Age Is Just A Number The story I'm about to tell happened years ago; it began when I was 16 years old. I was in high school and had lots of dreams, I remember what I really wanted was to make music. I used to write songs and studied piano for years, my music teacher, Mr. Larson, used to say that I was very talented. I liked that teacher but he retired and a new one came. It was the first day of classes and I was chatting with some friends when Mrs. Geller, the head mistress, came to introduce the new teacher. _Boys and girls, attention please! You know Mr. Larson retired and since life goes on, you have a new teacher so, welcome Mr.. I was anxious to meet the new teacher and when I saw him I almost fell of my chair. Mr. wasn't an ordinary teacher, he was young; 26 years old to be exact; he was tall, hadeyes,hair and the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. _Good morning class and before we start I'd like to know all of you. His voice was soft and strong at the same time and it was clear that he was nervous. I stared at him without blinking for about 10 minutes as he got to know everyone in my class. _Let's see… who's? I remember that when he said my name I blushed and slowly raised my hand. _It's… it's me Mr.. _Well, tell me a bit about yourself. _Hmm… I'm 16 years old like most in this class, I like to write songs and I play the piano. _Really?! I love piano! I give piano lessons in my spare time. Mr.smiled and I didn't know what else to say. _Anything else Mss.? _I guess it's all Mr.. _So thank you, you can sit now. He carried on talking to the other students and I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was funny; he knew how to talk to all of us and, by the end of the class I couldn't struggle anymore… I was in love with Mr., my music teacher. I knew "puppy loves" happened all the time so I thought that crush would be over soon. My days in school were going by; I was acting normal and never told my friends about my feelings for Mr.. I won't say it wasn't hard to hide it all inside but, somehow, I felt guilty thinking about my teacher in that way; I mean, I thought about him all the time, dreamt about him and pictured us happy together. Anyway, one afternoon, I was in a diner eating and studying for a physics test when someone familiar came to talk to me. _I think you need a break. _Oh… hi, Mr.! I was so surprised that I spilt my coke all over me. _God! Let me help you, I didn't mean to scare you. He took some napkins to help me dry the table. _That's ok Mr.. _No it's not. I'll buy you another coke. _Don't need. _It's the least I can do. _Thanks Mr.… do you sit with me? _Are you sure I won't bother you? _100% sure! He sat in front of me and, impossible as it may seem, we chatted the whole afternoon about music and other things. Mr.told me he was engaged but his fiancée broke up with him a few months before he started to teach at my school and, every time he talked about it, he got sad. Knowing that he was single made me really happy and, I don't know why, gave me hopes. _It's already late. I need to go back home. _Do you wanna a ride? _Don't bother, I live nearby. We said goodbye and I went home thinking about the great afternoon I had. I remember when I got in my room I laid on the floor with my diary in my hands and a stupid smile on my face. It seemed like I won the lottery! I started to realize that the crush I had for him was growing to be something stronger and it could complicate my life in several ways so, I decided to concentrate more in my grades, paper works and think less about Mr.. Pretty easy, don't you think? Well, it was in theory 'cause the reality was really different. The next day was Friday and one of my friends gave a party to celebrate her birthday and, to my surprise, Mr.was invited. You must be thinking that invite a teacher to a party is ridiculous well, that's because you didn't know Mr.. He was the coolest teacher we've ever had! Anyway, I was having a great time at the party dancing and playing with my friends and when I was alone taking a break he came to talk to me. _You're really having fun, huh? _Hi Mr.! _Mr.? After our conversation yesterday you're still calling me Mr.? I smiled and blushed at the same time. _What do you want me to call you? _Outside the school you can call me by my first name,. _Ok,, are you having fun? _Yes but I really wanna dance. _And why aren't you dancing? _That's the bad part of being a teacher. Everyone here is in my class and they see me like an authority figure. _Well,, do you wanna dance? I don't know from where that came but it was too late to take that back.looked at me smiling and took my hand. _Ok,, let's dance. When he said that I almost fainted but didn't let show how nervous I was. I danced with him like he was one of my friends but never crossed the line 'cause I didn't want to get him in trouble. We danced a few songs and when I slow one started I didn't know what to do.saw that I got uncomfortable and gently suggested we should take something to drink. _So, I guess I've already told you about my entire life and all I know about you is that you're a great student who writes songs and plays the piano. _What do you wanna know about me? _Well, you have a beautiful name, where did it come from? _My mom had a friend who had a sister namedso; she said that when she had a daughter she'd name her Kayleigh. _What a story! _Well, my older sister name is'cause my dad had a girlfriend with this name. laughed and we carried on chatting. It seemed that we knew each other for ages. I felt good with him and, as time went by, my love from him grew. _Well, it was really nice chatting to you but I believe I have to go. _So early? _I have to work tomorrow morning. It's the price I have to pay for giving piano lessons. _So… see you Monday. _See you. I watchedleave the party and somehow I felt lonely so the party was over to me. I said goodbye to