1st Chapter in "Me, Myself, and Him" =]

Me, Myself, and Him
By Caitlin Plathe

Chapter One
Eye Contact

Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Ugh, could time go any slower?
I started hitting my pencil on the desk, hoping that the bell would just ring for my sake. It didn’t.
I reread my poem for the seventh time:

One day so long ago
There was a person in my life.
He held me when I was down.
He lifted me higher when I was up.
I cried when he wasn't there
Smiled when he was.
Laughed when he smiled,
frowned if it was gone.
He took my hand,
My heart,
And whatever else it needed.
Add a smile and there it was,
The simplicity
Of love.

Ok, so maybe it was a little cheesy, and not true, and kind of stupid. Ok, so maybe there was no maybe about it, it was cheesy, not true, and stupid, but I knew it had to be about someone. I didn’t know who that someone was. Whenever I thought of this poem, I thought of a person who always made me feel that way. I still don’t know who that is.
I looked at the clock again. 2:57. Hurry up! I begged in my head, it was Friday afternoon, and I couldn’t wait to get out of this prison called high school.
“Nat! Calm down! School is almost over!” My friend, Allison whispered to me.
Nat. That was my nickname. My full name was Natalia Jo Lynn Rivers. It was such a fancy name, and I wasn’t really the “fancy” type.
RIIINNNGG!!!
I jumped from my seat, and started out the door, heading to my locker to put my books away. I sighed, staring at the picture of the most popular guy in school.
Cameron Jay Ranolds.
Yes, I was one of the girls, who, took pictures from the year book, cut them out, and stuck them in my locker. I was that obsessed. Well, he looked like a movie star! His gorgeous blond hair and his pool-type blue eyes.
I sucked in a deep breath.
“Hey Nat,” my very best (guy) friend, Robert, said to me. He saw me staring at my locker door, and sighed, “Natalia Jo Lynn Rivers.” I looked at him. “Are you seriously staring at that picture? Again?”
I slammed my locker. “No, maybe I was just looking at the beautiful sandwich sitting in my locker!” I started laughing when Rob did a double take and went back to the locker.
“That wasn’t very nice, you know I get hungry after school.”
“And you know that I don’t like being called by my full name, but I guess we just aren’t very nice people are we?”
I laughed again, and we walked out the school doors.
I loved Fridays.

“Bye, bye, Roberto!” I called to Robert, before I shut the car door.
“See you Nattie!”
I smiled walking up my steps, then sighed.
Mom, was at work, Dad, was probably gone at a restaurant.
Yeah, my dad was a food critic, if that’s not weird, I don’t know what weird is.
I went into the kitchen to get a snack, and saw a note lying on the table.
Hey Hun, it started with my mom’s nice hand-writing, I’m at the office as you read this note. Really sorry, I won’t be home until about 10 tonight. Fix yourself dinner, your dad is down in Los Angeles trying a new restaurant out. If you’re going out with friends, don’t stay out too late.
Love ya,
Mom
Of course. That is usually how it went on Fridays. But, it was one of the reasons I loved Fridays, too. I loved having the house to myself, peace and quiet. It was very relaxing.
I sank down into the couch with my chocolate chip cookie I had made the last Saturday. It was actually pretty good.
I turned on the TV, switched the channel a couple of times, and turned it off. Nothing was on.
Then, just as I thought of it, the phone rang.
I ran to get it, and picked up. “Hello?”
“Nattie!” It was Allison. “You ready for the game tonight?”
“Um, Ally, the game isn’t until 7:30, and it’s only 5.” I rolled my eyes, Ally was always trying to be on top of things.
“Oh, you are such a party pooper! I don’t care if it’s 5! I’m coming over to get you ready; this is the night where you and Cameron Jay Ranolds get together!” She giggled into the receiver.
“Ally! You know how he doesn’t have a clue I exist!” I knew that was true, but when she said “get together” I got butterflies. Maybe this was the night, Cameron Jay Ranolds and I would “get together”. I smiled.
“Whatever Nat. I’ll see you in five minutes. I’ve got my makeup kit ready and loaded.” The phone clicked.
I hated it when Allison used me as her “experiment”. Her makeup kit was for every game, dance, contest, etc. The first time she had used her makeup “skills” on me, it had been a disaster. But Ally had gotten really good with the eyeliner and lip gloss over the years. Hopefully she wouldn’t make me look like a clown.

