Autumn was arriving. And school was starting off on a pretty good note. My first day was kind of cramped as I expected it to be, but I was sure I could get used to the accommodations. Every morning for a while I looked forward to going to school. I had a huge group of friends, nice teachers, and I was getting good grades. But one thing I was not looking forward to was our 8th grade trip to Camp McDowell.
We went about a month after school started. It wasn't fun. Every day we had to do some new activity that either involved scorching heat, hiking, bugs, and a lot of the time all three. And no air-conditioning in the cabins. On top of that, it was so humid there that our clothes and shoes would stay wet when we put them out to dry. Putting on a wet swimsuit isn't exactly a pleasant sensation.
The best thing that came of that trip was my newfound friendship with Alice. She was amazing. One of the funniest people I'd ever met, and so beautiful. She had these huge mysterious blue-green eyes and the most adorable smile. We really clicked, and our friendship took off quickly.
I guess it was as if fate was trying to give me a taste of what that year was going to be like. Couldn't let me keeping thinking it was gonna be good, oh no, that wasn't allowed. It was a bad omen.
I was so glad when I got home. That camp was miserable.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
September went by quickly. Next thing I knew the temperature was dropping and we were halfway through football season.
Football season was my favorite. I loved going to the games. Pep band got tiresome after a while but I still loved it. I played clarinet. We didn't have a marching band yet so we just played in the stands. It was pretty fun when it wasn't freezing outside.
Everybody's favorite football game was homecoming of course. At my school we have spirit week before the game. Everyday is something different: pajama day, pirate day, superhero day, you get the picture. We all get really into it.
Friday was always color day. The seniors got something easy like black and we were stuck with obscure colors like squash.
It was a fun day. We didn't do much work, just looked forward to that evening. The best part of the day was the pep rally during eighth period. Everyone got super pumped. I went home that day extremely excited.
That night I grabbed my clarinet and bundled up. When I got to the stadium, I set up next to my friend and bandmate Hannah and looked around. The guys were painting their chests and the girls were standing around giggling at them.
After a few minutes my best friend Sarah arrived with a couple other band members. One of them I recognized to be her friend, a senior named Cody Koffman.
"Hey Cody! Can I borrow your jacket for this quarter?" she called over to him. He turned around and started walking towards us, shrugging off his coat.
"Yeah, sure," he said, handing it to her.
That was the first time I got a good look at him. He was tall, with brownish-blonde hair and glasses. Cute, but not drop dead gorgeous. Noticing me giving him a once-over I guess, he spoke to me.
"Hey, you're Leslie right?"
"Yeah," I smiled at him, and when he smiled back, I was stunned. He had the most breathtaking smile I had ever seen. I gawked stupidly until he spoke again.
"Well, I'm Cody," he reached over to shake my hand, but the moment our skin made contact, it felt like a bolt of electricity shot up my arm. I suddenly felt hot, despite the freezing weather.
As we let go, he grinned again and walked back to his own section. I stared as he walked away.
"Geez, way to be obvious," Sarah said as soon as he was out of earshot.
"What are you talking about?" I replied defensively, but I could feel myself blushing.
"You know you like him. Don't pretend like you don't."
"I don't even know the boy. He's just cute, that's all."
"Mhmm," Obviously she didn't believe me.
"Umm..." I paused and chuckled sheepishly. "Do you think you could give me his number?"
She looked at me for a moment and burst out laughing. After a few seconds I joined in.
If only I would have know then...
