JennyZUROC
12-05-2013, 01:14 AM
Title: Leaving
“Benjamin, it’s time to go sweetheart,” my mom called from downstairs.
“Coming!” I yelled.
When I arrived downstairs, I found my mom wearing her white summer dress, my dad wearing his black suit usually for special occasions and my sister wearing her favorite black dress that she had when she was 10. I’ll miss those people. They’ve been there for me when I needed them the most.
“Ben,” said my sister, who’s now in 9th grade. “Please come back and visit us if you have time”. She said with a tear coming off her face.
I touched her face gently and pulled her close.
“I will. I promise.”
After my family hoarded all of my bags into the family minivan, I looked at the house I’ve lived in for the past 12 years of my life. I was born in Minnesota, but my family moved to Illinois when I was 6 so I had no recollection of my life back there. Illinois was the place I call home.
When we left the house, it started raining. The sky was filled with gray clouds and the rain was coming down in sheets. It was just rain. No thunder or lightning in the distance. While my dad drove slowly to Harley Airport, I closed my eyes and thought about a person that I would remember for the rest of my life.
Fiona. The name suddenly came to my mind. Fiona Winston has been my friend since 7th grade. I always felt happy and comfortable with her. She used to be a cute shy girl when I first met her, but the last time I saw her, she bloomed into a gorgeous, confident-looking woman. I thought back to the senior prom that took place only 4 months ago on the first Saturday of May at Brighton Cultural center……
“I simply can’t dance anymore Karen”, I said to my date.
“Me neither, Ben”.
We leaned on each other’s shoulder for a long time before we let go.
“It’s nice hanging out with you tonight; I didn’t think you would ask me out, to be honest”.
She smiled. “Oh, let’s just forget about what happened that October and move on, breaking up with you doesn’t mean I’m not going to talk to you again. I think it’s better if we stayed as friends”.
I nodded.
“Um,” she said suddenly, “I think I have to go now, it’s already 11. My Dad’s picking me up”. I checked my watch and saw the hour hand was on Roman numeral 11. Man, time went by fast.
“I guess I’ll see you at school on Monday, bye” I said and gave her an embrace.
She then walked out the room.
I left the dance floor and headed to the refreshment table. After I got a Dr. Pepper, I suddenly saw someone who I thought wasn’t going to make it here tonight: Fiona! I spotted her sitting with my best friend, Danny, just a few feet away chatting about something I couldn’t hear. Suddenly, she saw me and gestured for me to come over. I walked to her table and sit down on the side opposite of her. She looked amazing tonight. Her hair was straightened and it fell down on her back like a waterfall. She put some plain glitters over her eyelids which sparkled every time she blinked. It seems like she also got new earrings. On both of her ears were round, fake red-colored ruby studded with plastic gold on the rims. Her lips, well, her lips were bright red that night because she put on some lipsticks. If I can remember clearly, on that night, she was wearing a light blue dress with straps on that reached her lower thigh. It wasn’t the prettiest dress I’ve seen that night but it suited her well.
“I thought you weren’t coming tonight, I thought you’re going to Rockford for the state piano competition today?” I asked her immediately.
She thought for a while and said, “Change of plan. The place where the state competition is supposed to be held at this year had a scheduling conflict. A band is supposed to perform on the day of the state competition, and because more people want to see the band perform, the competition is postponed until June 1st”.
I nodded and said, “Well, at least this gives you more time for practice and allows you to go to the prom”.
I leaned over the table to talk to Danny, who was sitting right next to Fiona and asked him if he’s Fiona’s date.
He blushed and said yes. He then asked me if I was going to beat him up for bringing Fiona to prom. He obviously thought I would make a better date for her more than he would.
I shook my head.
“No way. Dan, why would I beat you up for bringing a girl to the prom who is friend to both us? Fiona likes both of us remember?”
“Yeah Danny,” Fiona continued, “Don’t you remember that I got along with you and Ben back in middle school? Nothing really changed among us in high school. We still help each other with homework and stuffs, and hang out on the weekends”.
That made Danny feel better and he smiled.
I opened my Dr. Pepper I picked up from the refreshment table and took a sip.
“Ben,” asked Fiona as I put down my drink, “Is Karen your date tonight?”
“Yeah. Did you see us walking in?”
“How are you and her getting along since the breakup?”
“Surprisingly well since we didn’t talk to each other until this January after we broke up last October; I wouldn’t have gone to the prom with her tonight if she’s still ignoring me like I don’t exist”, I said annoyingly.
Fiona gasped and cupped her mouth with her left hand.
“Ben, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe someone would do this to you. You’re smart, funny, and intelligent. That little blonde whore, she must’ve gotten tired of flirting with the other guys in our grade that she’s coming back to you again”, she said angrily.
I smiled a bit but I corrected Fiona on that part where she called Karen a “whore”. Karen had a hard time finding a guy that’s right for her after she broke up with me so she went around talking with different guys she knows and going out with them, but none of them met her criteria so it’s best if she goes back to her ex-boyfriend instead of having a broken heart forever.
“But doesn’t that mean she’s taking you back as a boyfriend then?”
“No. Once she and I got back together, she told me we’re going to stay as friends because she realized she wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship yet and if we got back together again, she might make the same mistake”.
Fiona smiled and took a sip of water out the cup that sat in front of her. I’m thinking she’s glad Karen and I weren’t in a relationship anymore because she doesn’t get along with Karen all that well. Calling my ex-girlfriend a “whore”, well, sort explains her thoughts on Karen.
“Anyway,” she changed the subject after she put down her cup, “I was going to the prom with a good friend of mine from world history class, Brian Lindsey but because of the piano competition, I thought I was not going to make it Then, Mother Nature interfered and postponed the competition. However, Brian told me this Monday that he couldn’t take me to the prom because his grandma had a heart attack the day before and so his family and he had to drive all the way to visit his grandma this Saturday at the Luther Central hospital in Chicago. I knew I was not going to the prom this time….”
She paused for a second. “Well, you know the rest of the story,” she said, gesturing to Danny with her head.
I was at loss of words. To be honest, I was a bit jealous to see Danny with Fiona at first, but after her long explanation, I felt much better.
“So Danny, how did you manage to ask Fiona out to the prom?” I asked curiously. Danny blushed.
“I don’t want to talk about this. This is going to sound really stupid.”
“No, just tell me. I’m not going to tell anybody else.”
“No! If I tell you then you’re going to be mad at me for the rest of the year!”
“Danny-“
“Ben, I asked him out,” Fiona said, stopping me from accosting my friend further.
I looked at her, dumbstruck. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. She then told me how Danny was feeling down on Friday and since they are in the same sixth hour math class, she asked him if he’s not feeling well. It turned out later that Danny tried to ask this strawberry-blonde girl he had a crush on in AP Biology class to go to the prom with him and she rejected, saying she’s going to be out-of-town on that day.
So, Fiona took pity on Danny and asked him if he wants to go to the prom with her since her piano competition is canceled on that day and the fact that she is pretty much free on Saturday.
“Awww, that’s really nice of you,” I said with a charming voice.
Fiona blushed.
She then changed the subject and asked me how I ended up going with Karen to the prom.
“It’s a long story.” I said and adjusted my chair and took another sip of Dr. Pepper.
