She is a top student in her eighth grade class

Straight A's, musical talent, great friends

She dreams of going to college, moving to the city, far from where she is

She hates it in this tiny town, she hates her classmates who don't try

She wants to be what few people in her class will be

One day, something unexpected and unlike her normal thoughts pops into her head

So she quickly goes back to her Civil War notes from the book, only half listening to the teacher

But no matter how many notes on John Brown that she writes, the thought remains

Later that afternoon, while she tries solving mind-bending Algebra problems

It is still there, crushing her dreams of not procrastinating on her homework this weekend

It is 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, and she already misses him


He turns his head, and there she is again

Gazing at him

He hates it; he wants her to stop

Does she even realize that she's practically stalking me? He thinks to himself

She looks back down at her notebook and begins furiously scribbling notes down

Her hair falls in her face, and she distractedly pushes it behind her ear

A few pieces fall back in her face

And glisten in the sun light streaming in through the window

He shakes his head and tries to listen to the teacher ramble on about the Civil War

Later that day

He kicks a soccer ball around his yard with his friend

And as the ball flies past him, he realizes something

It is 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, and he already misses her