• It was anticipated since the first day of school. Everyone knew it was coming, and no one could do anything to stop it. Tomorrow was going to be the last day of school. I sit in my desk during the first few minutes of my last class of the day, tapping my pencil on my recently purchased yearbook and my eyes fixed on the minute hand of the clock. The monotone voice of Mrs. Wallace, the Tiger house math teacher, snapped me back to reality and I heard her say we were playing yahtzee for the duration of class time. I looked around the classroom and sighed. Great. There was no one I could play yahtzee with. Everyone immediately paired up and started playing, I saw Alejandro Nevarez-Matta approaching me and I started banging my head on my yearbook, not wanting to play with him, "You wanna play?" he asked. Alejandro was a thirteen year old boy about a few inches taller than me and his skin was a smooth mocha color due to his mexican background, he was cute, nonetheless. He has often made himself seem like a retard for the entire 7th grade year, but only when he was talking to the teachers did he truely reveal the other side of him that I had never seen before. It was that clown-like secondary personality that I absolutely hated. I actually thought he truely acted that way both at home and at school, and I don't like class-clowns. I sighed again and pushed my yearbook aside, nodding in approval. This is going to be one of the last days of school until the three month summer vacation, and I knew that I wouldn't be seeing him for a while so I nodded, "Sure." I said, the tone of my voice full of reluctance. He held up an index finger to indicate that he was going to go fetch a yahtzee board and ran off, soon returning with the red box that said Yahtzee! in bold, white letters. He opened the box and handed me a sheet of paper and a stub, "It's been a while since I've played yahtzee, so I don't entirely remember how to play." I said, "Don't worry. I'll jog your memory." Alejandro said. Throughout our game of yahtzee we talked. At first I was reluctant to respond to his jokes, but as I got to know him I found myself giggling at his witty remarks. Alejandro honestly wasn't all that bad once you get to know him. Class time seemed to go on forever as we kept playing, math class had just ended and most of Tiger house has gone outside with some of the teachers, me and Alejandro stayed inside to continue playing yahtzee, "So Emily, do you have a boyfriend?" he asked me, I shrugged my shoulders, "No," I said, and then he nodded, "Well, do you like anyone?" he asked, "Yes," I replied, and instantly he became interested, "Who?" he asked, eager to know. I looked both ways and leaned in farther, hunching over in the process, "Andrew." he seemed confused, "Which one?" he asked, he turned around and looked at the Andrew behind him . . . the fat one. I shook my head, "Not that one! I meant Andrew G." one corner of his lips curled up to form a smirk, "Ooh." he said. Andrew was a boy about my age, his skin was smooth and ivory, his hair was long, wavy, and smooth, his background was german. He was a football player and a drummer, and due to his high metabolism he was . . . well, I guess you can say skinny, but he was healthy. Alejandro rolled the dice, "So did you tell him?" he asked and I shook my head, "No, we've talked, but I haven't told him," he frowned, "Well, you gotta tell him, if you don't tell him he'll be taken by another girl and it will be too late, you tell him or I'll tell him for you." I immediately looked up and my eyes widened, "No!" I shouted. He smiled, "You gotta tell him." and I looked down, "Okay, but will you come with me?" I asked him and he nodded, then I smiled. We kept playing, "So, Emily, who do you like in this room? And it has to be in this room, so Andrew isn't an option because he's in a different room." I looked around then said, "No one," he looked unsure, "You've got to like someone in here." I shook my head, "What about you, Alejandro?" I asked and he began to list the girls in here, "And out of all the girls in here, I'd say you are the third cutest." I stared at him. What he said just now had rendered me speechless, " . . . R-really?" was all I could say before he nodded. The other students soon came in the room from playing outdoors and we began to put away the yahtzee game, "Hey, can I sign your yearbook?" Alejandro asked and I nodded, "Sure," this time I sounded more accepting rather than reluctant. Alejandro pulled out a pencil and opened my yearbook to where my friends had already scribbled their signatures into the inside of the cover and he began scribbling, and I looked over his shoulder to watch what he was writing and I saw that he was writing a bunch of jibberish. I forgot that he was a goofball. Instead of frowning like I always do I giggled. When he was done I packed my pencil into my pencil case and closed my yearbook, "See you later." I said as I walked out the door.

    The next day came quick. I expected today to be another free day, so I showed up to math class with only a yearbook and my pencil case just in case if someone wanted to sign my yearbook. Alejandro walked into class with a fancy white dress shirt, one button unfastened and the cuffs of his sleeves weren't rolled up at all, and a brown string-like tie was around his neck, he noticed that I was evaluating his fancy outfit and smiled, "Sexy, huh?" I vigorously shook my head, "No, it looks good on you, but it's not sexy." I said and he sat down, pulling out a gigantic deck of cards I read the only word on the back of the cards, "I don't know how to play Uno." I said, "I'll teach you." he said and began to shuffle, "So did you tell him, yet?" I tilted my head to one side, I was confused at first, but then it all came back to me, I shook my head, "No, not yet." I said and he frowned, "We're telling him at the award ceremony today." I bit my lip, very afraid about the idea, but he was pushing me into it so that I didn't have any choice but to go along.

    When math class ended everyone went back to their advisories and waited as the classes went down to the auditorium in order, all four houses went, Tiger, Cougar, Panther, and Cheetah. Unfortunately Alejandro and I were seperated so we couldn't tell Andrew about my adoration together, but fortunately Alejandro was able to get a seat near him and actually tell him about it. When the award ceremony was done and over with and we were all headed to our lockers Alejandro caught up with me, I turned to him eagerly and the words automatically flew right out my mouth, "What did he say?" he looked me right in the eyes and said, "He doesn't like you." and then I felt my heart twist a little. I sighed, but no tears came out, "Okay." I said and looked at him, "It was just a crush, I guess he really wasn't worth my time anyway." he nodded in agreement, we then ascended up the staircase and we bid one another one last farewell before going to our lockers and starting our summer vacation.

    During the summer vacation Alejandro often crossed my mind. Wondering what he is doing, and where he is. He told me in those last few days of school that he was headed to Florida for the summer and coming back for eighth grade year to start and we can finally get a chance to really know each other. As 8th grade went underway and school became a routine I realized that we were growing to be closer . . . . closer that I never thought we'd ever get. Thinking about Alejandro now makes my heart race and my cheeks blush, and as we grew closer mentally we grew closer physically. We began sitting at the same lunch table and we sat close in Social Studies class. Math was the only class where we weren't assigned to a seat where we were side to side or behind one another. Others suspected that we were together, but we just shake our head no. Even my ex-boyfriend noticed and began to show signs of jealousy, my best friend, Brooke -who is in a relationship herself- asked me if me and Alejandro are together, and again we shook our heads no. I don't know if, in the near future, we would be saying yes to those, "are you together?" questions, but it seems very clear that we will, and it surprises me that -after about two years of hatred toward Alejandro- I can't wait to see if me and him would ever get together.