Status: Ongoing
Forget You
The Chase
Are you in love?
Or are you in love with the thought of being in love?
I never thought that I’d have to consider such a silly question.
But I have.
I met Gil in 9th grade, and I hated him with a passion. Everything he did annoyed me-
His crude jokes, the people he hung around, and the feeling that I got when I was around him. I felt uneasy. He’s fake and a real tool, every pore in my body knew it. I knew what he was from the beginning.
In a sense, I wish I would have always seen him that way. I wish those rose colored glasses never blinded my vision.
I call this part: The Chase
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
For almost an entire year I ignored him. Initially, Gil only saw me as a pretty face and nothing more. As the year progressed, I evolved into the pretty face that ignored and hated him. He couldn’t stand it. In fact he despised it.
Every day at the start of class he greeted me with the words, “Good Morning Lilly. You look beautiful.” My reply would always be a slight grin, a courteous nod-bow, and nothing more. I would walk over to my desk, which unfortunately was positioned beside his, and hoped... no, prayed that he wouldn’t talk to me. Had Gil not told every girl the same thing upon their arrival to class, it might have been sweet. But it wasn’t.
His words had no merit in the beginning, why did I for a moment think that they would in the end...?
The fall and winter terms passed with ease, and I was content. At least I thought I was. Spring had just arrived and the school buzzed with the excitement of youth. In the spirit of the season couples experienced the seemingly ongoing cycle of hookups, breakups, and makeups, even pregnancy. I remember thinking-
“Is no one happy to be single?! Humanity must have a disease called fear of loneliness!!”
And soon it was Valentine’s Day, the worst holiday ever invented. I remember contemplating on whether to skip school or not, but I bit the bullet and went. The moment I walked into class I regretted my decision instantaneously. I was mortified. Large bouquets of flowers, handwritten letters, and chocolates arrayed my desk. The sad thing was, it wasn’t a joke.
The reaction of the other girls in class was less than pleasing. A mixture of envy, embarrassment, and disbelief marked their faces as well as mine minus the envy. Instinct told me to hid out or check myself out of school. After further deliberation, I decided to bear it. If it meant sparing the feelings of the guys who had enough courage to place the gifts there, then it’d be worth it. My face remained flushed throughout the day. Oddly enough, I happened to glance at Gil who for once was quiet. He seemed to be upset about something. Strange.
After seven gruesome hours of school the final bell sounded freeing me from my humiliation. My friend Megan helped carry all of the gifts to my car in one fell swoop, and I was happy for it. I was almost home bound, all I needed to do was start the engine. Of course that would be too easy for me, and fate couldn’t help but screw me over. There was a light tap at my window and I was reluctant to look.
It was Gil.
Crap.
Rolling down my window, I attempted not to roll my eyes at him. I partially succeeded.
He fumbled and shoved his hands in his pocket. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
An awkward silence ensued.
Pulling out a small gift and a letter he quickly shoved them in my face. “My friend wanted me to give this to you.. It’s just a cheap necklace and poem he wrote.”
I gasped at his rudeness and at the harsh words he used about his friend. “Thank you, I’m sure I’ll love it. Whoever he is, I’ll make sure to thank him in person.”
He was a bit taken aback by my response but I didn’t want to talk to him any more so I added, “I gotta go, see you tomorrow.” And pulled off.
The next day our class had our seating changed. Gil was placed in the corner of the room and I was placed by the door in the front opposite corner, the seating never changed after that. For the rest of the year Gil shadowed me to all my classes like a hawk to the point where I just didn’t care anymore.
Then before we knew it, it was the last day of school. Everyone was saying their goodbyes and signing in their yearbooks. I gave my number out to some of my friends and walked to my car, of course Gil followed. By this point my hatred of him had weakened and he was merely an annoying younger brother figure.
I gave him a hug and wished him an awesome summer, but he didn’t reply. Instead he hugged me tighter and pulled away slightly to gaze in my face. I flushed.
“What?”
“You’re beautiful.” Leaning in, he gently almost cautiously pressed his lips on mine. After that he walked away without another word.
