Her first taste of love

“Mom, I’m going to the library for a bit!”

“Okay! Don’t stay out too late and remember to not check out so many books this time.”

“I won’t mom. Bye!”

Every day is the same, I go to school and after school I go to the library to read and check out books. Oh, I should introduce myself first; my name is Megan Greene and I am somewhat of a nerd. I enjoy reading books of all types; from basic fiction, to Manga, and even comic books. I even play the occasional video games and write my own stories when I don’t feel like reading. I am currently a Sophomore in high school that makes A’s and B’s with the occasional C if I am having trouble in that class. I don’t participate in any extracurricular activities because that is just not my thing and I don’t have any friends because I keep to myself all the time.

“Hey Brandy.”

“Hey Megan, going to your usual section?”

“You know it.”

“Alright, enjoy your reading. If you need help you know where to find me.”

“I will, thank you.”

When I arrive at the library, I always go to the section of Manga first to see if they have anything new. Unlike most libraries, this one always has new books for me to read regardless of the section I go to. Nobody goes to this section anymore because a lot of people have drifted away from the whole Manga and Anime scene now. On occasions I do my homework or study because it is a very quiet place and I always sit at the same table only because of the better lighting and away from distractions.

“Let’s see what the new releases are.”

“Excuse me, there is a book I need right above you.”

I turned around to see who was talking to me and I was surprised to see it was the popular guy from school. I never pegged him to like Manga let alone come to a library of all places.

“Oh, I’m sorry let me move out of your way.”

“I’m Jackson by the way. Jackson Higgins. I’m in your math and history class.”

“The one that is always goofing off with his buddies and bothers me when I am concentrating?”

“Yeah…sorry about that. I make straight A’s, so I never have to worry about failing. All of the classes come easy to me.”

“I never pegged you to be interested in Manga considering how popular you are.”

“I have been a fan ever since I was a little kid. I am also a fan of Anime of all types. What about you?”

“I am also a fan of Anime and as you can see, Manga as well. I’m going to grab this book and get out of your hair.”

“Wait! When do you gotta be home? Maybe we can sit, and chat some more and maybe get to know each other better. That is, if you want to.”

“Sure.”

We sat there doing more talking than reading and that was a first for me. I hardly ever talk to anyone, but he was so easy to talk to and we have so much in common. From Manga and Anime, to video games and comics. We even like the same variety of music and that was a surprise for me. We talked for hours and we even exchanged numbers. I had one more book to find before I was going to leave.

“I really enjoyed talking to you, but it’s getting late and I have one more book to find before I leave. I will see you in school tomorrow.”

“I could wait for you and walk you home. Where do you live?”

“Just pass the bus station on 7^th street. That is probably out of your way and I don’t mind walking home alone. I do this sort of thing every day.”

“Really? I live on the same street. It will be no trouble at all. And I promise I am harmless, so I won’t do anything to you on the way home.”

“Alright. It will just take me a minute.”

As I searched for the book, I kept looking in his direction thinking, “Why me? I’m not popular or anyone special.” The more I looked at him, the more I realized just how handsome he was. I was getting distracted from looking for my book until Brandy snuck up on me.

“Hey Megan, who’s the cutie?”

“Ah! Jesus Brandy don’t sneak up on me like that. He is just a guy that goes to the same school as me.”

Brandy got this look in her eyes and I knew what that look meant.

“No Brandy, it isn’t like that. We never spoke to each other until now and he will never be interested in me.”

“Awe why not? Judging from the long conversation you had, I would say he is definitely interested in you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her statement. I eventually found the book I was looking for and said my goodbye to Brandy for the night. As I was leaving, I realized Jackson was nowhere to be found and honestly, it kinda bummed me out a bit. I made my way outside and sure enough, he was waiting there for me. I was surprised and suspicious at the same time mainly because, this is a popular guy and he is willing to hang out with a nerd that keeps to herself. As we started walking home, I had to ask what was on my mind.

“Hey, why exactly are you doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean, is you are hanging out with me and talking to me. We have gone to the same school for one year and there hasn’t been a thing from you. You would come to class, laugh and joke with all your buddies, distract me, and not once did you say “Hi” or even look my way. So why now?”