“After Karen and I broke up, we didn’t talk for a long time until Karen called me this January on her cell phone to apologize for what she had done to me back in September. I wasn’t the kind of guy who holds grudges against girls so I forgave her. We then kind of got back together but we didn’t have deep feelings that we had for each other in the past. We talked on the weekends but we didn’t visit each other that much. So, a week before the prom, she asked me if I want to go with her, I said yes because the way I see it, she was trying to push away the wrong she did to me in September. I think that’s a perfect way to deal with an emotional injury.”
After I finish the story, Fiona was in tears. She dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief and told me that I made a brave decision. These days, when guys broke up with their girlfriends, they delete the girls’ phone numbers and stopped talking to them in schools. It’s like they never know each other.
For the next ten minutes, Danny, Fiona, and I talked about our plans for the summer and what we’re majoring in college. I was surprised that Fiona had stage acting as her major; she looks beautiful enough to be an actor but I never saw her in any of the school’s play so I highly doubt she’s going to be successful in the business. Or, maybe she participates in plays outside of school. Danny, not surprisingly, is planning to major in business. He used to brag back in elementary school that he’s going to open an international business one day under the name, Danny Inc. in producing the world’s best seafood. When I told them I was planning to major law in college, Fiona told me that’s a good choice because lawyers nowadays are in high demands. Our conversation came to a halt when a cameraman came over and asked if any of us want to make a goodbye speech to Johnston High School.
We agreed unanimously and Fiona went first. She took the microphone confidently from the man’s hand and started her speech:
“What’s up Johnston High School? This is Fiona Winston. Can you believe that this year is almost over? Well, this is my last year as a high school student and I’m SO thankful for everything that you did for me. I like to thank my parents and my teachers for their support and my friends for being there for me when I needed them the most. Mrs. Lind, thank you for showing me the fun side of English Literature and Mrs. Wilderson, for showing me how a boring math class can be turned around by a fun and caring teacher. I’ll miss you!”
Fiona finished her speech with an air kiss to the camera and handed the microphone to Danny. I noticed that Danny nearly fainted when he looked into the camera so I convinced him to go last. I held the microphone, took a deep breath and looked straight into the camera.
“Hey Johnston High School, this is Ben Schmidt. First of all, I would like to thank my parents and my friends for my support. Mom, dad, thank you for showing me the importance of hard work. If you guys weren’t here, I wouldn’t be getting those good grades and going to Princeton after my senior year. Mr. Farlington, you’re the most brilliant government teacher I’ve had in high school. Keep that up! Last of all, you, Johnston High School, you have been the best 4 years of my life! I’ll miss you!”
I waved goodbye to the camera and handed the microphone to Danny. He looked shyly into the camera and made a short speech.
“Hello Johnston High School, this is Danny Powell; I would like to say I’ll miss you so much after I graduate from here. Keep up the good work!”
He handed the microphone back to the cameraman. With that, the cameraman walked away and moved on to other people.
“That was interesting,” said Fiona as we sat down. “So, do any of you guys want to dance? I’m really bored.”
I immediately stood up and held my hand out to her. Fiona’s face went all white and looked at me with uncertainty.
“Are- Are you okay with that? She stuttered, “I mean, I’m not saying I don’t want to dance with you but is Karen still here? I don’t want her seen you and I dancing together; she might think I’m stealing her date.”
“Karen left; some time ago”, I answered concisely and clearly. I wish she would hurry up and just dance with me because this will be the next-to-last time I’ll see her until graduation. I didn’t have any classes with her this year so Fiona and I managed to find time to hang out with each other during lunch and the weekends. After prom, it’s finals, which means all the seniors are going to be busy studying. Even the students taking AP classes this year have to take their finals. Instead, she asked Danny if he’s okay with her dancing with a guy who’s not her date. Danny pondered deeply.
Please say yes, please say yes, I thought nervously.
After about a minute, Danny agreed and told me I could dance with Fiona. He wasn’t a good dancer so he doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the whole crowd.
“Oh by the way,” he said before we left, “Don’t let her get hurt on the dance floor. If that happens, I’m in big trouble. Her mom’s going to tell my mom and my mom’s going to ground me for a month”.
I chuckled. “You can count on me Dan, I’ll be careful”. Fiona and I then hit the dance floor.
I checked my watch. It was 11:30. Thirty minutes until the prom queen and prom king is announced. As we danced, I didn’t know she was also a good dancer until I noticed I was twirling her around. She didn’t show a sign of dizziness. She only twirled me around twice after I told her I’m not a good dancer. After a few minutes, we were soon exhausted and leaned on each other’s shoulder.
“Fiona,” I whispered into her ears, “I have a confession to make and it’s a big one”.
“Go”, she commanded.
“I’ve been waiting to tell you this since the beginning of the school year; I think you’re more than a friend to me”.
That struck a chord with her. She lifted her head up from my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my neck and looked straight into my hazel eyes.
“What am I then?” she asked calmly.
“You’re my sun”, I said, quoting Shakespeare, “I don’t know why I’m telling you this close to midnight, but I think you’re the most beautiful and intelligent girl I’ve met in my life. Karen’s not close to this”.
She was near to tears again; I lifted my hand from her waist and brushed away a tear that already escaped from her left eye.
“I mean it, really”.
“Then why,” she asked, sobbing a little, “Did you choose Karen?”
“I don’t know,” I said trying to fight my emotion, “Maybe I got carried away by her looks. She looks exactly like my sister: Blue eyes, blonde hairs, and a few freckles on her cheek. She started becoming friendly to me when I helped her study for her geometry test in 9th grade. That became the turning point. She then started asking me out to the movies and dinners. Slowly, this turned our friendship into a relationship.”
I gulped and swallowed back my tear.
“I didn’t know how long this relationship would last but I secretly hoped it would come to an end in a year or so”.
“So you didn’t really like hanging out with her then?”
“I wouldn’t really say that, but her laugh seemed to be forced and she doesn’t seem to be careful in choosing her words. She says whatever comes to her mind”.
“Huh, if I have a boyfriend like that, I would just dump him right away,” Fiona said firmly.
“I’m sorry,” I continued, “I’m sorry I lied to you and Danny about this job I have on the weekends. I was actually hanging out with Karen. Now, I really want to kick myself for spending time with her instead of you and Danny on some of those weekends over the past three years”.
Fiona sighed a little and said she forgave me. Danny, I, and her have been hanging out on the weekends for five years now and it tends to get a little boring once in a while now that we’ve known each other from head to toe. So, having a new person enter our lives is a good thing; well, sort of.
“Hey, you want to go see a movie on the last day of school with me?” I asked, trying to make her feel better.
“Sure,” she said with a smile, “Just us two?”
I nodded.
We continued to dance until the music stopped playing. Suddenly, a man who I identified as Mr. Bradsford, my 11th grade math teacher, came up on the platform and announced it was time for the announcement of prom king and queen.
“The Prom queen goes to…… KATE HARRINGTON!” A few people in the crowd clapped. Others muttered. The brunette girl went on the stage and was handed a plastic crown and a staff.
Fiona clasped my hand tightly as we waited for the announcement of prom king.
“And the Prom king goes to……. BENJAMIN SCHMIDT!” I dropped my mouth. I was just here to have fun and hang out with my friend but never in my wildest dream would I be announced as the Senior Class prom king. I went on the stage with a loud cheer from the crowd.