my friends and decided to walk home. I was thinking about Duncan and the amazing things he said to me when a car came right beside me reducing the speed. First I was getting afraid but when the window was opened I couldn't believe my eyes.was in it smiling at me. _What are you doing walking alone, girl? _I'm going home. _Come on, I give you a ride. _Don't need, I can walk. _, get in the car. It can be dangerous for you walk around alone at this time. _Fine… I got in his car trembling from head to toes. It wasn't any guy taking me home, it was , the man I was in love with. After driving for 10 minutes we were in front of my house. _Thanks for the ride. _No problem. _Well… goodnight. kept staring at me. I felt butterflies in my stomach and I looked straight into his eyes. He was serious and we started to move closer to each other then, I felt a brush on my lips and soon we were kissing. It was like a dream and I was waiting to wake up at any minute but after that long kiss I opened my eyes and sawright in front of me. I didn't know what to say or what to do, I had a cold feeling inside and my skin got hot. I don't know what happened to me at that moment but all I could think about was running away and that was exactly what I did. I left his car as fast as I could and get in my house not looking back. That night I laid on my bed but couldn't sleep; all I did was to think about what happened in's car. I couldn't forget about his kiss, the way he held and caressed my face, how good I felt feeling him breathing so close to me and how I was feeling amazing inside while his lips were touching mine. I spent the whole weekend thinking about that kiss then, on Sunday night hit me. How would I faceon the next day? I thought I was overreacting about all that 'cause probably that kiss didn't mean a thing for him, right? Wrong! In my music class everything was normal,was teaching and I was paying attention at his words; but missing 10 minutes to the end of the class gave us an assignment. _This weekend I wrote a song and, particularly I think it's really good! Anyway, what you have to do is put music on the lyrics I wrote and the one that better fits will have extra credit and will perform it at the School Talent Show. He gave the lyrics to all of us and when he came to my table he dropped a note. ", We need to talk about what happened Friday night. Please, meet me at 4pm at the diner where you study. ." I kept staring t the note like I was in a trance or something 'til one of my classmates interrupt my thoughts. _Wow Mr.! The song is beautiful! Is it about someone special? _To tell the truth, yes. She's a wonderful girl I met 3 weeks ago. I started to thing and 3 weeks was exactly the time he was teaching at my school. _"The Gift" Mr.? _Yes… that's what I think she is… now, enough of my private life and get the hell out of my class 'cause the bell just rang! Everybody was laughing, talking about the song, as I was quiet and walking slow. When I passed by 's table I wasn't paying attention at anything around me and dropped my things. helped me to pick up my stuff and I was feeling his eyes on me but I couldn't make eye contact or look at his face. _Thank you Mr.. _Take care and have a nice afternoon. I didn't answer I just left the class. During all day I was distracted thinking if I should go talk to him or not. After school I went home; as usual; ate something and went straight to my room. I looked at the watch, the minutes were going by really fast and I was still undecided about what I should do so, I took my things and decided to do my homework. It got me distracted for quite a while but when I opened one of my books,'s song fell on the floor. I stared at it for 5 minutes before I pick it up and realize I hadn't read it yet. The song was beautiful, it wasn't only about a girl, it was kinda about life also. Immediately my brain started to work and I ran to the piano to start my assignment. I was enjoying doing that so much that I didn't see the time goes and when I came back to Earth it was 7pm and my parents were coming from work. Well, I blew him off! I couldn't believe what I'd done but deep inside, I knew it was the best 'cause to tell the truth, I didn't want to confront him about what happened. On the next day at school I didn't have music class but the few times I sawhe badly looked at me. I started to feel guilty for what I did, I mean, I had no intension of blowing him off and I didn't know why that matters so much. The week went by; I decided to ignore the whole situation and concentrated myself on my assignment but more I read the song more guilty I felt for not had talked to. On Friday Mrs. Geller and the "School Talent Show" committee were gathered to listen and judge the best music. _, what do you have for us? Mrs. Geller called me and I sat at the piano. _You can start when you're ready. The committee president said as I took a deep breath. I looked at the piano keys and started to play. I played that song the whole week but that day, I don't know, I was feeling something different. I sang it full of passion and when I finished it everybody was clapping. I looked at the committee and they were satisfied with my work but when I sawI knew I had done an incredible job by the way he was smiling. One hour later, after deliberating, the committee and Mr. Geller decided what music was the best and, to my surprise, mine was chosen. _Mss.congratulations! Mr.will help you and give you all the information about the talent show. Thanks everybody… you're dismissed. My friends congratulated me and soon I got alone with. _I really liked what you did with my song. _Thanks Mr.. _Can I ask you something? _Sure. _Why didn't you show up at the diner yesterday? I froze!went straight to the point and I didn't know what to say. _Look Mr., I think it's neither the right time nor the right place to talk about this. _So meet me at the diner today. _Mr.