I’m so nervous, I’m shaking. I don’t know why my parents are making me go here. I was perfectly fine with being homeschooled, but no, I need to make friends, my parents say. Friends, I don’t need friends. I’m perfectly fine with my bed, TV, and computer as my friends. They say high school will be good for me. Well if it’s like they show on TV, then high school is nothing but cliques, teen moms, and drama. I have no time for that.
“Andy—Andy—Andy Airlia Smith, if you don’t answer me!” my mom screams.
“Huh,” I say as I snap out of my reverie and realize I’m in the car in front of a building.
“Here you are, Riverview High, home of the Trojans.”
“Mom, spare me please.”
“Honey, I know you’re scared, but it’s not as bad as you think.”
“Yeah, okay mom, are you coming?”
“You want me to walk in with you?” she says overdramatically.
“No mom, the invisible person in the back.”
“Now don’t you start, Andy. Me and your dad…” And as she talks I look at all the students going inside. Some exit out of cars, some get off bikes, and most off buses. I wonder if they allow students to walk…
“…and we thought it was best for you. All we do, we do it for you and your sister. You hear me Andy?”
“Yeah mom, we’re gonna be late if you don’t come on.” I snap out of my seatbelt and get out of the car.
“Let’s go Trojan!” my mom shouts as she pulls me closer with her arm. Well today is starting out to be great, ugh.
***

I walk down the hallway with this girl who talks extremely too much. I think her name is Melissa or Marissa, wait I think it’s…
“Well, here we are, French 3 with…” she looks down at my schedule, “…Mr. Dupont. If you need any more help just ask for me,” the girl sings as she bounces off. Yeah, I’ll ask, if I figure out your name.

I walk in the class, and suddenly all eyes are on me. The teacher stops writing on the board and looks at me.

“Bonjour and your name is?”

“Mon nom est Andy Smith.”

“Ah, parlez vous François?”

“Oui, un peu.” He claps loudly and smiles.

“Someone knows something about French…in French class!” he informs the rest of the class. “Find an open seat, mademoiselle.” I look around the class and see a seat next to this dude, so I go and sit there. A girl turns around and looks at me scornfully, as though I stole something valuable from her.
“Hi, I’m Dior,” says the guy next to me. He’s a jock.

“Well, you heard my name. Who’s that?” I ask gesturing over to the girl clearly doesn’t like me.

“Don’t worry ‘bout her, she stupid.”

“Okay, I guess,” He smiles and I feel like the only person in the room, but I don’t show it, and I turn and look ahead toward the board.

“So, you’re new here right?”

“How do you know that?”

“Well everyone looked at you like they didn’t know you and there’s just…no never mind.”

“What, tell me.”

“It’s just…there’s something different about you.” Something different about me huh, wow.
“Well I’m a freshman, but I’ve been homeschooled since like forever, so actually no one knows me.”
“You don’t look like a freshman.”
“Well I am.”
“Well, what I look like?”

“You’re a senior,” And fine. “And you look like a football player, am I right?”

“Correct and correct.” He laughs, but I don’t, so he stops.

“And may I ask Mr. Johnson, what is so funny?” asks Mr. Dupont.
He smiles that perfect smile of his, “Oh nothing Mr. Dupont, I’m sorry I disturbed your lesson.”
“Well ‘nothing’ can be funny, can it?”
“He was laughing at me because of something I said.” I quickly answer.
“And what did you say?” What did I say, what did I say?
“J'ai dit que les cheveux des filles est collant et ce n'est pas joli, si elle l'a fait exprès.” Some people in the class and even Mr. Dupont start laughing, but most stare and look at me like I am speaking Dutch. I guess the girl who stared at me earlier knows a little French because she turns around and looks at me. Oh, she hates me.
“Ha ha ha, the freshmen are getting funnier every year!” she says sarcastically.

“I know right,” I say with a flip of my hair.

“Alright, that’s enough everyone, take out your books and turn to page…” Mr. Dupont yells over the laughter.

“Thanks, you a little spicy aren’t you,” Dior tells me.

“Ha ha, well I try… is she your girlfriend?”



“Marissa’s my ex, don’t worry about her.”

“Oh trust me, I wasn’t.”