On stage, Mr. Bradsford handed me a plastic crown. I saw Fiona smiling at me along with Danny who just came out of nowhere…….
“Ben,” my sister shook me, “We’re here now”.
I opened my eyes and realized I fell asleep in the car. Anyway what was I dreaming about just then? At Harley Airport, we went through the security checkpoint in 10 minutes and at 9:40, I found myself sitting with my family in isle 8 waiting for the plane to arrive. I took out my iPod and listen to some of my favorite songs to pass time.
“Ben,” said my sister, pulling on my jacket.
“What Kaitlin?”
“There’s some girl running toward us.”
I looked up and identified her as someone I haven’t seen all summer. Fiona Winston! I stood up and walked toward her. She stopped when we stood face to face.
“Fiona…” I breathed. Her face had a large shade of red from all the running.
“Oooooo Ben has a girlfriend” my sister said from her seat but my parents quickly shushed her.
I was about to ask he what she was doing here but she answered automatically.
“I came here to say goodbye” she said with a hint of sadness, “Good luck in Princeton, you’ll come out to be a great lawyer.”
“How did you know I would be leaving today?” I asked, shocked.
“Danny informed me. He called me on my cell at 7 in the morning while I was sleeping in my dorm. I knew I have to come quick.”
I thought of something to ask her.
“So did your school start already?”
“Yeah, I’m attending Robert Morrison University now.”
I looked at her from head to toe. Her hair was sort of disheveled and she was wearing a white T-Shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of sandals. On her right shoulder was a big red purse she used to wear to school in 8th grade.
“I guess you rushed here to Harley Airport didn’t you? I’m surprised you didn’t get wet from the downpour.” I teased her. She gave me a mischievous smile and nodded.
“Anyway,” She said, “I came here to say goodbye and I want to give you this.” She reached inside her red bag and handed me a package wrapped in blue.
“What’s in there?” I asked curiously.
“Open it when you get on the plane, it’s a surprise”, she winked at me.
Suddenly, my heart starts to beat rapidly. All the words that I had been holding back to tell her is now struggling to get out. My eyes started to water.
Without thinking, I grabbed her by her right forearm and pulled her close to me. Since her purse is empty after she gave me the present, it slammed on me softly.
“I’m so glad”, I said shaking, “That I met you, you’re the best friend that I ever had second to Danny. I promise I’ll come back to visit you during Winter break”.
“Same here,” she said, “Ben, please do come back to Springfield, I’m lonely without you. I would rather choose to be with you than other guys from high school”.
Those words send me into shock. I lifted my head from her shoulder and looked at her straight into her emerald green eyes.
“Are you serious? You would choose me over all those guy friends of yours’?”
“Yes,” she said with such honesty, “I think you’re far more intelligent than them. I love guys who are smart and have a knack for sports. You’re perfect in every way”. With that, we hugged and rested on each other’s shoulder for a long time before the flight announcer announced that my flight arrived. I groaned and let go of her. She smells good. She must’ve put strawberry perfume in her dark brown hair.
I picked up my luggage and Fiona’s present and lined up at the entrance. I looked at her one more time and bid her farewell before I stepped onto the plane.
On the plane, I opened the box she gave to me. Inside was the Johnston High School 2011-2012 yearbook. When I turned to the first page, I found a bookmark inside. In the middle was a photograph of Fiona and me on our eighth grade fieldtrip to Kansas City, Missouri. That day, Fiona brought her hi-def camera on the bus and took a picture of us both. We looked so little back then. During those 9 hours on the bus, she and I listened to music on our individual iPod and talked. I thought back to that day, May 16, 2008…….
“I can’t believe we’re going to Kansas City, a city outside of Illinois! Four days without parents’ supervision! Can you believe that?” she asked me enthusiastically.
“Yeah, but now we’re under the supervision of our teachers and some parent chaperons. But,” I emphasized, “they’re not going to yell at us like our parents if we don’t eat our vegetables”.
“And,” she added, “They’re not going to tell us to go to bed at 8”.
We burst into laughter.
“Buses here!” she chirped, after I finished telling her my joke. She took my hand and we stepped on the bus. We found a seat at the back of the bus and waited for about 10 minutes for everyone to get on board. When there were no more people stepping on the bus, the bus driver closed the door and Mr. Fitzpatrick began taking attendance.
“Andrew?”
“Here”
“Michael?”
“Here”
“Rebecca?”
“Here”
“Carrington?”
“Here”
“Benjamin?”
“Here,” I said loudly.
“Fiona?”
“Present”, she raised her hand.
Mr. Fitzpatrick finished taking attendance and announced it was time to leave. The bus roared into life and departed Johnston Middle School. I looked out the window and watched the school become smaller and smaller until it was just a mere speck in the distance. When I turned away from the window, I found Fiona putting on her makeup. She started wearing makeup in sixth grade and now, she couldn’t go anywhere without them.
“How do I look?” she asked me.
“Brilliant.”
She smiled and asked me who I want to room with once we get to our hotel in Kansas City.
“Sam, Brent, and Danny,” I said and smiled.
“Say what, Ben?” someone asked me suddenly.
I almost jumped out of my seat, but when I looked up; I realized it was just my friend Danny. When did he get on the bus? He was sitting in front of me with my music class classmate, Kevin.
He looked at me suspiciously and asked me what I was saying about just a moment ago.
I smiled and told him that I want him to be my roommate along with Sam and Brent once we get to our hotel in Kansas City.
“The teachers will put us in a group, I guarantee you bro” he said confidently, with that, he turned back around to talk to Kevin.
When I turned back to talk to Fiona, I noticed that she had her camera out and was looking through the photos she took. She noticed me looking at her photos and asked me if she could take a photo of me and her on the bus together. I agreed and let her took the photo.
“Say cheese.”
I smiled widely as I could and leaned toward her.
At 1:00P.M., four hours before the bus arrived at our hotel in Kansas City, Fiona took off her earphones she used to listen to her iPod and announced that she’s going to take a nap. She leaned her head against the seat of the bus and closed her eyes and went to sleep. Since the bus was moving, her head eventually slipped onto my shoulder. I blushed but I didn’t bother putting her back in her proper position. I’m probably going to wake her up if I did.
I was about to reached into my backpack that I put next to me on the bus to pull out a piece of blanket when a girl who was sitting at a seat next to me asked me what I was doing. I immediately identified her as Leslie Lester, one of Fiona’s friends since Kindergarten.
“Nothing,” I answered innocently as I can, “I’m just pulling out my blanket because it’s getting a bit cold”. That didn’t work, as soon as she spotted Fiona sleeping on my shoulder she made a “oooo” sound and said Fiona and I look like a couple.
That scared me and the first thing that came to my mind was, “Damn, now she’s going to tell everyone in eighth grade that I snuggled with my girlfriend on the bus”. Leslie was a gossiper back in 8th grade. She loves to gossip about celebrity couples and “pretend” couples that are from our school. If she tells this to everyone after the trip, I’m so dead. Everyone is going to point and laugh at me until the last day of the school chanting, “Ben has a girlfriend”.
