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I got a pile of books from the library for my history research assignment. The books towered in my hands, and I could barely see ahead of me. So far I had avoided collision, and I only had a few more steps until l reached my locker. I prayed I would make it without bumping into anyone.
My prayer for safe passage went unanswered.
“Oof!” I said, as I bumped head-on to someone. I dropped a few of my books.
But my other prayer was granted.
“We really should stop meeting like this,” said a familiar voice. My heart lurched in my chest.
It was him!
He was looking at me; his gorgeous eyes twinkled. He handed me back the books that had fallen.
“More books?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“They are for an assignment,” I said, blushing.
“I am sure you are itching to go back to your reading pile,” He said.
Was he reading my mind? How could a stranger know me so well?
I was going to open my mouth to answer him when someone yelled from behind.
“JD!” she said. The girl came jogging up to him.
His name was JD? I thought, dreamily. Who was the girl?
My heart sank as a thought occurred to me: Was she his girlfriend?
What if she was? I was so embarrassed. I tried to blend in the wall as the two of them talked.
“You left this in class,” The girl said, handing him back a sketchbook.
“Thanks, Lisa,” JD said, with some relief.
Lisa gave him a brilliant smile. “Are you coming to class?” she asked.
“Yes, just give me a minute,” JD said. “I need to grab something from my locker first. You go ahead. I don’t want you to be late.”
“Ok, sure. I will save you a seat!”
Lisa gave a grim smile and left reluctantly. She looked over at her shoulder as she left. She was looking at me with a wary expression.
I felt a rush of dizziness. He didn’t go with her!
JD was fumbling with the sketchbook Lisa gave him.
“What’s that for?” I asked, feeling bold.
“This? Just my sketchbook,” JD said.
“Can I see it?” I asked.
JD paused for a moment.
“It’s ok if you don’t want to,” I blurted.
“I don’t show it to many people, but sure...” He said.
Again, my heart went crazy. I opened the sketchbook and carefully went through his drawings.
They were really good.
Most were sketches of still life; others were drawings of nature spots. Little drawings filled in every spot in the pages; ideas and thoughts scribbled everywhere. I wished I could read what they all said.
My eyes rested on the heart made of red maple leaves, and a puzzle clicked into place.
JD was the mystery artist!
“You are the one who made this on top of Rouge hill?” I asked, stunned.
“You saw that?” JD said, beaming. “You went to Rouge hill?”
“Yes, it was beautiful,” I said, blushing. “My friend took me there on our hike.”
“I wondered if someone saw it before it got blown away by the wind,” he said. “I am really glad you saw it.”
I blushed some more and quickly went back to his drawings.
There were a few more pages after the sketch. They were all beautiful, but the angel with green eyes mesmerized me.
JD saw me looking at it and commented, “That’s my project for winter break. I hope there will be enough snow by then.”
I nodded my head absent-mindedly. Why did I feel like I had seen the angel some place before?
I could clearly see the image in my head: Rising above the ground was an angel, looking divine in the snowy backdrop. Two hands clasped together, as in prayer, and wings spread open wide behind the shoulders. The lifelike details in the angel, delicate feathers etched in the snowy wings, and the details of the angelic face. Me looking at the statue, and the eyes looking back at me.
It was so real. My mind was reeling from what I saw.
“Do angels have green eyes?” I asked, absent-mindedly.
“Mine does,” He said. His gaze made me blush harder.
“My name is JD,” He said.
“I am Cassandra,” I replied. “Though my friends call me Cassie.”
By friends I meant Ellie, but he didn’t need to know about my social ineptitude.
“I guess you will bump into me more often from now on?” JD said.
“Excuse me?” I asked, blushing harder.
“I mean... my locker is just at the end of this hall,” JD said, embarrassed.
“Was your locker always there?” I asked. And how come I didn’t see him before? I thought.
“I just switched it with a friend today,” JD said. “He wanted my locker because it was close to the girl he has a crush on. Silly, right?”
JD was looking at me expectantly for an answer.
I thought it was romantic, but my mouth blurted, “Doesn’t that only work in movies?”
“Yeah, I guess it only works in movies,” JD said. He seemed disappointed, and I was too.
Why did I say that?
The class bell rang, and he jumped at the sound.
“I will see you around, Cassie?” he said.
I nodded my head, unable to speak. Hearing my name on his lips made my heart beat like crazy and made my knees feel like jelly.
JD, thankfully, didn’t notice. He smiled and ran towards his locker.
After placing my books in my locker, I returned to history class in a daze. I whispered to Ellie about what had happened earlier. Usually, she was the one breaking the no talking rule, but I couldn’t stop myself from talking today.
Ellie listened with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. When I told her everything, she smacked her forehead.
“What?”
“My sweet, naïve Cassie!” She said, shaking her head. “Don’t you see what happened?”
“I learned his name and found out he goes to our school?” I asked, uncertain. “And that he is also the mystery artist?”
“No, dummy,” Ellie said. “He is the one who swapped lockers to get closer to the girl he has a ‘crush’ on.”
“Really? But he said it was his friend?”
Ellie sighed. “Do I need to explain everything? It’s you, Cassie. He has a crush on you.”
