Our Story: His and Her Circumstances (Chapter Four)

I woke up the next morning in a great mood. For some unknown reason, I was excited. Maybe today would be a good day...

I quickly scrambled through my closet looking for clothes, then took my towel and went struggled to find the bathroom door.

The lights were out, and I didn't want to turn them on because I didn't to wake my parents. It was still early. My clock read 6:07. Yes. I'll get to use the shower before my sister, Tiffany. Hah! I wouldn't have to unclog her hair out of the drain this time...

After running into my computer desk and tripping over my trumpet case, I reached the door that led to our Jack and Jill style bathroom. As I turned the knob, I noticed that it was locked. Gosh! Not again! How does she get in there so fast? Because I knew it was vacant when I first got up!

I decided to go back to bed and wait until she gets out. I couldn't go back to sleep though. I guess this would be the perfect time to think. It was quiet and I was alone.

What if what Darrin said was true? What if she was taken? I couldn't bear to even think about that. I had to be optimistic. She wasn't taken, I kept reassuring myself.

Tiff turned off the shower and not long after I heard her blow- dryer come to life. Good, she's going fast today. Since she would probably be in there for a few more minutes, I decided to think of what Anton was implying yesterday.

What were 'his ways'? Did he know people who knew Lennie? Was he going to find a way for me to 'accidentally' bump into her so we would get to talk? There were so many possibilities. But whatever he was planning to do, it was going to be interesting.

My sister got out of the bathroom and went downstairs for breakfast. Good, it was my turn now.

I took a quick shower threw on my jeans and a light brown T-shirt. I stood there, in front of the mirror, in awe. Wow. What would she ever see in me? I wasn't handsome, I wouldn't even consider myself average. My black hair was plain and it swept across my forehead, just barely covering my eyebrows. And it wasn't the cool kind of hair style that girls like guys to have. I was just a nobody compared to Lennie.

I thought how beautiful she was, and how I was no match for her. The way her long, straight hair fell smoothly down her back... it looked so soft. It matched her gentle and kind personality perfectly.

Then I thought about what we had in common. I am quiet and a little shy, except for when I am with my friends. And she seems quiet, but then again, I've never heard her speak. I guess that shows how much I need to learn about her.

I thought about her ethnic background and how that might play an important role in her life. Maybe she was Hawaiian. Or Indonesian. I wasn't sure. But I knew for sure that she was a Pacific Islander. Uh- oh. How would that work? I am full Korean. I was born in the States and I don't speak Korean at all but my grandparents insist that my sister and I to marry another Korean and keep our bloodline going. Before, I didn't see a problem with it. But what if I didn't want to marry a fellow Korean? What if the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was Chinese? Or Filipino? What if I wanted to be with Lennie?

There were so many problems that I'd have to overcome. But I would do anything for love.

Noticing that it was 7:43, I got out of the bathroom, grabbed my backpack and slid down our staircase. It's way faster that walking down. I grabbed a breakfast bar and headed for the door. My dad and mom were at the table eating breakfast and my sister was looking through the refrigerator.

"Bye Mom, bye Tiff!" I yelled as I headed out the door.

"Goodbye honey! Have a good day at school!" Mom said as she waved at me.

I got outside and found Dad already in the car waiting for me. Then I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

"You almost forgot your lunch." Mom said as she held out a brown bag in front of her.

"Thanks, Mom." I gave her a quick hug and got into Dad's car.

As soon as I closed the door and backed out of the driveway, my dad began to speak in a serious tone.

"Andrew, I know that you're a smart kid and you are responsible, but I just want to warn you to not make stupid decisions." Dad stated calmly. "And I heard that your dating now?"

"I know, Dad, I know. What? Who told you that?" I said in surprised tone.

"Your sister of course." Dad said as he winked at me.

"Oh..." I said softly.

"Andrew, come on! I'm your dad. If you have a girlfriend, I want to know everything!" Dad exclaimed.

I guess he was excited. But I wasn't dating. My dad liked to 'be in the know'. He was more of a friend to me than a dad.

"I don't Dad, but there is this girl..."

"Oh?" Dad said even more interested. "Well, why don't you ask her out? I was told that you've already had a few."

Ugh. Tiff is so dead when I get home. "Dad, this girl is different. And I wasn't serious about the others."

"So your serious about this one?" Dad said carefully.

"I think so." I replied.

"Well, son, all I can say is good luck. Why can't you be with her?"

"She's... She's not Korean. I know Halmoni and Halapogi don't want-"

"Andrew, listen to me. It doesn't matter who you fall in love with. As long as you are in love, that's all that matters." Dad said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad." I said as he pulled up into the parking lot of Sutter Middle School.

"Anytime. Now go get 'em!" Dad exclaimed.

I got out of the car and saw my friends waiting for me. They all looked excited and smiled as they saw me walking their way.

"Ready?" Anton asked.

"For...?" I questioned.

"Get with the program, Andrew! Before we go to zero period we're going to find as much as we can about Lennie!" Nate exclaimed.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" I asked in a suspicious tone.

"You'll have to just wait and see..." Jerry said with a big grin on his face. "Okay guys, let's go to the b- wing. That's where all the seventh graders hang out right?"

"Let's go!" Darrin said, "We only have fifteen minutes before zero period starts!"

When we got to the b- wing, it was crowded with people. We walked to where most of the seventh grade classes were. And there she was...

"Okay, so which one is Lennie?" Anton said in a loud voice.

"Shhh! She's right there." I pointed with my eyes.

My friends turned to look and I saw their eyes widen. "The tall blonde?" Jerry asked.

"Dude, she's taller than you!" Nate said as he let out a little laugh.

"No, no! The one next to the blonde." I said as I shook my head wildly.

"Oh! Her!" My friends said in unison.

"Yup. That's her..." I said, completely mesmerized by her.

"No offense, but Drew, she's really short. Especially compared to you." Anton said as she patted me in the back.

"Yeah, I know, but it doesn't matter. Right?" I replied.

"Okay, so when are we gonna start playing stalker?" Nate asked excitedly.

"Well, first, we have to observe." Anton said, "We need to find out who she hangs out with, where all of her classes are, what kind of person she is, her habits, and... If she's single. We're going to have to know everything about her without actually knowing her, you know, personally."

"So... We won't come in contact with her?" I asked disappointingly.

"That's right. We'll be in the shadows. And we'll have to be good enough that she won't find out. Ever." Anton replied sternly.

"Oh... Okay." I said.

"Well, let's start observing!" Nate exclaimed.

And so this is where it all began...