Our Story: His and Her Circumstances (Chapter One)

Some people would never put up with stuff like this. A scary grandma, creepy brother, and overprotective parents… If my buddies would have heard those words they would've left the girl already. But no, I would never do that. Because I am hopelessly in love with her. I'm willing to put up with her crazy family and fascinating culture. This is the story of my life, Andrew Kim, and how I fell in love with a Filipina.

It was the year of eighth grade for me. I was one of those freakish (okay, nerdy...) eighth grade boys who didn't know what he wanted.

I had a few girlfriends before. But, as you can see, it didn't work out too well. One was overly obsessive, and the other one turned out to be real mean… She was like the Grim Reaper in high heels! I decided to cool it for a while and focus on something I really loved- music.

Music was my life. Everything I've done revolved around music. I loved music more than anything in this world! That is, until I met her…

I had been in the Jazz Band for about two years, my second year of middle school and last. It is a very hard band to get into and you must know your stuff. Very few people get into Jazz Band and only the best of the best make it in. You have to know all your scales and you have to be able to play them in double octaves.

She was in music too. She was fourth chair in her section and a pretty decent player. The way her notes came out was so lovely… Okay, the truth is, she wasn't that good of a player. She played the clarinet. Even though it wasn't her best skill, it fit her perfectly. The color of her clarinet matched her long black hair very nicely. The way her hands wrapped around her instrument was so… cute. Her tiny fingers covered each key like it was made especially for her. The notes just seemed to flow smoothly out of the instrument like love flowed out of her heart.

At the time when I first laid eyes on her, she had a 'boyfriend'. I don't know what the guy was thinking, but liking each other wasn't being 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend'. Anyway, he was telling the whole world that she was his 'girlfriend'! He didn't deserve her. I know that's mean, it's true! Especially when he was some nerdy looking guy with broken glasses and a tucked in shirt with suspenders… (Yuck. Even if I'm a dude, I know what 'nerd' means. You girls who are reading this know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.) She deserved better that what he could give her… I'm POSITIVE of that! She was like the biggest teddy bear at the carnival. Everyone tries to win her, but only one will get to keep her forever... Oh yeah, and that nerd's name was Andrei. He was a creepy little man if you ask me…

She isn't just anyone. She wasn't the kind that you saw at a local Starbucks drinking coffee while texting on her phone. She was so much more! Her long, beautiful, black hair was just so pretty… It was as if God Himself had picked her angel- like hair and placed it perfectly on her slender and lean frame… She was an angel, sent from heaven to save me.

When I saw her for the first time, it was like the world was spinning, and I couldn't see anything but her beautiful face. The way she smiled at me made feel that for once in my life I had something to live for.

It was a warm February morning. Everything seemed to feel so right that day. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I had the feeling that something absolutely wonderful was going to happen today.

I was walking to 4th period. It had been a great day! I received a 91% on my Algebra 1 Quiz, and everything seemed to be going wonderfully. All my classes went by so fast, and everyone was in a cheerful mood! I wondered why this was such a joyous day, and soon enough I would learn that this would be one of the most important days of my life.

While I was walking, there was a lot of talk among the seventh graders. I guessed the newest gossip had just arrived. As I walked by this group of girls, something had made me stop. To this day, I still don't know what it was but I'm thankful that I did. I have a feeling that fate and destiny brought me to be in that situation. I just stood there and listened intently.

One brunette girl whose hair was in French braids whispered, "Did you hear? It's her birthday!"

"Oh! It is… I forgot! Well, we better all wish her a happy birthday! Let's go girls!" A short haired blonde exclaimed.

The group of seventh grade girls scrambled away like rats in a cellar when a new prisoner came as the bell rang. Usually I wouldn't care about whose birthday it was but this time it was different. I didn't even know why! I tried to shake it out of my head and kept walking to my next class.

The Jazz Band was great! We got through our hardest song and it sounded awesome! And I also played my scales in double octaves! FINALLY! It seemed as if the day couldn't get any better, but sure enough, it did.

As we took our lunch break, the Advanced Band had arrived. They were all so small and cute… Well, some of them at least. They seemed really innocent as well! Our conductor, Mr. Brown, stepped onto the podium as the students finished their warm- up.

