This is a Love Story - Part 1

If I were to make a list of everything crazy that happened my junior year of high school, well, let's just say it'd be a never ending page of bullet points and incomplete sentences. Because that's what it takes to tell this story - a novel. But since I know most people don't have that long of an attention span, we'll just begin from where it all started.

That's right. No long intro, no three chapter long biography on me, we'll just get straight into it. Because honestly, the story itself is pretty damn self explanatory.

***

"Hey, are you listening?" I jumped at the loud and clearly annoyed voice to the left of me. I could never understand why it was always me falling into the dark abyss of day dreaming, especially during school hours.

Looking up from the book I wasn't even paying attention to, I turned to be met with a pair of blue eyes, cold and mean. "C'mon, that book can't be that interesting." He said bitterly. I was dazed and a little bit confused, until I realized who he was.

I didn't know him personally, but practically everyone at this school knew of him. His name was Dasher Jackson, and he was always getting into trouble, whether or not it was with a teacher, or the law.

Even though they'd never admit it, quite a lot of students admired him in one way or another. There were boys who wished to be as tough as him, maybe even tougher. And the girls, who would never be caught dead saying this, swooned over his good looks, secretly wanting to date him.

How did I know this? Because I was what you'd call an "observer" or "fly on the wall". The girl in the corner who listened in on what others were saying, knew almost everyone's secrets and gossip, but kept quiet about it. It was no surprise that I knew who Dasher was.

"Um... sorry." Was what I could manage. I was a bit clueless as to why he was talking to me, so I started to ask for his purpose. "What are you-"

"Mr. Rugby said we had to pair up with the opposite gender for the sexism survey. Every other girl already had a partner and you were the only one left. Though I see why, considering you ignored me when I came here." I stared at him, my lips slightly parted. His straight forward attitude came off a bit rude and more than unwelcoming.

I admit, it threw me off a little. I had never met anyone who didn't seem to care about how their harsh words would affect others.

"Oh. I was just a little side tracked. I'm sorry I didn't hear you." Of course, I shouldn't have been the one apologizing, but his presence slightly intimidated me, so I decided it was best not to be the brat of the situation.

"Whatever," He huffed, running a hand through his almost black hair and handing me a sheet of paper. "Lets just get this over with." I took a moment, blinking twice before gathering myself and finally asking the first question on the worksheet.

I cleared my throat. "Question one: 'Are you male or female?'"  He gave me a look as if I were the dumbest person in the entire stratosphere. Realizing why, I muttered, "Oh, right." He just rolled his cerulean eyes. It was visibly obvious he wasn't enjoying this.

"'How much gender equality would you say is in the world right now?'"

"A crap load." Was his answer. I strongly disagreed, but seeing as he wasn't going to get any more serious than that, I scribbled on my paper and continued.

"'Males are stronger both mentally and physically. Do you agree?'"

"Sure." He shrugged.

"It's a yes or no answer." I felt like he was testing my patience, and I'm certain I was starting to aggravate him. He merely looked at me.

"Just put what you think I'd say."

"I need a genuine opinion. This is a survey after all, and I'm sure Mr. Rugby-"

"I don't recall the last time I gave more than zero shits about Mr. Rugby or any of this. Girls are weak. They can't do anything for themselves. There's my opinion, end of story." His voice was hard and cruel, it made me flinch.

I probably shouldn't have, considering how upset he was getting, and I knew exactly what he was capable of when he was mad, but I still felt the need to counter part his so-called "opinion".

"Well, that's an invalid argument." He was shooting daggers at me by this point.

"What?" The word rolled off of his tongue like venom.

"I-I mean..." Now was one of those times I wished I had a zipper to keep my mouth shut. Though I figured there really was nothing to lose, so I went on. "I agree, not all females are as physically strong as the male build, but we do have our strong points. Such as emotional control." I paused, expecting him to say something, but he stayed silent. 

I chose my words carefully. "You see, girls put up with way more hormonal stress than boys ever will. There's the menstrual cycle, menopause, and labor. Sure, we may break at the seams and have our break downs every once in a while, but when it all comes down to it, we suffer more pain, both physically and mentally in a month than you males ever would in a year. Plus, females are just genuinely seen as the more intelligent of the genders." I couldn't have explained it any nicer.

"So what? You're calling me stupid?" Or maybe I could have.

"Huh? Oh, no! That's not what I meant. I'm not saying boys are stupid or unintelligent, just that girls are more, err... knowledgeable I guess, that's all. Besides, there's nothing wrong with stupidity or ignorance. It makes it a more challenging way to learn which is a good thing in some cases, I'm sure you'd understand-" I bit my lip, mentally slapping myself and wishing I had just stopped talking.

He blinked at me, before standing up so fast, he nearly knocked the chair over. He couldn't have looked more angry. "I'm done." He said simply, and stomped towards the exit of the classroom. I watched as Mr. Rugby reprimanded him. "Mr. Jackson, just where do you think you're going?" The boy didn't even turn.

"Anywhere but here." He snapped. Yup. He was definitely angry.

"I'm afraid you can't just leave whenever you-" Slam! He was already gone. Mr. Rugby sighed, as if this had happened way too many times. I was shocked. Did he seriously just storm off? Was what I said that bad? The class didn't even seem to be phased by his obnoxious behavior.

I sat there, hand to my forehead, cursing under my breath. God made a huge mistake by giving me a mouth. I couldn't keep it shut, and now Dasher Jackson hated my guts.

Great.

I feel like I haven't written anything in ages. Oh, wait, I know why. BECAUSE I HAVEN'T! :D I know, I know. It's short, and it's a poor excuse to make up for all the writing I've been skipping, but hey, it's something!

-SARAHJO