Ali Shana What I Didn’t Notice About Emily I see Trent not even looking Naveena in her beautiful eyes. She follows him around as if he’s some god. She could do better. Naveena and I were perfect together. 2 years of just being absolutely perfect. We were the type of couple were best friends and in love at the same time. When we first started dating, I was amazed that someone like her was even talking to me. She was walking with her lunch tray at lunch with her friends, I didn’t see her, and we collided. Her food went all over. I apologized a million times but it did nothing she was furious. Screaming about how I ruined her expensive clothes and how I’m an idiot. I didn’t know what else to say and walked away. I sat with my friends mocking me “I’m so sorry!” Later that day it was after school and I was waiting on a ride. I saw her crying alone. “What’s wrong?” I asked. She looked up at me, “Emily Scott is a whore, and Trent Miller is a scumbag. That’s what’s wrong.” She looked down and started crying again. “Are you ok?” What a stupid question. “F*** off, go away. You ruined my shirt.” I sat down next to her, “I didn’t mean to at all, it was a total-,” “I don’t give a f*** about the shirt I just, it’s just, I am having a terrible day.” I looked at her brown hair. She swears a lot. So I thought I’d give it a try, “What the f*** is wrong seriously just tell me, you’ll feel better.” She looked at me and that was the first time I looked into those eyes. She explained how her boyfriend Trent Miller had sex with Emily Scott, one of her “best friends.” I explained to her how much I hated Emily too. Emily and I have made out several times before, but I always hated her personality. And she always loved mine. I make Naveena laugh by making fun of Emily. Me, the “burnout” as people like to say, was talking to the perfect “prep”. She wasn’t like what I imagined preps were like, she was deep. She said her friends were fun and all but no one understood her like me. She loved having deep “weird” conversations with me. These talks were always in person, and we never got bored off each other. She was smarter than me about things we talked about, but it worked because I think she just wanted to be heard, she wanted someone to listen. She loved explaining her opinions to me and sometimes I would zone out everything and just gaze at her and melt into her words. Someone with such a beautiful soul was dating a burnout. No one could believe me at first, and I am pretty sure some of her friends tried to talk her out of it. She didn’t care, she said ever since she started talking to me, she stopped thinking about what other people thought. It was all a lie. She made out with Trent during the two weeks me and my family went to Ohio. And she was the one who told me, via text, that she is breaking up with me for Trent. What happened to the deep, beautiful Naveena? Where did she go? After 2 years of an amazing relationship I was lost. I see Trent and her kiss every day in the corner of my eye at school. It kills me. So although over the 2 years I developed a strong hate for Emily, I was going to kiss her again, in front of Naveena. Emily being Emily, wouldn’t mind. There’s Emily. I imagine it is going to go down like this: My brain is going to focus a bit because it’s going to use all its energy to convince my vocal cords to vibrate sound and resonate in my mouth and form words towards someone I really don’t want to talk to. I imagine it being easy, 15 seconds at the most. “Hey you look good today.” Then her face is going to light up and she’s going to say “Really, you think so? I really don’t I look like s***.” So after she fishes for compliments for a while I’ll lean in and smile and it’ll just happen. I go up to my locker; she is already looking at me. The usual, “Hey Rakim, you look tired.” At that moment, it took every ounce of muscle in my body to grin and say, “Everyone looks tired in the morning; you’re the only one who looks good.” Not exactly sticking to the script but we’ll see how this goes. I am actually starting to see the attractiveness in her, just the slightest bit. She pops up her chest and leans in closer to me, “Thank you! Aw, you are so sweet. I really don’t, I look like-,” I did it. Awkward at first, but I just kept going with it. No, I didn’t melt into her lips. No, I didn’t feel a spark. But god damn, she is quite the kisser. With one eye open, I see Naveena look at us for a second then turn back to Trent. What the hell! I grab Emily’s ass, and peak over to see if Naveena’s looking. Still, she is blinded by Trent! I grab Emily by the waist and in rough loud way, throw her against the locker. Emily loves it, her entire body pressed against mine. And I can’t lie; Emily knows what she’s doing. Great kisser, which I never really noticed till now, and such a nice ass. I look over at Naveena as Emily kisses the nape of my neck, and now Naveena’s looking. Oh, now Naveena isn’t smiling at Trent. She is pissed, I am in heaven. I know why she’s mad, it’s not just about us kissing, which Naveena being Naveena, could handle. She’s mad at the intensity, the roughness of us, and the kisses on the neck. That’s the way she used to like to be treated. Ah and it gets better, I’m pretty sure Trent is wondering why is girlfriend is starting at- “What the hell is this? Really? You two are animals. In the hallways? Really? Contain yourself, what are your names?” **** PDA is a strict rule here in our school. The worst part isn’t that I am in the office sitting next to the girl I hate as I pretend I don’t see her looking at me. The worst part isn’t that I am suddenly attracted to her. The worst part isn’t that fact that I have an after school detention and they are calling my Dad. The worst part is, Naveena laughed. When she saw us get yelled at my Mrs. Old Wrinkly Teacher, she laughed a big laugh. I am humiliated. “Rakim?” I tune in to the conversation that we apparently had been having. “Rakim, I, I don’t know what to say-,” “It’s fine. I went overboard; she probably heard the thud of the locker or something.” “No