Yellow

I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called "Yellow"

There I stood. Clammy hands, fully aware of the pimple on my chin, and praying the gel made my hair look decent simply dressed in a blue and white pinstriped button down tucked into a khaki knee length skirt, and some shoes that one could consider clogs. Definition of an awkward 8^th grader going to 9^th grade still owning awkwardness. We had moved back to Alice after six years in Riviera, and little did I know my husband was sitting in the congregation as he tells me now – fully terrified of the girl in the pinstripe shirt, and her sister in the canary yellow cardigan.

I’d say he was terrified because little did he know he was falling head over heels in love from the moment his eyes rested on that jaw-dropping outfit, but we will let him believe otherwise.

I’d spent most of my previous years signing my name with random boys last names in class, doodling hearts signed with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, taking double dares to write love notes – and in some cases mailing them.  I had crushes that came and went throughout those elementary and middle-school years, but the moment I moved and I met Adam, I knew, for a fact, that this boy was something different.  He annoyed the daylights out of me, but his deep honey-brown eyes somehow captured my heart. 

We spent the next few years being on and off again best friends. We’d hang out then we’d hate each other. We’d meet up and talk, then not talk for weeks. He’d throw a roach on me, and I’d go and tell his mother.  We’d play rounds of golf together then fight about how annoying each other was, or that he liked so and so and I liked someone else.

Our friendship was ridiculous.  

I remember my Junior year I ran to Wal-Mart with a friend and she picked up a Coldplay CD talking about how Adam liked this band and blah blah blah. I remember I became so jealous that I quickly picked up the other CD and said but he likes this one more, he loves the song “Yellow”. [Total lie, but I wanted to act like I knew my best friend better. My intuition also buzzed with the idea that – crap! This girl has a crush on him.] 

I remember that night sitting in my dad’s truck outside, playing the whole CD so no one would hear me, trying to memorize every word to every song so I could talk to Adam about his favorite band. It worked.

Then I accepted the label as a girlfriend to another boy in our geometry class. I moved seats from sharing with Adam to sit with my boyfriend. Of course idiot me sat in front of Adam, who kicked the back of my chair constantly, who would pull my chair back as I’d sit down (and not in a chivalrous way). So damn annoying I’m pretty sure I went off on him a couple of times.

The label only lasted about 2 weeks. Then back to sitting with Adam I went, who fully accepted my company, but not letting down the failed relationship with that jerk.  Our friendship went on, I picked up a new girlfriend label, he picked up an informal boyfriend label with some girl [if you ask him the word girl should be plural], and our friendship went on.  We ended up in Pre-Cal together my senior year where we chose to sit by each other – mainly because I didn’t believe letters belonged in math and he did.

We joked around a lot. Mrs. Barrerra would move us away from each other quite often but somehow we managed to sit back by each other again.  Then one day we had a dress code check. I began to panic. I wore sandals to school that day and no way I’d pass this check, I’d end up in the office, my heart started pounding, Please God, don’t let her call my name.

“Brady.”

Crap. Crap. Crap.

I think Adam read my mind since two seconds later he jabbed my side, pointed to the ground, and there I stared at a miracle. He had slid his two hideously dirty-white size 11 tennis shoes off and scooted them under my desk. Without hesitation I slid my sandals off and his shoes on. Walked outside the classroom like a clown and passed the dress code check. (Y’all, I wore size 8 ½ in womens shoes then… like seriously?)

That’s when I knew Adam meant something a little more than just being my math guru or my best friend. But he had a stupid “girlfriend”, and I was seeing a college boy.  

Weeks later on my birthday I received a call from a friend who went to school with the boy I was supposedly dating, he was cheating on me. Oh thanks, so this is over. I was so depressed and annoyed.  February passed. Spring Break came and my older sister took me to a Pat Green concert.  I ended up spending the whole time on the phone with Adam. That weekend we went to play a round of golf together.  We joked like our normal selves. Flirted – I’d even say. Then we came up to the last hole for the day and that’s when I just couldn’t handle it anymore, I wanted to be his girlfriend. So I walked up to him, his bag fell over in the wind. I picked it up, planted a kiss on his cheek and looked him in the eyes, “Adam I really like you.”

… to be continued