In a Matter of Eight Minutes | Teen Ink

In a Matter of Eight Minutes MAG

November 1, 2011
By MiscellanyCrop DIAMOND, Middlefield, Ohio
MiscellanyCrop DIAMOND, Middlefield, Ohio
50 articles 1 photo 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let Earth unbalanced from her orbit fly / Planets and Suns run lawless through the sky.
An Essay on Man - Alexander Pope


There's a boy sitting in front of me.
One table up, two chairs to the right.
I use my pencil to help me squint.
He's got nice hair.
If only his stupid hand would quit blocking his face.
I think he's doing homework. Looks like math.

I hate math.

It's too quiet in here.

He's texting someone.
Probably his girlfriend.
I'll bet she likes math.

His leg is twitching, and he's sitting at the edge of
his chair.
He looks stressed.
Or maybe disciplined.
Intently studying his calculator.
What is he really thinking?
About his math,
Or his girlfriend,
Or that girl in the blue sweater
One table down from him?

He can probably hear every scratch of my pencil.
I get out my glasses to help me see.
Is that too obvious?
Yeah, he's definitely cute.
But I don't think he's all that good at math,
Because he's counting on his fingers.

Legs outstretched,
Penny loafers lazily erected off of his feet.
He touches his face a lot.
Insecure, maybe?
Or just thoughtful …
He's fidgety.
He's texting again.
I wonder if his girlfriend wears blue sweaters.
I bet he dreams of going to Princeton, or Harvard, |
or Stanford.

He sees a girl in a pink shirt run across the room.
He smiles.
(He has a beautiful smile)
Maybe he dreams of having a family.

I hope he marries someone
Whom he meets at Harvard
I hope they have a daughter
Who likes to wear pink shirts
(Or maybe blue sweaters)

And I hope, one day, his daughter meets a boy
Who is one table up
And two chairs to the right.



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This article has 4 comments.


Beila BRONZE said...
on Mar. 8 2015 at 3:23 am
Beila BRONZE, Palo Alto, California
3 articles 0 photos 516 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." -Mark Twain

This is raw, inescapable, undeniable talent. What a shame that that boy didn't turn around and say hi; it sounds like he unknowingly missed out on a chance to meet a gem.

on Jan. 3 2014 at 2:36 pm
BandGeekAndProud PLATINUM, Burlington, Massachusetts
23 articles 0 photos 49 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Albert Einstein

I love how you tie the end back into the beginning. It's very good. 5/5

on Feb. 4 2012 at 5:37 pm
MiscellanyCrop DIAMOND, Middlefield, Ohio
50 articles 1 photo 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let Earth unbalanced from her orbit fly / Planets and Suns run lawless through the sky.
An Essay on Man - Alexander Pope

Thank you!

on Feb. 1 2012 at 5:20 pm
Rogersright BRONZE, Thomasville, North Carolina
4 articles 1 photo 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Dealing with backstabbers, there was one thing I learned. They're only powerful when you got your back turned"

wow , what a great piece of work this is ! i love the way you wrotte every thought going on in your mind about one random person in a math class i fealt like i was there, Great story :)