I thought for sure that Ruthie would hate me after that incident in the hallway. I couldn't eat dinner that evening because I lost my appetite thinking about what a dork I was. After all, it was my fault that she was given such an unflattering nickname as "Monkey Lover". That night I couldn't fall asleep because I kept thinking about how much she was going to hate me for doing that to her. Then I woke up the next morning with my stomach in knots because I was so worried about seeing her in school.
But an amazing thing happened. She didn't seem to care. For days afterward people still called her "Monkey Lover," but she just ignored them.
She didn't ignore me though. We started waving and smiling at each other whenever we passed in the school halls, the way we had done back in the sixth grade. Only more romantic this time, I think.
It was so amazing. I knew a lame-o blabbermouth like me didn't deserve her attention, but for whatever reason she really seemed to like me. Could it be that I had actually impressed Ruthie when I stood up to the mean girl? I mean, I had thought I was being so lame at the time. But Ruthie hadn't paid me much attention before then, and now she was waving and smiling at me at least three times a day.
Every time she smiled, my feelings drove me crazy. I wanted her so badly; I knew I had to make my move. So I took a deep breath and walked up to her at her locker one day and gave her my phone number. She smiled, took a notebook and pen out of her backpack, wrote down hers, and gave it to me.
Confirmation, she liked me too. My heart felt like it was leaping out of my chest. I knew I was the luckiest kid on earth.
***
We talked on the phone a few times over the next couple weeks. I could have spent hours talking to her. Everything she said was so fascinating. Like, one day she told me about how her father was really sick and had to go to the hospital for heart surgery, and she was so mad at him because he had lied to her about being sick before he went. It was amazing; the first deep conversation I had ever had with a girl. Except I didn't really do any of the talking, but that was okay. Instead I just listened. Girlfriends like that, I think.
The more we talked, the more I got into her. It was like, every time we talked she stole another little piece of my heart that I knew I would never get back unless I saw her. I just wanted to touch her and hold her so badly, and maybe even kiss her again, because if I did then maybe I could get my heart back from her.
God that sounded so lame. What was this girl doing to me?
***
Like I said before, junior high is strange. Out of the blue, the mean girl who called Ruthie "Monkey Lover" approached me in school one day and asked me to go to a party with her. I was like, "Huh?" I mean, had I not made an ass of myself in front of her when I was trying to stick up for Ruthie?
At first I thought maybe she was trying to play a mean prank on me the way Kim and her boyfriend had done to Ruthie. Then I thought maybe she still hated Ruthie and was just trying to steal me away from her or something. Or maybe she just liked me. I don't know. Apparently, I know nothing about what girls are thinking. Anyway, I told her I was "Kind of seeing someone."
She was like, "So what? It's not like you're married or something."
I really didn't want to do anything to mess up my chances with Ruthie, but I didn't want to make this girl mad either. If she had gone around telling the rest of the school Ruthie was a monkey lover, there was no predicting what she would tell everyone about me if I turned her down. So I just said, "Um, I'll think about it," and walked away as fast as my legs could carry me.
***
That same afternoon I heard on the junior high grapevine that Ruthie might like this new kid, Petey, who had moved in right down the street from her. I could feel my blood begin to boil as soon as I heard those words. That's when I knew it was time to step up my efforts to make Ruthie mine.
My insides were twisting. I knew I loved Ruthie with all my heart, but I didn't know how to turn the other girl down. Still, I couldn't hesitate, or this Petey kid might step in and steal Ruthie away from me. So I did what Ruthie would have done. I came up with a plan.
***
After school that day I called Ruthie and tried to convince her to let me come over and see her. My plan was to tell her, face to face, that I wanted to be with her and no one else. You know, to be exclusive. But Ruthie said her friend Yasmin was there and they were busy. Then she hung up on me.
I started freaking out. I mean, I started hyperventilating and my palms got sweaty and my stomach felt like it was in a blender. I knew I had to see her right away. I couldn't take no for an answer.
So I washed my face and drank a cup of water to calm down. Then I asked Maria if she would take me over to the Camdens' house. Again she agreed because she hoped she might see Simon. I didn't bother to tell her to just give up on him already, because I really needed the ride.
***
Yasmin answered the door but when Ruthie found out it was me she stepped into the hallway to greet me. And when I finally saw her she looked…oh my God. She looked incredible. She had all this makeup on and her hair was up and she just looked so…I don't know…mature and beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. Words cannot do justice to the way she looked.
I couldn't help but blurt out, "Wow! You look like you're eighteen or something!" Fortunately, she took it as a compliment.
Yasmin left – I had forgotten she was even there – and then Ruthie tried to get me to leave too because she was babysitting her little brothers. I lied though and told her my sister wouldn't be back to pick me up for another half hour. Then I did it. I took a deep breath and let all those words that had been spinning around in my gut finally come up. I told her I wanted us to be exclusive.
She kind of brushed me off by saying that she wasn't really seeing anyone else, so it didn't matter. But then I told her about the mean girl – I realized I didn't even know her name – asking me to go to the party with her. I told Ruthie that if the two of us weren't exclusive, then I really didn't have any reason to turn the girl down.
I looked in her eyes, but I couldn't tell if she was buying it or not. She didn't answer or give me a sign either. Instead she just led me into the living room, where we had made out on the couch once before. Then she turned on the radio to some slow song station and started to dance with me.
Wow. It was like our relationship was coming full-circle, back to the time we had first met dancing at the Valentine's party. It was so romantic! And finally, I was touching her again, smelling her, moving with her, seeing her close up, her beautiful hair and eyes and skin. I knew right then that being exclusive with her was not a mistake. I knew that I loved everything about her!
The dance came to a crashing halt when her mom arrived at the house and caught us. Boy was she unhappy! But Ruthie explained to her that we were dancing to seal the deal on our exclusivity agreement. Yes! She was mine!
Of course, I had to leave right then before her Mom blew a gasket. But that afternoon I left the Camden house the happiest boy in the world. Finally, my deepest wish had come true. Only it was better: Ruthie hadn't simply given me my heart back. She had given me her own instead.
END PART ONE