It was colorful pleasant fall day. The trees were various combinations of reds, oranges, and yellow. Some of the colorful leaves were piled on the ground. Half were raked up while the others were scattered. There was a slight breeze, but it felt nice in the early morning as I waited for my bus. My neighbors on both sides of my house had pumpkins and other fall decorations on their porches. When the bus arrived, I boarded and sat next to my best friend, Matt. Matt was the kind of guy that thought he was smoothed with girl but failed always. He’s a good guy, but he’s not a ladies’ man at all. Maybe if he lost the corny jokes and gained some muscles he would have a shot, but who was I to talk about him. I’m just a quiet gamer with Carrot Top red hair. At least my dad did force me to do wrestling which was some type of activity.
“Tonight’s going to be so live at the carnival tonight,” Matt says.
I begin to laugh and ask, “Are you still trying to find a date for tonight?”
“Already working out Sabrina,” Matt says as they both turn to look at the pretty blonde girl. Matt waved at her and she made a gagging face and continued talking to her friends. “She’s totally into me,” he sighed.
“Yeah as much as I’m into Pre-Calc,” I laugh as he punches my arm.
Arriving at school we parted ways to head to class. I sat in my usual seat in history near the window, so I could watch the cars drive by as people head to work.
“Turn your books to page 147,” demanded Mr. Claremont.
I turned my page to look like I was pay attention while I continued to look at the window. During my gaze out the window, I noticed someone I hadn’t seen before getting out of a moving U-Haul truck. An older man was driving it, but the person I noticed was the passenger. It was a girl who looked about my age. I couldn’t make out her face, so I stared longer to try to get a better look.
“Joey!,” exclaimed Mr. Claremont, “The Ronald Reagan administration is in your textbook and not out the window. Please face forward and follow with the rest of the class.”
“Probably drooling over video games,” whispered Brad Johnson, who was the star receiver of our football team. The girls and the other football player next to him started to laugh. Man, he always got on my nerves and he always got everything he wanted. Maybe one day he’d learn a lesson or two.
After another long boring day, school was finally over, and the weekend was here. Everyone was excited for the carnival tonight. There was never too much going on in our town besides the movies, so missing out on tonight was not an option. When Matt and I got on the bus, I told him about the girl I saw.
“I think she’s Hayley’s cousin. What I heard in class was her parents recently divorce, so she’s staying with her dad. She’s starting school on Monday. I don’t know her name though. She might be at the carnival tonight, so she can meet people,” Matt was telling me, “You might can introduce yourself to her there.”
“Slow down,” I said, “I don’t even know what she looks like yet.”
“I’m just saying I would do it before one of those gladiators do.”
We both laugh and wait for our stops. Before Matt got off at his stop, we decided to meet at my house.
Around 7:45p.m. the sun was down, and you could see the carnival lights glow from the distance. Changing in my room, I tried on four different shirts and tried to practice introducing myself to the new girl. I used a deep voice for one then tried to tell one of Matt’s corny jokes, but even I didn’t want to hear that. Matt texted me he was at the front door. My blue Indianapolis, Colts crewneck was the winner tonight. I grabbed my house keys and left for the carnival with Matt. I really don’t understand how, but Matt ended up impressing a math league girl and went to ride rides with her. He said I could come, but who wants to third wheel. I started to walk on my own around the festive carnival.
The air smelled of popcorn and other buttery treats. Beyond the smell, youthful laughter and streaks of joy could be heard from all over. Faint but still very pleasant, a warm breeze slipped through. It felt friendly like a fond memory on my skin. The breeze delivered me a sweet scent. It smelled of fresh flowers and many other delightful things. Only a girl could wear such a fragrance.
Looking towards the direction of the fragrance, there she was, the new girl. She was a masterpiece, a true work of art. Her eyes were like jade jewels shining as I gazed at her. The more I looked at her, the more lost I became. Her hair was a lovely mixture of different browns as if they were various types of chocolates. It was a cute little shoulder length cut. She must have gotten it freshly done, because her new friends repeatedly put their turbulent fingers through it. The carnival lights made her glow just like her smile. As she smiled at her friends, I noticed her dimples. She had the most adorable dimples. Her beauty mark on her cheek was even adorable.
As time went on I saw her again. My brunette angel sat amongst her friends enjoying cotton candy. This time I could get a full head to toe look of her. She looked so lovely. Her legs were long and appeared strong. She must have been an athlete on the track or lacrosse team. I bet any sport she plays, she must be the best. The dress she was wearing had a nice fit on her. It was a cream color with red roses all over. She covered her shoulders with a denim vest to match her outfit. She wore red vans that fit like gloves on her feet. Cute and could dress, she was my kind of girl.
It was time to make my move. Ugh how do I do this. Matt made it seem so easy. I fixed my ginger curls and gave a heartfelt cough to clear my throat. The cough still could not erase the lump in my throat. She made so nervous and I don’t know why. Looking at my skin I thought, “why did I have to be so pale?” My fair skin made my emotions show so easily. The palms of my hands began to become sweaty like small pools. I rubbed them on my jeans vigorously to get them to stop. Before walking up to her, I took a deep breath. I began to say hi, but it was shut down and stomped on.
A swarm of jocks, who were like bees, surrounded her. They started to pair up with the girls. There was one jock that stood out to me and it was Brad with piercing crystal blue eyes with spiky blonde hair. His hair reminded me of a shark and he treated her as if she was prey. His taunting smirk burned in my brain. I kept watching as he put his arm around my girl. That made her blush the pinkest of pinks. I was supposed to do that. I was going to make her blush and smile. My plan and night were ruined in one fatal swoop.
Before I knew it, Brad walked off with my girl that night. My brunette angel that I will never get to again. My heart ached the entire night from what could have happened.
“I told you to beat the gladiators,” Matt said as he held hands with the math league girl.
Even though I had not said a word to her, there was something about her that I could not let go. She was a true sight of beauty and was just different from the rest. Maybe because she didn’t know me yet and I had a chance of making a good impression. I had her, but he took her away from me. It felt like the taste of a sweet dessert with a bitter after taste. When we reached my house, I told them goodnight and went inside.
After taking a long shower to try to steam my sadness away, I plopped myself on the bed. I stared at the blank ceiling. The night just needed to end as I laid in my embarrassment and defeat. Why do I have to be so awkward? Turning over I reached for the lamp and shut off the lights. In the darkness, I continued to think about her. She will always be the one that got away.
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