Accidently on Purpose

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry!” Great. It’s my first day of high school and I already made a fool of myself. I quickly started to pick up my books and collect the contents of my explosive binder. What a grand entrance! I glanced over and saw the guy that I ran into. He looked familiar, like I have known him all my life, but at the same time he was a complete stranger. I rushed to finish collecting everything and ran to class. I could feel him watching me.
I floated in and out of the rest of my classes, hoping that I would see him again. I was distracted during each class, I couldn’t seem to learn anything. No matter what I did, my mind kept wandering back to that guy. At the final bell I sauntered to my locker, disappointed that I hadn’t seen him again. I slammed my locker shut to find that he had the locker across the hall from me. I glanced at him and took off. I needed to catch my bus.
“How was your day at school honey?” I snapped out of my daze. My mom and brother were staring at me. I reached for a cookie.
“Fine. I bumped into a really cute guy in the hall today.” My brother started to laugh.
“Figuratively or literally Grace?” asked my brother, who happens to be two years older than me and thinks he knows everything.
“What do you think Michael?” He immediately got the message because I am a major klutz.
“Oh wow. Really Grace? Is it possible to meet any guy without walking into him? You can be a major turn off at times.”
“That’s enough Michael. Grace what did he look like?” Leave it to mom to take my side.
“Well, he those side swept bangs that I have always adored. He had those dark eyes that would just melt your heart. Oh, and he was tall, really tall.”
“Oh you must mean Kyle. Forget it Grace, he’s a sophomore you’re a lowly freshman. He wouldn’t even look at you!” I stormed off into my bedroom. Michael can think what he wants, but that boy is all mine. I started on my homework, but couldn’t stop daydreaming about Kyle. He doesn’t have to say a word to me, he doesn’t even have to know that I exist, for me to fall in love with him.
The next day, Michael and I were walking into school and Kyle joined us. He looked at me, then at Michael, then at me, then back to Michael.
“Kyle, this is my little sister Grace. I’m not sure if you have met yet.” I was silently cheering for Michael. Does the fact that a guy knows your name give you a better chance with him, or does it make it worse if you did something totally embarrassing?
“Nice to meet you Grace. Last time I saw you, you were hurrying down the hall after head-butting me in the stomach.” Oh God, he remembers!
“Yeah, sorry about that. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” I looked up at him, and was either blinded by the sun, or his amazingly good looks. I hope it was his looks.
“All is forgiven, don’t worry about it.” He forgave me? What crazy world am I living in?
“Hey, I’d love to stay and talk, but I have to get some paperwork from the main office before I go to my locker. See you later!” No! Michael don’t go! Don’t leave me in this incredibly awkward conversation!
“I have to stop at the science lab to pick up my Biology book. I hope it’s still there!” I quickly said.
“Well, I hope you find it. See you around Grace!” Kyle turned the corner. I started walking toward the science lab, but took a detour to my locker when the coast was clear. Kyle’s last sentence kept ringing in my mind. Did he mean it? Well, his locker is across the hall from me, maybe he meant it casually. Whatever, all that matters is that he talked to me.
Whenever Kyle passed by me in the hall, he would smile, wink, nod, or even say hi. It depended on what time it was and who he was with. I longed for the days when he was alone and we could have a short conversation leaning against a locker. Everyday I felt less and less self conscience around him. Soon we would drop notes in each other’s lockers, and sometimes even eat lunch together.
One day, I was at my locker when I saw Kyle talking to another girl. She just happened to be Isabella, the school drama queen. She knows all the latest gossip, fashion, and worst of all she will chase after every boy in the world just to say that she was with him. She is the stereotypical head cheerleader (though I will not mention the traits to ward off any offensive feelings).
For the next month, if I were to even look at Kyle she was all over him. If Kyle tried to talk to me, Isabella would turn beet red and suddenly remember that she needed Kyle to help her with her Algebra homework. She acted like she owned Kyle. Then one day she dumped him for the foreign exchange student from England.
Kyle and I were talking about it at lunch the next day.
“I never really liked Isabella. She never thought of dating me before. Why did she suddenly feel the need to date me, and then dump me just as fast as she picked me up?” Kyle didn’t seem too upset about the breakup, so I decided to answer his question.
“She probably never wanted to date you until she saw you talking to me. You and I both know that her main goal in life is to go through the most boyfriends.” We both laughed. “But seriously, she just wanted to make me jealous.”
“Were you?” Kyle seemed to think what I had to say was really important.
“I was in the beginning, but then I realized that she only wanted to make me mad, so I decided not to let it show. You know how little kids only do things if you react to them? She probably got tired of how she got no reaction so she stopped playing her game.” It felt good to get my thoughts off my chest.
“I felt that was the reason all along, but sometimes it’s best to wait things like that out, As long as she doesn’t try to get me into trouble that is.” Kyle replied so knowingly, it was almost as if he had gone through this before. Kyle and I ate in silence the rest of lunch period.
December came with no major news. I was getting nervous because our Christmas dance was soon. I didn’t have a date, and I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go with me. Michael suggested that I ask Kyle, but that just isn’t how I roll. If Kyle wanted to go with me he would ask me, not the other way around.
Michael went for coffee with Kyle one Friday night. When Michael came home he filled me in with all the details.
“Kyle wouldn’t stop talking about you. I swear Grace, he loves you almost as much as you love him.” Michael was still talking, but I didn’t hear the rest. Kyle loves me. Kyle loves ME. KYLE LOVES ME! He could have fallen for Isabella, the blonde cheerleader, but he chose me, a brunette nerd. My mind started whizzing. All I could think of was Kyle.
The next day, Kyle stopped me at my locker.
“Hey Grace! I hear that the Christmas dance is supposed to be really festive.”
“I did too.” I was wondering where this is going.
“I also heard that everybody is going with a date.” Boy, Kyle sounded really awkward.
“I heard that too.” I need to think of better replies.
“Michael told me that you didn’t have a date.” I finally figured out where this is going.
“Kyle, are you trying to ask me to the dance?” He turned tomato red.
“Maybe.” Kyle looked uncomfortable.
“Well then, your answer is a positive yes.” A positive yes? Someone help me think of better replies. FAST!
At home, I was telling my mother and Michael all about how Kyle asked me out, when I realized that I needed a dress for the dance. Mom told me that she would take me to the mall over the weekend and let me pick out a dress.
When the night of the dance finally came, all sorts of questions ran through my mind. Is my hair okay? Is my dress on right? Where is my clutch? Why aren’t my shoes where I left them? I’m sure that all girls ask those questions when they go on a date with Mr. Perfect.
Finally the doorbell rang. It was Kyle. I rushed downstairs, kissed Mom good bye, and slipped out the door. I nearly tripped over the porch steps, and if Kyle’s arm wasn’t around me I would have. I didn’t know what to think, let alone what to do. Do I thank him for asking me out? Should I put my arm around him? Should I kiss him? I didn’t even realize that we were making our way into the gym until I heard the pounding music.
“The decorating committee really did a nice job.” Kyle was apparently talking to me.
“Huh? Oh yeah, they did.” I must sound like the stupidest person on earth.
As the dance continued on, I became surer of myself and I truly felt like a princess. Isabella was nowhere to be seen, I was in the arms of the cutest guy in the high school, and for once I didn’t have anything to worry about.
When Kyle walked me home, I was wishing that the evening would last until eternity. Then all of the sudden we stopped under a street light and Kyle kissed me. I wasn’t sure what to do, but Kyle apparently did because he kissed me again. A few houses more, and we arrived at my house. I said good bye to Kyle, shut the door, and fell asleep smiling that night.