The Jealousy Bit (Part 2)

So, I told you all last time about Peter asking Claire to go on a date and the foolish way I conducted myself afterwards.  Well, here’s the promised details of the horrid date!

I rode my bike to the theater and met Marco out front at 4:00 yesterday afternoon.  We went to the dollar theater, which shows movies that have been out of the theater for a while for $1 or $2, depending on the time of the showing and if it’s in 2-D or 3-D.  We got tickets to see The Hobbit, and went inside and stood around the concession counter.  Marco bought us popcorn while I watched and waited to see Peter.  After a few moments, I saw Peter, Claire, Anthony, and Angela all walk in.  Anthony and Angela walked over and got in line for popcorn, so I turned away really quick, hoping neither of them saw me.

Marco and I stood around, me watching out the corner of my eye, until Peter and his group went into the theater and then we followed them.  I led the way to seats right behind Peter and Claire.

I’m not sure if he saw me, or if he felt me giving him one of those looks that could freeze oil, but he turned around and saw me.  We locked eyes, and then he noticed Marco.  He looked angrier than I had ever seen him.  Well, good.  He turned away from us, and I could see that he crossed his arms and looked pouty.  He kept glancing over his shoulder at me, and I would make a face at him.  I guess I did that one time too many, because Peter took Claire’s hand in his and looked over his shoulder at me with a smug look on his face.

I don’t know what came over me.  I felt like I had a fever, but only on the inside.  I grabbed a whole handful of popcorn and threw it at Claire and Peter as hard as I could.  Peter turned around and threw a handful of his popcorn right back at me, and Claire shouted, “You stop that right now, Wendy Stein!”  Well, we all got into a shouting and popcorn throwing match right there in the theater.  Anthony and Angela tried to get us to all stop the commotion, but we weren’t listening to them.  We weren’t even listening to each other… just all being mad and horrible.  I’m so ashamed to think back on it now.  Marco was so embarrassed that he tried to leave, but before he could, an usher came and asked us all to leave the theater.  Less than twenty minutes into the movie, and we were all thrown out and told that we were banned for the next month.

But as soon as we were out of the theater and onto the sidewalk outside, Claire shoved me as hard as she could and I fell onto the pavement.  “I hate you!” she shouted.  “You ruined everything because you were jealous that Peter wanted me instead of you!”  And the worst part of it was that she was right.  I knew she was.  This whole thing had been my fault.  I should have left well enough alone instead of butting into Peter’s date and trying to make things difficult for him.  Claire, who lived within walking distance of the theater, ran off in the direction of her house, as Peter helped me up.  Marco called his mom to come pick him up and walked as far away from us as he possibly could, and Anthony and Angela walked across the street to the frozen yogurt shop… probably more to get away from me and Peter than anything else.

As soon as we were alone, I tried to say that I was sorry, but before I could open my mouth, Peter started to speak.  “I don’t like you dating Marco,” he said quietly.  “Well, I don’t like you dating Claire,” I replied.  He smiled a little smile and said, “I didn’t like it either.”

I couldn’t help but feel a little better.  I should have known better than to really think Peter would want to go out with Claire.  We apologized to each other right then and agreed to apologize to both Claire and Marco.  We also agreed to pay them, Anthony, and Angela back for their tickets and popcorn, since it was our fault no one saw the movie.  We agreed then that we wouldn’t be dating anyone else.  We’re still not boyfriend and girlfriend and we're not dating, but our understanding has been slightly adjusted… I guess you’d call it an exclusive understanding.  But I made myself a solemn promise that I would never do anything that embarrassing and foolish over a boy again.  I used to make fun of my older sisters, and I now I feel like I’m turning into them!  And I’m not even a teenager yet!

The Jealousy Bit (Part 1)

Hello, readers!  I hope there are still a few of you out there.  I’ve had a lot of crazy stuff going on lately…

So, as you all know, I’m very… fond… of my friend Peter.  Yesss…. I like him.  A lot.  But he is not my boyfriend.  He likes me too, and we’ve told each other this, but we’re not like dating or anything.  We’re really just not ready for it.  But I guess even though I know he’s not my boyfriend, I sort of think of him as… mine.  I know that may be sort of petty, but I can’t help it!  We have an understanding, and it works well.  Or at least it did, up until recently.

Peter came to me the other afternoon and announced that he wanted to go on a date.  Immediately, I began to blush.  You see, I thought he was asking me on a date.  But he wasn’t.  He was informing me that he wanted to go on a date, so he had asked “a girl we know” to go to the movies with him.  He went on to say that he would have liked to go with me, but his parents said he couldn’t.  My feelings were kind of hurt… I thought his parents liked me.  So I was standing there in the middle of campus, right in front of the library at lunch, trying not to cry as this guy… my guy… tells me how his parents are making him date some other girl.  He said they were worried that he and I spend too much time together… that we’re more serious than we ought to be.  But it’s really not like that.  The most serious thing we’ve ever done is hold hands once or twice and hug.

