One hot summer day, I was walking down Maple Drive on my way to the pool.  It was blazing hot outside and it felt like 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  My friends and I ( Shonny, Lani, Tonia, Ivory, Nay, Shannon, Ally and others…)  were all texting each other, talking about how we were gonna meet up at the pool.  As Adaisha, Nay and I finally reach the pool; we put our stuff in our lockers and run to the cool blue refreshing pool and dove in.  As my friends and I walked around I spotted a handsome young boy.  He was light skinned, tall, and fine.  He had hazel eyes and was such a gentleman.  As he walked past me he smiled and said hi!  I replied “Hi!” smiling back extremely hard.  He walked away and went back to his booth.  “He’s a lifeguard!” I thought out loud with everyone’s eyes on me now.  I thought to myself “What could I do for him to notice me?”

So I ran to the pool and dove in with a big SPLASH! I went under the water (holding my breath) and didn’t come up for like 30 seconds.  All of a sudden I screamed at the top of my lungs “HELP!” Then I went back under the water.  Everyone gasped and turned their heads.  He jumped from his chair and dove into the water coming to save me.  I thought to myself, “Look at him coming to save me, looking good with water dripping down his 6-pack.”  He came and scooped me up out of the water asking me if I was O.K.  I thought, “Maybe I should act like I’m passed out, so he can do mouth to mouth.”  But I didn’t.  That would be going too far and my mother would kill me if she found out. I just replied, “I’m fine. Thanks for saving me in time.”

“No problem,” he said, “anything for a pretty girl like you.” I blushed and turned my head.  My friends looked at me laughing and shaking their heads.  I just stuck out my tongue.  He carried me back to the grass and told me to take it easy and sit for a while.  So that’s what I did.

Meanwhile my friends came over to talk to me.  They asked me why I did it. Did I like him? Did I think he was cute?

“If you don’t want him, can I have him?” Lani said.  I looked at her with no type of smirk, smile or grin on my face.  Everyone looked at her and turned their heads. 

I answered out of love.  “Yes, yes and no!” They laughed.

The pool would be closing in five minutes, so we were on our way to leave.  As we walked out I told them I was in love and they laughed.  I didn’t find it funny because I was serious.  I was furious and red with envy from anger.  I stood by the wall and thought, “You could never fall in love.”

After we left the pool we all met up at my house and got ready to go to roller skating.  After we got dressed, Lani’s mother dropped us off at the rink.  When we got there we saw lifeguard boy and that was my chance to ask him to dance with me.

After about five minutes, he came up to me and asked me to roller skate with him.  I blushed and said “yes!” excitedly.  It was so romantic.  Us gliding together, feeling we were floating on air, it was like love at first sight.

After couples’ skate was over my friends and I all skated together and he went to the food court.  I followed him.  He got food and sat down at the table and I sat with him.  We conversed for a while and I looked into his beautiful, bright hazel eyes. Finally, I asked him what his name was and he said, “Quameer, but you can call me Q.” I told him my name was Amanique…“but you can call me Menique.” He smiled.

“You remind me a lot of my girlfriend.” I paused in great shock, wondering if I heard right. 

“Can you repeat that again?”

“You remind me of my girlfriend.” I looked at him very upset.

“Are you serious?” I whispered. “Thank you for your time and have a nice day,” I said walking away and thinking about turning around and throwing my ice cold slushy down his back, but I decided he wasn’t worth it.  All my homies ran up to me asking me if I tried to holla at him and did he try to holla, and were we dating. I looked at them in shame turning away, shuffling my feet down the rink.

“He has a girlfriend,” I whispered.  They all gasped in great shock. 

“Are you serious?” Nay asked.

“Wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t,” I replied softly.

“Don’t feel bad girl,” said Ally trying to comfort me

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that Nique,” said Lani, “but can I have him?” We all looked at her, rolled our eyes and skated away.

“I guess you can never fall in love with someone without knowing about them first,” I said softly.

As we got ready to go he ran up to me and stopped me in my tracks telling me he was sorry.  I didn’t wanna listen, but I did.  He asked if we could be friends and I said, “Yes!” while giving him my cell number.

Amanique, Age 12, Albany Charter Preparatory