… _we really need to talk. I couldn't run away from him, in fact, I wanted to know how he felt about the kiss, about me, everything. _Ok Mr.. I'll see you at 6pm at the diner. _Show up this time, ok? I just nodded and went way. I was nervous, my heart was biting fast, my palms were sweating and my head was aching. When I got home I couldn't eat anything, I took a shower and stayed in there for a long time. I walked around the house staring at the clock every other minute and at 5:30pm I went to the diner. I was walking down the street really afraid of whathad to say and preparing myself for the long "I'm your teacher, you're my student and that's all" speech. Anyway, I got in the diner and there he was drinking coffee. He looked at me and smiled as I approached the table. _Thanks for coming. I sat in front of him, took a deep breath and decided to finish that awkward conversation going straight to the point. _What do you wanna talk about? _Well… _Ok, you wanna talk about the night at the party, right? _Yes and… _I know it was something wrong and inappropriate 'cause you're 10 years older than me and worse, you're my teacher! So, I shouldn't think about you in any other way, first for being illegal and second 'cause I'll probably get hurt for wanting a guy that I can never have. _Who said you can't have me? _Excuse me?! My knees got weak, my voice was gone, everything around me got in slow motion and the sounds got hollow. I kept staring atwithout saying a thing and when I realized he was holding my hands. _Listen, I've already thought about everything you just told me and, as crazy as it may seem, I can't stop thinking about you and the kiss. _W…what? _Look, since the day I stepped in that classroom and saw your face I started to feel something for you. I know it sounds crazy 'cause, as you said, I'm 10 years older than you but after struggling a lot I can't deny anymore, I'm in love with you. Once again I was waiting my mom yell for me to wake up 'cause I was late for school but, as you can see, it didn't happen, it was all real. I was happy and scared at the same time, I didn't know how to react. _? Are you ok? _Yes… _I just wanted you to know how I feel. _It's insane... _I know. I tried to tell it to my heart but it didn't listen. _You gotta be kidding! _No, I'm not! I've never been that serious before. _What do we do now? _Well, I know it's gonna be complicated but I really want us to try to be together. That's it; I was about to have a heart attack. The air got thick and I was having trouble to breath. _How could we do something like that? I mean, you're 26 years old and I… _You're the woman I'm in love with. _Woman?! _When I look at you I don't see a teenager or a little girl, I see a woman. _, I don't know… _Look, let's go out tomorrow. I'll take you to dinner. _Dinner?! Never a guy took me to dinner before. _Come on, what do you say? To tell the truth, I could be happy with all those news but for being afraid I didn't want to. I thought for about 5 minutes before I could say anything to him. I could see thatwas anxious about what I had to say and when I looked into his eyes, I couldn't fight anymore. _Ok, we can go out tomorrow. He smiled and kissed my hands. Everything was great 'till we had our first problem. _So tomorrow I'll pick you up at 7pm and… _Wait… pick me up? You can't pick me up! _Why not? _Come on! Do you think my parents will like the idea of their younger daughter going out with her music teacher? _I didn't think about that. After a long discussion to decide what we should do we finally found a way. Saturday at 7pm would pick me up at the park near the diner we met. _Well, I think it's time for me to go. _Ok. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. _Me too… _I wanna kiss you so bad. _Me too but… _Here we can't. Unfortunately that was true. It's awful to have and not to hold, I mean, almost have. Well, that whole night I felt like dreaming,'s words kept spinning in my mind and I was finding hard to believe in all that. How could a guy like him fall in love with a teenager? I wasn't thinking it was impossible someone to fall in love with me but it was hard to understand a 26 year old having feelings for a 16 year old girl. Anyway, on Saturday I woke up at noon and went straight to the kitchen. My sister saw me and said I was acting weird with a stupid smile. I probably was doing that! I was nervous and excited about my date that evening. The whole day I ate chocolate, tried clothes and thought about what to say to my parents, what wasn't an easy task. Suddenly I had a brilliant idea. I called a cousin of mine and asked if I could see him then, 15 minutes later I was at his flat. _What brings you here? You seemed to be pretty nervous on the phone. _Look, I came here 'cause I know I can trust you. _Is there anything wrong? _Well, not to me but if I tell to my parents what I'm about to tell you they'll probably freak. _you're worrying me. Tell me, what's going on? _Ok, here it goes. Tonight I have a date. _So what? You had boyfriends before. _But this is not an ordinary guy. _Your parents don't approve him? _They wouldn't if they met him. _What's the deal? _He's older than me. _College? _Teacher. _What!?! _He's my music teacher and he asked me out. _Are you insane?! How old is he? 40? 