When we hang out, we never call it “a date,” but he had specifically said he was taking this girl on a date.  It was a double date, actually.  His best friend Anthony and Angela, this girl that he likes, were going as well.  Peter didn’t want to tell me who he was going with, but I had to know.  I didn’t want to know… I had to.  It was twisting my stomach in knots to just stand there and wonder who he could be taking, but he wouldn’t say.  He just kept saying “it doesn’t matter.”  He even told me that I might take the chance to go out with some other boy.  But I didn’t want to go out with another boy.  All the other boys in our grade are smelly and rude.  They’re not like Peter.

By the time I went to my next class, I tried really hard to put Peter and his new girlfriend out of my mind, and I was able to, for the most part.  But when Claire and Marisol walked in the class, Claire was grinning from ear to ear.  They sat down right near me and I heard Claire brag to Marisol about her big plans.  She said she had a date to go to the movies.  She turned and looked right at me and asked, “Wendy, do you think Peter would like me better in my blue dress or my green jumper?  I want to look good for our date.”  My face turned beet red, and I had to move away from her.  I knew I’d say or do something to her and end up getting myself in trouble.  How could Peter take Claire Lozano, the meanest girl in our whole school… our whole city!… on a date?  It made no sense!  Claire has always liked Peter (more reason for her to hate me), but he’s never liked her.  She makes him nervous, but apparently not too nervous to date her.

I got to thinking about how Peter said I should go out with some other boy.  Maybe I’d do just that.  Two could play that game.  So when I went to marching band rehearsal the next period, I just worked up my courage and asked Marco Garza, another clarinet player, if he’d like to go out with me.  Maybe this was kind of mean… Marco is really nice, and I had heard from a few people that he had a crush on me.  I knew I was using him, but I didn’t care.  He said he’d go with me, and we made plans.  It was just a coincidence that I happened to pick the same theater, the same movie, and the same showing as Peter and Claire.  At least that was what I would say.

Anyways, I’m really ashamed to be a part of this, but it’s too late to pull out now.  Plus I just have to know what happens between Peter and Claire!  I’ll update you all with the gory details after the date!

Peter's Going Away Party

Yesterday everyone went over to Peter’s house for a little party in his honor.  He’s going to be gone to summer camp for six weeks and I miss him already.  Anyways, I had only been to Peter’s house once before the party because he lives way on the other side of town and has to be bused to school while all my other friends live more or less in walking distance.  I finally got to meet his mom, Dr. Beaumont, who is a respected veterinarian and I met Peter’s best friend Anthony.  


Actually, let me back up and tell you everyone who was at the party.  There was Peter (of course) and his sister Zuzu, Ashley and her sister Alice, Me, Quinn, Nicki, Taylor, Anthony, Zuzu’s best friend Angela, and Ryder and Max, a couple of Peter’s Boy Scout and 4-H friends from Shafter.


I’m not sure why, but I felt really shy when I arrived.  I mean, I used to be pretty shy but I’ve gotten better the last couple of years… but man, I felt like such a wallflower at the party.  I’m not like Nicki, who loves boys and couldn’t decide between Anthony, Ryder, and Max so she tried to flirt with all of them.  I’m not like Quinn, who can find common ground with anyone.  I’m not like Ashley, who can make anyone laugh.  I felt really inferior.


Zuzu, Angela, and Anthony stayed in one little group and the rest of my friends were in another little group.  Ryder and Max, who really only knew Peter and Anthony, stuck to themselves.  Nicki went around from boy to boy, and Peter tried to be a good host and went back and forth between all the groups.  And then there was me… and I didn’t feel like I fit in with any of the groups.


Peter didn’t seem to want to talk to me, and when he did, he seemed really annoyed with me.  Once he snapped at me because I offered him a brownie… once I said something and he actually sighed and rolled his eyes.  He was so unlike himself!  I’ve never seen him be rude to anyone… especially not to me…


So after a while, I went and sat on the porch swing out front.  A moment later, Ashley came out and sat next to me.  She seems to always know what’s wrong and what to do to help, because she just put her arm around my shoulder and didn’t say anything.   After a while, we both went back inside and I sat with Ashley and Zuzu while we ate dinner.


Before the night was over, Ashley was mad at Nicki for flirting with Anthony (who Ashley has a big crush on, though she’ll never admit it), Zuzu was mad at Quinn for making herself the center of attention (which she didn’t really do, but I didn’t want to get involved in that argument), and I was mad at Peter for being mad at me.


When everyone was ready to go home, I was the last to be picked up.  I had gotten a ride there from Ashley and Alice’s mom, but they were sleeping over with their cousins so I had to call my dad to come and get me to go home.  Once everyone but the Beaumonts and I were gone, I went and stood outside by myself.  A few minutes after I went out, Peter came and stood beside me.  I didn’t want to talk him… I didn’t even want to say goodbye, but there he was.


