• Once upon a Saturday...

    “Ugh,” I sigh out as I sit down in a desk. I am upset, for some reason I am stuck in this boring white room for 8 hours. To top it off it is also with some random kid named Jake. The school says it is, “to help us help each other.” In other words, they want us to be friends because most likely, we don’t have any.

    I’m not gonna argue, I don’t have any friends. I have people I talk to or people I tolerate, but no one I would call a friend. I don’t talk often. It’s just who I am, I can’t help it.

    I lean back in my chair moving the book and notebook I brought with me to the middle of the desk.

    I start to adjust the tank top and sweater I am wearing when the Jake kid walks in. He is wearing black skinny jeans with a neon blue Devil Wears Prada shirt. He has blonde somewhat long hair that hangs in his eyes.

    He sits down about 3 chairs away from me. We sit in silence until a teacher walks in to tell us what we will be doing.

    But it isn’t just a regular teacher taking time out of their big and heavily packed Saturday. It is the principal, coming to tell us something I’m sure I’m not going to like.

    “Hello, Lena, Jake.” She says, looking at both of us as she says our names. I just fold my arms and look down.

    She continues, “Today you two are going to become friends, got it?”

    Jake and I look at each other, shrug and go back to whatever it is we were doing before.

    “The Faculty has noticed that both of you don’t talk in school very much. They also noticed that when you do talk you sound bored and uninterested, even when it’s about something you obviously like. We believe that you guys could become friends.”

    “What is this?” I hear from Jake, “A school dating program or something.”

    “Something like that.” She replies. My eyes must have bulge out of my head. Her answer takes me by complete surprise.

    “Are you serious? What kind of school is this?” I ask incredulously.

    “A good one.”

    “My old school was better. This is only my second and thankfully last year here. I didn’t know this school is that messed up.” I say.

    “We are not messed up, just different. Since you two are seniors you may know what this school is actually about.”

    Jake and I look at each other again, questioning looks on our faces.

    “This school is a facility for learning and matching. The faculty notices students who are compatible and just nudges them together. Many parents send their students here so they never have to worry about their son or daughter’s relationship problems.”

    I am quite sure my face holds a look of disgust at this point in time.

    “It took us a while for Jake, I am quite thankful you moved here Lena or Jake might have been the only person not engaged by graduation. Well, that’s it I guess, you guys will be meeting here every Saturday until you are together and your class schedules have been rearranged so that all your classes are the same.”

    “How will you know if we’re together?” Jake inquires.

    “Trust me,” she replies smiling a smile not even a snake would trust, “We’ll know.” With her parting words, she was out the door.

    I pick up the book I brought and began to read, but not even 10 minutes later someone walks in and ‘confiscated’ it. I am fuming so I began to write, but the same person came back and took my notebook, leaving me with nothing to do.

    Jake and I sit here in silence for about another hour or so, though it was impossible to really tell since there was no clock.

    “So…?” I say, finally resorting to talking.

    “So what?” he responds.

    “So, I don’t know. I’m bored and I don’t deal well with boredom.”

    Jake lets out a harsh laugh and rolls his eyes. We sit in silence again.

    I start to hum Check Yes, Juliet under my breath because it is stuck in my head. I begin to get real into it, tapping my hands on the desk and moving my head around. I eventually set about to sing the lyrics.

    When I stop and look over at Jake he is giving me a very odd look.

    “What?” I asks, curious as to what the odd look was for.

    “What…was that?” He asks.

    “That was boredom and music.”

    Jake just nods and starts to look straight ahead again.

    I never claimed to be shy. I just don’t give a rat’s a**, school is school. I don’t come here to socialize. I am going to be myself. So the random out bursts of singing are me, that’s who I am.

    About an hour later a different song gets stuck in my head and yet again I start to sing it. It is slower so I’m not dancing but I guess the effect is the same because Jake is looking at me again.

    “What? I said I don’t deal well with boredom.”

    “Does that mean you’re going to randomly burst into singing a lot?”

    “Yes, does my voice suck that badly to where you’re giving me an odd look each time?”

    “You have an amazing voice,” he says, I must have blushed a little bit because he actually smiles, “I’m giving you a weird look because it was very random in the silence.”

