CHAPTER-2 APRIL 1974

Amelia Garcia, was a senior in highschool, yes! 2 years elder than me, roughly. She was a nice girl, and a popular girl too. Beaufort was small enough that it had only one elementary school, so we have been in the same schools our entire lives, and I would be lying if I said I never talked to her. After all she lives right in front of my house. But this didn't mean that I spent a lot of time hanging out with her in my spare time, even back then. Amelia was never been once in my social calendar. Who I talk to in school is one thing, who I talk after school is another thing. She was the daughter of our English teacher, Mason Garcia so, I kept a distance!!

      Amelia was thin, with honey blond hair and soft blue eyes, most of the time she looked sort of...plain, and that was when you notice her at all. It's not that Amelia was unattractive- don't get me wrong. She wasn't hideous or anything like that. Fortunately, she had taken after her mother, who, based on the pictures I'd seen, wasn't half-bad, especially considering who she ended up marrying. But Amelia wasn't exactly what I consider attractive either. She didn't care much about outer appearances, because she was always looking for things like "inner beauty", and I suppose that's the part of reason she looked the way she did. For as long as I'd known her- and this way going way back, remember- she'd always worn a pony tail, don't she get bored by seeing herself like that? and that also without a stich of makeup on her face.

Coupled with her off-white cardigan and plain blue skirt, she always looked as though she were on her way to an interview in library. We used to think, it was just a phase and she'd soon grow out of it, but she never had. Even though in my entire fifteen year, she hadn't changed at all. The only thing that changed was the size of her clothes and hair. 

But it wasn't just the way Amelia looked made her different; it was also the way she talked, because with Amelia, everything was in 'study'. That was another thing. Though most of the student dosen't mind, but do talk about it on her back. She always mentioned study whenever you talked to her, no matter what the subject. The famous actor is gonna do a new movie? you must study, you can get as rich as him. Teacher was absent because of sickness? you must study, she must be testing us. Anyways, you get the picture. This side of her was hated by everyone, so far I know. Now, I liked studies as much as the next teenage boy, but Amelia seemed to enjoy it in a way that was completely foreign to me. Not only she will study in home, but she would read during lunch breaks too. In my mind this wasn't normal, even if she was teacher's daughter. No matter how you sliced it, reading The heritage of catawba County  wasn't nearly as much fun as flirting, if you know what I mean.

Despite of all these other strikes, though, the one thing that really drove me crazy about her was the fact that she was always so damn cheerful, no matter what was happening around her. I cross my heart and say, that girl never said bad thing about anyone or anything, even if someone is not nice to her. She would smile and hum to herself and walk by, she would wave to strangers driving by in their cars. It seemed every adult in town adored her. "she is such a nice young lady" they say whenever her name came up. "the world would be a better place if there were more people like her" 

But my friends and I didn't quite see it that way. For us one Amelia Garcia was plenty.

It wasn't until the class started that I noticed somehting usual again. Though Beaufort highschool wasn't large, i knew for a fact that it was pretty much split fifty-fifty between males and females, which is why I was surprised when I saw this class was atleast ninety-five percent female. There was only one another male in the class, which was a good thing, and for a moment I felt flush with a "The world better prepare, here I come"  kind of feeling. Girls, Girls, Girls,...I couldn't help but think. Girls and Girls and no test in sight.

Now, our school has never been a heaven of pretty girls, some will wear tones of makeup and then speak with their big mouth while others will be...plain. Okay, so I wasn't the most forward thinking guy in the block. So, miss chole, started explaining about a play for some function in September, and the most surprising part , the play was written by the old Mason. Okay, maybe he wasn't that old. Miss chole continued and finally said "Amelia Garcia is going to be the lead, others choose the roles by yourself". This was kind of obvious that she would be the lead. The class was dismissed, she looked at me again and smiled. I was getting a feeling, that I am going to be in trouble so I decided to walk out of the room as fast as possible and hopefully I reached the safe zone. Despite being curious about Amelia's smile, I walked towards my classroom. 

"hey Landon, you heard there's going to be a party next week?"  said Eric while putting his hand around my shoulder 

"what for?"  I raised my brow as I asked 

"because of our new council president!!" he said with a big, very big smile on his face.

"don't tell me you got a date?"  I said in a shock! 

He gave me a smug smile.

what's that suppose to mean? Are you really gonna be a traitor? Did you forgot all the rolls I have given you when we were kids?