May 23rd. The day we all dreaded but couldn’t wait for was finally here. With our yearbooks in hand, we went around asking “Will you sign my yearbook?” One after another, signature after signature, the autograph pages filled up more and more.


She was sitting all alone at lunch, as if she had no friends. Come to think of it, she was always alone. She never really hung out with anyone. At lunch, in the hall, before school, after school, she was always eating, waiting, standing, and walking all alone.


“Will you sign my yearbook?” I was standing next to her table.


She looked at me like I was crazy, “Me?”


“Yeah, you. I’ve been seeing you all alone all year and I’ve wanted to talk to you but I never wanted to bother you.” I held out my yearbook and my favorite black pen.


“But, I’m the lonely left out nerd and you’re the captain of the football team...by definition you can’t talk to me.”


I smiled, “That doesn’t matter.” I set the book and pen in front of her. “I’ve always believed that you were pretty and you shouldn’t be all alone. So, I know it’s probably a little late since it’s the last day of school before summer, but I don’t want you to think you’re all alone.”


“Thanks.” She smiled and signed my yearbook.


“Can I sit with you for the rest of lunch?”


“Sure.” Her smile was beautiful.


We talked for what seemed like hours, I got to know the real her, not the nerd with glasses everyone makes fun of, but Skye Bellows, the beautiful 14 year old girl that was lonely and felt like she had no one. She got to know the real me, not the athletic golden boy, but the real me, Alexander Wright, the 15 year old boy that loved musical theatre and was terrified of what everyone thought of me.


Lunch always has to come to an end, but today it came too soon. The bell rang while we were laughing over our favorite musical: Wicked. “Oh man, there’s the bell. Why couldn’t I have talked to you sooner?” I frowned but started laughing again.


“If you really wanna be friends and hang out, meet me in front of bus 223 after the final bell.” She smiled and blushed.


We parted ways to go to class and I watched her walk away. “Are you staring at Skye?” My best friend, Dean, asked me.


“Yeah. She’s great. Wait, how do you know her?” I starting walking with him to class, we both had history together.


“She’s an old friend of mine. We haven’t hung out in awhile. I wonder what she has planned for summer break.” He just stared off into space.


“She’s staying home and hangin out with friends all summer.” I said without thinking.


“How do you know that?”


I blushed, I was caught, “I was with her at lunch.”


“Oh, so that’s where you disappeared to.” He looked at me with a evil smile. “You like Skye!” He chuckled, “I thought you were into average girls not nerdy four eyed girls. Here I am, you’re best friend and I didn’t know the kind of girl you were into.”


“I don’t know what it is about Skye but she’s just so beautiful and takes my breath away.” I groaned, “Oh god, I sound like a teenage girl.”


The rest of the day was full of good-byes and tears. Ten minutes before the final bell, I decided to read the autographs. Most of them were the traditional have a great summer, some were just signatures, then there were ones regarding my football career: nice season I hope you’re on the high school team, nice touchdown in that last game, stuff like that. I read them all, I even read the cheesy, oh you were an amazing student, teacher signatures. I couldn’t find the one signature I wanted to see, Skye’s. I flipped through the last of the autograph pages and she wasn’t there.


“Let me see your yearbook.” Unfortunately, my girlfriend was in my last class. “I wanna see what sluts signed your yearbook and are trying to steal you from me.”


I put it back in my backpack. “Speaking of it, Lori, we need to talk. I don’t think we are working out.”


She started fake crying, “You’re leaving me on the last day of school?”


“Yep. You have,” I glanced at my watch, “5 minutes to find another guy if you don’t wanna be single when the final bell rings.”


“I hate you. I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!” She screamed at me and the whole class turned around.


“If you’re wanting to cause a scene then I’ll play your game! You’re the one who cheated on me with my best friend and three other guys! You are the one who didn’t wanna be intimate with me because I was a virgin and you’re a slut that wants experienced guys! Now heres your chance to get someone experienced!” I screamed right back and the bell rang as soon as I was done.


I grabbed my stuff and stormed out of the room. I didn’t stop walking at all to the bus. The moment I started to step of the bus I remembered Skye. I ran around the buses looking for 233. I looked and looked, but I couldn’t find 233. I turned to give up, it was the last day of school so I wouldn’t see her until next year. I was upset, really upset when I ran smack into someone, “Hey watch it!” I yelled.


“I guess I wasn’t the one you were looking for.” Skye looked sad.


“Sorry Skye I didn’t realize it was you. Actually I was looking for 233.” I smiled at her and she laughed.


“I said bus 223.”


“Oops. I’m sorry I didn’t have such a great day after lunch.” He blushed.


“I heard. You went off on your girlfriend...well now ex girlfriend.”


I looked around and realized that all the buses were gone, “Great, I took so long that the buses are gone.”


“I called my dad. He’s on his way and he’s happy to drop you off.”


“Ok good.” I was glad I didn’t have to walk.


She looked at some incoming cars and pointed to one, “There’s my dad.”


The silver car stopped right in front of us. The window rolled down and this middle aged man was driving, then I realized that Dean was in the passenger side seat, “Um, Alexander...what are you doing with Skye?”


“We’ll explain later.” Skye and I said simultaneously. We looked at one another and smiled. She slid into the car and I slid in after. We drove out of the parking lot and said goodbye to the school that helped us grow.