    “I see…” I reply looking everywhere but at him.

    “Do you suppose,” I say, “that this could be on big hoax?”

    “Not really, now that I’ve thought about it what what-ser-face said makes sense. You haven’t noticed a lot of people suddenly change schedules or how people never break up? I’ve also noticed a lot of rings on left hands.”

    I nod thinking over what he had just said. It does all fit.

    “You’re right. I see it.”

    “Yep.”

    We fall into silence again, soon after the principal walks back in with a tray of food.

    “Lunchtime, eat up.” Is all she says, as she leaves the cart and goes back the way she came.

    At the sight of the food, my stomach growls loudly, so I stand up and go to the cart. They don’t give many options so I grab a water bottle, a ham and cheese sandwich and a brownie.

    I don’t see what Jake grabs, I am to busy eating.

    “Holy cow.” He says.

    I take a swig of water and then ask, “What?”

    “Do you always eat like that?”

    “Yea, why?” I inquire.

    “’Cause not many chicks will, most of them heave a bottle of water and a granola bar or something.”

    “Well, I’m not like most girls; I thought that would have gotten through to you with the spontaneous singing.”

    “Touché.”

    “Noice.” Is my reply to that.

    Jake chuckles lightly and we got back to eating.

    “So, this probably means we have about 4 more hours.” I say, thinking aloud.

    “Yep.”

    “This is extremely boring.”

    “Yep.”

    I finish eating and throw everything away. I don’t want to sit back down so I start to walk around the small white room. I felt like a patient slowly going more insane in the confined, extremely white space.

    I start to again, hum a song. It is Earthquake by Family Force 5.

    By the time I get to the chorus Jake is actually singing with me. It is quite weird, but a lot of fun.

    When we finish the song we are both still dancing. Earthquake is just one of those songs you just can’t help to dance to.

    We sit down, both of us laughing hysterically. Maybe this school really knows what they’re doing. I don’t think I would mind being friends with him.

    I put my purse on the desk and started to draw on it with my pen, though it proves difficult since most of it is already covered with ink.

    It soon proves impossible unless I want to just color it in, so I take out my Zune and start listening to it.

    But yet again someone comes and confiscates it.

    I look directly at the camera and say, “If we are gonna be stuck in here all day, you could at least provide us with more comfy chairs and music or something. I’m bored outta my mind. This place with end up breaking what little sanity I have left.”

    Jake laughs slightly and says under his breath, “Though neither of those things will really help. And your sanity’s already a lost cause.”

    I glare playfully at him. WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!!! Hold up, stop the presses. Am I flirting? What the hell is going on? What am I doing?

    He must have noticed my confusion or something because the room is completely silent again and he was looking down and away.

    “I’m sorry,” I say, “I’m just a little confuzzeled is all.”

    “Yea, whatever.” He replies.

    I roll my eyes, “Guys are uber sensitive.” I say.

    He gives me another weird look, “No we aren’t, stop being so stereotypical.”

    “I’m not, but it seems I have to tip-toe around your feelings and I always thought that I only had to do that with chick’s feelings.”

    “You don’t, I was just remembering something. My mood change had nothing to do with you. Don’t flatter yourself.”

    “Right…Okay.” I reply, rolling my eyes again.

    “Just be quiet, please.” He says.

    “I can’t. I’d get too impossibly bored and end up going crazy.”

    “You already are crazy, a little more won’t hurt.”

    “Chyea, it will.”

    “Nope.”

    “Yep.”

    “Ugh, fine you win, I don’t wanna play this childish game.”

    “You, my friend, are no fun.” I say mock pouting and looking away from him.

    He laughs again lightly and says, “I guess not.”

    I feel bad, I shouldn’t have questioned myself. I shouldn’t have shown confusion. I should have kept my mask on but no like always I ******** things up.

    I sit down and sigh, “There goes my hyper mood. I should not have eaten that brownie.”

    I don’t see Jake’s reaction, I am to busy staring at my multicolored, checkered vans.

    “So, what’s eatin’ you?” I say breaking the silence after was seems like forever.

    “A lot of things.” He responds.

    “We have a lot of time.”

    “I know.”

