A Side-Street Romance
"I should have said something! God, why didn't I say anything?!", yelled Jason.
"Cause you're an idiot. You're walking down a street, you see a girl, you look her in the eyes and smile at her, she looks you in the eyes and smiles back, instant connection, then what? You say 'Hi. My name is fill-in-the-blank.' Its not that hard.", replied Ben, smacking Jason across the back of the head.
"I know. I know. Goddamnit! I'm so mad at myself for not saying anything. She smiled back, why didn't I say anything? Now I'll probably never see her again."
"Well..."
"What? You have an idea?", asked Jason, a look of eagerness in his eyes.
"Well, suppose she lives close by. Then if you were to walk that way everyday you might---"
"Run into her!", finished Jason, "Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then and we'll walk down Prospect Park Southwest."
"What do you mean we? I never said anything about we. I said you, as in you can haul your lazy ass down that street everyday by yourself."
"Aw come on Ben. You're my best friend and didn't I help you with Monica, Liz, and Kendra? You owe it to me."
"Oh fine, but only if you treat for ice cream after."
"You got it.", said Jason, grabbing his friend's shoulder with a huge grin planted on his face.
"Why didn't I say something?! I feel like such an idiot. Ugggg. Now that's gonna bother me for the rest of my life. He could've been my prince charming, but I won't know now cause for once in my life I didn't open my big mouth!", shouted Jess.
"Relax! You're being too hard on yourself. Anyway he was probably a loser anyway. Now, take a deep breath and CALM DOWN!", replied Linsie, being the level headed one as always.
"Okay. Okay. I'm calm. Okayyy.", said Jess as she let out a sigh, "Damn it!"
"Deep breaths."
"I know. I know. But now I probably will never see him again, meaning I lost my only chance."
"Well...."
"What?! You have an idea don't you?! Ohmagawd! I love you Linsie. Whatisit?! Whatisit?!"
"Relax. Relax. All I was thinking is that maybe if the guy lives close by, he might walk that way often so..."
"If we walk that way everyday, we might run into him again! Linsie, you're a genius!", cried Jess jumping up and giving her friend a hug, before running out of the room.
"No problem.", replied Linsie to the empty room, laughing at Jess's eagerness.
"Do you think she'll be here? What if she doesn't come?"
"Chill, Jason. Stop acting like such a loser or even if she does come you won't have a chance with her."
"So you don't think she's gonna show?"
"Man, why are you stressing so much over a girl you know nothing about?"
"I don't know. I just feel like...like I'm supposed to meet her. I don't know how to explain it."
"Whatever man. Just try to calm down a bit, okay?"
"Hey Linsie. Whats up?", said Jess leaning back in the chair, with the phone pressed to her ear.
"Not much. Can't go for that walk again today, huh?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Well, considering the fact that you sound all sad and emo? Haha. Relax hun. We'll get a chance."
"But its been five days since I saw him and we still haven't had a chance to go. Tuesday I had to go to the dentist, Wednesday we had karate, Thursday I went with you to your sister's graduation, Friday was our last final, and today I'm at the doctor with my aunt. It's like fate is against me.", and with that she let out a long, melodramatic sigh.
"Dude, she's not here. Why isn't she here? We've walked this way almost everyday, except Wednesday 'cause I had tai-kwon-do, but still. Why isn't she here?", cried Jason as he sat down at a bench.
"You sound like such a fag right now. Maybe you should just move on. Maybe she doesn't live around here."
"That would really, really suck.", Jason said somberly.
"Yes, it would. Maybe its true what they say: you only get one chance at true love.", reasoned Ben.
"Who said that?"
"Fuck if I know. Since when do I pay attention in English?"
"Wouldn't that be Philosophy?"
"Whatever the fuck. Like Plato said: a boring class is a boring class."
"Nice.", said Jason, rolling his eyes.
"What?", exclaimed Ben.
"Okay, so we're finally going.", said Jess, walking down The Street.
"Yup."
"And I might meet him."
"Uh-huh."
"And then we might fall madly in love. And then we might live happily-ever-after.", said Jess dreamily.
"Those are a lot of maybes"
"Don't be so negative."
"Excuse me? Who was all 'Ohmagawd what if we meet and he hates me' or 'What is he turns out to be a secret member of the KKK', blah blah blah.", said Linsie, cracking up laughing.
"What? He COULD be part of the KKK. They're all over, ya know. I watched a show about it on the history channel the other day.", said Jess cracking up at the joke the conversation was turning towards.
"Jess, honey, you're white. What—Why---Just..."
"I have no idea where I was going with that last night. I think that show messed with my head.", she said as both of them started laughing hysterically at the stupidity of it all.
"Well I don't think he's coming.", said Jess seriously, planting herself down on a bench.
"Maybe not. Why are you making such a big deal over this guy anyway?"