"Okay class!" Mr. Brown said as he beat his drumsticks together, "Warm- ups over! Take out our newest piece!"

As everyone shuffled through their music folders looking for that one particular piece, Mr. Brown asked, "How are you guys today?"

Mr. Brown was that kind of teacher. He was real kind and always asked how his students were. Sometimes he even spent a whole period with his bands just sitting and talking, having lots of fun! Other times he could be strict and stern, making sure every one of his students knew how to play their parts and scales.

Even though Mr. Brown could be a bit mean at times if people didn't know their parts, he was doing it all in favor of his students. He made sure that they got their work done and would help them if they didn't understand a concept. He wanted to make each of his students' better players each day. And by pushing them hard each day and helping them through the hardest of musical pieces, he was able to make them better players every day.

"We're good, what 'bout you?" One of the drummers said in a happy tone.

The students and teachers exchanged their greetings with each other and got ready to play their first bar. Just as everyone put their instruments to their lips, (Except the drummers and guitar players who play with their hands, *no duh!*) One of the girls exclaimed, "Wait! Mr. Brown!"

"What is it?" Mr. Brown said as he set his conducting stick down.

The girl paused for a second. She looked to the side of her for a moment trying to decide whether she should go on with telling Mr. Brown what she had to say or not. Then the girl looked at Mr. Brown. "Um… It's Lennie's birthday!" The girl exclaimed.

Lennie was sitting right next to the girl. Lennie turned bright red and gave her friend a look. She sank in her seat and tried to cover her face.

Mr. Brown paused for a second to look at the now thirteen year old girl. "It's your birthday today?" He asked the very shy Lennie.

Lennie nodded in response to Mr. Brown's question. Feeling extremely embarrassed, she sat quietly in her seat, probably hoping the red coloring in her cheeks would disappear.

Just as Mr. Brown began to speak, Lennie's eyes lit up and she smiled the biggest smile, so sweet and adorable. Her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Happy Birthday." Mr. Brown said with a big grin on his face. Lennie nodded as if saying 'thank you' and smiled at her Advanced Band teacher.

I was eating lunch in the back of the Band Room with some friends. We had been talking, but when I heard Lennie's friend say it was her birthday, I stopped talking and asked my friends to 'hold on for a second'. I looked down at my ham and cheese sandwich and then looked up. My head shot up in the air when I heard the name 'Lennie'. Right then, I saw Lennie's face, so beautiful and flawless, her eyes seemed to glitter and her smile was so… breathtaking.

All of a sudden, my friends started talking again, but louder this time. Usually we eat in Mr. Brown's office, (Yes, we Jazz Band members had the privilege to eat in Mr. Brown's office) but we had to have lunch in the band room since it was the piano players' turn to have lunch in Mr. Brown's office. Sometimes, the whole Jazz Band ate in the office together, but today we all decided to eat in our little groups.

In the office, we could talk as loudly as we wanted; since no one could hear us (the office was located inside of the band room). But we were supposed to stay quiet when we weren't in the office, and my friends weren't being very quiet at all…

Mr. Brown began, "Okay everyone! Let's-" But he was cut off by friends, laughing their heads off, being really loud at this point.

He stopped talking and gave all of us a glare. It's a bit scary to see Mr. Brown when he's mad. But at that moment I didn't care if he was mad or not, because Lennie turned our way. She looked straight at me. Her hair was blowing gently from the wind that was coming through the door. Lennie's big brown eyes widened as she continued to look at me. My heart stopped. It was like the world was spinning around and around, and all I could see was Lennie's beautiful face. It was like I was lost in a dream, and I never wanted it to end. We gazed into each others eyes, then she smiled at me. I knew right then and there that I was going to spend the rest of my life with her.

Mr. Brown clicked his sticks together (the whole band got loud because my friends continued to talk and laugh… Geez, sometimes they really can't help it.) to get everyone's attention. It grew quiet again and Mr. Brown began to speak. "Like I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, why don't we play 'Happy Birthday' for Lennie?" Mr. Brown suggested. (When Mr. Brown said 'rudely' he was looking straight at us… It was so scary…)

One of the trumpet players began to protest. "But Mr. Brown! We don't have any sheet music for 'Happy Birthday'!"