“Haha, very funny Leslie”, I tried to sound serious and took out my blanket. That hit her; she apologized to me three times and said she was just joking. I smiled and said it was nothing, people tends to do that in middle school.
She went back to talking to her friend, Rachel, who was sitting on her left.
I draped the blanket up to our waist since it was getting COLD on the bus. I then took out a Marvel Comic book to read in order to pass time. An hour later, after I finished reading, Fiona woke up from her nap. I watched as her eyes slowly opened and adjusted to her surroundings. She saw me looking down at her and smiled. She raised her head from my shoulder and yawned.
“Where are we?” She asked me curiously as she looked out the window.
I shrugged. I told her we’re probably in Missouri now since Illinois is Missouri’s neighbor. For the next 30 minutes, we looked out the window watching trees, buildings, and houses pass by.
“I’ve never been to Missouri before,” she told me, “My dad’s family is from Missouri and he told me stories about him living here before he moved to Illinois”.
I nodded. To me, Missouri doesn’t look too different from Springfield. I guess her dad probably didn’t feel any different living in Illinois.
Fiona turned away from the window and asked me if she can talk to me today after dinner.
“What is it?” I asked curiously, “Why don’t you just tell me now?”
“You’ll find out”, she gave me a sly glance.
That made me really agitated and eager to find out what she was going to say to me.
We arrived at the hotel at 5. It was still bright outside. Once all the people got off the bus, a parent chaperon put us in rooms of four. I got to share a room with Jonathan, Michael, and Danny (yay!). Fiona was put in a room with two of her friends, Madison and Jessica, and a girl who moved here this year from New York (state), Sheryl.
One hour later, our eighth grade teachers and parent chaperons bought us to eat at a restaurant that was ½ block away from the hotel we’re staying at. For dinner, we had fresh seafood, pastas, spaghetti and meatballs, burgers, and fries, and of course, desserts. I avoided sitting with Fiona in the restaurant so I wouldn’t be tempted to ask her what she was hiding from me while we were on the bus. Instead, I dined with my roommates. The waitresses in this restaurant were really friendly and pretty so we sort of chatted to them awkwardly when we ordered our meal (they’re in early-20s anyway). I was halfway done with my chicken pasta when my phone sounded. I took it out of my pocket and flipped it open. It was from Fiona. The message read:
“Meet me at the lobby tonight at 10:30”.
I gulped, why would she want me to talk to me one hour and a half prior to midnight? What was she hiding from me?
“Good night Ben,” said Jonathan as he turned off the bedside lamp. My other two friends did the same with their lights. Once all three of their heads hit the soft pillows, they fell asleep immediately. Me? I’m not going to sleep until I meet with Fiona downstairs in the hotel lobby. I wasn’t really tired anyway; it’s only 9:30. Geez, am I the only one on this trip who doesn’t feel tired after a 9-hour bus ride? Right now, I’m sitting at a small desk that’s next to the window. I looked out the window and thought about my family.
They must be really worried, I thought, this is my first time going on a field trip that involves leaving my family. Urgh, I don’t really like this.
Even though my sister, my mom, and my dad can be bossy and demanding sometimes, they still love me and are willing to protect me out of harm’s way.
After I got bored of looking at the stars in the sky, I pulled out my journal and started writing. There’s nothing really to write about. We arrived at the school at 8 in the morning; rode in the bus for 9 hours; arrived at the hotel at 5 in the afternoon; had dinner an hour later, watched TV, brushed our teeth, took a shower, and go to bed. F***, it’s been a long and tedious day. I want to go home NOW. However, when the image of Fiona came to my mind, I decided not to leave. This is her only chance to visit her dad’s childhood place. She must be very excited.
I turned to second-to-last page of my journal and started writing.
May 16, 2008
Today’s being a long day. The bus left at approximately 8 this morning. We rode the bus for 9 hours and arrived at Renaissance Hotel at 5 in the afternoon. Everyone’s probably in bed now. After an almost half-day bus ride, everyone’s exhausted. Today, after we left the restaurant at 7, Jonathan, Michael, and Danny announced to me that they’re going to bed early in order to conserve their energy for tomorrow’s visit to the sea aquarium. Right now, all of my friends are asleep except me because I have to meet Fiona down at the hotel lobby at 10:30. Hope tomorrow will be better.
I closed my journal and put it back in my backpack. I took my other favorite Marvel comic book titled Iron Man out of my backpack and started reading. I haven’t watched the movie though. It came out around the first week of May. Some of the people in the English class who watched it said the movie was worth watching. I might go watch the movie with Danny and Fiona in June when school gets out. I mean, summer is the time for relaxation and catching up with friends. I probably read half the story when I saw the time: It was 10:15. I closed my book and put it back in my backpack. That’s enough reading for today. I then left my desk and headed to Danny’s bedside. He was asleep. As I stared at him, I recalled a day last year when we fought about who’s the better guy friend for Fiona. The fight was pretty pointless because in the end, Fiona stopped talking to us for a month. She started talking to us again when I apologized to her in English class about what jerks Danny and I were fighting to be the friend of a girl whom we just met. She smiled and told me it’s okay. She likes us both equally.
I realized I blanked out for almost 15 minutes when I lifted my head and saw that the clock read 10:30. It was time for me to leave.
I took out the hotel room keycard from my wallet and left the room surreptitiously without waking my friends up. Once in the hallway, I went down two flights of stairs and turned right. I then found myself in the now dimly-lighted hotel lobby. The hotel staffs are still on duty but there’s no more guests arriving. I spotted Fiona sitting on a couch that was next to a fake fern plant. She was dressed in skinny jeans and a loose white blouse.
“Did you not go to bed either?” I asked her as I plopped down next to her on the couch. She shook her head.
“So,” I asked her nervously, “What are you hiding from me back on the bus?” I felt my blood pumping in my ear. Suddenly, it seemed like it was just two of us in this lobby.
She took my right hand in both of her hands and held it a centimeter away from her chest. She looked me straight in the eye and said the unexpected.
“Will you go out with me to the movies on the last day of field trip?”
I was about to reply when she said something else.
“Ben, this is my first time asking a guy out to see a movie with me. I don’t think I’ve felt the same spending time with you compared to spending time with other guys in school. You’re just so nerdy but also light-hearted at same time. Since 7th grade, you always helped me with my math homework, studied with me for finals, and ate lunch with me. Not a lot of guys do that.”
She paused for a second and said, “So will you go to the movies with me?”
Her eyes beseeched me.
My eyes widened. Did she really say that? I’ve only known her for more than a year now she wants to go out with me?
“I—,” I stopped myself and thought about what I should really say to her.
Two seconds later, I said the dumbest thing that a guy should never say to a girl: “Are we going as a date or as friends?”
With that, I thought she was going to throw my hand away and walk back to her room; instead, she continued to hold my hand and told me we’re going as friends. People at the movies probably won’t tease us because we don’t look like boyfriend/girlfriend. More like brother/sister.
I turned the bookmark to the back and noticed there was a message; it said, “For Ben, you’ll always be in my heart”.
I traced the bookmark reverently as if tracing Fiona’s hand. The day she asked me to the movies still remains in my mind.
“I’ll come back for you,” I thought, “Fiona, I’ll come back to this town after college graduation and attend Robert Morrison University for grad school, if you still go there when those four years of ours’ as college undergraduates are over”.