“Cool, you’re too pretty for that anyway,” I can’t help but smile. We turn to the pages in our book and start our class work.
Two Weeks Later

It’s official; I am Dior Johnson’s freshman girlfriend. I can’t believe it myself, but it’s true. I don’t know if the whole school knows, but personally, I don’t care. How in two short weeks did I become a senior’s girlfriend? Well, it started my first day of high school in French 3 when he was the first person to be polite to me except for that girl who showed me around. I still don’t know her name. After French he walked me to every class and even ate with me at lunch. At first I thought why is he so nice to me? I mean he doesn’t even know me, and I’m a freshman, but we got closer over the two weeks I’ve been at Riverview. We started going together last night when he called to ‘study’ but it got deeper than that.

“So, what do you think about me?” Dior asks.

“Uh, I don’t know,” I laugh, “Why?”

“I just want to know, Andy.”

“Well, Dior, I think you’re really down-to-earth and different taking into consideration of the stereotypical jock.”

“Ha ha, really, well thanks, I think…”

“No that’s a compliment… so what do you think about me?”

“You’re amazing, beautiful, smart, and you know French better than anyone I know.”

“Uh…okay.”

“You think I’m lying huh?”

“Well, no, because I know I’m beautiful and all the other stuff you said too.”

He laughs, “Yep, you’re right.”
Silence.

“So, uh, yeah…”

“Do you like me or something?”

“Yeah, I do, I did since the first day you walked into class.” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I mean, we are on the phone, and this is him so I can’t be tripping.

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re different than all those other girls at school.”

“I know I am,” I say in a playful way.

“No, I’m serious Andy; I want you to be my girlfriend.”

“Are you serious right now? You have to be kidding me.” I can’t believe he wants to go with me! He’s a senior and I’m a freshman. Maybe I’m not comprehending this right.

“I’m dead serious, will you?”

“Uh, I don’t know, I mean your seventeen and I’m fourteen and…”

“Age doesn’t matter when you feel a certain way about someone.”

“And how do you feel about me?”

“I already told you, you’re amazing and you might think this dude just met me and he talking ‘bout he like me, but I don’t know, this just feels right,” What do I do? I like him, but what if my parents find out…they would kill me and put Dior in jail…I couldn’t do that to him.“I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to, but I won’t take no for an answer”

“Okay Dior, I just don’t want to get caught or get you in trouble.”

“If I do, then that’s on me. I would never blame you Andy.”

“Yes Dior, I’ll be your girlfriend,” I hear him screaming over the phone and I laugh. “Stop screaming, Dior!”

I couldn’t believe our study session went to us becoming one, in a sense. As I’m sitting here at his football game with my family, I think about how happy I am that my parents put me in Riverview.

“Touchdown! Johnson does it again!” screams the announcer.

“Yeah!” screams my dad. I look over my shoulder at him and laugh. He was going crazy. I look on the field and see Dior and he blows me a kiss. I smile at him, but look around to see if my parents saw the gesture, but they were too busy screaming for Riverview to notice. I look at my twelve year old sister sitting next to me and she smiles at me.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she says a little too quickly, but I don’t push it. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“The game is almost over sweetie, can’t you wait?” asks my mom.

“No mom I have to go real bad.”

“Ok, but hurry.”

The game is over a minute later with a score of 34-7. Riverview had won. I was happy, hell, everybody was happy, at least on the home side. I see the football players going in the field house and I start walking down the bleachers.

“Are you gonna meet us at the car honey?”

“Yeah mom, I’ll be like 5 minutes. I’m going say hey to a friend.” More like a boyfriend.

I walk over to the side of the school where I meet Dior after his games. The spot has an umbrage which is why we always meet there. I see him already standing there in his football uniform looking sweaty, but handsome.

“I thought you were never gonna come,” He says as he grabs and kisses me.

“Dior quit, you smell horrible. Sorry, but you really do.”

“Well, I was just playing football baby, and I couldn’t shower because I was trying to get to you.” I love this dude so much.

“Awe,” I kiss him, but he stops.

“You heard that?” he asks with a stern face. I look around to see what he’s talking about, but I don’t.

“You’re scaring me Dior.”

“Baby, I’m here and I won’t let anything happen to you. It probably was just a squirrel or something,” We start kissing again with him holding me tight and I feel as though I’m flying higher than any bird or plane, but that stops when I hear my phone ring and Monica’s “Taxi” comes through the speakers.