    We lapse into another silence until I finally say, “Are you going to talk or are we gonna sit like this in silence?”

    “Silence is golden.”

    “A duct tape is silver,” I say rolling my eyes, “We have to cooperate if we are ever going to get out of this Saturday thing.”

    “That doesn’t mean you have to know what’s bugging me.”

    “Fine, I was just trying to be nice…”

    “Well stop, okay, I don’t need your pity.”

    “I will not pity you.”

    “You will, trust me.”

    “Whatever, fine, I guess we’re stuck here every Saturday though.”

    I stand up and go to sit in the corner. I start to sing I’ll be the wings that keeps your heart in the clouds by Mayday Parade. As I reach the chorus of the song, I sing louder.

    ‘With a tear in his voice he said song that’s the question. Does this deafening silence mean nothing to no one but me?’

    I let my voice die out after that. Why is that last line so true? Does this deafening silence surrounding us mean nothing to him? Why am I being so uber sensitive and not myself? Why am I letting him get to me like this?!

    Can this school actually not be completely insane? Can he be my special someone? Is this even possible?

    “Ugh!” I sigh out, unwillingly. I don’t mean to say it but it definitely comes out.

    “What?” Jake inquires turning his green eyes on me.

    “Nothing, never mind, I’m being stupid.” I say, looking at my shoes over my knees.

    “Right, sure.”

    We sit in silence like that until the principal comes back.

    “Okay,” she says putting my confiscated items n the desk, “Here’s your stuff back, Lena, and I’ll see you both on Saturday. Maybe you won’t sit in silence next time. Oh, and Lena we have taken into consideration you suggestion. Goodbye, and have a nice weekend.”

    With this, she leaves the room and we follow after.

    Saturday number 2

    I guess they really did take the suggestion into consideration because I get a note on Friday telling me to report to a different room.

    So nothing really changes during the week. Saturday morning, I am in the new room. It has a couch (yes, 1 couch and get this, it’s a love seat), a stereo with surround sound and some games on a small coffee table.

    I sit down on the floor against the wall. I do not want to sit on the love seat. Who else has sat in it? What did the person or persons do? It’s just, ew…

    So I sit down, readying myself for what appears to most likely be another 8 hours of silence. Jake walks in, gives me a short wave, and sits down by the farthest place from me.

    The principal walks in (I really need to learn her name) and begins talking. “Oh…I see you’re off to a good start today. Are you going to sit in silence again?”

    Neither of us answers, we don’t care. I just want out, thought I don’t know about him.

    “Oh, thanks Lena, I’ll just take these now.” She says, coming over to me, bending down and picking up the notebook and book I brought.

    “Great…Do you plain on boring me to death?” I ask sarcastically.

    “If that’s what it takes.” She jibes back.

    “Ugh…”

    “Alrighty then, I’ll see you both around lunch time. Bye.” She mutters and leaves the room.

    I sit here and start to think until eventually I convince myself that almost all organizations and companies are conspiracies beginning with school.

    I start to talk out of pure boredom and random thinking, “Did you ever feel like school is just one big conspiracy?” I ask, I don’t give him time to respond though. “I mean, think about it, they want us like everyone else. We’re to creative and independent and they don’t like that. Not one bit. They hate that we think for ourselves. That’s probably the real reason they lock us up for 8 frickin’ hours…”

    I finally stop talking to take a breath. Jake says, “Yea, I know what you mean.”

    He smiles, he actually smiles, it was genuine, and it even reaches his eyes. Chyes!

    “They’re just mad because we don’t go with the flow. We rock the boat, and it scares them.”

    I can’t help but laugh when he says that. He actually laughs with me. Why is this getting me excited? Why does the thought of us being friends make me extremely happy? Most importantly, why and how does he spark this damn reaction?

    He starts to sing softly, “1-2-3-4 I declare a dance war, d-d-d-d-dance or die.”

    “Yea, it’s 5-6-7-8 we’re gonna celebrate, d-d-dance or die.” I sing back to him. We both start laughing again.

    “I got an idea.” I say as I stand up with my Zune in hand and walk over to the stereo. I got to my dance playlist and put it on shuffle.

