10 Ways to Fall in Love

“We are fed up with how you’re acting bro.” Zach told me.

“So you’re making me redo the second half of senior year?” I tell the guys.

“Yes Michael, but if you think we are sending you looking like yourself you are crazy.” Nathan tells me.

“If anyone find out that you’re you because you told them, you’re out of the band.”

The rest of the day was spent with my so-called best friends making a disguise for me.

The next day I wake up and put on my disguise half asleep because it’s too early for anyone to be awake. I put on my baggy jeans, a collared shirt, a brown colored wig, a Chicago Bulls hat, some random sneakers, and big weird blocky glasses.

I go down stairs making as much noise as possible trying to wake up the guys to piss them off, but they are already awake and they had breakfast made for me, chocolate mini-wheats.

After a breakfast of me giving them the cold shoulder they hand me a backpack filled with books and send me off to school. After I get my schedule I’m trying to locate my locker when I run straight into some girl. She’s about to tumble to the floor with our backpacks, but I grab her by the waist to keep her from falling. The second I look at her my heart literally skips a beat. The girl has dark red hair the color of red velvet cupcakes, her eyes are a dark brown that looked the color of nutella, and her lips are a pouty and are the color of the bull on my hat.

“I’m so sorry!” she says clearly flustered.

My arm fit perfectly around her waist, it felt like it belonged there even though my arm had the feeling of lightening shooting through it.

“It’s totally fine baby gurl.” I say without removing my arm.

“I don’t think that is the best idea, to talk like that.” She says before adding, “not that I mind, but some people here grew up in the ghettos of Chicago, and how you’re talking can be considered ghetto, and that isn’t good even though we are in the ‘burbs.”

“Oh thanks for the warning. I’m Michael, and you are?”

“My name is Ocean.”

“Well Ocean I hate to bother you, but do you know where locker 613 is?”

“No big, and that locker is right next to mine. I was just heading over there. Follow me.”

I follow her after picking up our backpacks and carrying them both without removing my arm from around her waist. Either she didn’t notice my arm around her waist, or she didn’t care that it was there.

When we get to lockers she removes my arm and tells me, “You’re a really sweet guy Michael, and you can become popular in a minute as long as you don’t hang with me.”

“Who says I want to be popular? Maybe I’d rather be your friend.”

“Well which is it?”

“You.” I say causing her to blush.

Good thing the guys aren’t here, if they heard me say that they would burst out into laughter and never let me hear the end of it, although I do mean it. I would pick her over popularity any day.

Months passed and Ocean and I became closer than ocean and sand at the bottom of the ocean. I hang with her every chance I get when we aren’t recording or playing some sort of small show. The guys noticed a change in me automatically after the first day of school; they said I was back to the old me. Ocean put everything in perspective for me. I realized I was acting like a diva. I am so lucky, what was I complaining about? The fact that my pop wasn’t exactly fifteen degrees below room temperature, pathetic.

So I was at lunch with Ocean as usual when she started talking about some band that was performing at our school tomorrow, and she was being called out of class to help the band around the school and to interview them for the paper and things of that nature. She is allowed to have one other person get called out after second period with her to help her out. She asked me to be the other person, and of course I agreed.

The next day after that lunch with Ocean we were walking towards our first period class periods like we always do, but then Ocean stole my Bulls hat and ran.

“You better run baby gurl! I want my hat back!” I yell down the hallway as I proceed to chase her.

“What do you think I’m doing? And what did I say about the baby gurl stuff!”

Eventually I catch up to her and I get her pinned against the lockers.

“Give it back.” I demand.

“Aw come on! Let me wear it next period, PLEASE!” she begs. And for added affect she kisses my cheek, but misses a little and kisses the corner of my lips. Then she looks at my eyes, then my lips, then my eyes, then my lips and then she kissed me, not a mini kiss, but not a full on make out either. Her kiss was just perfect. Her lips tasted like peppermint, and were soft and pouty, just the way I like them.

When she pulls away we just star into each other’s eyes, until I break the silence and sat, “FINE! You can wear my hat to you chemistry class.”

“YAY!” she happily screams, jumps up to hug me, and then runs off to her chemistry class so she won’t be late. She managed to put a HUGE smile on her face with her happiness of something as silly as wearing my hat.

As soon as I walk into class I get presented with a pass that calls me out for the rest of the day. I confusingly take it and make my way to the auditorium which is where I am called out to. I see people setting up a stage for the band that is playing at school today. Then I see them roll up a base drum that says Allstar Weekend on it… SHIT!

I decide to go and find the guys. This isn’t good. Eventually I find Nathan.

“What the hell man no one told me we were performing here… TODAY!”

“Zach said not to tell you, said you would be pissed or excited. I’m going with pissed.”

“Damn right I’m pissed! I’m screwed.”

“Sorry bro, but either way you need to change into you Michael Martinez clothes, and out of your Michael Brown clothes. Wait, where is your Bulls hat?”

“My friend stole it.” I tell him walking away to change.

Eventually the sound I am dreading occurs. The bell signaling the end of period two goes off.

I walk to find the guys, and I find them talking to her. I hear her beautiful voice say, “Hi guys. My name is Ocean. I know weird name. Anyway, my best friend Michael, who should be here in a minute, and I will be here to help you guys with whatever you need, and we will interview you.”

I walk up and stand next to Cameron and he whispers to me, “Why is she wearing your hat?”

“Don’t Cam.” I whisper in reply.

Then Zach introduces everyone to her, “Hi Ocean. I’m Zach. This is Nathan, Cameron, and Michael.”

“Hey baby gurl. What’s up?” I ask her trying to act casually.

Then she looks at me, removes my sunglasses, takes the hat off her head, puts it on me, looks at me, and then says, “How could you not tell me! You lied to me so many times! Some best friend you are.” The last sentence laced with so much hurt in her voice part of me died. Then she storms off, turns around says, “best friend” adding air quotes and walks off again.

“WHOA! What happened?” Zach asks.

“That is Michael Brown’s best friend. And Michael is falling for his best friend.” I tell him before running off after her.

“OCEAN WAIT!!!”

“Why Michael? What am I waiting for?” she says turning around.

“Ocean, you are my best friend. I didn’t tell you, and I did lie to you, and that is bad, but if I told anyone the guys would kick me out of the band in an instant. Ocean I love you. I am deeply in love with you and I can’t control it. You make my heart race.” (ok I stole part of this from my friend when he was talking to me about this girl he is head over heels for… just saying)

“Michael you lied and—“

I couldn’t stand hearing her use that tone with me anymore and I kissed her. She broke down and kissed me back after five seconds.

“I can’t lose you Ocean. If I lose you I don’t know what I will do. I have no idea how I would wake up in the morning, play drums or do anything else for that matter. I need you Ocean, please don’t go. Don’t leave me.”

“Michael I was mad, but I was never going anywhere I love you too, and you can’t just walk away from love. I love you Michael.”

“Be my girlfriend?”

“Of course!”

“Well then guys sometimes get a girl something when they ask her to be their girlfriend, and this is my gift to you.” I say placing the Bulls hat on her head.

She smiles bigger than I have ever seen my life.

“Thanks Michael I wanted this hat.”

“I know”

“Partially because it was yours.”

“I know” I whisper right by her lips before colliding her lips with mine.

That is how I Michael Allen Martinez met the love of my life, the current Mrs. Martinez I would like to add. Ocean Martinez and I have 4 kids, and I am living my fairytale ending with the most wonderful women in the world.