50? _Calm down, he's 26. _Wow… he's kinda young for a teacher. _I know. _So, what do you want me to do for you? _I want you to cover for me. _You're gonna tell your parents you're going out with me? _Exactly! _Ok, I'll do it for you. _Thanks, I knew I could count on you. _Ok but one more thing. _What? _If they catch you I'll deny my involvement. _Fair enough, I don't wanna put you in any trouble. , besides being my cousin, was my best friend. We always got along really well though he was 21 years old and in college. I told him everything that was going on, we set the details of what we had to say if anyone asked then I went back home to get ready for my date. At 6:45pm I left my place and at 7 sharp I was at the park waiting for. I looked around but didn't see him anywhere and that started to worry me. My palms were sweating and the thought of him have regretted was running through my mind. I sat on a bench feeling kinda sad whenfinally showed up. _You look really beautiful but you'd be more beautiful if you were smiling. I saw him coming towards me looking really handsome with a single yellow rose in his hand. I stood up and stayed still. _I thought you wouldn't come. _I'd never leave you here waiting. _That's good to know. smiled and led me to his car. All the way we didn't say a word and when we got at the restaurant I thought we'd have trouble 'cause it was kinda fancy and I wasn't used to that. Of course I had dates before but the guys were my age and took me to places that their allowances agreed. Anyway, and I got a table kinda hidden to avoid glances and comments. _This place is beautiful. _I know but you don't seem to be comfortable here. _It's because I've never been in a place like this before. _Do you wanna leave? _No! If we're gonna try to work things out I have to, at least, try to fit in your world. smiled with what I said and kissed my hands. It felt so good, so right at the time that our differences faded away and we let our feelings flow. We had a nice dinner and chatted about a lot of things. He paid the bill and we went somewhere quieter; that was the time I got more nervous thinking that he'd try something I wasn't ready yet. He stopped the car and we went to walk. _Don't need to be afraid. _I know… _I just wanna talk about us. _Right… _So, I said yesterday we could decide what to do about us after we go out tonight. Well, I still wanna be with you and want you to be mine. _Hmm… well… I want the same as you but I'm scared. _I know. I'm pretty scared too 'cause nothing like this happened to me before but I don't wanna have to let you go. _I wish things could be different but I can't turn 21 over night. _You can't cope with all this, right? _I can't but, to be with you, I will. held me and kept looking into my eyes. I put my hands on his shoulders and felt the butterflies in my stomach. He softly touched my face, brushed his lips against mine and then kissed me. It was so good, so different from the first one, so intense and tender. That moment the world was only the two of us forgetting our problems and differences, just wanting to enjoy what was starting between us. _Are you gonna tell anyone about us? _I already told my cousin but that's ok, I totally trust him and he said he's gonna help us. _It's really good to have an ally but does he attend the school? _No, he's in college so it's gonna be easier to hide what we have. _We have a relationship. You're my girlfriend get use to it. _I know I have to but it's kinda strange 'cause at school I have to call you Mr.and pretend we have nothing. _That's why you won't have any special treatment. You're a regular student; the most beautiful I have to say but still, a regular student. I blushed and he kissed me again. I was starting to feel comfortable with the whole situation, the thought ofbeing my boyfriend wasn't that scary anymore. We spent that night kissing and making thousands plans. I know you might be thinking it was too soon but after that night, our lives were running really fast 'cause we badly had time to ourselves. Ok, that week we spent hours together… without touching, kissing or anything 'cause I was practicing to perform at the school talent show. That week he wasn't, he was Mr.. Sometimes I felt pretty stupid having to hide something that was good for me and that week, I was insecure and afraid of being caught. _You're playing really well. _Thanks Mr.. _Are you nervous? _About what? _The talent show tomorrow night. _Just a little. _You have nothing to worry about 'cause… _Look Mr.,it's already late and I have to go. I started to take my stuff. _What's wrong? _I'm not feeling good. _Are you sick or something? _I can't say. _Why not? I just gave him a look. He understood what I was saying;wasn't dumb. _I feel the same. _Well, I better go now. See you tomorrow Mr.. _Take care. I left the school pretty sad and mad at myself 'cause I was acting like a child. My mobile rang and I didn't wanna answer it but when I saw who was calling a smile came to my face and my bad mood was gone. _Hello. _Hey babe. _Hi… listen, I'm sorry I… _That's okI understand what happened. It was killing me inside too but for now there's nothing we can do about it. _I know but it was stupid the way I acted, it's not your fault, it's my parents'. _Your parents'?! _They should have made me before the 80's. _But I guess if that happened I'd never meet you. _But if we're meant to be you'd have crossed my way anyway. laughed and we carried on chatting for a few more minutes. I practice the song during the night and I started to feel nervous 'cause I'd never played in front of lots of people before. On the next day I woke up early. My parents and my sister were eating breakfast and chatting when I got in the room. _Good morning everybody! _How's doing our little Bach? _Come on mom! It's just a stupid school talent show. _But I'm sure Beethoven started that way. _That joke was really bad dad. _Well… _… _Are we gonna meet your new music teacher? _Maybe, why? _'Cause you don't talk about him like you used to do about Mr. Larson. _Well, his name is Mr.and he is a great teacher. _Only that?! I guess he doesn't worship you like your old teacher. _Shut up! My sister had the power of bothering me but we almost didn't fight 'cause I had my interests, had great clothes and I loved to wear them. Anyway, at 6pm I was at school preparing myself for the show and chatting with some of my friends whencalled me. _You look beautiful! _Thanks Mr.but I think it's not an appropriate comment. _You're right… I just