"I don't know. Its just like I have this strong feeling that I was supposed to do something, supposed to say something. I just feel like I have to set things right. I don't know. That sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it?"
"Yup, but I still love ya.", said Linsie, grabbing Jess in a side-hug.
"Idiot.", replied Jess, rolling her eyes and smiling.
"I'm giving up. Fate is against me.", said Jason kicking the wall of his apartment building.
"Seems so."
"You can be such a fuckin' asshole."
"Yep."
"I'm hanging up now. I gotta head to the store and pick up some milk before my pops wakes up."
"K, later man."
"Hey, you know I love you hun, but my mom needs me to get home right now to babysit my baby brother.", said Linsie as she closed her cell phone.
"You're dad had another last minute meeting?"
"Ya know what, I don't even know whats going on with him anymore. Both my parents are acting like their from another planet."
"You don't think anything's going on do you?"
"Nah, I'm sure its nothing."
"Oh damn, my bus is coming. I'll call you tonight, Jess.", cried Linsie as she rushed to the bus stop halfway down the block.
"Guess its just me. Might as well go home.", she mumbled to herself.
"Yea, Mom. I got Dad's milk. I'll be home in five. Okay, bye.", said Jason, snapping his cell shut. He turned the corner, onto Prospect Park Southwest, and started walking home. He ended up bumping right into-
"Oof.", cried Jess as she was hit head on by some idiot, that didn't look where he walked, but then again neither was she.
"Sorry.", she heard a voice say. As she looked up, she was surprised at who she saw.
"You--", they both exclaimed at the same time.
"Um, hi."
"Hi. I'm Jason."
"I'm Jess."
"Um, sorry for bumping into you."
"Oh, no problem. It was partly my fault. I should really pay attention when I walk."
"Its fine. Um, listen. I know this is pretty random, but would you like to grab something to eat?"
"Now?"
"Yea."
"Sure.", said Jess as they both smiled.
"I just gotta make a quick call."
"K."
Jason walked a little away, dialing his home phone.
"Hey, Mom. Its me. Listen I ran into someone so I'm gonna be a bit more than five minutes, okay? Yea. Thanks. Bye.", said Jason.
"Girlfriend?", asked Jess as he walked back.
"No, my Mom. You? I mean, do you have a boyfriend?", replied Jason, falling over his words.
"Not at present."
"Cool. You like bagels?"
"Bagels sound good."
"Cause you're an idiot. You're walking down a street, you see a girl, you look her in the eyes and smile at her, she looks you in the eyes and smiles back, instant connection, then what? You say 'Hi. My name is fill-in-the-blank.' Its not that hard.", replied Ben, smacking Jason across the back of the head.
"I know. I know. Goddamnit! I'm so mad at myself for not saying anything. She smiled back, why didn't I say anything? Now I'll probably never see her again."
"Well..."
"What? You have an idea?", asked Jason, a look of eagerness in his eyes.
"Well, suppose she lives close by. Then if you were to walk that way everyday you might---"
"Run into her!", finished Jason, "Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then and we'll walk down Prospect Park Southwest."
"What do you mean we? I never said anything about we. I said you, as in you can haul your lazy ass down that street everyday by yourself."
"Aw come on Ben. You're my best friend and didn't I help you with Monica, Liz, and Kendra? You owe it to me."
"Oh fine, but only if you treat for ice cream after."
"You got it.", said Jason, grabbing his friend's shoulder with a huge grin planted on his face.
"Why didn't I say something?! I feel like such an idiot. Ugggg. Now that's gonna bother me for the rest of my life. He could've been my prince charming, but I won't know now cause for once in my life I didn't open my big mouth!", shouted Jess.
"Relax! You're being too hard on yourself. Anyway he was probably a loser anyway. Now, take a deep breath and CALM DOWN!", replied Linsie, being the level headed one as always.
"Okay. Okay. I'm calm. Okayyy.", said Jess as she let out a sigh, "Damn it!"
"Deep breaths."
"I know. I know. But now I probably will never see him again, meaning I lost my only chance."
"Well...."
"What?! You have an idea don't you?! Ohmagawd! I love you Linsie. Whatisit?! Whatisit?!"
"Relax. Relax. All I was thinking is that maybe if the guy lives close by, he might walk that way often so..."
"If we walk that way everyday, we might run into him again! Linsie, you're a genius!", cried Jess jumping up and giving her friend a hug, before running out of the room.
"No problem.", replied Linsie to the empty room, laughing at Jess's eagerness.
"Do you think she'll be here? What if she doesn't come?"
"Chill, Jason. Stop acting like such a loser or even if she does come you won't have a chance with her."
"So you don't think she's gonna show?"
"Man, why are you stressing so much over a girl you know nothing about?"
