Dear Diary

Dear Diary,

It was the summer of what was going to be my junior year of high school when I met him for the first time.

My mother and I were out shopping for material so I could have a dress made for an upcoming dance. I was running my hands through a bin full of lacy ribbon when I heard my mom talking to someone. I didn't bother to turn around at first, but I heard her invite them over for dinner.

"Yeah so tomorrow evening is good for us if its good for you all. I'm sure Lynn and Arial will get along just great."

What? Was my mom really setting up a play date like I was 5? I turned to see who she was talking to as she called me over to meet this woman who couldn't have been any taller than 5'1 and her daughter who stood head and shoulders over her. We both smiled as our mothers introduced us to one another.

"Hi Lynn, nice to meet you." The girl wore braces and smiled wide trying to make sure her lips didn't get caught in the wire. I knew the fight well, I smiled the same and we both laughed realizing we shared a struggle.

I was actually excited the next evening as we prepared dinner for our guests. I was relaxed, the kitchen was my domain, I loved cooking! We were almost done with everything when the doorbell rang, I ran to the door. I was already chattering proudly about what we had cooked as I pulled the door open. My words trailed off as I came face to face with the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my 16 years of life.

He smiled showing perfect pearl white teeth between his smooth dark chocolate lips. I'm not sure how long I stood there with my hand on the door knob, but it felt like an eternity!

The rest of the evening was a blur, I was able to find out his name was Deon and he was Arial's cousin who was visiting them for the summer. I had to quickly make Arial my new best friend so I could see more of this cousin!

It wasn't hard Arial was truly a nice person and fun to be around. Which turned out to be a good thing because Deon was never really around. He had a former girlfriend that he'd been dating when he visited the summer before and they spent a lot of time together. I guess Arial saw the disappointment in my eyes one day, because she made the statement that Deon and the former girlfriend weren't really that into one another anymore, he just didn't really know anyone else in town to hang with.

I shrugged it off and kept it moving forward! I mean I wasn't a wallflower, I was a looker, as the old folks used to say. I just wasn't that into my looks. I preferred cut off shorts a tied up mid drift shirt and some chucks. Even though I loved cooking that was about the only girly thing about me. Skate boarding, baseball, dirt bike racing and just about anything that I could get filthy doing, was what I loved.

Ariel and I decided we were going to go to that summer dance together, as I had boys left and right asking and wasn't interested in any of them, and she had tons asking and couldn't decide. My mom let me get the car that night and when I dropped by to pick up Ariel we stopped each other in our tracks.

"Alright so tell me why, again, are the two of you going to this dance with each other and not with dates?" Deon was standing on the front porch watching us admire each others dresses and hair do's. Ariel shrugged and jokingly pointed out that she didn't want to hurt any ones feelings by choosing one person over another. Deon laughed and looked in my direction waiting on my answer. I shyly looked him straight in the eyes and said,

"Because you didn't ask."

Arial stopped pulling at her dress and looked up. Deon stopped laughing as a half smile and thoughtful look came across his face. He turned and went back into the house.

"What was that?" Ariel asked as we got into the car.

"I don't even know where that came from! It just felt like the right thing to say. Like.....it was the truth though." We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I have been catching him staring at you a few times. I just hadn't said anything, didn't want you reading to much into that."

I pretended to have to look in the other direction for oncoming traffic, I smiled so hard I swear she could see it from the back of my head.

Deon soon went back home and two weeks later Arial and I started school. Walking the halls as juniors was great! I was never one of the most popular girls at school but I was well liked and thought of as pretty popular. Imagine my surprise as I started to notice ugly looks and stares and whispers behind hands in the hallways and in class. I was beginning to think it was all in my head when that Friday Ariel pulled me to the side and confirmed my first thought.

"So, you remember me telling you about Deon's ex-girlfriend?" I nodded yes, "Well apparently the rumors are coming from her."

"What rumors?", I was puzzled.

"She is saying that she and De were talking about marriage after high school, but you came along and seduced him, got pregnant and had an abortion."

I was shook! I had never even uttered two words to this girl, I had never seduced Deon, and damn sure had never been pregnant or had an abortion! And unless tongue kissing and letting a boy feel you up constitueded as sex then I was still a virgin! I went on a rampage and I swore I was setting the record straight come Monday!

The weekend couldn't go by fast enough and to make matters worse I couldn't get in touch with Ariel so we could plan this heavily worded massacre! Monday morning I wore my naturally wavy shoulder length hair pulled up in a high bun, my chucks were tied tighter, skin tight jeans and a just as fitted old t-shirt that said, 'come get sum!'

I had read somewhere, 'During a fight don't give your opponent anything to grab hold of '.

But the halls were friendly again, the same ones who pointed while whispering behind their hands, smiled and called out to me as we passed classes. I was confused and skipped my last class of the day hoping to catch up with Arial out in the courtyard. She was there, but not alone. Deon turned and smiled at me, that same perfect smile from when we first met.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as I walked up on him and Arial.

"Setting some things straight." He stepped up to meet me and without saying another word he covered my lips with his, in what was the most passionate kiss I had ever had in my few short yrs on this earth. I heard a sound of protest as our lips parted and at first I thought it was me, but as I saw Deon's ex stomp away I realized it was a cry of defeat. I had won and I didn't even know I was playing!

Later I found out Deon had convinced his mom to let him come back to town to finish high school and he had made Arial promise to keep the secret. He had also broken things completely off with his ex and she had not taken it laying down, Arial had not been the only one noticing Deon checking me out.

Winter came and was always harsh in our little town, but I was on cloud 9 and it was hot and heavy up there with Deon. We were the perfect couple, that's what everyone would say. The love that radiated between us when we were together warmed everyone we came across.

"The pond down by the old mill has finally frozen over, you guys want to go skating this weekend?" Ariel asked us as we sat around the lunch table. We all looked at each other and almost at once said a resounding yes.

The Pond was not just a small frozen piece of water in the winter, it was a gathering spot for most of the high schoolers in town. There was an old barn that someone had taken the time to outfit with bathrooms and strategically placed bean bags and other couples lounging spaces. We would go there ice skate and then warm up inside the barn with hot cocoa and warm grilled cheese sandwiches.

Saturday came and Deon arrived to pick me up with Arial and her new beau in tow. We had a blast, skating and drinking hot cocoa. As it started to get dark we were packing it up preparing to leave when we heard a loud scream. We looked at each other and all at once took out running in the direction of the scream. It was Mrs Parson, the lady who had outfitted the barn.

She was yelling and pointing in the direction of the frozen pond. The few people left out there turned and through the darkness, could make out a hole in the ice. Mrs parson was screaming her daughter had fallen in.

Out of all the people running at that pond, Deon made it there first. He stepped out onto the ice and spotted the little girl pounding from under it! It was too dark to really tell what happened next, and after they pulled that little girls body along with 3 other would be rescuers from that pond early the next morning, who would want to remember. I know I can't and I don't want to.

Dear Diary,

It was the winter of my junior year of high school when I saw him for the last time.