At lunch, Daisy talked incessantly about Marco.

Jamie sat nearby with Millie and Thomas Vincent Lazar, our school photographer. He was loud and joking around trying to make them laugh.

“That guy from Art keeps looking at you,” said Daisy.

“I know. That’s Jamie. Just ignore him. He’s nice, but I don’t want him to think I like him.”

We finished our lunch and walked around the cafeteria and courtyard scoping out the hot guys. We’ve done this every day at lunchtime ever since we were in middle school. It was like a favorite pastime for us.

Most kids ate lunch in the cafeteria, but the popular people, usually the cheerleaders and football players, hung out in an area called the Wall. It was a low brick wall with wooden benches against it and tables in front of it. Behind it was a small platform that was probably used as a stage for announcements back in the day. The Seniors hung out on one end of the Wall while the Juniors hung out on the other. Occasionally they would intermingle, but for the most part, they kept to their own age group. Since we were Juniors, I didn’t know any of the Seniors personally.

The Wall was in the center of the courtyard where everyone could see them. I’m sure they picked that spot for this purpose. We walked past it daily so Daisy could check out Marco.

We strolled past the guys on the water polo team. Most of them were tall, buff, and tan. A couple of them saw us staring and smiled at us. We smiled back.

Damien Michaels, who was our class president, was talking to a couple of girls in the senior class that we didn’t know. He was one of those handsome guys that was borderline nerdy. We admired his good looks then moved on.

Around the courtyard we went observing and commenting on the boys as if perusing a magazine. We walked past the soccer guys playing hackey sack under the trees on the west side of the courtyard. All of them were cute, but none amounted to the one boy I had on my mind.

“So, what do you think of Andreas?” I said.

“He’s smoking hot! Have you talked to him, yet?”

“No. He doesn’t even look at me.”

“I saw him looking at you today in Art class.”

“You did? He was probably looking at Paige.”

“No, he was definitely looking at you.”

“You’re delusional.”

She laughed. “I’m serious!”

“He lives right across the street from me and he doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. He’s probably a snob.”

We got closer to the Wall and watched as Trisha sat down next to Marco. She stepped on the bench and scooted him over with her curvy butt on the wall.

“Ugh! Look at how she flirts with him,” said Daisy scowling. “She’s like some kind of pro. And she’s disgustingly pretty. How can I compete with that?”

“Do you think she would really go out with him if he asked?” I said. “I mean, Paige is her friend, right? Would Trisha really do that to her?”

“Of course she would!” said Daisy. “Trisha has no morals. A real friend would never do that.”

“What if he falls in love with Trisha and she falls in love with him? Wouldn’t it be wrong and sad to stay apart because of Paige?”

“Why are you on Trisha’s side all of a sudden?”

“I’m not, I’m just saying! What if Paige was your friend? Would you still go for Marco?”

She got quiet. “No. That would be wrong. I couldn’t do that.” She shook her head and closed her eyes. “Why are you making me think about that? It’s so sad!”

“Maybe you should just talk to him. He’s in our Biology class and you did talk to him at the beach, remember? You even rubbed lotion on his back!”

“Oh yeah, and you should just talk to Andreas,” she said sarcastically. “He is in our Art class.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “That’s not fair. I’ve never met Andreas. You, at least met Marco.”

We stopped a few yards away from the Wall. I felt uneasy because I hadn’t told Daisy about my encounter with Marco that morning. The group was rather large and I noticed that Marco was sitting far away from Paige. He and Devin were listening to something Trey was saying. Marco laughed and turned his head, spotting us nearby. He looked surprised to see us. I turned my back toward him, forcing Daisy to face him. She began to get flustered.

“Oh my god!” whispered Daisy. “I think Marco is looking at us! Is he looking at me?”

I started to turn my head.

“Don’t look!” she said grabbing my arm. “Just act normal. Be calm.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “I was being calm, but you’re stressing me out.”

Daisy’s face turned crimson. “He just smiled at me! I think. What should I do?”

“Smile back!” I said.

The bell rang and I jumped.

Daisy pouted. “It figures.”

“Maybe he’ll come talk to you,” I said, trying to sound positive.

“No, he’s not looking now.” She started to walk away. “Come on.”

I glanced back at him. He was saying goodbye to his friends, but caught me staring. Oh, no! Not again! He’s always catching me looking at him! I hope he doesn’t think I like him! I steeled my expression and turned away.

Daisy led the way out of the lunch area and paused in the hallway.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow since we don’t have any other classes together,” I said.

