I am Samantha. They call me Sam. I have a little story to share.
I was fifteen. He was seventeen. Too old to fall in love and yet too young to get married. Jeremy and I were two ordinary souls that crossed paths one sunny morning of June 1995 at the Bakersfield Catholic High School. It all started with a simple chat, later on became good buddies, and then the closest of friends. It was a platonic relationship to begin with. We had our share of crushes and giggles ... too many to recall. Our friendship remained that way until we came to the final months of senior high.
As far as I can remember, we have grown so fond of each other's company that we already mastered the in's and out's of ourselves. Those were too many Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays when we would walk side by side up to the bus station. Never did I entertain any thoughts that we will one day fall into each other's arms... foolish thoughts!
Eventually, everything became a struggle in school. The cheering competition was fast approaching, and I, being the squad's cheerleader, had been under tumultuous pressure. My schedule had pushed me off the limits! I cried rivers of tears, but my friends never left my side. One of them kept on telling me that someone from our class is very much worried about me, but she would not tell who it was.
Around that same time, Jeremy also shared with me his plans of courting a new girl in school. I was thinking it could be Trixie or Jenny ... and the list goes on. I insisted on asking who the girl was but all I ever got from him was silence. He just looked at me without saying a word and then would change the topic of our conversation.
No, this can't be. It's wrong! Why do I feel jealous about him courting a new girl? I have feelings for him... something beyond a friend. Erase ... erase. We're just good friends.
Sometime in the midst of the hustle and bustle, Jeremy cornered me in our classroom and finally admitted that I am indeed the girl that he wants to court. (Blushing here.)
Suddenly, every school day became bearable. The cheering practice became a thing of the past ... we won first place, anyway! I was always excited to go to school anticipating his surprise for me that day. From then on, I started to weave dreams from a spider's thread. Whatever he says sounded like a sonata in my ears. Songs and poetry suddenly had meaning in my life. Ah, sweet memories!
But all stories have to have endings. Regardless of the length of the plot, there will always be a final chapter. Ours occurred Valentine's Day... What could have been our final Hearts' Day before graduation and what could have been the beginning of our life as boyfriend/girlfriend was ruined by a girl named Rebecca. She's not from our school. From what I heard, it was love at first sight for them. The spell was broken. What magic could it still bring?
I set him free believing that perhaps, we were really not meant for each other.
Today, five years to be exact, I am sitting here alone in my room ... mingling with my pen and paper, listening to sad songs on the radio ... and still hoping for that particular day when I would complete a love story that never was.