"I don't know. I just feel like...like I'm supposed to meet her. I don't know how to explain it."
"Whatever man. Just try to calm down a bit, okay?"
"Hey Linsie. Whats up?", said Jess leaning back in the chair, with the phone pressed to her ear.
"Not much. Can't go for that walk again today, huh?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Well, considering the fact that you sound all sad and emo? Haha. Relax hun. We'll get a chance."
"But its been five days since I saw him and we still haven't had a chance to go. Tuesday I had to go to the dentist, Wednesday we had karate, Thursday I went with you to your sister's graduation, Friday was our last final, and today I'm at the doctor with my aunt. It's like fate is against me.", and with that she let out a long, melodramatic sigh.
"Dude, she's not here. Why isn't she here? We've walked this way almost everyday, except Wednesday 'cause I had tai-kwon-do, but still. Why isn't she here?", cried Jason as he sat down at a bench.
"You sound like such a fag right now. Maybe you should just move on. Maybe she doesn't live around here."
"That would really, really suck.", Jason said somberly.
"Yes, it would. Maybe its true what they say: you only get one chance at true love.", reasoned Ben.
"Who said that?"
"Fuck if I know. Since when do I pay attention in English?"
"Wouldn't that be Philosophy?"
"Whatever the fuck. Like Plato said: a boring class is a boring class."
"Nice.", said Jason, rolling his eyes.
"What?", exclaimed Ben.
"Okay, so we're finally going.", said Jess, walking down The Street.
"Yup."
"And I might meet him."
"Uh-huh."
"And then we might fall madly in love. And then we might live happily-ever-after.", said Jess dreamily.
"Those are a lot of maybes"
"Don't be so negative."
"Excuse me? Who was all 'Ohmagawd what if we meet and he hates me' or 'What is he turns out to be a secret member of the KKK', blah blah blah.", said Linsie, cracking up laughing.
"What? He COULD be part of the KKK. They're all over, ya know. I watched a show about it on the history channel the other day.", said Jess cracking up at the joke the conversation was turning towards.
"Jess, honey, you're white. What—Why---Just..."
"I have no idea where I was going with that last night. I think that show messed with my head.", she said as both of them started laughing hysterically at the stupidity of it all.
"Well I don't think he's coming.", said Jess seriously, planting herself down on a bench.
"Maybe not. Why are you making such a big deal over this guy anyway?"
"I don't know. Its just like I have this strong feeling that I was supposed to do something, supposed to say something. I just feel like I have to set things right. I don't know. That sounds pretty stupid, doesn't it?"
"Yup, but I still love ya.", said Linsie, grabbing Jess in a side-hug.
"Idiot.", replied Jess, rolling her eyes and smiling.
"I'm giving up. Fate is against me.", said Jason kicking the wall of his apartment building.
"Seems so."
"You can be such a fuckin' asshole."
"Yep."
"I'm hanging up now. I gotta head to the store and pick up some milk before my pops wakes up."
"K, later man."
"Hey, you know I love you hun, but my mom needs me to get home right now to babysit my baby brother.", said Linsie as she closed her cell phone.
"You're dad had another last minute meeting?"
"Ya know what, I don't even know whats going on with him anymore. Both my parents are acting like their from another planet."
"You don't think anything's going on do you?"
"Nah, I'm sure its nothing."
"Oh damn, my bus is coming. I'll call you tonight, Jess.", cried Linsie as she rushed to the bus stop halfway down the block.
"Guess its just me. Might as well go home.", she mumbled to herself.
"Yea, Mom. I got Dad's milk. I'll be home in five. Okay, bye.", said Jason, snapping his cell shut. He turned the corner, onto Prospect Park Southwest, and started walking home. He ended up bumping right into-
"Oof.", cried Jess as she was hit head on by some idiot, that didn't look where he walked, but then again neither was she.
"Sorry.", she heard a voice say. As she looked up, she was surprised at who she saw.
"You--", they both exclaimed at the same time.
"Um, hi."
"Hi. I'm Jason."
"I'm Jess."
"Um, sorry for bumping into you."
"Oh, no problem. It was partly my fault. I should really pay attention when I walk."
"Its fine. Um, listen. I know this is pretty random, but would you like to grab something to eat?"
"Now?"
"Yea."
"Sure.", said Jess as they both smiled.
"I just gotta make a quick call."
"K."
Jason walked a little away, dialing his home phone.
"Hey, Mom. Its me. Listen I ran into someone so I'm gonna be a bit more than five minutes, okay? Yea. Thanks. Bye.", said Jason.
"Girlfriend?", asked Jess as he walked back.
"No, my Mom. You? I mean, do you have a boyfriend?", replied Jason, falling over his words.
"Not at present."
"Cool. You like bagels?"
"Bagels sound good."
Comments
Post a Comment