Mundelein High School - Voices Magazine - 2020

V o i c e s 2 0 2 0 | 32
stumbling to the center of the gym. I was chosen to demonstrate what some of the field
activities were because the school event that was gonna take place was new to the 6th
graders. Meanwhile, it felt like an hour with all the students' eyes staring me down as I
kicked a soccer ball around with some other girls. I immediately headed back to my seat
once it was over and the band started playing our last song for the afternoon: “How to
Train Your Dragon.” By the time the song ended, I noticed that Aldo was the last person
to leave the gym. I heard a woman in the back yelling, “Hey, you, report back to 9th
period!”
To my surprise, I noticed the tall boy staring at the ground, looking at his shiny,
white, Nike shoes. He was leaning his back against the wall right next to the boys’
restroom.
“Hey, how come you aren’t grabbing your stuff and heading to the bus?” I asked.
Aldo looked up in surprise, “Well... I need to talk to you about something.” Still
trying to keep his voice steady he said, ”Great performance out there.”
I gave him a nod and told him I needed to drop off my instrument first, so we
headed to the band room to drop off my flute. In the distance, I could see him waiting
outside the band room near the drinking fountain. I felt my heart racing with every step
I took as I got closer to him. By the time I was only about a foot away; he quickly pulled
me aside.
“I need to ask you something,” he said shyly, his dark brown eyes not breaking
away from mine. His cheeks looked redder than any other time, like he just came out
from being underneath the burning hot sun.
“Yeah, what's up?” I told him, not taking my eyes off his.
“Do you like someone?” he questioned. At this point, I could sense that this was
leading to something. Opportunities where you needed to take a risk no matter how
difficult it felt. However, there he was… standing with a smile so bright on his face that I
think the sun would be jealous if it ever encountered him.
I didn’t say anything; my mouth failed me that day because words just wouldn’t
come out. The boy I liked was standing right there in front of me, and I know it might
sound stupid because it was a great opportunity to just tell him right there and be done
with it, but my head was just whooshing with thoughts. I’ve known this boy after the
second month into school, and throughout the year I’ve given him my affection in all
different ways; whether it was a poem I wrote, a gift I gave, or just me teasing him. As a
result, out of all the boys in the crowd, I ended up loving his personality, humor,
kindness, and generosity more than anyone else I encountered. However, at the same
time… He gave me signs that told me he didn’t have the same feelings for me.
Today was different, and even better because it wasn’t what I was expecting after
a concert. I didn’t even realize he had started talking again, but at that moment my