“Hello, I’m coming…I’m coming mom… I was just talking…with my friend mom…I’m coming, bye. I gotta go savior.”

He laughs, “I know, but I gotta tell you something.”

“What?”

“I love you.” My heart just skipped ten beats.

“I love you to Dior.” He kisses my on my nose and nods to the parking lot. I smile the whole way; skipping, jumping, and hopping.

“Why are you so happy?” my dad asks with a dazed look on his face.

“No reason. Where’s Malyia?”

“She’s right there,” he answers and I see her coming with an insidious look on her face.

“What’s wrong with you girl?”

“Oh nothing, nothing at all” I want to question her, but I say don’t feel like ruining my mood fussing with her and we ride home in silence.
One Month Later

Dior and I are doing great, but life at home is getting weird. My parents have been riding me for the past month asking questions like, ‘where are you going, who are you going with, what time is it over?’ Shut up, gosh! They even gave me a nine o’clock curfew. I don’t even know who they are anymore. I’ve been wondering why they have been asking me so many questions every time I go somewhere. Wait, do they know about Dior? They can’t, I mean, who could have told them…Malyia! I run out of my room down the hallway into her room.

“You stupid little girl. I hate you!” I scream as I start choking her. “What is your problem?”

“Get off of me!” she shrieks.

“It was you! You were watching us. That’s how you know!”

“Get off of her Andy, right now,” my mom yells as she breaks us up. “What’s going on?” No one answers. “Oh, don’t all speak at once,” Still no answer. “I swear if no one answers me I’m going to…”

“I don’t know mom, she just came in here and started…” I hear no more as I run out of the door into my room. I sit on my bed and start laughing. My mom walks in and looks at me as though I’m crazy.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong with you?” I continue laughing. “Andy, does it look like I’m playing with you,” my mom asks walking toward me.

I put my hands up in surrender, “No mom, chill, I’m cool.”

“Well why were you choking your sister?”

“I thought she took my,” I look around in the room to find something, “journal, but she didn’t.”

“Yeah, sure you did. Look honey, I need to talk to you about something important.”

“What?” I ask feeling confused.

“We’re moving…” That’s all I hear. I grab my cell phone and run out of the door. I feel the air stick to me as I run past Green Fall River. I stop and look up to the heavens and tears silently roll down my cold cheeks because I know I will never see this beauty again; never smell the fresh air again; never feel safe again. I start running again, and I run until I get to the school and I call Dior.

“Come to school.”

“For what, what’s wrong?”

I breakdown, “Please come, I need you,” and I hang up the phone. In less than five minutes he’s there holding me.

“What do you mean you’re moving?” he asks.

“I’m leaving and I don’t know why. I don’t know where we’re going and I hate them, all of them, I hate them!”

“Baby…baby, come on, you can’t hate your parents.”

“Yes I can. Their doing this on purpose; they know about us, I know it”

“How do they know?”

“Malyia told them. I’m going to kill her…”

He grabs and shakes me. “Andy stop it now. You’re talking crazy. Did your mom even tell you why ya’ll are leaving?”

“I ran out before she could…” I feel so callow. How could I let my emotions rule over me like this?

“Well she could have had a good reason Andy, but you let your anger take over and you didn’t even listen to her. They’re probably worried sick about you”

“I know Dior, I know, I just…”

“I love you to Andy.”

“Forever?”

“Forever and a day,” I grab him and kiss him, trying to make us one. It works.

“Wherever I go, I’m gonna think about you.” I whisper as a tear rolls down my cheek.

He kisses it away, “And I will do the same. Just know that my love for you will never end.”

“You’re never going to find another like me.” We both laugh and I lean into him to feel his heat.


“That’s true and I’ll never try to. Promise me you’ll wait for me.”

“Of course I’ll wait for you.” We kiss once more and hug. We break up when I hear my phone ring. I hit ignore.

“Let’s get you home.”

“It’s not home anymore,” I say as we walk off hand in hand.
Ten Years Later

The day he dropped me off was the last time I ever saw or heard from him, but I’ve still kept his promise. I may dance in front of countless men every night, but I’ve never done anything with any of them. I know if Dior knew what I was doing he would be so disappointed, but I would give it all up just to be with him again. I still love him and only him. I hope that wherever he is he still loves me forever and a day.