"It's okay!" Mr. Brown explained, "We don't need sheet music to play 'Happy Birthday'! Just play the notes that you think are the right ones for this song! Ready, one, two, three!"

Some of the band members began to tap their feet along with Mr. Brown who was clicking his sticks together to keep time. It was really funny to see all the students' faces cringe and have the most confused looks as they tried playing the right note.

Of course, without the sheet music, the Advanced Band's playing was… horrific. (No offense to them, I know if I tried playing it on the spot like that I probably wouldn't be able to do it either.) But everyone seemed to have a good time and that's all that matters.

It all went by so fast! I guess time really does fly by when you're having fun! Sure, I wasn't the one playing and I was just watching them have a good time, but it was still fun for me! I really didn't want to leave the class… I couldn't wait until tomorrow! Because I knew that Lennie would be there…

As the day went on, I couldn't stop thinking about Lennie. Geez… I just couldn't figure out why I hadn't noticed her before! We'd spent nearly half of the school year together in the same classroom already and I still didn't notice her! To me, the Advanced Band members were just faces I saw staring every day when I played. (The Jazz Band and Advanced Band's classes intertwined.) I should've paid more attention to them! Then maybe Lennie and I would have at least been friends…

It was already February. We got out of school in May! (Not including February since it was the last day of the month), that only gave me three months to be near her… That wasn't enough time…

When I got home, I finished my homework, had dinner with the family, and went straight to bed. I fell asleep that night thinking about her. I didn't know what was wrong with me! I never felt that way before! Even with my past girlfriends, there never was a time where I just couldn't stop thinking of them… I mean, sure, I liked them, I didn't love them. And I didn't think of them that much! But for some reason… Lennie was just… different. Lennie isn't like other girls. She's one in a million.

When I got up the next day, I knew I had to do something concerning Lennie. Oh… Yeah. I had to tell my friends that I liked her! I was sure they'd think I was sick with a high fever or something! But I didn't really care anyway…

I took an early morning shower, threw on my American Eagle T-shirt and jeans, had a hearty breakfast that Mom cooked for all of us, and headed out the door. My sister was still fixing her hair by the time I was ready for school. (That's a good thing. It meant I was keeping good time. Usually when she's fixing her hair, I'm just barely getting up.) Anyway, I wanted to get to school early so maybe I'd have the chance to tell my friends about Lennie in Zero Period P.E. (If you're in Jazz Band, you have to take Zero Period since music takes up two periods.)

Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to tell my friends about Lennie during Zero Period because we were playing lacrosse and all of us got put on separate teams. I had to wait until Jazz Band or lunch to tell them.

I really wasn't sure how to tell them. I knew friends are supposed to support you in everything you do, but I didn't think they would support me on this one. Lennie was a seventh grader. SEVENTH GRADER! That was one whole year between us! It also meant she and I would be at different schools next year! Not to mention when I'd be 18 she'd only be 17, and when I'd be 100 she would be 99. Gosh… I just couldn't believe it! I liked a seventh grader…

At the time, there were so many reasons why it wasn't good for me to like her… or for us to be together. (Yes, I know. It was probably too early for me to think of being with her, but I like to think ahead…) First off, what would everyone say when word got out that a seventh grader was dating an eighth grader? It would be the hottest gossip and everyone would be swarming us with so many questions! And what would all of our friends say? I know mine would tell me that it was really low of me to like a girl younger than me. Or that I was so desperate and couldn't get a girl in our grade so I had to look for a younger one… I could handle them, but I was just really concerned about Lennie… I knew her friends wouldn't believe her. Actually her peers wouldn't believe her. Her friends were the supportive kind, so they would be happy for us. But the rest of those seventh graders would probably think she was lying and tell her things that would surely put her down. They'd probably tell her that it was crazy and no eighth grader would want to be with her. I didn't want her to go through that. I didn't want Lennie to get hurt… That's the last thing that I wanted to do to her…

I know what your thinking. You must think I'm crazy, and I'm just a naive fourteen year old boy who just wants to have a girl at his side. That's not true though. You probably think I'm too young to love also, but your wrong. You are never too young to fall in love.