The End
“Benjamin, it’s time to go sweetheart,” my mom called from downstairs.
“Coming!” I yelled.
When I arrived downstairs, I found my mom wearing her white summer dress, my dad wearing his black suit usually for special occasions and my sister wearing her favorite black dress that she had when she was 10. I’ll miss those people. They’ve been there for me when I needed them the most.
“Ben,” said my sister, who’s now in 9th grade. “Please come back and visit us if you have time”. She said with a tear coming off her face.
I touched her face gently and pulled her close.
“I will. I promise.”
After my family hoarded all of my bags into the family minivan, I looked at the house I’ve lived in for the past 12 years of my life. I was born in Minnesota, but my family moved to Illinois when I was 6 so I had no recollection of my life back there. Illinois was the place I call home.
When we left the house, it started raining. The sky was filled with gray clouds and the rain was coming down in sheets. It was just rain. No thunder or lightning in the distance. While my dad drove slowly to Harley Airport, I closed my eyes and thought about a person that I would remember for the rest of my life.
Fiona. The name suddenly came to my mind. Fiona Winston has been my friend since 7th grade. I always felt happy and comfortable with her. She used to be a cute shy girl when I first met her, but the last time I saw her, she bloomed into a gorgeous, confident-looking woman. I thought back to the senior prom that took place only 4 months ago on the first Saturday of May at Brighton Cultural center……
“I simply can’t dance anymore Karen”, I said to my date.
“Me neither, Ben”.
We leaned on each other’s shoulder for a long time before we let go.
“It’s nice hanging out with you tonight; I didn’t think you would ask me out, to be honest”.
She smiled. “Oh, let’s just forget about what happened that October and move on, breaking up with you doesn’t mean I’m not going to talk to you again. I think it’s better if we stayed as friends”.
I nodded.
“Um,” she said suddenly, “I think I have to go now, it’s already 11. My Dad’s picking me up”. I checked my watch and saw the hour hand was on Roman numeral 11. Man, time went by fast.
“I guess I’ll see you at school on Monday, bye” I said and gave her an embrace.
She then walked out the room.
I left the dance floor and headed to the refreshment table. After I got a Dr. Pepper, I suddenly saw someone who I thought wasn’t going to make it here tonight: Fiona! I spotted her sitting with my best friend, Danny, just a few feet away chatting about something I couldn’t hear. Suddenly, she saw me and gestured for me to come over. I walked to her table and sit down on the side opposite of her. She looked amazing tonight. Her hair was straightened and it fell down on her back like a waterfall. She put some plain glitters over her eyelids which sparkled every time she blinked. It seems like she also got new earrings. On both of her ears were round, fake red-colored ruby studded with plastic gold on the rims. Her lips, well, her lips were bright red that night because she put on some lipsticks. If I can remember clearly, on that night, she was wearing a light blue dress with straps on that reached her lower thigh. It wasn’t the prettiest dress I’ve seen that night but it suited her well.
“I thought you weren’t coming tonight, I thought you’re going to Rockford for the state piano competition today?” I asked her immediately.
She thought for a while and said, “Change of plan. The place where the state competition is supposed to be held at this year had a scheduling conflict. A band is supposed to perform on the day of the state competition, and because more people want to see the band perform, the competition is postponed until June 1st”.
I nodded and said, “Well, at least this gives you more time for practice and allows you to go to the prom”.
I leaned over the table to talk to Danny, who was sitting right next to Fiona and asked him if he’s Fiona’s date.
He blushed and said yes. He then asked me if I was going to beat him up for bringing Fiona to prom. He obviously thought I would make a better date for her more than he would.
I shook my head.
“No way. Dan, why would I beat you up for bringing a girl to the prom who is friend to both us? Fiona likes both of us remember?”
“Yeah Danny,” Fiona continued, “Don’t you remember that I got along with you and Ben back in middle school? Nothing really changed among us in high school. We still help each other with homework and stuffs, and hang out on the weekends”.
That made Danny feel better and he smiled.
I opened my Dr. Pepper I picked up from the refreshment table and took a sip.
“Ben,” asked Fiona as I put down my drink, “Is Karen your date tonight?”
“Yeah. Did you see us walking in?”
“How are you and her getting along since the breakup?”
“Surprisingly well since we didn’t talk to each other until this January after we broke up last October; I wouldn’t have gone to the prom with her tonight if she’s still ignoring me like I don’t exist”, I said annoyingly.
Fiona gasped and cupped her mouth with her left hand.
“Ben, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe someone would do this to you. You’re smart, funny, and intelligent. That little blonde whore, she must’ve gotten tired of flirting with the other guys in our grade that she’s coming back to you again”, she said angrily.
I smiled a bit but I corrected Fiona on that part where she called Karen a “whore”. Karen had a hard time finding a guy that’s right for her after she broke up with me so she went around talking with different guys she knows and going out with them, but none of them met her criteria so it’s best if she goes back to her ex-boyfriend instead of having a broken heart forever.
“But doesn’t that mean she’s taking you back as a boyfriend then?”
“No. Once she and I got back together, she told me we’re going to stay as friends because she realized she wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship yet and if we got back together again, she might make the same mistake”.
Fiona smiled and took a sip of water out the cup that sat in front of her. I’m thinking she’s glad Karen and I weren’t in a relationship anymore because she doesn’t get along with Karen all that well. Calling my ex-girlfriend a “whore”, well, sort explains her thoughts on Karen.
“Anyway,” she changed the subject after she put down her cup, “I was going to the prom with a good friend of mine from world history class, Brian Lindsey but because of the piano competition, I thought I was not going to make it Then, Mother Nature interfered and postponed the competition. However, Brian told me this Monday that he couldn’t take me to the prom because his grandma had a heart attack the day before and so his family and he had to drive all the way to visit his grandma this Saturday at the Luther Central hospital in Chicago. I knew I was not going to the prom this time….”
She paused for a second. “Well, you know the rest of the story,” she said, gesturing to Danny with her head.
I was at loss of words. To be honest, I was a bit jealous to see Danny with Fiona at first, but after her long explanation, I felt much better.
“So Danny, how did you manage to ask Fiona out to the prom?” I asked curiously. Danny blushed.
“I don’t want to talk about this. This is going to sound really stupid.”
“No, just tell me. I’m not going to tell anybody else.”
“No! If I tell you then you’re going to be mad at me for the rest of the year!”
“Danny-“
“Ben, I asked him out,” Fiona said, stopping me from accosting my friend further.
I looked at her, dumbstruck. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. She then told me how Danny was feeling down on Friday and since they are in the same sixth hour math class, she asked him if he’s not feeling well. It turned out later that Danny tried to ask this strawberry-blonde girl he had a crush on in AP Biology class to go to the prom with him and she rejected, saying she’s going to be out-of-town on that day.
So, Fiona took pity on Danny and asked him if he wants to go to the prom with her since her piano competition is canceled on that day and the fact that she is pretty much free on Saturday.
“Awww, that’s really nice of you,” I said with a charming voice.
Fiona blushed.
She then changed the subject and asked me how I ended up going with Karen to the prom.
“It’s a long story.” I said and adjusted my chair and took another sip of Dr. Pepper.