wanna wish you luck. _Thanks again Mr.. I walked away and I could feel his eyes burning me. I wanted to look back at him but I had to control myself and carried on with my life, at least at that moment. Later on I played the song, everybody loved it and when the show was over everyone was congratulating me for my great performance. I went to meet my family; even my cousin was there. _I'm really glad you came! _You were awesome! You play really well! _Thanks! _And I'd like to meet your teacher. I looked atand he was smiling in an annoying way. I chatted with my family for a while and when we were about to leave,appeared from nowhere. _Congratulations! _Thanks Mr.. _Mr.?! _Mom, dad, this is my music teacher. They greeted each other and I could see thatwas looking at him in a different way. _You're young to be a teacher. _Thank you Mrs.; I love to teach so why wait 'till I get old? Everybody laughed at his stupid comment thenstarted to make her moves. _Well Mr., do you only teach here at school? _I give private piano lessons as well. _Could you teach me? I mean; I think is time for me to learn to play the piano. I lost my sight! I wanted to punch my sister so hard but I held myself! Well,did it for me putting his hand on my shoulder. _Well, I guess you don't need my lessons 'cause you have an incredible talent in your own house. _But she's not as cute as you are. _Thank you but my schedule is full anyway. Maybe you should try next year. That answer put the smile back on my face,was vanishing my insecurity from my life and it was making me really happy. We said goodbye to him butstayed to talk to him. On my way home my parents were saying pretty good things about, too bad I couldn't say he was boyfriend. At home, after the celebration dinner, I was in my room whencame to bug me a little bit more. _Hi. _What do you want? _Why didn't you tell me that your teacher is handsome? _I didn't notice. _Come on! You wouldn't notice it if you were a lesbian. _Well, I'm not a lesbian and Mr.is just a teacher! I got nervous and yelled at her. It was bothering me the waywas talking about. She stared at me for about 3 minutes then started to tease me again. _How cute! You have a crush on your teacher! _Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! _You don't have to be shy, it's normal a little girl fall in love with an older guy. _I can't believe you're 19 years old! You look like a child! _Well, at least I have more chances with Mr.than you. What would he want with a teenager like you? The answer came to my throat but I kept the cool 'causewas my boyfriend and it was all that mattered. As I didn't say anything to, she left my room laughing. I closed the door then heard my phone ringing. _Hello! _, it's me. _Hi! What's new? _I really liked. _Are you serious? _Yeah. He seems to like you very much and though your ages are incompatible he doesn't mind being with you. I guess you have nothing to worry about;is a decent guy. _This is awesome! Now I feel I can trust him. _Didn't you trust him before? _I was afraid he wasn't serious about me. _Believe me,is completely serious about you. That conversation was good for me 'cause's opinion really counted and he likingwas a huge deal. _You're making me really happy. _Don't give me the credits honey, give it all to your boyfriend. By the way, he wants to see you tomorrow. _Where? _Tell your parents you're gonna spend the night at my flat, you're gonna meet him here and he'll take you out. _Did I ever say that I love you? _Not lately. _I do. _Still? _Always! _I'm glad to know I come first than. When I hung up the phone I was feeling great. I changed my clothes and went to bed. All night I dreamt about, it was so real that I think I was smiling into my sleep. On the next day I did whattold me to do and met. We talked about my family and he felt sorry for not being allowed to tell my parents we were together but we didn't let this come between us, not even my jealousy when talked about him. We decided to give one step at a time and believe me; that was the smartest thing to do 'cause our troubles started like an avalanche. Everywhere we went people looked at us like we were family and to some of's friends I was his cousin what bothered me sometimes. Many times I thought about breaking up with him but every time I looked into his eyes I couldn't do it 'cause I liked him too much. On our 2 months anniversarytook me to the restaurant we had our first date. Everything was perfect 'till we get to his place; whenopened the door the lights turned on and a bunch of people yelled "SURPRISE".quickly let go my hand and got pale. _What's going on here? _Well, since you've been acting weird, concentrated in your classes and not going out anymore, and I decided to give this party to put you back on the road. _Come on, I'm not acting weird. _No!? You've been walking around with your little cousin and don't have a date in ages! When that guy said that I guess I died inside; but I had to cope with that and when I thought it was the worst thing that could happen my knees got weak with what I saw. _we have a surprise for you. _Really? What is it? _Kirstin Wilson! Yeah, she was's ex fiancée. She was beautiful, completely different from me well, every girl in there was different from me; I didn't fit in that party.looked at me trying to tell me something but I walked away and sat on the corner of the room. Everybody was having the time of their lives; and Kirstin were talking, as I was all by myself. I had enough when; I guess; said he didn't know that the "kid" was gonna be there so that was the reason he didn't buy any soda. I didn't get mad, I go frustrated, I don't know… after hearing that I went to's room and stayed there all night crying most of the time. I was feeling so bad, so useless that I cried enough to fall asleep. I didn't know how long I slept but someone stroking my hair woke me up. _babe, wake up. _What