After a year of chasing, he finally caught me.
Or are you in love with the thought of being in love?
I never thought that I’d have to consider such a silly question.
But I have.
I met Gil in 9th grade, and I hated him with a passion. Everything he did annoyed me-
His crude jokes, the people he hung around, and the feeling that I got when I was around him. I felt uneasy. He’s fake and a real tool, every pore in my body knew it. I knew what he was from the beginning.
In a sense, I wish I would have always seen him that way. I wish those rose colored glasses never blinded my vision.
I call this part: The Chase
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
For almost an entire year I ignored him. Initially, Gil only saw me as a pretty face and nothing more. As the year progressed, I evolved into the pretty face that ignored and hated him. He couldn’t stand it. In fact he despised it.
Every day at the start of class he greeted me with the words, “Good Morning Lilly. You look beautiful.” My reply would always be a slight grin, a courteous nod-bow, and nothing more. I would walk over to my desk, which unfortunately was positioned beside his, and hoped... no, prayed that he wouldn’t talk to me. Had Gil not told every girl the same thing upon their arrival to class, it might have been sweet. But it wasn’t.
His words had no merit in the beginning, why did I for a moment think that they would in the end...?
The fall and winter terms passed with ease, and I was content. At least I thought I was. Spring had just arrived and the school buzzed with the excitement of youth. In the spirit of the season couples experienced the seemingly ongoing cycle of hookups, breakups, and makeups, even pregnancy. I remember thinking-
“Is no one happy to be single?! Humanity must have a disease called fear of loneliness!!”
And soon it was Valentine’s Day, the worst holiday ever invented. I remember contemplating on whether to skip school or not, but I bit the bullet and went. The moment I walked into class I regretted my decision instantaneously. I was mortified. Large bouquets of flowers, handwritten letters, and chocolates arrayed my desk. The sad thing was, it wasn’t a joke.
The reaction of the other girls in class was less than pleasing. A mixture of envy, embarrassment, and disbelief marked their faces as well as mine minus the envy. Instinct told me to hid out or check myself out of school. After further deliberation, I decided to bear it. If it meant sparing the feelings of the guys who had enough courage to place the gifts there, then it’d be worth it. My face remained flushed throughout the day. Oddly enough, I happened to glance at Gil who for once was quiet. He seemed to be upset about something. Strange.
After seven gruesome hours of school the final bell sounded freeing me from my humiliation. My friend Megan helped carry all of the gifts to my car in one fell swoop, and I was happy for it. I was almost home bound, all I needed to do was start the engine. Of course that would be too easy for me, and fate couldn’t help but screw me over. There was a light tap at my window and I was reluctant to look.
It was Gil.
Crap.
Rolling down my window, I attempted not to roll my eyes at him. I partially succeeded.
He fumbled and shoved his hands in his pocket. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
An awkward silence ensued.
Pulling out a small gift and a letter he quickly shoved them in my face. “My friend wanted me to give this to you.. It’s just a cheap necklace and poem he wrote.”
I gasped at his rudeness and at the harsh words he used about his friend. “Thank you, I’m sure I’ll love it. Whoever he is, I’ll make sure to thank him in person.”
He was a bit taken aback by my response but I didn’t want to talk to him any more so I added, “I gotta go, see you tomorrow.” And pulled off.
The next day our class had our seating changed. Gil was placed in the corner of the room and I was placed by the door in the front opposite corner, the seating never changed after that. For the rest of the year Gil shadowed me to all my classes like a hawk to the point where I just didn’t care anymore.
Then before we knew it, it was the last day of school. Everyone was saying their goodbyes and signing in their yearbooks. I gave my number out to some of my friends and walked to my car, of course Gil followed. By this point my hatred of him had weakened and he was merely an annoying younger brother figure.
I gave him a hug and wished him an awesome summer, but he didn’t reply. Instead he hugged me tighter and pulled away slightly to gaze in my face. I flushed.
“What?”
“You’re beautiful.” Leaning in, he gently almost cautiously pressed his lips on mine. After that he walked away without another word.
After a year of chasing, he finally caught me.