“After Karen and I broke up, we didn’t talk for a long time until Karen called me this January on her cell phone to apologize for what she had done to me back in September. I wasn’t the kind of guy who holds grudges against girls so I forgave her. We then kind of got back together but we didn’t have deep feelings that we had for each other in the past. We talked on the weekends but we didn’t visit each other that much. So, a week before the prom, she asked me if I want to go with her, I said yes because the way I see it, she was trying to push away the wrong she did to me in September. I think that’s a perfect way to deal with an emotional injury.”
After I finish the story, Fiona was in tears. She dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief and told me that I made a brave decision. These days, when guys broke up with their girlfriends, they delete the girls’ phone numbers and stopped talking to them in schools. It’s like they never know each other.
For the next ten minutes, Danny, Fiona, and I talked about our plans for the summer and what we’re majoring in college. I was surprised that Fiona had stage acting as her major; she looks beautiful enough to be an actor but I never saw her in any of the school’s play so I highly doubt she’s going to be successful in the business. Or, maybe she participates in plays outside of school. Danny, not surprisingly, is planning to major in business. He used to brag back in elementary school that he’s going to open an international business one day under the name, Danny Inc. in producing the world’s best seafood. When I told them I was planning to major law in college, Fiona told me that’s a good choice because lawyers nowadays are in high demands. Our conversation came to a halt when a cameraman came over and asked if any of us want to make a goodbye speech to Johnston High School.
We agreed unanimously and Fiona went first. She took the microphone confidently from the man’s hand and started her speech:
“What’s up Johnston High School? This is Fiona Winston. Can you believe that this year is almost over? Well, this is my last year as a high school student and I’m SO thankful for everything that you did for me. I like to thank my parents and my teachers for their support and my friends for being there for me when I needed them the most. Mrs. Lind, thank you for showing me the fun side of English Literature and Mrs. Wilderson, for showing me how a boring math class can be turned around by a fun and caring teacher. I’ll miss you!”
Fiona finished her speech with an air kiss to the camera and handed the microphone to Danny. I noticed that Danny nearly fainted when he looked into the camera so I convinced him to go last. I held the microphone, took a deep breath and looked straight into the camera.
“Hey Johnston High School, this is Ben Schmidt. First of all, I would like to thank my parents and my friends for my support. Mom, dad, thank you for showing me the importance of hard work. If you guys weren’t here, I wouldn’t be getting those good grades and going to Princeton after my senior year. Mr. Farlington, you’re the most brilliant government teacher I’ve had in high school. Keep that up! Last of all, you, Johnston High School, you have been the best 4 years of my life! I’ll miss you!”
I waved goodbye to the camera and handed the microphone to Danny. He looked shyly into the camera and made a short speech.
“Hello Johnston High School, this is Danny Powell; I would like to say I’ll miss you so much after I graduate from here. Keep up the good work!”
He handed the microphone back to the cameraman. With that, the cameraman walked away and moved on to other people.
“That was interesting,” said Fiona as we sat down. “So, do any of you guys want to dance? I’m really bored.”
I immediately stood up and held my hand out to her. Fiona’s face went all white and looked at me with uncertainty.
“Are- Are you okay with that? She stuttered, “I mean, I’m not saying I don’t want to dance with you but is Karen still here? I don’t want her seen you and I dancing together; she might think I’m stealing her date.”
“Karen left; some time ago”, I answered concisely and clearly. I wish she would hurry up and just dance with me because this will be the next-to-last time I’ll see her until graduation. I didn’t have any classes with her this year so Fiona and I managed to find time to hang out with each other during lunch and the weekends. After prom, it’s finals, which means all the seniors are going to be busy studying. Even the students taking AP classes this year have to take their finals. Instead, she asked Danny if he’s okay with her dancing with a guy who’s not her date. Danny pondered deeply.
Please say yes, please say yes, I thought nervously.
After about a minute, Danny agreed and told me I could dance with Fiona. He wasn’t a good dancer so he doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the whole crowd.
“Oh by the way,” he said before we left, “Don’t let her get hurt on the dance floor. If that happens, I’m in big trouble. Her mom’s going to tell my mom and my mom’s going to ground me for a month”.
I chuckled. “You can count on me Dan, I’ll be careful”. Fiona and I then hit the dance floor.
I checked my watch. It was 11:30. Thirty minutes until the prom queen and prom king is announced. As we danced, I didn’t know she was also a good dancer until I noticed I was twirling her around. She didn’t show a sign of dizziness. She only twirled me around twice after I told her I’m not a good dancer. After a few minutes, we were soon exhausted and leaned on each other’s shoulder.
“Fiona,” I whispered into her ears, “I have a confession to make and it’s a big one”.
“Go”, she commanded.
“I’ve been waiting to tell you this since the beginning of the school year; I think you’re more than a friend to me”.
That struck a chord with her. She lifted her head up from my shoulder and wrapped her arms around my neck and looked straight into my hazel eyes.
“What am I then?” she asked calmly.
“You’re my sun”, I said, quoting Shakespeare, “I don’t know why I’m telling you this close to midnight, but I think you’re the most beautiful and intelligent girl I’ve met in my life. Karen’s not close to this”.
She was near to tears again; I lifted my hand from her waist and brushed away a tear that already escaped from her left eye.
“I mean it, really”.
“Then why,” she asked, sobbing a little, “Did you choose Karen?”
“I don’t know,” I said trying to fight my emotion, “Maybe I got carried away by her looks. She looks exactly like my sister: Blue eyes, blonde hairs, and a few freckles on her cheek. She started becoming friendly to me when I helped her study for her geometry test in 9th grade. That became the turning point. She then started asking me out to the movies and dinners. Slowly, this turned our friendship into a relationship.”
I gulped and swallowed back my tear.
“I didn’t know how long this relationship would last but I secretly hoped it would come to an end in a year or so”.
“So you didn’t really like hanging out with her then?”
“I wouldn’t really say that, but her laugh seemed to be forced and she doesn’t seem to be careful in choosing her words. She says whatever comes to her mind”.
“Huh, if I have a boyfriend like that, I would just dump him right away,” Fiona said firmly.
“I’m sorry,” I continued, “I’m sorry I lied to you and Danny about this job I have on the weekends. I was actually hanging out with Karen. Now, I really want to kick myself for spending time with her instead of you and Danny on some of those weekends over the past three years”.
Fiona sighed a little and said she forgave me. Danny, I, and her have been hanging out on the weekends for five years now and it tends to get a little boring once in a while now that we’ve known each other from head to toe. So, having a new person enter our lives is a good thing; well, sort of.
“Hey, you want to go see a movie on the last day of school with me?” I asked, trying to make her feel better.
“Sure,” she said with a smile, “Just us two?”
I nodded.
We continued to dance until the music stopped playing. Suddenly, a man who I identified as Mr. Bradsford, my 11th grade math teacher, came up on the platform and announced it was time for the announcement of prom king and queen.
“The Prom queen goes to…… KATE HARRINGTON!” A few people in the crowd clapped. Others muttered. The brunette girl went on the stage and was handed a plastic crown and a staff.
Fiona clasped my hand tightly as we waited for the announcement of prom king.
“And the Prom king goes to……. BENJAMIN SCHMIDT!” I dropped my mouth. I was just here to have fun and hang out with my friend but never in my wildest dream would I be announced as the Senior Class prom king. I went on the stage with a loud cheer from the crowd.