time is it? _2:40am _God! I should be at's hours ago… _Take it easy I've already called your cousin and told him you're spending the night here. _I think I should go anyway. _What's the matter? _I just have a headache. Of coursedidn't buy it and grabbed my arm when I was about to leave his room. _Please, what's going on babe? When I heard him whispering I couldn't hold anymore; I broke down in tears feeling worse than before full of fears, insecurity and wanting to disappear. It was clear for me that we were not meant to be. What was I thinking wanting to have something with my music teacher?held me tight but I couldn't feel safe anymore so I pushed him away and moved to the other side of the room. _Stop it! _I do not understand what's happening. _There's nothing to understand! It's clear we shouldn't be together! _Why are you saying that? _'Cause I'm a child! _You're not a child. _Yes I am! Everyone here tonight looked at me like I was some kind of a charity case! You can't be with someone like me; you should go back with Kirstin 'cause she's perfect for you! At this point I wasn't able to stay on my feet, I was crying really much feeling hurt and really small so; I leant on the wall. I couldn't look atanymore. _I can't believe you just said that! Ok, Kirstin wanted us to go back together but I said "no"! _What…? _I told her I was in love with someone else. I didn't know what to do I was speechless. All night I thought he'd break up with me but I was wrong; got close to me and softly touched my face. _I don't wanna be with anyone else but you. I thought we were in this together. _We were…we are… Suddenly he looked into my eyes. _I love you babe. I froze!never said that before. Well, no one ever said that to me before! I started to shiver inside and stopped crying. _You what? _I love you, I really do. I don't know why you have doubts about it. _Kirstin is so beautiful and is old enough to be seen with you. _But she doesn't have your hazel eyes, your tiny hands, your beautiful brown hair… came closer and kissed me real slow. I started to feel good again, not that small anymore. _… and for sure she doesn't have your soft lips. Only you know how to kiss me. I smiled; somehow I was sure he was saying the truth, I was feeling safe again.ran his fingers softly on my lips and a cold ran down my spine. _Don't you ever doubt the love I feel for you. _I won't. I kissed his fingertips and he smiled. He put his arms around me running his hands on my back then kissed me real slow again tasting my lips and my tongue. I put one of my hands on the back of his neck and the other I ran though his chest. He stopped kissing me and looked into my eyes, I saw what he wanted and to tell the truth I wanted the same so, I started to kiss his neck and tripped felling him breathing close to me. moved his hands to my waist then slowly unzipped my skirt. He kissed one of my shoulders then moved to my neck living traces of love bites. I was feeling good 'cause it was something I've never felt before;was turning me on and that was an awesome sensation. He started to kiss my lips again but now with passion. He took off his shirt then laid me on his bed and untied the strings of my top. He looked at me to be sure I wanted him the same way as he wanted me; I smiled and he continued exploring my body with his hands and his lips. Everything was so slow;was perfect in every single way and, after caressing and touching my body, he softly entered me. I moaned as he started to move slowly. _Are you ok babe? _Hu uhh… was taking care of me, making his best to make me feel comfortable and hitting the right spots. I had no pain... well, at least I didn't pay attention at it 'cause as we were making love I realized:was the one I was born to be with. Later that night,and I were laid in each other's arms; he was playing with my hair and I was playing with his fingers. _Are you really ok? _Yes… why? _I just wanna be sure you're ok. _I'm fine, you don't have to worry. _Did I hurt you or…? _I'm fine. _Sorry… _Are you ok? _I don't know. _Why? _I was afraid. _Of what? _I thought you'd break up with me after the party. _Why? _I don't know… you looked hurt when you saw my friends and when I saw you coming to my room I thought to myself " That's it! Your friends screwed up everything for you and your girl". I don't know but at that moment I had to kiss him. I couldn't believe he was afraid of me breaking up with him. That was one more proof that we were meant to be. After that night we got closer than before and we started to handle things much better. At school was the same,didn't give me extra attention or grades I didn't deserve, we learnt how to separate things really well. Sometimes I helped him correcting tests and he helped me to study math, my big difference at school.still covered for us and gave us all the support he could but one day the "fairy tale" came to an end. I was in my room writing on my diary when my mom called me to help her in the kitchen. As I left the roomentered to look for one of her coats and after 20 minutes she got in the kitchen yelling. _ARE YOU INSANE? _What's going on? _DON'T LOOK AT ME WITH THIS ANGEL FACE! _,; what's happening? _YOUR LITTLE GIRL IS HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH HER MUSIC TEACHER! My mom looked at me shocked and I was trying to figure what to say; what was useless since read my diary. _Is it true? _Mom, listen… _Is it true? _Yes… Wrong answer, it was the truth but it was still wrong. My mom didn't say a word and slapped my face. I didn't get mad, just hurt; my mom had never raised her hand to me before and that was kind of a shock for me. _I'm gonna call your father and tomorrow we're gonna take you to school. We're gonna have a conversation with the head mistress and with Mr.. _What?! _I want that teacher out of the school, the town if it's possible! And you… I don't know what are we going to do with you! I