not that!” She puts her hand on my thigh and attempts to look into my eyes for the hundredth time. “I am just, speechless. That was one of the hottest things, it was like, a fantasy, you know? Like, I knew deep down that you and I had something. I knew that you didn’t mean any of the things you said all those mornings, you just aren’t a morning person babe.” Babe? I’m in trouble. “Listen,” I take a look into her face. I see it now, 100%, she is so g damn attractive. Wow, I kissed that? I ignored that for years? I gulp and try to be polite, “I am not looking for anything serious-,” “Oh, I know babe don’t worry! I am just saying that since me and you are dating, I just wanted you to know that like, I really, really, like you! I have been for the longest-,” “Dating?! Babe?! See, that sounds serious. I don’t want anything-,” “Relax babe, you get so mad so easy, it is so cute!” “Listen,” I take her hand off my thigh, she put it back and leans against me. Then I push her away. “Oh, babe, not here in the office, you can wait till after school!” “Shut the f*** up Emily!” I am used to swearing with Naveena, because she says that word a lot. Where was she getting all these ideas? Is she insane? I look over at her. I didn’t even notice that Emily is crying black makeup tears. “I am so sorry Emily, listen, I am just having a bad day and I-,” “I am such an idiot! Do you know what my Mom’s gunna do to me when she finds out I have detention with some, burnout! No offense. Oh god, you don’t even like me! No one likes me! I should just-,” “Shut the- relax Emily. It’s ok. I do like you. You are very, very pretty. All the guys I know want you-,” “All those guys want is a story to tell their friends the next day. All any guy ever cares about is sex and sports, except for you…” She wipes her tears and begins to smile. “Do you remember in 5th grade show and tell, you brought in a box full of “imagination”?” She laughs a quiet, suddenly cute laugh. “Remember? All the guys brought in footballs or baseball cards and there you were- holding a box of nothing. You said that in this box was imagination, and then you pulled out an invisible dinosaur and an invisible UFO. The entire class was so un-Impressed-,” “And all the kids made fun of me for it. They said I had imaginary friends.” “Everyone was so un-impressed, but not me. I thought you were so different. I tried talking to you that day at recess; you didn’t want to talk to me. In fact, I’ve tried talking to you every day since that day, and you have never wanted to talk to me. Turns out, you wanted to more than talk in 8th grade on the bus rides home. And you wanted to know more than talking during gym class.” Her cute flirty smile was really getting to me, the fact that remembers so much about me. It’s flattering. I’ve been missing out on someone really interesting. “Why me? Why keep trying? Why let me kiss you? I mean, I am kind of a d**k to you-,” “No but I like d**k- wait. That came out wrong!” I laugh at her for a little, than she laughs, blushing a light red. A light red that Naveena’s skin tone could never show. A light red similar to a coal beginning to heat up and sparkle in a fire. “What I meant to say was I like when you’re a d**k. It is a break from all these tough macho guys trying to impress me with their sport records and muscles and what not, you’re honest. There are better looking guys than you, a lot better looking!” “Thanks?” I smile, I like where this is going. “No let me finish! There are a lot of guys who look better than you, but there is no one with a more fascinating mind.” Time stood still for a second. This entire conversation wasn’t stupid. This entire conversation wasn’t something going on to my list. And holy hell, she was stunning. “Well, that actually was incredibly nice of you to say and so mind blowing that you know that you remember that show and tell so well. I don’t know why I hated you for so-,” “Incredible, mind blowing.” She teases me again, shoving me. I am used to using “smart words” with Naveena to cover up the fact that I never knew what she was talking about. Emily looks at me with her eyes and she brushes the hair out of her face. Oh my god, this girl is my soul mate. “So, if we were to ever be dating-,” “Trust me, Rakim, we’re dating. Maybe you don’t see it now, maybe it will take a while for you to accept it, but we’re dating. I know it. You can’t stop, this, from happening.” Her hand was on my thigh. “You are my boyfriend, whether you like it or not. I’ve fantasized about you from a far for too long to miss this opportunity. We are dating, got it?” What she said could have come across as creepy, but no. It was so flattering and warm; she is such a nice girl. Emily is just so hot all of the sudden. Her once repulsive amount of makeup is now just the perfect amount. Her hair is streaks of gold. I am speechless, and there is a silence as I observe her. Me and Emily started talking we never had any deep talks at all. Instead, we just laughed a lot. And I learned a lot. 1. I am not a deep person. I listened to Naveena talk her deep topics, but never said much back. She was my first girlfriend and love, and she was so out of my league that I was blinded and thought she was majestic. She was just a well-rounded girl, nothing beautiful about her soul and she showed her true colors after 2 years of being blinded. 2. Trent never cheated on Naveena, because they never dated. Naveena lied to me the day we fell in love, it turns out that Trent cheated on Emily with Naveena, and Trent decided after the guilt that he doesn’t want to cheat on Emily any more. This broke Naveena’s heart apparently. 3. Emily is not stupid at all. She is just not full of knowledge like Naveena, but hey either am I. At least I know what the hell we are talking about. 4. Naveena had a potty mouth. I shouldn’t talk like that; in fact, no one should try to be like Naveena in any way ever under any circumstance at all till the end of time. 5. Emily doesn’t have beautiful eyes, or a beautiful soul. She is just, awesome, and pretty, and fun, and mine.