I was really nervous about telling my friends. What would they think of me when I told them I liked a girl that was a year younger than me? A SEVENTH GRADER! And as much as I would've liked to, I couldn't keep this all to myself. I couldn't hide it from them. They were my closest friends after all! I told them EVERYTHING! But what would happen if word got out? Usually really personal things like that stay within our group, but what would happen if it slipped? I would be DEAD! The whole entire school would know and then maybe Lennie would find out! That's the last thing that I wanted… If she found out, what would happen? This was just a silly crush on a super cute girl, right? Or was it more?

I thought long and hard about all that. After my thoughts were sorted, I decided I would tell them, and it wouldn't matter what my friends thought! Or the entire school, if it were to get out. But at the time, unknowingly to me, I would be pressured by my friends into agreeing with them that it was a crazy thought and you could find a girl like Lennie anywhere. (Which is totally NOT true! Lennie wasn't just anyone. You couldn't find her anywhere. She's truly special. Lennie was like the Raisinet found in the package of Goobers. You don't find that everyday.)

4th period approached. At last! Not only would I be able to confess to my friends my feelings for Lennie, I would be able to see her big, beautiful, bright brown eyes and her smile… She always left me trying to remember how to breath…

That day, Mr. Brown didn't give us very much time to warm up. That's usually when I talk with my friends (we warm up fast), so I wasn't able to tell them. I had to wait until lunch.

Lunchtime was always the best time to tell my friends certain things. Good or bad, they always had their faces stuffed with food so they couldn't react (yell or laugh…) without spitting food everywhere. I always used that as an advantage over them. When I told them I had a doctor's appointment the following day and I would miss Band and lunch, they couldn't yell at me saying that they needed me and our songs wouldn't sound as good and that appointments weren't important. But by the time they stopped munching and crunching, the moment passed and there was already another subject to talk about.

There were only about 15 minutes until lunch! Yes! And in a matter of time, my friends would know about Lennie! Finally! Just as we put our instruments up to play the Coda, (again… we've played it like a million times! It's the hardest part in the song…) the Advance band came pouring through the doors! I was so happy! I would see Lennie again!

On the last few bars, I played my heart out, hoping she'd look my way. The crescendo on the third bar came out very smoothly. It started off nice and quiet then gradually got louder and stronger. I was almost positive that she heard it. When I had my last rest on the second- to- last bar, I decided to look up from my sheet music and look at her. To my surprise, she wasn't looking near me at all! Boy, was that a shocker! I thought that maybe she would've been curious to who made that really loud and WAY out of tune B flat… (And who Mr. Brown gave 'the look' to… He always gave us 'the look' when we played to loud or played super soft…) I guess she really didn't notice me… Maybe I was just another stupid eighth grader to her… It was like I was invisible.

Man… I was really upset after that. I played my best! And she didn't even see me. Lennie was too busy looking over the music Mr. Brown handed out the day before.

As the bell rang, I knew it was time. Here goes nothing! Gosh… I didn't know why I was so nervous! And why was I making this all a big deal? It was just a crush. It wasn't anything big, like being in love with someone! But what if I was? Those questions were spinning in my head the entire day! I decided to stall my confession to my friends as much as I could.

I took my time putting my instrument away, hoping it would take so long that I wouldn't be able to tell my friends about Lennie. Of course, it had to take only 5 minutes… and even if I went slower, it would've still probably only taken 10 minutes… I guess this was something that couldn't be put off… I knew I had to tell them sometime… And I guessed the sooner the better… right?

After I put away my instrument, I rejoined my friends. (They were impatiently waiting on me…) That day, it was our turn to eat in Mr. Brown's office. My three friends, Anton, Darren, and Nate still had to buy lunch, so Jerry and I waited in the office for them. (The lunch line was so long… It would take forever for them to return…)

We had a choice to eat in the Cafeteria and Overflow lunchrooms or in M-1/ Mr. Brown's office. My friends and I always ate in the Band Room or Mr. Brown's office though. I didn't know why, but that's just the way it always was. Kind of like a tradition… Maybe it was because it was a comfort zone! I don't know… I didn't really interact with people outside of the Jazz Band anyway, so it didn't really matter! Like I said before, music was my life. That's all I needed to keep going… But later on I would find that music wasn't all I needed to live. Something much more was waiting to fill my heart to its fullest… and teach me how to overflow my heart with love…

I was very silent when the rest of our friends left. I knew Jerry was getting suspicious of me because the time that those three were gone was 'Jerry and Andrew' time. (Anton, Darren, and Nate bought lunch almost every day, so Jerry and I talked a lot while waiting for the rest of them to return…) That was the time when we shared things with each other one- on- one. We talked about things that we couldn't tell the rest of our friends… (Or in some cases, we would talk about it with each other first, and then tell the rest of our friends.)