After I asked him, he seemed quite shocked that I would have the nerve to say anything like that. To tell you the truth, I was very nervous to ask him, but I had to if I wanted to know the truth. He stopped walking for a moment before saying,

“Do you want the truth?”

I nodded in response.

“To tell you the truth, I have always wanted to talk to you since you arrived at my school, and even though I didn’t look in your direction when you were looking, I looked at you every time you walked away. I didn’t want my friends to start bugging you if they found out that I am interested in you. I know you liked being left alone and I wanted to respect that. When I found out that you came to the library every day, I had to gather up the courage to approach you. I promise, I am not doing any of this just to humiliate you down the road or as a bet from my friends. This is genuine and I want to get to know you better.”

His face was all red after saying all of that and I found that cute. I couldn’t help but blush a little myself. It took me a few minutes to process everything and it was making him a little nervous. I couldn’t help but look at him for a bit longer. I almost felt attracted to him, but I knew that was never going to happen, so I just kept that little tidbit to myself.

“That was a lot to process for me. You really mean all of that though?”

“Yes. I mean every word.”

“Well, shall we continue our way home? My mom will worry if I’m out too late.”

He looked at me with a smile.

“Sure.”

We walked, and we talked about everything there possibly was to talk about. Usually I have a hard time keeping a conversation with people, but with him, it was easy.

“So how long have you lived in the neighborhood?” he asked me.

“Since I was a little girl. After my parents split, my mom decided to live somewhere new for a change.”

“I’m sorry about your parents.”

“Don’t be. My dad wasn’t always there for us since the beginning and when my mom found out he was cheating on her, she decided to make the big step for both of us. How long have you been here?”

“My whole life. I never knew you lived in the same neighborhood though. We could’ve been friends from the beginning, but I never knew it.”

Jackson almost looked sad after his statement. I don’t know why he would be that sad over it; I mean come on I’m just me and he is more than that. I lightly punched him in the arm to cheer him up and he ended up laughing. It made me feel good that I can make someone feel better without trying.

“Cheer up. It’s not your fault. Besides, we can become friends now if you want.”

I was shocked at what I just said, and he smiled so wide, even the Cheshire cat would be jealous.

“Sounds good. Don’t back out of it now.”

We both looked at each other and laughed so hard I actually fell over.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I don’t remember laughing that hard in my life.”

As we made our way to the front of my house, we stood there for a moment as if to contemplate what should happen next. After a moment of silence, he asked me,

“Want to trade numbers?”

“Sure.”

“Great! I’ll text you later then okay?”

“Alright, go home.”

As I stepped inside and shut the door, I sat down for a moment to process the whole night. I started out going to the library to get some books, to walking home with the popular guy from school. How did one night get so eventful?

“Mom, I’m home!”

“I’m in here sweetie! So, what books did you get?”

When she turned to look at me, she noticed I only had two books in my arms. She looked surprised and suspicious.

“Only two books? What happened to your usual stack of books you bring home regardless of what I tell you?”

I stood there for a moment wondering how I should tell her about my night. Then, I decided to tell her nothing but the whole truth.

“Well mom, do you know a Jackson Higgins?”

“Yes. He lives right down the road. I go shopping with his mom sometimes while you are at school. Why?”

“He approached me at the library, and we got to talking.”

I told my mom the whole story of my night and after I was done, she had the same grin on her face that Jackson did earlier.

“My daughter, spent her time out with a boy? I am so proud of you! I was starting to worry that you would not have any friends whatsoever.”

“Mom! That was kind of rude. I just keep to myself that’s all.”

“Well, you certainly didn’t keep to yourself tonight, now did you?”

“No…and I guess that’s a good thing. I just find it strange that he wants to get to know me better and how interested he is in me.”

“Well dear, it will only get better from here. Trust me on this and don’t doubt yourself. If you start having doubts about yall’s friendship, you know to come to me, and I will give you the best advice I can.”

Hearing those words from my mom really meant a lot to me. I know she means well, and she supports me in anything that I do. I just hope I don’t mess this up between Jackson and me.