didn't fight back, I just listened to what my mom had to say.stared at me angry like I just had killed someone but I guess it was pure jealousy. _Go to your roomand just leave when I say so! I did what my mom said and stayed in there quiet. I tried to talk tobut he wasn't home and his mobile was out of order so it'd be harder for him. My dad came home and the whole family discussed what to do with me and mostly with. I guess it took 4 hours to decide what they wanted and another 2 to lecture me about what I was doing was wrong. My mom cried and yelled as my dad walked around the room like an animal in a cage. That night I couldn't sleep thinking about everything that happened during this time, I knew it was wrong but I didn't care 'cause I lovedand I'd accept any punishment they gave me. On the next day my parents took me to school but I didn't go to my classes, I went to the head mistress office where my father told Mrs. Geller about "Mr." and me. Half hour later someone knocked on the door and Duncan got in the room. He looked around and didn't understand what was going on 'till he saw me. He kept staring at me with fear but I was really calm 'cause what was done was done and I didn't regret anything. _Have a sit Mr.. Mrs. Geller pointed to a chair and he did what she said. _Well, it was brought to my attention by Mr. And Mrs.that you and their daughterare romantically involved. Is that correct Mr.? looked at me not sure if he should answer or not. I did a sign with my head then he took a deep breath and answered. _Yes Mrs. Geller. _And how long have this been going on? _8 months. Everybody in the room looked shocked at us;and I just smiled, it was good taking all that out of our chests 'cause we wanted to play it all clear from the beginning but being underage was a huge deal. Everything I went through the other night started at Mrs. Geller's office but this time with . Mrs. Geller told him what would happen with his teaching career and; like me, he didn't say a word. My mom yelled at him, accused him of being a rapist and kept saying I was a baby. That situation was awful and I could see that my mother's words were hurting, suddenly my dad stood up; I thought he'd killor kick his ass but no, my father got nearand started to talk to him. _How did it start? _I don't know… we fell in love since we saw each other for the first time Mr.. _? _Yes dad? _Did he force you to something? _No dad, he didn't, trust me. _Ok… I have an offer for you Mr.. _What is it Mr.? _Do you love my daughter? _Very much. _Would you do anything for her? _Of course. _So, here's the deal. Quit your job and leave town, I guarantee you that my family won't press charges against you. Somehow my father understood the situation but it was a high price to pay and, since I didn't wanna ruin 's life I supported the idea and encouraged him to accept the proposal. In 5 minutes wrote a resignation letter, Mrs. Geller signed it and he went to pack his things without looking back. That made me sad 'causedidn't give me the chance to see hiseyes one last time. I stayed in Mrs. Geller's office for a few more minutes and they decided not suspend me or expel me which was good. I went back home that day feeling relieved 'cause I didn't have to hide anything anymore and if anyone had a question I'd answer with pleasure. Anyway,didn't call me that day; I didn't get mad, I understood his action; he kept the promise he made my father. On the next day around 2pm my cousin showed up and my parents were making thousands of questions aboutand me, they looked like Bush bombing Iraq. I guess after 30 minutes of inquiry my parents releasedto talk to me. _come down here! _In a minute mom! I changed my clothes and went to the living room. _Hey! I came here to take you for a walk. _Ok… _, come back by 4pm. _Yes mom. We left my house and I thought we'd go to a park but after a block I saw's car parked. _What's going on? _Don't ask anythingjust get in the car. _But… _Shh! Get in the car! I did whatdemanded not sure if I should but what did I have to lose? He drove for a while then stopped at his flat. _What are we doing here? _Come onlet's go inside. I didn't understand a thing 'till I stepped in the flat. _?! _babe! I ran towards him and held him so tight that I thought I'd break his bones. He kissed me and didn't let me go from his arms for quite a while. _I missed you so much! _Me too! I thought you had left without saying goodbye. _I'd never do such thing babe, that's why I'm here. _Are you leaving now? _Yes… I'll go back to my hometown. _I'm sorry. It was my fault. _Why are you saying that? _'Cause if I hadn't left my diary openedwould never read it and tell everybody about us. _Don't say that'cause if she had any respect for you she'd never read your personal stuff so don't blame yourself. kissed me and I was trying to convince myself that all of this was a bad dream but no, everything was real, unfortunately. _Sorry guys butwe have to go. _Ok, I'll be there in a minute. _Ok. _I have to go too babe. _I don't want you to go. _I know… If I could I'd stay here with you or if I were an inconsequent I'd take you with me. _If it's an offer… _No, I want you to stay and study. You need to put everything behind and be somebody. _But I am somebody who loves you. _I know… I love you too but don't waste your talent. I'd leave everything if he wanted but he was right, I couldn't drop out school to follow him but anyway, I got sad. _LookI had an idea. _You're gonna send everyone to hell and are gonna stay? _I wish I could do something like that but you'd still be underage. _What do you mean? _5 years… we can meet again in 5 years. _I still don't understand. _In 5 years you'll be 21 and we'll be allowed to be together. I thought for a while 'cause I was thinking we were breaking up and not making plans for the future. _So this is not a goodbye? _No, in 5 years on September 13th meet me at the