    The first song that comes through the speakers is, of course, Earthquake. I let out a short laugh at the irony of it all.

    Jake then stands up and walks over to me. He grabs my hands and we start dancing.

    This is completely out of character for him. I don’t get it. I start to get more into the dancing as I delve deeper into thought. Was my randomness the key to his unwinding? His letting loose? Or was it my views on conspiracy? Could it be he was just waiting for the perfect moment or something? Is he shy, and finally coming out of his shell?

    Ugh…I’m so confused. So I stop thinking and just dance with Jake to Family Force 5.

    Earthquake ends and love Addict starts to play. I move my hands to form a heart and start to sing, “Put a little love in it…”

    Jake laughs at me as I start to sing the chorus and dance.

    By the time the song ends I am panting heavily, I flopped down on the couch. Jake sits next to me, meaning practically on top of me because this couch is to damn small.

    We sit there still laughing lightly until what we just did together sinks in. Jake quickly moves so he was squished against the arm of the chair and so do I, taking extra care so we weren’t touching each other.

    “Awkward!” I nearly scream in a high sing-songy voice.

    Jake just nods and says “yep,” while staring straight ahead into an abyss of nothingness.

    We sit in silence until Shake it by Metro Station starts to play through the speakers. I can’t help but dance a little bit.

    “Oh my god…” I hear Jake say under his breath but I don’t think I am supposed to hear it.

    “Oh my god what?” I inquire, though I know I shouldn’t.

    “Uh…Nothing, sorry.” He says.

    “Oki smoki artichoke.” I say, my mood suddenly improved for some reason. I stand back up, turn up the volume, and start to dance again.

    Jake doesn’t dance with me this time; he stands up and sits back down against the wall. I kept on dancing like the fool I am until I sit down on the couch again, worn out.

    I pull my phone out of my pocket to see that it’s only 9:30. We’ve only been here for an hour and a half.

    “Argh.” I say out loud, “Why is this so damn boring?”

    “Because we won’t get together.” Came Jake’s reply.

    “It was a rhetorical question.” I stated.

    “I know.”

    “Then why’d you answer?”

    “No reason.” He said looking away.

    What the hell? Why is this guy so damn confusing? I always thought us girls were supposed to be the confusing ones, but I guess not.

    Is what he just did considered flirting? I have no clue, or as my Spanish teacher would want me to say, no tengo idea. Is what I’ve been doing considered flirting? Do I have feelings for him? Could this ******** up school possibly be right in the type of guy would marry?

    All these thought and questions have got me jumbled and confused. So when he comes over and sits down next to me, I am barely coherent in this confusion.

    “What? Huh? Why?” I say, unable to form complete sentences.

    “I say…” he said, “That we stop fighting this school just this once.”

    “Wha? Why?”

    “Because I think they may be right. From that first day, I’ve had feelings for you, I just didn’t want to conform, plus it’s hard admitting that, but I’ve finally come to the conclusion that it’s just going to hurt both of us in the long run if we don’t get together. We’d end up being those people who marry someone else, but regrets it for the rest of their lives.”

    Words finally bubble up through me to form sentences, “Then why were u being such a d**k?”

    Jake chuckles softly, “Because I am confused and being cold and distant is one of the only ways I know how to react.”

    “Then how are you telling me this?” I say, trying but failing to comprehend what is going on.

    “Because I just can’t bare to see you sitting here alone and confused.

    “I see.”

    “So…uh…yea. That’s how I feel…” he says awkwardly. “I’ll just go back over there now…”

    I grab his arm as he starts to move and he looks at me. I move my body so it’s closer to him and I know semi face him. Slowly I move my head closer to his until I feel his lips on mine.

    Wide eyed at what I just did, I quickly pull away, mumbling a fast sorry.

    Jake grins, a cheesy grin, I never thought I would see on his face. This time when I lean in our lips meet and I let my eyes close.

    This is pretty good for a first kiss. Soon though, he deepens the kiss, licking my bottom lip for entrance into my mouth.

    I part my lips slightly and his tongue darts in to explore it.

    We pull apart coming up for air. Sitting with out backs against the wall, with equally dorky grins gracing our swollen lips.

    “That was an amazing first kiss.”