On stage, Mr. Bradsford handed me a plastic crown. I saw Fiona smiling at me along with Danny who just came out of nowhere…….
“Ben,” my sister shook me, “We’re here now”.
I opened my eyes and realized I fell asleep in the car. Anyway what was I dreaming about just then? At Harley Airport, we went through the security checkpoint in 10 minutes and at 9:40, I found myself sitting with my family in isle 8 waiting for the plane to arrive. I took out my iPod and listen to some of my favorite songs to pass time.
“Ben,” said my sister, pulling on my jacket.
“What Kaitlin?”
“There’s some girl running toward us.”
I looked up and identified her as someone I haven’t seen all summer. Fiona Winston! I stood up and walked toward her. She stopped when we stood face to face.
“Fiona…” I breathed. Her face had a large shade of red from all the running.
“Oooooo Ben has a girlfriend” my sister said from her seat but my parents quickly shushed her.
I was about to ask he what she was doing here but she answered automatically.
“I came here to say goodbye” she said with a hint of sadness, “Good luck in Princeton, you’ll come out to be a great lawyer.”
“How did you know I would be leaving today?” I asked, shocked.
“Danny informed me. He called me on my cell at 7 in the morning while I was sleeping in my dorm. I knew I have to come quick.”
I thought of something to ask her.
“So did your school start already?”
“Yeah, I’m attending Robert Morrison University now.”
I looked at her from head to toe. Her hair was sort of disheveled and she was wearing a white T-Shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of sandals. On her right shoulder was a big red purse she used to wear to school in 8th grade.
“I guess you rushed here to Harley Airport didn’t you? I’m surprised you didn’t get wet from the downpour.” I teased her. She gave me a mischievous smile and nodded.
“Anyway,” She said, “I came here to say goodbye and I want to give you this.” She reached inside her red bag and handed me a package wrapped in blue.
“What’s in there?” I asked curiously.
“Open it when you get on the plane, it’s a surprise”, she winked at me.
Suddenly, my heart starts to beat rapidly. All the words that I had been holding back to tell her is now struggling to get out. My eyes started to water.
Without thinking, I grabbed her by her right forearm and pulled her close to me. Since her purse is empty after she gave me the present, it slammed on me softly.
“I’m so glad”, I said shaking, “That I met you, you’re the best friend that I ever had second to Danny. I promise I’ll come back to visit you during Winter break”.
“Same here,” she said, “Ben, please do come back to Springfield, I’m lonely without you. I would rather choose to be with you than other guys from high school”.
Those words send me into shock. I lifted my head from her shoulder and looked at her straight into her emerald green eyes.
“Are you serious? You would choose me over all those guy friends of yours’?”
“Yes,” she said with such honesty, “I think you’re far more intelligent than them. I love guys who are smart and have a knack for sports. You’re perfect in every way”. With that, we hugged and rested on each other’s shoulder for a long time before the flight announcer announced that my flight arrived. I groaned and let go of her. She smells good. She must’ve put strawberry perfume in her dark brown hair.
I picked up my luggage and Fiona’s present and lined up at the entrance. I looked at her one more time and bid her farewell before I stepped onto the plane.
On the plane, I opened the box she gave to me. Inside was the Johnston High School 2011-2012 yearbook. When I turned to the first page, I found a bookmark inside. In the middle was a photograph of Fiona and me on our eighth grade fieldtrip to Kansas City, Missouri. That day, Fiona brought her hi-def camera on the bus and took a picture of us both. We looked so little back then. During those 9 hours on the bus, she and I listened to music on our individual iPod and talked. I thought back to that day, May 16, 2008…….
“I can’t believe we’re going to Kansas City, a city outside of Illinois! Four days without parents’ supervision! Can you believe that?” she asked me enthusiastically.
“Yeah, but now we’re under the supervision of our teachers and some parent chaperons. But,” I emphasized, “they’re not going to yell at us like our parents if we don’t eat our vegetables”.
“And,” she added, “They’re not going to tell us to go to bed at 8”.
We burst into laughter.
“Buses here!” she chirped, after I finished telling her my joke. She took my hand and we stepped on the bus. We found a seat at the back of the bus and waited for about 10 minutes for everyone to get on board. When there were no more people stepping on the bus, the bus driver closed the door and Mr. Fitzpatrick began taking attendance.
“Andrew?”
“Here”
“Michael?”
“Here”
“Rebecca?”
“Here”
“Carrington?”
“Here”
“Benjamin?”
“Here,” I said loudly.
“Fiona?”
“Present”, she raised her hand.
Mr. Fitzpatrick finished taking attendance and announced it was time to leave. The bus roared into life and departed Johnston Middle School. I looked out the window and watched the school become smaller and smaller until it was just a mere speck in the distance. When I turned away from the window, I found Fiona putting on her makeup. She started wearing makeup in sixth grade and now, she couldn’t go anywhere without them.
“How do I look?” she asked me.
“Brilliant.”
She smiled and asked me who I want to room with once we get to our hotel in Kansas City.
“Sam, Brent, and Danny,” I said and smiled.
“Say what, Ben?” someone asked me suddenly.
I almost jumped out of my seat, but when I looked up; I realized it was just my friend Danny. When did he get on the bus? He was sitting in front of me with my music class classmate, Kevin.
He looked at me suspiciously and asked me what I was saying about just a moment ago.
I smiled and told him that I want him to be my roommate along with Sam and Brent once we get to our hotel in Kansas City.
“The teachers will put us in a group, I guarantee you bro” he said confidently, with that, he turned back around to talk to Kevin.
When I turned back to talk to Fiona, I noticed that she had her camera out and was looking through the photos she took. She noticed me looking at her photos and asked me if she could take a photo of me and her on the bus together. I agreed and let her took the photo.
“Say cheese.”
I smiled widely as I could and leaned toward her.
At 1:00P.M., four hours before the bus arrived at our hotel in Kansas City, Fiona took off her earphones she used to listen to her iPod and announced that she’s going to take a nap. She leaned her head against the seat of the bus and closed her eyes and went to sleep. Since the bus was moving, her head eventually slipped onto my shoulder. I blushed but I didn’t bother putting her back in her proper position. I’m probably going to wake her up if I did.
I was about to reached into my backpack that I put next to me on the bus to pull out a piece of blanket when a girl who was sitting at a seat next to me asked me what I was doing. I immediately identified her as Leslie Lester, one of Fiona’s friends since Kindergarten.
“Nothing,” I answered innocently as I can, “I’m just pulling out my blanket because it’s getting a bit cold”. That didn’t work, as soon as she spotted Fiona sleeping on my shoulder she made a “oooo” sound and said Fiona and I look like a couple.
That scared me and the first thing that came to my mind was, “Damn, now she’s going to tell everyone in eighth grade that I snuggled with my girlfriend on the bus”. Leslie was a gossiper back in 8th grade. She loves to gossip about celebrity couples and “pretend” couples that are from our school. If she tells this to everyone after the trip, I’m so dead. Everyone is going to point and laugh at me until the last day of the school chanting, “Ben has a girlfriend”.
“Haha, very funny Leslie”, I tried to sound serious and took out my blanket. That hit her; she apologized to me three times and said she was just joking. I smiled and said it was nothing, people tends to do that in middle school.
