Gilberto Moraa

You were in high school like any other girl your age. Every day at recess, you'd go with your friends to the benches near the soccer field. It was a routine to talk about all the boys playing, and well, how could you deny it? The only one who stood out was Gilberto. All the girls drooled over him, and why wouldn't they? He was handsome, athletic, intelligent, talented—he had it all. He was so indifferent, though, that even though it was a flaw, it made him incredibly attractive to all of us, myself included. You liked him a little, or a lot, you'd get your hopes up over the smallest things, dreaming that one day you'd be something more. But he'd never actually spoken to you and completely ignored you. Whenever you tried to ask him something, he'd just walk right past you and had made it very clear that he was never going to give you the time of day. But how could you stop feeling so many things? You didn't want to seem intense because you were just one of the crowd. You dreamed every day of being with him and he was the only thing that made you go to school. It wasn't a game to you, but you wanted to win; you didn't care if others thought it was ridiculous. When your eyes met, you got so excited, it made you feel like you were flying… The fact that he ignored you was the best part, that he was so indifferent, so neutral. But of course, you weren't going to do anything to be with him; you didn't want to seem so insistent. I was embarrassed that you thought I was obsessed. One day, as I was walking home alone, I looked up at the sky; it was such a beautiful orange sunset. I imagined we were walking together, any way I could make it work.