soccer is for boys only!”

Jillian eyes were brimming with tears as she sat there and took the insult from the boy she loved. All the girls were now huddled together, with large terrified eyes, while all the boys were either silent or nodding in agreement. This is the event that made me open my eyes and somehow break out the cage, the quiet me was trapped in.

“No it isn't.” I stood up from the grass and looked at Cameron straight in the eye.

He looked in my direction, his eyebrows raising as if he was noticing me for the first time. He laughed mockingly in reply. “Girls don't know a thing about sports. They're as good as a crowd!”

Then I shoved him so hard, he fell back with a hard thud and a groan. Everyone gasped, but I wasn't afraid at all.

“Then I challenge you to a game of Soccer. If I win, then you become my servant and apologize to Jillian.”

“And what happens if I win?”

“Then I'll become your servant.”

Hearing this deal didn't make Cameron so angry anymore, instead he gave me a smirk, that I would soon find infamous. He jumped to his feet and grabbed the ball. “Let's play.”

“Hold on,” I held my hand out. “We gotta shake on it.”

He looked once at my hand with a disgusted face then back at me. “I don't shake hands with girls.”

“Then how do I know you're gonna keep your promise?”

“I will.”

“I don't believe you.”

“Fine,” He grabbed my hand with a tight grip, a little too tight as I winced, and shook in a split second. He quickly let go and wiped his hand against his shorts. I rolled my eyes and followed him on the field.

I'm not really going to go into details on how the game went, because it's boring soccer stuff. Just know that Cameron did not attempt to cheat, but he was vicious player. His foot had missed the ball by a couple of inches and I took advantage, giving a hard kick, the ball flying victoriously into the net, missing the desperate fingers of the goalie.

That was the maddest Cameron has ever got. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I could still see Cameron's venomous eyes burning into mine. It was way scarier than when he yelled. I couldn't blame him though, he was the best among others and he lost to a girl.

“I won't do it! I just won't!” Cameron continued to scream at me.

“You shook on it! You promised!”

“I don't make promises with girls!” I felt the blood boiling from within me. How is there a person, that hated girls that much, walking on this Earth without dropping his smug smile?

“My name is Aria Stevens!” I planted my hands on my hips. “Trust me, you won't be able to forget it.”

From that day on, I was known as the “Only girl who ever stood up to Cameron Hurley.”

xxx

Middle School eventually came around and Cameron ended up in my class once again. He and I were bitter towards each other more than ever. He'd always insult me and I'd always fight back. I wasn't the quiet girl anymore, I was the girl that everyone was afraid of. I would march down the halls, hearing obscure rumors about me, but I didn’t' care. Cameron was probably the one who made all of it up. That cowardly bitch.

Months went on by and everyone started changing. The girls I once knew in my elementary discovered make up and new ways to put their hair up. Jillian was now obsessed with knowing what to wear and muscular boys, her love for cartoons was on the back of her mind. The boys were as macho as ever, attempting to fit in and look for any sport they could be capable of playing. I wasn't changing at all and that was another reason I was being bashed at school. I still refused to put on any make up or get my hair out of my pony tail. Cameron was definitely the fastest to grow, his floppy black hair grew longer and his face grew even broader, removing any sign of baby cheeks.

One day, I found myself staring at Cameron. He turned his head towards me and I immediately looked away.

During the middle year of 7th grade, Cameron and I didn't fight as much as we used to. He still didn't like me, but he didn't care as much. That was the only thing about his personality that changed. He was still focused on soccer and his friends. Who knows what his opinion on girls were?

Then I begun to fall under a spell. For some reason, I didn't like the fact that Cameron was now ignoring me. I would rather we throw insults at each other than not speak to each other. I was getting obsessed with trying to get his attention. I began to follow trends and finally pay attention to what I wore. I actually wore my hair down and brushed it each moment I had, which was always a split second where Cameron would coincidentally look in my direction. I still didn't want to try makeup, because I felt pretty without it.

A dance soon came along and I found myself obsessed with Cameron more than ever, watching him with great interest as he surprisingly hit the dance floor. I watched him dance with a pretty girl from my class name Marissa and for the first time I felt jealous.

That was the first time, I found myself falling for a boy. It had to be Cameron fucking Hurley. The boy who was sexist enough against girls, to push them. The boy who was too competitive. The boy who I declared as my mortal enemy.

The dance was ending with one last song and then Cameron approached me for the first time. He asked me to dance and I, without a doubt, said yes. I didn't know how to dance, especially slow dancing, so I was nervous. He put his hands on my waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck. We danced for a whole two minutes. After that, he took me to the corner of the gym and asked me out.

You couldn't believe how fast I said yes.