I blushed. Our history teacher shushed us from the front of the class.
I whispered again, “How do you know it is me? It could be anyone else in that hallway.”
“It’s you,” Ellie whispered back. Our history teacher glared in our direction. I stayed quiet for a few minutes before whispering, “How can you be sure?”
Ellie made a face like it was so obvious. Our history teacher spoke from behind us, making us both jump.
“You ladies care to share what is so important?” He asked.
“No, Mr. Baker,” We spoke together quickly. Our reply caused a few giggles in the classroom.
Mr. Baker sighed. We looked at him with a guilty expression.
“I assume you will read quietly from now onwards?” He asked.
“Yes, Mr. Baker,” We said together.
Mr. Baker shook his head. After he left, Ellie made a gesture that she will talk to me after class. I went back to my reading, but my head was full of JD.
Did he switch lockers for me?
Or–my heart sunk at the thought–was it for someone else?
———
Over the next few weeks, JD and I ran into each other near our lockers. We smiled and said hi, but that was it.
Ellie was absolutely livid at both of us. She was getting more and more impatient with each passing day.
“Maybe I wasn’t the one?” I said, sadly. “Maybe it is another girl he has a crush on?”
“Believe me, Cassie, it can’t be anyone but you,” Ellie said, frustrated. “I saw the way he looked at you.”
I blushed. “But he has said nothing to me.”
“He is shy. That is why he is moving slower than a turtle... no... moving slower than history class,” Ellie said. “I know what can help speed things up.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You need to see him outside of class,” Ellie explained.
“You want me to ask him out?” I asked, horrified. My world was spinning.
“Cassie, I know you, and I know that will never happen,” Ellie said. “But if we wait around for JD to make a move, it could take years! It took him months just to say hi to you.”
“I still don’t know what you want me to do,” I said.
“I will ask you something that will be out of your comfort zone, Cassie,” Ellie said. “Brace yourself... I am asking you to attend a party on a school night.”
“You know I can’t do that. My parents will never allow it,” I protested.
“You will be home before curfew, I promise,” Ellie said. In her most enticing voice, she added, “JD will be there.”
I blushed when I heard his name.
I couldn’t help it. Blushing was an automatic reaction from my traitorous body.
“Which party?” I asked.
“So, you are considering it?” Ellie said, grinning. “Toby always throws a party once a month.”
“Who’s Toby?” I asked.
“He is one of the volleyball guys,” Ellie said. “Seriously, Cassie, he talked to you like a thousand times this summer.”
“Oh, that guy,” I said. He kept interrupting when I was reading.
“I should warn you... Toby likes you. He was so excited when I said you were coming to the party, too.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, panicking.
“All I am saying is, if it doesn’t work out with Locker boy, you have options,” Ellie said. “Toby really likes you.”
I groaned. It was all too much. First, I was going to a party on a school night. Next, I wasn’t sure if JD would be there.. and now I had to worry about another guy asking me out.
My head was spinning. It was too much for my introvert heart.
Ellie seemed to read my thoughts.
“I will be there, Cassie,” She said, calmly.
Ellie knew exactly what to say to keep my thoughts from spiraling.
Ellie will be there, I repeated, to calm myself.
“How do you know JD will be there?” I asked.
“Leave that to me,” Ellie said, her eyes sparkling. “I will make sure he comes to this party or my name isn’t Eleanor James! Matchmaker extraordinaire, and helper of hopeless romantics everywhere.”
I rolled my eyes. “You should add that to your business card.”
Ellie grinned. “I already have.”
——
I got permission from mom to go to the party. It didn’t take me long to convince her. Mom was more surprised than anything, but she reminded me to be back by curfew.
Mom was pretending it was normal, but I know she will wait for me until I come home.
I succeeded in the first obstacle. Now there were a thousand more remaining.
Ellie came over to study. Instead, we mostly talked about the upcoming party. I was quiet as she peppered me with more details.
Ellie knew me well. She knew I needed information to calm my nerves... some semblance of control.
“My sources confirm he is a decent guy, even if a little boring,” Ellie said.
“I can’t believe you have sources investigating for you,” I said. “And he is not boring.”
“You say that because you are in luuurve with him,” Ellie said.
“What are you eight-years-old?”
“Locker boy and Cassie sitting under a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
“God, Ellie! You are so immature!” I said, laughing.
“I am not the one with the crush,” Ellie said.
“It’s not a crush.”
“Yes, it’s true love,” Ellie said. “I want to be the first one to get the wedding invite.”
I whacked Ellie with a pillow, and then she threw one back at me.
“Where is the party again?” I asked, biting my fingernails.
“At Toby’s place,” Ellie said. “Don’t be nervous, Cassie. You have a cute outfit ready, and we will be back home before your curfew ends.”
She was right. Ellie ransacked my closet as soon as she came into my room and decided what outfit I would wear. I was glad because I was too nervous to think of anything, except keeping the butterflies in my stomach under control.
I thought I was going to be sick.
“Do you think he will come?” I asked. “Do you think he will talk to me?”
“Yes, Cassie,” Ellie said. “He is a fool if he doesn’t.”
I wasn’t as confident as Ellie, but her words gave me hope.
——-