diner you go to study. What do you say? I just kissed him; I didn't have to say anything else 'cause he knew my answer was "yes". We left's flat and said goodbye again whenbroke down in tears then left. I was strong during all the time, didn't shad a tear since everybody found out about us but when I saw's car fading away I couldn't take anymore and cried like a baby. When I put myself back togethertook me home. That weekend was a hell, I misseda lot but there was nothing I could do 'cause we decided not to stay in touch. When I went to school on Monday everything was weird; everywhere I pass everybody stared at me and commented something behind my back. That was bothering me 'cause for sure everyone knew about and me. I was living the song of The Police "Don't Stay So Close To Me", notes flying around, people whispering and accusing looks. Even my so-called friends were different with me but I still didn't regret a thing. I went to my music class and Mrs. Geller introduced the new music teacher. _Mr.had some personal problems and had to leave the school so we hired Mrs. Rosenthal to replace him. The teacher was an old lady and when she stepped in the class everybody looked at me and in a choir said: "Nice one!". I went home after school and told my parents what happened and after a lot of arguments my father decided we should move to another town.made a big deal about it 'cause if she wanted to stay she had to get a job to support herself and since my sweet sister was a lazy bum and didn't want to lose daddy's facilities she stopped arguing against it. We moved to Bristol and my parents decided I should attend a catholic school. They never mentioned the "incident", like they said, to anyone and I; well, I didn't tell anyone aboutand the promise we made before he went away. I didn't even write it on my diary and hid this secret really well. During the time I was in Bristol I studied hard and dedicated myself to music. Some of the boys invited me out but I didn't want to go out with them; I wasn't saving myself toit just didn't feel right. Time went by and when I turned 21 I gathered my family and told them I was moving to London. It was a big shock for them mostly to my mom. She made clear that she didn't approve my decision. _you don't know what you're doing! _Of course I know mom! _If you go back to London you'll be wasting your life! _No!wasted her life getting pregnant by a guy she doesn't even know the name! _But you're going to chase a dead stupid dream! _Maybe I am but let me make my own mistakes 'cause now I'm old enough to take the responsibility. _It's a stupid thing! _Well mom, I'm gonna move back to London neither you like it or not! _If you leave this house, young lady, don't bother coming back! I didn't see it coming but I wouldn't change my mind. _Fine mom! I'm gonna pack my stuff and I'll leave tonight. I went to my room and started to pack. I calledto tell him what I was about to do and after talking for an hour we decided to share a flat. Well, I had money; I had a place to live, a possible job that my cousin would see for me and; the most important, doubts aboutremembering our promise. Around 7pm I left my place in Bristol and went to London.picked me up at the station and at this point I wasn't sure about what I'd done. I mean, I left my family chasing a dream plus, I didn't know what had happened toin this 5 years. What if he found someone and got married? What if he died? What if he forgot about me? So many questions that it would be answered in 2 days. The night before September 13th I couldn't sleep. Well, since the beginning of the story you can see I always had trouble to sleep and I'm paying for it now with intensive skin care and insomnia sometimes! Those were rough times. Anyway, at the big day I left my flat in the morning and went to eat breakfast at the diner, I was so nervous that I ate like a cow. Hours went by anddidn't show up and I started to think that my mom was right about me "chasing a dead dream". I was feeling stupid, ridiculous and pathetic. Around 7pm I got tired of waiting and decided to go home but when I was about to leave I heard something familiar. _"Man it's funny how she smiles/How grateful she's now/And how it touches me deep in my heart somehow/Yet the mirror laughs at me when I forget myself/When I complain about this hand I got dealt…" It was "The Gift", the songwrote and it was his voice singing. I turned around and there he was smiling more handsome than 5 years ago, holding one single yellow rose in his hand. I went towards him laughing and crying at the same time and held him tight.hadn't forgot about me after all! _I missed you so much! I was counting the days to see you again! _And what took you so long? _Traffic… I was planning to come yesterday but I had to teach for my last class before quitting my job. _I can't believe you're actually here! _Believe it babe; I'm here and I'm all yours. put his hands on my face and kissed me. God how I missed those lips! We chatted about everything that happened in our lives and he told me that 3 months ago he started to look for a job in London 'cause he had plans to stay here and raise a family with me. Guess what? Today is our anniversary, and I have been married for 2 years and I'm 7 months pregnant. I made peace with my family, sometimes my parents come to visit me and we go to visit them in Bristol. It was hard for my mom to accept the fact I was right andreally loved but little by little she learned how to like him. finally found her way and married a nice guy who loves her and her daughter. I can say that she regretted what she did 'cause every time we see each other she apologizes and I always say "what happened belongs to the past", after allis my sister and I forgave her. Well, that's my story, the only real fairy tale I know.and I had lots of ups and downs 'cause of my age when in the end… age is just a number. The End.