She went back to talking to her friend, Rachel, who was sitting on her left.
I draped the blanket up to our waist since it was getting COLD on the bus. I then took out a Marvel Comic book to read in order to pass time. An hour later, after I finished reading, Fiona woke up from her nap. I watched as her eyes slowly opened and adjusted to her surroundings. She saw me looking down at her and smiled. She raised her head from my shoulder and yawned.
“Where are we?” She asked me curiously as she looked out the window.
I shrugged. I told her we’re probably in Missouri now since Illinois is Missouri’s neighbor. For the next 30 minutes, we looked out the window watching trees, buildings, and houses pass by.
“I’ve never been to Missouri before,” she told me, “My dad’s family is from Missouri and he told me stories about him living here before he moved to Illinois”.
I nodded. To me, Missouri doesn’t look too different from Springfield. I guess her dad probably didn’t feel any different living in Illinois.
Fiona turned away from the window and asked me if she can talk to me today after dinner.
“What is it?” I asked curiously, “Why don’t you just tell me now?”
“You’ll find out”, she gave me a sly glance.
That made me really agitated and eager to find out what she was going to say to me.
We arrived at the hotel at 5. It was still bright outside. Once all the people got off the bus, a parent chaperon put us in rooms of four. I got to share a room with Jonathan, Michael, and Danny (yay!). Fiona was put in a room with two of her friends, Madison and Jessica, and a girl who moved here this year from New York (state), Sheryl.
One hour later, our eighth grade teachers and parent chaperons bought us to eat at a restaurant that was ½ block away from the hotel we’re staying at. For dinner, we had fresh seafood, pastas, spaghetti and meatballs, burgers, and fries, and of course, desserts. I avoided sitting with Fiona in the restaurant so I wouldn’t be tempted to ask her what she was hiding from me while we were on the bus. Instead, I dined with my roommates. The waitresses in this restaurant were really friendly and pretty so we sort of chatted to them awkwardly when we ordered our meal (they’re in early-20s anyway). I was halfway done with my chicken pasta when my phone sounded. I took it out of my pocket and flipped it open. It was from Fiona. The message read:
“Meet me at the lobby tonight at 10:30”.
I gulped, why would she want me to talk to me one hour and a half prior to midnight? What was she hiding from me?
“Good night Ben,” said Jonathan as he turned off the bedside lamp. My other two friends did the same with their lights. Once all three of their heads hit the soft pillows, they fell asleep immediately. Me? I’m not going to sleep until I meet with Fiona downstairs in the hotel lobby. I wasn’t really tired anyway; it’s only 9:30. Geez, am I the only one on this trip who doesn’t feel tired after a 9-hour bus ride? Right now, I’m sitting at a small desk that’s next to the window. I looked out the window and thought about my family.
They must be really worried, I thought, this is my first time going on a field trip that involves leaving my family. Urgh, I don’t really like this.
Even though my sister, my mom, and my dad can be bossy and demanding sometimes, they still love me and are willing to protect me out of harm’s way.
After I got bored of looking at the stars in the sky, I pulled out my journal and started writing. There’s nothing really to write about. We arrived at the school at 8 in the morning; rode in the bus for 9 hours; arrived at the hotel at 5 in the afternoon; had dinner an hour later, watched TV, brushed our teeth, took a shower, and go to bed. F***, it’s been a long and tedious day. I want to go home NOW. However, when the image of Fiona came to my mind, I decided not to leave. This is her only chance to visit her dad’s childhood place. She must be very excited.
I turned to second-to-last page of my journal and started writing.
May 16, 2008
Today’s being a long day. The bus left at approximately 8 this morning. We rode the bus for 9 hours and arrived at Renaissance Hotel at 5 in the afternoon. Everyone’s probably in bed now. After an almost half-day bus ride, everyone’s exhausted. Today, after we left the restaurant at 7, Jonathan, Michael, and Danny announced to me that they’re going to bed early in order to conserve their energy for tomorrow’s visit to the sea aquarium. Right now, all of my friends are asleep except me because I have to meet Fiona down at the hotel lobby at 10:30. Hope tomorrow will be better.
I closed my journal and put it back in my backpack. I took my other favorite Marvel comic book titled Iron Man out of my backpack and started reading. I haven’t watched the movie though. It came out around the first week of May. Some of the people in the English class who watched it said the movie was worth watching. I might go watch the movie with Danny and Fiona in June when school gets out. I mean, summer is the time for relaxation and catching up with friends. I probably read half the story when I saw the time: It was 10:15. I closed my book and put it back in my backpack. That’s enough reading for today. I then left my desk and headed to Danny’s bedside. He was asleep. As I stared at him, I recalled a day last year when we fought about who’s the better guy friend for Fiona. The fight was pretty pointless because in the end, Fiona stopped talking to us for a month. She started talking to us again when I apologized to her in English class about what jerks Danny and I were fighting to be the friend of a girl whom we just met. She smiled and told me it’s okay. She likes us both equally.
I realized I blanked out for almost 15 minutes when I lifted my head and saw that the clock read 10:30. It was time for me to leave.
I took out the hotel room keycard from my wallet and left the room surreptitiously without waking my friends up. Once in the hallway, I went down two flights of stairs and turned right. I then found myself in the now dimly-lighted hotel lobby. The hotel staffs are still on duty but there’s no more guests arriving. I spotted Fiona sitting on a couch that was next to a fake fern plant. She was dressed in skinny jeans and a loose white blouse.
“Did you not go to bed either?” I asked her as I plopped down next to her on the couch. She shook her head.
“So,” I asked her nervously, “What are you hiding from me back on the bus?” I felt my blood pumping in my ear. Suddenly, it seemed like it was just two of us in this lobby.
She took my right hand in both of her hands and held it a centimeter away from her chest. She looked me straight in the eye and said the unexpected.
“Will you go out with me to the movies on the last day of field trip?”
I was about to reply when she said something else.
“Ben, this is my first time asking a guy out to see a movie with me. I don’t think I’ve felt the same spending time with you compared to spending time with other guys in school. You’re just so nerdy but also light-hearted at same time. Since 7th grade, you always helped me with my math homework, studied with me for finals, and ate lunch with me. Not a lot of guys do that.”
She paused for a second and said, “So will you go to the movies with me?”
Her eyes beseeched me.
My eyes widened. Did she really say that? I’ve only known her for more than a year now she wants to go out with me?
“I—,” I stopped myself and thought about what I should really say to her.
Two seconds later, I said the dumbest thing that a guy should never say to a girl: “Are we going as a date or as friends?”
With that, I thought she was going to throw my hand away and walk back to her room; instead, she continued to hold my hand and told me we’re going as friends. People at the movies probably won’t tease us because we don’t look like boyfriend/girlfriend. More like brother/sister.
I turned the bookmark to the back and noticed there was a message; it said, “For Ben, you’ll always be in my heart”.
I traced the bookmark reverently as if tracing Fiona’s hand. The day she asked me to the movies still remains in my mind.
“I’ll come back for you,” I thought, “Fiona, I’ll come back to this town after college graduation and attend Robert Morrison University for grad school, if you still go there when those four years of ours’ as college undergraduates are over”.
The End