So we sat there quietly, waiting for them to come back. At this point, Jerry was getting a little worried. I could tell by the expression on his face. He was thinking really hard, probably about why I was so quiet.

He studied my face, trying to find a hint of sadness or anger. Jerry always found a way to discover when his friends weren't themselves. And he could also tell what the problem was. (He was like Sherlock Homes or something!) Jerry always tried his best to comfort his friends and he was always willing to help them in any way possible. He gave up on searching for clues in my facial expression and spoke.

"What's up? I know something's bothering you, but I can't seem to figure out what it is though. C'mon Andrew, you know you can tell me anything. I'll try to help as much as possible." Jerry said as he set his can of Sprite down on Mr. Brown's desk.

I gave no answer. I didn't know what to say. I just sat there, in Mr. Brown's rolling office chair, hoping the rest of our friends would return soon. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell them. I looked at Jerry's dark blue eyes and I knew he was pleading for an answer. I continued to look at him with my blank expression hoping it would stall my answer.

"Okay, fine. If you don't want to tell me, then fine. I'll guess." Jerry continued, "Is it family problems? Your folks not getting along well at home?"

I shook my head. My family rarely ever had problems. And my parents always got along. I've never seen them fight in my whole entire life! (I mean, sure, everyone argues, but they've never argued enough to leave the house or say mean and hurtful things to each other!)

"No? Okay… Hmmm… Did you get in trouble in one of your classes? Failed a test?" Jerry guessed.

I shook my head again and gave him a confused look. I rarely ever got in trouble in my classes and I was a fairly decent student! I knew he was running out of ideas and he'd probably give up. His puzzled face looked down at the ground. For a moment, we just sat there, in silence, once again.

Just as I thought he would end his investigation, he spoke. "Could it be… that it's… a girl?"

I was shocked! Who knew that he would ever guess that it was a girl that was making me act this way? He was good, real good. At that point in time, I was absolutely speechless. What was I supposed to say? "Yeah, it is a girl. Her name is Lennie and I'm absolutely CRAZY for her!" Haha, yeah right. In an ideal world, if I would have said that, Jerry would have smiled at me and said, "I'm happy for you, Andrew. And I hope she feels the same way too." No matter how hard I wished that we lived in an ideal world like that, we didn't. Geez… I KNOW that if I told Jerry about Lennie in the 'ideal world' way, he would be speechless. I could see it now… Jerry's bright blue eyes widening behind his golden blonde hair that covered his face and his jaw dropping in astonishment.

We continued to just look at each other. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. Jerry just looked at me with a blank expression. (…Or a big fat question mark written on his face!) It was like he was a baby bird waiting for his mother to feed him. He was growing impatient, but willing to wait for as long as it takes.

I knew he was waiting for an answer. And I knew he wouldn't let the subject go until he got it out of me. I was extremely red and Jerry could tell that I was blushing. I looked down at the sandwich I was holding (Yeah, I had a sandwich like every day! Ugh.), and let my brown hair hang in front of my eyes so he couldn't see my face.

When I looked up again, I saw Jerry's face. The expression on his face was full of worry and concern. He was giving me the 'what's wrong?' face. For some reason, (still unknown to me to this day), my eyes started to water. It was probably because I wasn't ready to discuss it. Or maybe because I was afraid of what my friends would think.

I knew Jerry wasn't like the rest of my friends. And he would support me in everything, including getting the girl of my dreams. But I knew this was something I would be uncomfortable discussing (Well, at least until I told them). I didn't even know why it was so embarrassing or uncomfortable or whatever! I was just afraid to tell them. That's all it was.

Jerry saw the tears in my eyes. And he saw in my face that I was pleading for him to end his quest. Just as he reached his hand over to touch my shoulder in understanding, our three other friends returned…