THE SUMMER (JULY)

I remembered kicking and chanting, throwing my pom-poms into the air along with all the other cheerleaders on the sidelines to basketball games. Getting hoisted into

the air, the wind whipping through my perfectly-straightened hair and landing into safe arms and striking a pose.

"Go Team, go! Go Team, go!" I chanted along with the other cheerleaders, clapping and squealing as our team scored another point.

Other girls stared at me in jealousy, knowing that my perfectly-curved 7th grade body would only grow and improve over time. Knowing that I had the perfect friends, the perfect family, the perfect body, the perfect life. And at the time, I did. Dad was still around. Sure, he and Mom got a divorce, but he was still around. Graham was a bubbly 2-year-old tht my mom could brag about to all her friends. Ben wasn't always in jail or hanging out with his criminal friends.

Alex was still bossy as ever, but lately I had seemed to please her to she stayed off my back. Christine had laid off stalking me and Alex, and Danny was captain of the basketball team. Everything was absolutely perfect.

I remembered that Ben was in wrestling that year and Mom, Graham, and I were at one of his meets. I had my cell phone clapsed in my hand, awaiting a text from Alex, and scanning the crowd for my brother.

"Where is Ben? His match is up soon!" Mom cried, bouncing a gigging Graham on her hip and I shrugged.

"I don't know." I glanced over behind the bleachers and saw a guy-Reese Wilkerson-in wrestling gear, with some kid in a headlock.

Reese looked up all of a sudden and we just stared at each other for a long time. It wasn't one of those weird, awkward silences but more like we were trying to figure each other out. Like we knew each other's names and reputations, because we went to the same school, but we were trying to really get to know each other just by a single look.

"Hey, Reese, you'd better get ready! You're up!" his coach called and we both glanced his way.

"It's my match," Reese said, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Like I didn't already know that.

"I'll be watching," I replied, smirking. "Don't disappoint me."

Reese threw the nerd in the headlock onto the ground and marched out onto the wrestling mat.

"I think he likes you," the nerd said as he scrambled to his feet. I glared down at him.

"Shut up!"

"Oh My God!" my mom cried, breaking my attention from the nerd, to her. "They're gonna make him fight a girl? They'd better not do that to Ben or there will be hell to pay!"

And sure enough, when I looked over, Reese was sparring with a tall, blonde girl. I expected him to beat her down without a sweat-him being the school bully and all-but she had him flopping all over the mat like a rag doll.

While the girl was running around the mat collecting her applause, and Reese was laying defeated on the ground, he looked over at me as if I, and I alone, could make his embarrassment disappear.

I sighed and climbed down the bleachers, making my way over to him on the mat, sliding my phone into my pocket. I extended my hand and he took it, hoisting himself to his feet.

"I thought you said you weren't gonna disappoint me. That looked pretty disappointing to me," I stated with a smile, but instead of smiling back, Reese ducked his head down and high-tailed it out of there as the next match started. Ben's match.

"Oh man, did you hear about Reese's wrestling match last night?" Danny asked me and Alex over lunch the next day.

"Yeah! I heard he got his ass kicked by a girl!" Alex cried, laughing. "Hey, Maria, isn't Ben in wrestling?"

"Yeah. I was there," I said and drank out of my water bottle.

"Oh My God, really? You actually saw it?" Danny cried.

"Yeah."

"Was it as hilarious as everyone is saying it was?" I shrugged.

"I don't know. I actually fely kind of bad for him." Alex and Danny just stared at me.

"Hey, you guys! Take cover!" Christine cried, running up to us and out of breath.

"What? Why?" Alex asked.

"Look!" she yelled and pointed at the playground. Reese had a food stai all over his shirt, an empty food tray, and a small 6th grader standing in front of him,

looking terrified It's not too hard to figure out what happened.

"Shit," Danny murmured and the whole playground went silent as they stared atthe scene laying out before them.

"YOU WANT SOMETHING TO LOOK AT? I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO LOOK AT!" Reese screamed, throwing his food tray onto the ground and jumping onto a picnic table. He picked up two chocolate milk cartons and drenched himself with them while everyone stared in awe, with their jaws hanging open.

"Oh My God, what a freak!" Alex scoffed after Reese had stomped away, covered from head to toe in chocolate milk.

"He's just embarrassed," I murmured, staring down atmy hands.

"Why do you care?" Alex snapped and I felt myself get red.

"I don't. I-I was just saying.