Daisy didn’t answer. Her body stiffened and I followed her gaze to Marco walking with Trisha down the hall. Trisha was holding out her wrist to Marco and he leaned toward it as if to smell her perfume.

I touched Daisy’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Are you okay?”

She smiled the kind of smile you make at your friend when she wears the same dress as you and rocks it.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The day dragged on and I almost fell asleep in History which wasn’t a class I was interested in. I didn’t know anyone that well there, so I didn’t talk to anyone much. It was a relief to have a break from everyone so I could collect my thoughts.

I had one more class to go, Algebra 2, which was close to my History class.

Being the second person to arrive gave me time to do my History homework before class began. Slowly, the class began to fill. Millie came in and sat next to me.

When I heard Trey’s voice, my stomach dropped. I looked up to see him strolling in with Marco and Trisha. Great. Just great. Fabulous. I quickly looked down, pretending I didn’t see them and hoping they wouldn’t notice me.

“Hey, Lilah,” said Marco.

I looked up to see him taking the seat in front of me. “Oh, hey.”

Trisha had taken the seat in front of Marco and Trey was sitting next to him, in front of Millie. Stifling a groan I turned back to my book. This was going to be a long school year.

“How’s your scratch? Did the nurse fix you up?”

I looked down at my stomach and brushed my hand over it lightly. “Yeah, she did. Thanks. It’s better now.” I glanced quickly at Millie and she smiled at me.

“If it hurts to walk, I can give you a ride home.”

Huh? A ride home? “No, I’m fine. But, thanks.”

Trisha gave me a dirty look.

“Marco, do you have a pencil I could borrow?” she said with a sweet smile across her glossed lips. He turned back around to look for one in his backpack.

Trisha gave me a triumphant look. Did she think this was a competition?

Our teacher, Ms. Yoshida, began to write on the board. Millie threw a paper ball on my desk. When I opened it, the words “You see?” were written on it.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. She smiled.

As soon as the class ended, I hurried out before Marco could talk to me.

I gathered my things from my locker and headed home alone. The day’s events swam in my mind, but I had things to do. The yard needed to be watered and I needed to buy a sketchbook. On the way home, I stopped in a nearby drug store to see if they had any art supplies. They didn’t have much, but I found a decent sketchbook and bought it.

The automatic glass doors to the store opened and Andreas walked in just as I was leaving. I paused to give him a chance to notice me and say hi, but he kept on walking, his eyes fixed straight ahead. What a jerk! How could I even like a guy like him? Well, not anymore. From now on I’m ignoring him. I won’t even think about him.

When I got home I changed into my workout clothes and started watering the yard. I was thinking about my sketchbook assignment when I saw the door across the street open. Andreas walked out of his house wearing athletic shorts and a t-shirt. He started to stretch. Oh, so he’s gonna go running now?

I forced myself not to watch, determined to ignore him. In the corner of my eye, I saw movement on the sidewalk and looked up just in time to see him running down the street. It was a nice day for running. The sun was out, and the air temperature was just right. I turned the water off and rolled up the hose. Why was I rushing? I quickly stretched and started to run.

Once I passed the giant palm tree at the end of the block, there were many different paths to take. Which way did he go? My favorite was the path that lead to what the locals appropriately called the “Reservoir.” It was a dried up old rectangular shaped reservoir. The path was made of dirt and gravel that crunched under my feet. I ran along the elevated edge of the Reservoir that was almost higher than the exterior trees lining it. There was a smattering of houses along the outer rim, just beyond the trees. Wooden and vine covered fences kept intruders out, but I could still see into their backyards. On the interior of the Reservoir, there were rocks, boulders, small trees, bushes, and a small stream of water flowing through the middle. It was like being in a foreign country or in a rural land. I ran along the top of the Reservoir and saw other people doing the same. Some were walking their dogs while others pushed strollers. Kids played with rocks and sticks scattered along the path.

I found myself thinking about Andreas. Where was he? No! I’m not going to think about him!

I entered a tunnel made of trees that was shady and cool. The gravel was always damp there and you could smell the moisture in the air. Rays of sunlight streaked through the branches and leaves forming patterns on the uneven ground.

The first house to appear on the right had a large, multi-colored rose garden. I sometimes stopped to smell the roses and to rest on the low split-rail fence lining the property. Someone had trimmed the rose bushes earlier that day. A stray red rosebud lay in the dirt. Leaning over the fence, I picked it up, and tucked it behind my ear. It would make a good subject for my art assignment.

By the time I got home, it was still light out, but the sun was not far from setting. Sweat was running down my face and dripping off my chin, but I felt good. I did some stretches and went into the house to take a shower.

I didn’t see Andreas anywhere on my run.