● ● ●

“Nat hold still!” Allison yelled at me, as I was squirming to get out of her hold.
“Ally you’re going to poke my eye out with that eyeliner! Let me do it!”
She gave up and pouted. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the dark pencil from her. I traced the outside of my eyelids then checked the mirror. “There,” I said. “And I don’t even look like a raccoon!” I smiled turning my face from side to side.
Allison giggled at my attempt to make a joke. “Nat, you’ll be fine tonight. He’s going to see you, and think he’s dreaming.”
I snorted. “Yeah, until he pinches himself and realizes he’s not.”
Ally rolled her eyes and closed her makeup kit. “You got the car tonight?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. The beauty of having parents gone every weekend was that you didn’t have to ask if you could borrow the car. It was just there, ready and convenient.
We got in the car and rode off.
I blasted the music, and we both started singing to David Archuleta’s song, Crush. I started laughing, and then, I saw the football field.
My hands got clammy, and I felt like I was choking, and at the same time, not breathing at all. “Ally, I can’t do this, at all!”
She shook her head, “Nat, if you even start doubting yourself now, I will call you by your full and complete name.”
Ugh. I hated when she did that. I rolled my eyes, and took a deep breath, “Fine, but if I pass out during the game, make sure no one knows my full name. ‘K?”
She nodded, and smiled.
We sat down on the bleachers, and just talked. Ally and I never watched the games because, well, we never really understood what it meant when the guy said “hike”. But, you know, whatever. I saw Cameron go on the field, and sucked in a deep breath. After the game, the whole team, cheerleading squad, and everyone else was going to head over to the captain’s house for a party. Guess who the captain was?
“Let’s go Cameron!!” Ally yelled.
“Omg, Ally, he’s going to look over at us, don’t!” I said using my MSN language.
She rolled her eyes. “He’s going to have to get to know you sometime, Nat. Better now than never.”
“I’m pretty sure that the saying is ‘better late than never’.”
“Whatever.”
When it was at the end of 4th quarter, everyone started counting down, so Ally and I just counted with them. Then when we got down to zero, everyone screamed. So, I was guessing that we won.
“Natalia Jo Lynn Rivers, this is your time to shine,” Ally told me with a triumphant smile on her face.

We followed everyone from school, to the captain's house. I told myself to breathe in, and then out. Just in case I completely forgot because, you know, those things happen. Right?
Apparently I was driving really slowly, and it started to tick Ally off. "Ugh! Nat! You need to drive faster than this! We won't be able to catch Cameron before-" She cut off.
"Before what?" I asked, curious.
She hesitated. "Do you really want me to say it?" I nodded. "Fine. We need to catch Cameron before he goes off into his backyard with Tina Lofling, to make out!"
Oh. That's why she didn't want to tell me. She didn't want to make me upset. Tina Lofling. The prom queen, the head cheerleader, the girl who did practically everything, and still managed to get alone time with the most popular guy in school. Ugh.
Ally stared at me, waiting for me to break down, or whatever. I sucked in a very deep breath, almost not breathing out again, and sighed. "It's ok, Allison." She nodded and just stared out the window.
When we got to his house, I gasped.
Cars were everywhere. There were even some cars in the grass! Not to mention the fact that his house was like my Barbie mansion I had when I was nine, well, aside the fact that my Barbie mansion was pink, but you know what I mean.
I found a parking spot on the road, surprisingly, and got out of the car with Ally.
I saw Robert and waved, then looked at Ally, staring at me. She had always thought that I had this big crush on Rob. Which she was totally off. We had been best friends since who knows when, and she thinks that we are a big match-made-in-heaven. Whatever.
"Nat, Ally," he said nodding to us.
I sighed. "Ok, let's do this."
We stepped inside.
Ally gasped, "Holy tomatoes!" I rolled my eyes at her, 'holy tomatoes' was her favorite saying when she saw something that was unbelievable, or something like that.
I scanned the room, it was huge. Apparently the Ranolds had moved the furniture for this party. A big white couch was off to the side, next to the big fireplace, and then a nice flat screen TV on the other side of the room. All of the football players were gathered around the TV, watching some kind of football game. Then, I saw him.
Cameron had changed from his uniform into some white slacks, and a red polo shirt. Usually when someone wore a polo shirt, they were made fun of, but when Cameron Jay Ranolds wears a polo, he looked like a god.
Then I looked over to his side, and scowled. Tina Lofling, of course, standing right next to Cameron, just staring at his gorgeous blue eyes, even though his eyes were staring at the floor.
I rolled my eyes and looked at Ally, and Rob, who were staring at the food on the table next to the TV. I laughed, "Alright puppies, lets go get you fed!"
We started walking toward the table when I looked up from the floor.
I was staring into someone's gorgeous blue eyes, and one of those blue eyes winked.
Cameron Jay Ranolds winked at me.
Oh. My. Gosh.