After that day, Reese stopped being the school bully and everyone was happier. The boys stopped getting beat up and the girls stopped getting their pigtails pulled.

Everyone was so much happier.

Except for me.

I had wanted Reese to change in the first grade when he pulled my hair every single day. I had wanted Reese to change when he beat up my brother for a year. I had

wanted Reese to change when he gave Danny wedgies all through elementary school. I had always wanted him to change. But now that he had...I wanted the old Reese back.

Ever since that day-that moment-at the wrestling match, my attitude towards Reese had changed I felt like there was so much more to him than just a bully and I wanted to find out who he was.

I didn't know why I cared so much about him. Probably because there was so much more to me than just a cheerleader, and I wanted someone to figure that out. To notice, to care, to give a damn! Someone to care enough to try to get to know the real me. So I guess he and I were sort of on the same page.

Sort of.

I was walking across the playground with my paper bag lunch, scanning for Alex or Danny when I saw Reese sitting alone. He glanced over in my direction and when our eyes met, he smiled and waved me over.

I hesisated, but then quickly made my way over to him and sat down.

"Hey, Reese," I said.

"Hey. And my name isn't Reese anymore."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know, but it isn't Reese. Brother Billy gave me a new name."

"Brother Billy?"

"Yeah. He's got a lot to say and he makes me feel good. Here," he said, digging through his backpack and then handed me a pamphlet.

"Umm...thanks, Reese," I replied, putting the pamphlet down next to me, by my lunch. "I mean...whatever your name is."

Then, out of the blue, he leaned over and kissed me. And it was a loooooong kiss, too. When he leaned back, I was breathless.

"Oh wow, Reese," I gasped, smiling.

"Hey, I already told you! My name isn't Reese anymore."

"Well, I need to know what to call you," I said, sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just liked the old you better, that's all," I admitted and surprised myself by being so honest. Why was it so easy to be myself with Reese when I insisted on hiding from everyone I cared about?

"But why? I was a jerk!"

"Yeah, but that was you. Not some fake you who turned pussy because he got beat up by a girl," I said and grabbed up my stuff before walking away.

"Oh My God! Did I just see you kiss Reese Wilkerson?" Christine cried. I opened my mouth to deny it but then I looked over and saw Alex smiling and kissing her football player boyfriend, and then glanced back at Reese, who was now talking to Malcolm.

"Yeah. Yeah, you did," I said, smiling and Christine gasped before turning around and racing across the playground. The news would without a doubt be heard by everyone by the end of the day.

"Hey! Watch out!" someone yelled and I jumped out of the way as two kids came rolling in front of me. I looked around and saw a battlefield: the whole school was in anarchy.

Kids beating up other kids, blood and tears being shed everywhere you looked. It was a complete madhouse.

"This is my favorite part," Reese interrupted me. We were lying on the roof of his parents' car with a blanket, and I had my head on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Mine, too," I said, smiling up at him. "I love this story."

"Yeah, me too. It's gonna be a great story to tell our kids." I smiled up at him.

"Kids?"

"Yeah. You like kids, don't you?"

"I love kids. I'm just surprised you do."

"I don't. But I bet I'll love our kids."

"AWW! You are so sweet" I moaned and then leaned up to kiss him. When I leaned back, I sighed.

"What's the matter?"

"Things don't have to change between us now that we're having sex, do they? I asked, but Reese just stared at me.

"What do you mean?

"I'm just saying that sex changes things. Mostly in a bad way. And I don't want that to happen to us."

"We'll be fi-" Reese started, but was interrupted by the sound of a car screeching to a stop in front of the driveway and the blaring of a horn.

"Who the hell is that?" Reese asked, trying to peer through the darkness.

"Oh My God! That's my mom!" I cried.

"MARIA GONZALEZ, IS THAT YOU?" my mom screamed. "YOU GET IN THE CAR THIS INSTANT!"

"How did she know?" I cried as Hal, Lois, Malcolm, and Dewey came running outside.

"MARIA, I AM TALKING TO YOU!" she screeched and I could feel tears welling up.

"Reese, she's never gonna let me see you again," I whimpered and burid my tear-stained face in his neck.

"Maria...Maria, please don't cry!" he begged as Mom blared the horn again.

"But I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too-" Reese started and then said, "Hey, look." I turned around and saw Lois marching up to my mom's car with a look that could kill.

TO BE CONTINUED...

~if you love someone, tell them. because hearts are often spoken by words that are left unspoken.~