A Farewell Not Executed | Teen Ink

A Farewell Not Executed

July 4, 2009
By ReedH SILVER, Rochester Hills, Michigan
ReedH SILVER, Rochester Hills, Michigan
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

As I walked down the hallway to go to social studies for exams in sixth hour, I was thinking of one thing. A person named Anna. Though I’ve only known her for about four months, I have a feeling that I am in love with her. She sits behind me in both math and social studies. Though these two classes have always bored me, especially since they are in the two worst hours of the day, first and sixth. But since she has sat behind me in both classes, we have talked, laughed, and have become good friends. The only downside to this is that she is moving to Chicago at the end of the school year. So this is my final chance to stay in touch with her (since I’m too scared to just ask her for her phone number). Though it is such an easy task, I obviously make way harder than it actually is.

When I walk into class, she’s already sitting there in her seat. Though her moving away is a sad situation for her -and me- she always manages to be happy. I look at her, with short brown hair, to chocolate colored eyes, with two red apples that are her cheeks. Then I look down to her feet to see if she has any type of exotic socks today, they are a hobby of hers, but there only black and orange striped socks. I then go over to sit down in front of her.

I hope I have this planned well, though I know I don’t. but the thin g is that you just ask her for her phone number, it’s that easy! Just say “Hey Anna, what’s your phone number?” Six words, easy. Apparently not, I’m also not a flirting expert either, but here goes nothing:

I sit down and say “Hey Anna.”
“Hey.” She’s probably serious today, being exam time and all. I’ve basically forgot about exams, since she’s the only thing on my mind at the moment.
“Studying hard?” I ask.
“Yeah I tend to stress over these things/” She almost sounded shaky.
“You want me to help?”
“Yes, that’ll help a lot. Why aren’t you studying?” She sound more calm.
“I tend to NOT stress over these things.”
“Okay.”
“It also helps that I have a solid A in this class.”
“So if you had a B or something in this class you’d be studying?”
“Yeah, I guess, I pick my battles.”

She then chuckled. We then reviewed over the study for the remaining 10 minutes we got for it. She had it down, but for some reason she kept on wanting to study, whether it was some small trace of OCD in her because she wanted to be perfect, or she wanted more time with me -I hope- was the reason, I don’t know because I’m not a psychic. We then got our tests, sped through them with ease, gave them back to our teacher, sat, sleep, and wait for everybody else to finish their tests. The test was very easy as I expected, but another test was up now, get Anna’s phone number.

As everybody finished their tests, Anna and I quietly started some stupid brain-twister worksheet. Though it wasn’t that fun, I had to salvage every moment I had with Anna. We did look very stupid because it was extremely hard, we still made jokes, laughed and talked during us being stupid, and it felt so right. I was ready to ask her, the words were sneaking up to my lips…..

“Hi guys!” two high pitched voices chimed in while the class was in full sound. They were Hayley and Dallas, Anna’s friends.
“Hi Guys, you might be able to help us here, we ‘re having a hard time with this.” Anna said joyfully.
I chuckled, then said “Yes, you guys will help us a lot.” in a sarcastic tone with a sharp edge.

This is definitely wasn’t what I wanted at all. It was the absolutely perfect time to ask her for her phone number, but then they come up and ruin it. Well, just act nice and don’t make this bad.

About thirty minutes later the final bell rang for the end of the school year. Everybody screams and rushes out the door in pure excitement, that everyday they have sat in their desks not to learn, but to wait, wait for that moment when the bell booms across the school and you get to escape from that god-for-saken place for three months. There’s not a better feeling of it, but right now I’m stressed out because I only have minutes to ask Anna for her phone number since her mom is waiting for her out in the parking lot right now and wants to get out here quick.

We were walking down the hallway side by side, and I had to ask now or never, this was my chance, nobody to intrude on us, it’s loud so nobody will hear us, perfect. So say it, say it, JUST SAY IT! But I froze on the spot and seemed to black out. A civil war seemed to on in my mind, with one saying “GO” and the other saying “NO!”. The war lasted to long, and when it was over (with no specific winner) I looked to the right and she disappeared from sight, swallowed by the gigantic crowd. That was my chance yet again, and I blew it, yet again.

As I was wallowing in disappointment as I got to the end of the hallway, I heard “We meet again.”. I then looked right and found her standing and smiling. I then lighted up as fast as a comet. I stared at her, and she stared at me, now THIS was perfect. I laughed, but somehow we just diverged unknowingly in separate ways. It happened so suddenly I couldn’t believe it, she was gone AGAIN!

I then rushed to my locker and twisted the lock around and my locker opened on the first try, which is a rarity. I didn’t want to get all my stuff out, so I just shoved all my stuff and slammed it shut. Then I sprinted down the hallway, not worrying about crashing into people at all. I got many remarks from the people I crashed into, but I didn’t care at all, I was blocking everything out of my mind right now. But as I got close to the doorway to go outside, a huge crowd blocked it. It seemed like a giant brick wall that moved very very slowly. I couldn’t stand it anymore, I dropped my shoulder and ran through it, hurting many people in the process, and angering many more. When I got outside, I sprinted around, shouting loudly and endlessly “ANNA! ANNA!” I was running through lines of people lining up for the buses still shouting her name. I then remembered that she was getting picked up by her mom.

As I sprinted to the pick up lot, I wondered if I’ll get a fourth chance to simply ask her for her number. I went to the middle of the lot, shouting at the top of my lungs “ANNA! ANNA!”. Either she didn’t hear me (which was probably not the case, since everybody in the school, their parents, the bus drivers, and even people in the school could hear me and was staring at my pure lunacy), or she was gone from here. But she couldn’t be, no way. It’s only been minutes since I saw her, there’s no way she’s gone, no way.

But right then and there, I realized I was beat, no fourth chance. I had plenty of chances; today, and the days that preceded today. I chickened out, that’s all I have to say. It was such an easy task to ask her for her phone number, but I managed to mess it up. Now I definitely don’t have a chance with her now. She’s gone now and there’s nothing I can do about it.

But nothing’s going to change, deal with it.

The author's comments:
This is based on a true life event of mine, though some parts are exaggerated, and i also wrote a poem about it of the same title

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