After I told my mother goodnight, I made my way to my room to get ready for bed. My phone was on the nightstand and I noticed it had not gone off since I got home. I shrugged it off because I figured he forgot, and we will go back to the days of not talking to each other. I laid in my bed and as soon as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone buzzed. I reached for my phone to look and it was a text message from Jackson.

“Hey, you asleep?”

“Not yet, why?”

“It was fun talking to you tonight and getting to know you better. I’m pretty sure you told your mom, so what did she have to say about it?”

“She actually felt happy for me because now she doesn’t have to worry so much about me. Now that I have made a friend (hopefully it lasts) lol.”

“You don’t have to worry about that Megan. I won’t be embarrassed to be around you in front of my friends and you don’t have to worry about losing me as a friend.”

I blushed a little at his text message, but he will never know that ha-ha.

“I do appreciate that. Oh, by the way, what took you so long anyways? I had a long talk with my mom, and I heard nothing from you until I’m almost asleep.”

It was too long before he replied,

“I’m really sorry Meg, I had to do some stuff for my mom and I just now got the time for my phone. You’re not too mad at me…are you?”

“No, you silly! I was just giving you a hard time. I didn’t mean to make you upset Jackson.”

“It’s okay. I’m not upset, I just didn’t mean to take so long in texting you. I’m glad you’re not mad at me.”

We texted each other for a while until I realized I had a test at school tomorrow. We told each other goodnight and I immediately fell asleep. After I woke up, I got dressed and made my way out the door. As soon as I got out the door, Jackson was waiting for me.

“Good morning Meg.”

“Good morning Jackson, you didn’t have to wait for me you know. You could’ve gone on to school to hang with your buddies.”

“I know, but I wanted to wait for you. Are you ready for that test today in math class?”

“Yeah. I studied for it yesterday before I went to the library. Are you?”

“I’m always ready for tests. They are a piece of cake for me.”

We went on to our separate classes and my day went by as usual. When it was time for math, Jackson stepped in and I could notice a different aura about him. We wished each other good luck on the test, and I got down to business. As soon as class was over, he made his way to me and left his friends.

“How did you do on the test?”

“I think I did pretty well from all of the studying. How about you?”

“I nailed it for sure. It was too easy for me.”

We went on our school day like normal and I was still surprised that he was talking to me at school. When school was finally over, we walked home together, and it started to become a normal thing for both of us. We texted each other after I was done studying and I was starting to become excited about seeing Jackson every day.

The next day in math, everyone was getting their tests back and everyone was nervous except for me and Jackson. The teacher gave me my paper, and I noticed a hint of disappointment on his face. As soon as I looked at my paper, I made a F on the test. My face turned white, and I sat there even after everyone left until Jackson brought me back to reality.

“Is everything okay?”

“No. I failed the test. I studied and everything, I just don’t know where I went wrong.”

Jackson looked at me, took me into his arms and said,

“Hey, it will be okay. You can retake the test and if you’re up for it, I can help you.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah. We will study at the library every day and no distractions.”

I looked up at him and nodded. So, after school we went straight to the library. I called my mom first that way she didn’t freak out while I was gone. As he was helping me, he stared into my eyes and I stared back into his. It was a long silence until he reached over and kissed me. My face got bright red and I had to turn away. He got up, went to the other side of the table and said,

“Your face is awfully red. Did I embarrass you?”

“No. That was my first kiss and I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Meg, you really don’t understand how much I like you, do you?”

“Not really. I’ve never been in love with anyone before or experienced it.”

“Well…maybe we can give this a try and you can experience what love is. That kiss, is from someone that has adored you for a long time and I’m not going to pass this up anymore.”

Our faces got red and I couldn’t help but smile. My heart ended up beating really fast and I had butterflies in me. Was this what love actually felt like? I could tell Jackson was waiting for an answer.

“I guess we can. I’m pretty sure I will mess everything up and cause problems for you. Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“Megan Greene, I have never been more sure of anything in my life. If problems occur, we will get through them and if you have doubts, I will make them disappear.”

We smiled at each other and went back to studying for the test. My life just got more interesting, and I think I will enjoy it.

To be continued