Derek:
I remember the day I met Sophie. She was so beautiful, and once I saw her I knew I needed to meet her. She played on the soccer team, and she was good, one of the best. I always came to watch the games with my friends, and I always watched her, the left midfielder. She was amazing on and off the field.
When I saw her with her friends, she was always laughing. She was one of those people that always looked happy no matter what. She always did those silly little things that everyone else may think was weird, but that made her happy. Like one day at soccer practice, she was picking dandelions, and rubbing them on unsuspecting faces, and if it rubbed off yellow, she said they were in love. Even though she knew it would always rub off yellow, she did it anyways, and she would look so happy whenever it was really yellow on someone. I found this extraordinary about her.
After that day, I decided I had to meet her. So one day, as the girls walked off the field towards the concession stand and their free hotdogs, I walked over to Sophie. I introduced myself and told her she did a good job. She was so nice, so genuinely happy. We talked for a few minutes, and as she left, I gave her a piece of paper, my phone number written neatly on it. I hoped she would call, and my cell phone became my priority after that night. I checked it constantly. I made sure I would be able to hear it if it rang, I made sure I didn't miss a call, I made sure it was near me always. I worried so much over that one phone call, and finally, it came.
"Hi, Derek?" her voice sounded so innocent, so cute. After those two words, I don't remember what that conversation was about. I don't remember what I said, or even what she said. I was in a daze. All I know is, the phone calls kept coming, and that made me happy.
Suddenly, we were inseparable, and I was the one having dandelion rubbed on my face, and waiting patiently while she found me a four leaf clover, and watching her dance like she was the happiest girl in the world.
"Derek, dude, you're so in love," my best friend Clayton would comment. He always made fun of me, but he was just jealous that he didn't have a love like this. Clayton was one of those tough guy football players that never went after girls, they went after him. He had a lot of girlfriends, but none of them looked at him the way Sophie looked at me, and that was how I knew.
Sophie:
I hated the way my mom always brought Derek into our "discussions". I didn't want to talk about Derek. She knew we couldn't be together, so why did she always talk about him, like he was so close, like I could have him again, just like that? I've seen long distance relationships try and fail, and I knew it wouldn't work out, so I stopped talking to him. She knew I didn't talk to him anymore. If I didn't talk to him, why would I want to talk about him?
She always said she wished I would call him, and get things "straightened out". Things were fine between us when I stopped talking to him and I told her there was nothing to straighten out. She thought I was angry because I wasn't with Derek anymore. Well, she was wrong. I was angry because she made me move to this stupid place.
She searched my room, looking for that tiny slip of paper she knew I had. The one with his phone number. That was the last time I told her I lost something. Of course she didn't find it though, I threw it away. I threw it away a long time ago, and I was never going to see it again, I didn't need it.
I remember the day he gave me that stupid slip of paper. It was right after that dumb soccer game. We won that game, I scored a goal. I just wanted to get my darn hotdog and go home, but he kept harassing me, he wanted to talk to me. He told me I did a good job. I guess I wasn't bothered by it back then, but now I wish he would have never talked to me, never given me that paper with those stupid numbers on it.
I remember spending days trying to work up the courage to call him. I dialed the numbers so many times, never being brave enough to press that little green button that said SEND. I was so stupid back then. He wasn't worth my time, I wish I could have seen it then. I should have just thrown away that dumb paper right when I got it, never used it. Then maybe it wouldn't have been so hard to leave.
