Young love. Some people say it’s the best thing that will ever happen to you. And some people just dream of the perfect kiss with the perfect boy. The warm fuzzy feeling that is so amazing that the words we use to describe it just aren’t enough. The kinds you read in romance novels and watch in movies. This was me, my hopes, my feelings about the whole idea of just holding hands and going on dates made my hand go clammy, my lips would dry, my tummy would get butterflies and my legs would become weak in the knees. Especially when I tried to walk pass a really impressive boy, and thinking could he be the one.

 

But what I didn’t realise was that soon my world would come crashing down. About one month ago, I soon discovered that this was a just a lie. A BIG FAT LIE!!! A game, a competition between disgusting soulless jerks! Young love or true love, huh, it’s a joke! There’s no such thing. You may think I’m a pessimist concerning young love. This was not so and let me tell you why. This all started because I was naïve enough to believe in such a think as love in the first place; so let me start from the beginning.

 

My name is Amanda Jenkins. I am 16 years old and I currently attend International Grammar School in Ultimo, Sydney; a very well renowned co-ed private school in NSW, Australia. My school is situated in the Sydney CBD and because our school classrooms are in large brick buildings that go multiple levels high, you can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the corner of the Sydney Opera House from many of the classrooms around the school. At my school I’m apart of the popular girls in the popular a.k.a cool group. I participate in many sporting activities and I am involved in many community works. My parents are pretty competitive when it comes to my involvement of school activities so I guess I can say that they are pretty supportive of me. I am an only child so I am pretty spoilt by them. I try not to take advantage of this. Putting all this aside let me get back to the nitty gritty bit of my story. It all started in second term of the school year. During third period, in the middle of my English class there was a knock at the door. Everyone turned around and stared. A new student had just arrived. Adam Smith was his name. He was tall, well built, and had smooth curly brown hair that my fingers seemed to itch to brush through; then he smiled, a beautiful glistening smile that showed his pearly white teeth that somehow matched his sapphire eyes. I was lost in thought then all of a sudden,

“Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?” Adam gestured to the sit next to me. I blushed and realized this god like boy was talking to me. I dumbly nodded and managed to croak out a,

“Yes.”

 

As the class continued and Adam took a seat next to me everything around me started to fade away as my focus was on Adam. What was once important to me didn’t matter as the rows of old squeaky chairs and wooden tables that students stuck gum under and the teachers endless nagging about the next novel we’ll have to read before yelling at the students behind me for chewing gum and talking in class even though they did care what he said wasn’t interesting to me anymore. It all faded away and all I could think about was the handsome boy sitting next to me; Adam Smith.

 

Class ended and of course from then on, I dreamt of this new handsome boy. ‘Adam Smith’, his name kept swirling through my head. Is he the one? Every time he was near me, I blushed and my knees weakened. Who have I become? What am I doing? Each time he walked passed, he’d smile and say hello, I would act so silly and stupid like I had no self-control. Who am I? ‘Arrgghhh!’  The more times, Adam seemed to find excuses to come over to talk to me, whether I was by myself or with my friends, I would always act like a complete fool. Finally one day, he came and found me in my usual lunch spot by the old oak tree in-between A and B block and asked me out on a date. ‘Huh?’ My girlfriends all thought that he was absolutely wonderful and a total hottie! I was still trying to figure out why he even asked me out. I have been acting like an idiot over the past weeks. But of course I said yes! I may have acted like an idiot, but that did not mean I was one. He was gorgeous after all!

 

The date was all set for next Friday night. ‘Arrgh!’ So far away, but that was my only time I had available. My stomach was doing backflips at the thought of going on a date. And I was now even blushing just from the thought of him. Adam Smith. I screamed into my pillow trying to contain my excitement. I couldn’t wait to get to school the next day just to see him. However, I was glad I didn’t have to many classes with him otherwise I would never get my work done.

 

The next day, I couldn’t wait to see Adam and let him know how excited I was about our date next Friday. I walked down the long hallway feeling light and tingly while I had a big cheesy grin on my face. I passed all my friends and waved hello, placed my things in my locker and then my best friend, Cindy can over, looked me up and down. “You look different. What’s with you today?” Cindy Asked.

“Nothing.” I replied casually.

“Yes there is. Tell me!” Cindy demanded.

“Ok, You know Adam?” I responded. Cindy nodded. “Well he asked me out on a date yesterday after school finished.” Cindy is usually the person that I can count on for anything; being my best friend and also I guess her response wasn’t one I expected, well, it was more her body language that had me puzzled.

“Oh, I see.” Cindy responds back.

“Why are you excited for me?” I said confused.

I think Cindy could see the hurt in my face and said. “I am, I am, congrats girlfriend, just be careful, ok?”

I had no idea what she meant but I replied, “Of course, I always am.”

 

It was the second last period of the day and yet still no sign of Adam. My heart was sinking. What was going on? First he freaks out and then he doesn’t show up to school the next day. He was completely fine when I last saw him. I was feeling restless all throughout class. Mrs Anderson had to tell me twice to stop tapping my pencil against the desk. The girls were giggling to themselves. And the Cindy was sending me a concerned look. I never get into trouble during class. Bell rings. Cindy comes over and says nothing. The day ends and there was no sign of Adam. Butterflies flutters through my stomach, but this time, its not the good kind. It’s more like a sickening feeling. Maybe that’s what Adam felt like after he asked me out? Maybe he had a change of heart.

 

The next day, I thought maybe if I see him, it would be all ok, yet again, fourth period came around and there was still no sign of Adam. I was felling clammy, sweaty, and dizzy. Cindy saw me and finally said, “I think I better tell you something, but I don’t think your going to like it.”

“What’s that?” I respond.

“You know how there’s such a thing as locker room talk?” Cindy says tentatively.

She waited to I responded. I nodded. “Well, my brother told me one time, that they have this thing in the boys locker room where they talk about stuff and part of it is that one, they have a boy code, where, what they say, stays in the locker room. He only told me this second part and asked me to keep it to myself if you want to tell you. The reason he told me was because he didn’t want me to get hurt.” I Nodded.

“Do you promise?”

Cindy urged me to speak. “I promise.” I said with ambition. “well, apparently, there’s a competition between the boys on trying to ask out the popular girls, see how far they can go, what they can do, and Adams apart of it…”

“How do you know this?” I said almost heartbroken that he would actually do something like that. She handed me a piece of paper she’d kept in her locker right next to mine. I slowly unfolded to piece of paper scared of what I would find. But when I did finally open it my went blank, then shocked. It was a handwritten checklist of all the popular girls at school the boys could ask out and my name was ticked off. My mind then must have turned to anger because I suddenly heard Cindy jerk me out of my state of mind.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” I said with gritted teeth. But Adam won’t be I said to myself in my head.

 

So to say, Friday night’s date never happened. And Adam doesn’t look a handsome as he used to. The black lip and whole where two of his teeth use to be really match his bruised black eye.