He was the first to break the silence.  “Did you have a good time tonight?”
I rolled my eyes to get him back for earlier.  “What do you think?”
“I didn’t think so,” he said quietly.  “I guess I should apologize for that.”
“Why were you so short with me?” I asked.
Peter shrugged.  “I guess I was just… I don’t know… annoyed.  I mean, out of everyone here, you were the only one I really wanted to talk to… and you acted like you didn’t want to be here.”
“I thought you were mad at me,” I said, sighing.  “I just felt sort of… out of place.”
“You’ll never be out of place here or anywhere else where I am.  I’m sorry I didn’t really make you feel like that earlier,” Peter said, blushing ever so slightly.
I smiled and looked away, suddenly too embarrassed to look him in the eye.  “I guess I could have tried harder to fit in.  I was just having a hard time because… I’m going to miss you…”
“I’m going to miss you, too,” he said.


Then he held my hand.  It was really nice.  I don’t know how long we stood there, hand in hand, but we stayed like that until we saw my dad driving up.  Then we both got embarrassed and let go really quickly.

Before I got in my dad’s car, Peter stopped me.  “Hey,” he began.  “My parents gave me this whole roll of stamps… and I was wondering if it would be okay if I wrote to you this summer.”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” I said.  As I turned around, Peter tapped me on the shoulder, took his lucky blue baseball cap off and handed it to me.
“I was sorta hoping you might keep that for me,” he said.  “I mean, I’m not gonna need it at ranch camp, so someone should get some use out of it.”
I smiled, put the hat on, and said, “Bye, Peter.”

So, Peter’s gone to camp and I’m still wearing his hat.  After all of this, I still don’t understand boys… but I guess it wouldn’t be so exciting and interesting if I did.

Leap Day!

Hello, blog friends!  First of all, let me thank you all for your advice on my last post (about my cousin Allie).  She's been feeling a lot better lately, and she says that she's pretty happy here even if she does miss her dad and her godmother.  My parents are going to let her go spend spring break in Germany with her godmother Frida and her dad is trying to arrange it so he'll be able to spend some time with her.  We're all hoping for the best!

Anyways, today is leap day, and although it's not really a holiday, it's a pretty cool day, I think.  So my parents gave me and Allie permission to each have a couple of friends over, but the whole thing got a bit out of hand.

The album where you can find out what happened is here.  Comments are always appreciated.  =)

The Winter Dance

Hello, friends! I've sure missed talking to you all. I have something to tell you about. =)

Sometime last week, I was walking home from school with my friend Peter. He usually has to take the bus because he lives clear on the other side of town, but this day he was going to his cousin (and my friend) Ashley's house. Ashley and Nicki left us alone to walk together... which was embarrassing, but nice at the same time... if that makes any sense.

When we were close to my house, Peter finally started to tell me about this dance that he had to go to. You see, Peter's dad was permanently disabled a few years ago, so he stays home and takes care of Peter and his sister and the house. And he's really involved with charities and community affairs, so he kind of planned this dance at the youth center. And since Peter had to go, he thought I might like to go with him.

It felt sort of weird. I mean, Peter stressed the fact that it's not a date and I agreed to that, but I had never been to a dance like that, and certainly never with a boy. But Peter is my friend... and I like him. I mean, I'm not ready for a boyfriend obviously, but Peter is also sort of more than a friend. Don't tell anyone about this, but he's told me that he likes me, but he's not ready for a girlfriend. It's sort of hard to explain, but I guess you could say he and I have an understanding. So, with all that considered, and considering the fact that the dance did sound like fun, I had to say yes.

But that didn't stop me from being nervous all this week. But I didn't really have any reason to worry.

The dance was on Friday. Peter and his dad picked me up that afternoon early, since his dad had to be there to set up. We couldn't get out of the house without my mom taking a picture.

So we went to the dance and helped Peter's dad and the other committee members set up. Some of the committee members had kids there as well, and we spent a lot of time talking to them and goofing off when the adults weren't looking. When the dance finally started, Peter and I spent a lot of time talking to each other and other kids, eating cookies, drinking punch, and enjoying the music. Neither of us likes to dance much, so we only danced twice. One song was fast, so that was easy. The other was slow.

Okay, I'll admit it... I was extremely embarrasses when he put his hands on my waist. I think he was too, because he was blushing a little. I thought he might feel weird dancing with me like that since I'm taller than him, but he seemed okay with it. He told me he was having a wonderful time and that he was glad he invited me. I told him I was glad I came, too.

When he and his dad took me home, he walked me to my door like a gentleman. And right before he left, he told me that I was the prettiest girl at the dance. I blushed so hard, I think my cheeks are still hot! When I went inside, I called Quinn and we talked about everything that happened in detail for over an hour. I'm so glad I have a best friend!

So, that's what happened between me and a boy who is not my boyfriend on an evening that was not a date. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was really and truly wonderful.