Chapter Three

JULIAN

January 15, 1990

My family just moved into our house in The United States. Louisiana isn't as warm in the winter as Puerto Rico. Today was my first day in a traditional American school. They call it ‘high school' here, which is weird because I'm not used to calling it that. Back home, we call our final grades ‘upper secondary school,' and we don't have as many options to choose our own classes. But here, I was given some say. Since I'm eighteen, they placed me in the twelfth grade because I tested well in most subjects, besides History. Which I can understand because I wouldn't know too much about the primary United States.

Other kids look at me differently, like I don't belong here. And I kinda don't. Except for one boy. He makes me feel seen and he's very nice to look at. I have two classes with him, History and Chemistry. I sat behind him during third period History. He didn't speak to me, but I felt like he wanted to. Although I was still nervous from being in a brand-new school, I wasn't in the mood to chat with anyone right off the bat.

But during lunch, I was browsing the school library. Then when I turned around the corner from a shelf, the same boy bumped into me, and my textbooks fell to the ground. I went to pick them up, but he beat me to it. He looked me in the eye with a huge smile as I looked back. So sweet and innocent, how could he not be friendly? He looked like how a teenage version of a cherub might. The image of pure innocence. It just warmed my whole body.

"Hi, I'm Grayson," he said, waving his hand through his short, black hair.

I took a minute to respond. His willingness to speak to me as if I wasn't the alien everyone else thinks I am, was startling. I almost didn't know what to say, or if I did, I might've stuttered my words making me sound like a complete idiot.

I waved at him shyly. "I'm Julian."

It didn't sound as bad as I first thought.

"Where are you from, Julian?" He asked.

I leaned up against the side of a shelf. "My family just moved here from Puerto Rico."

His lips formed a small circle. "Oh, that's pretty far."

"My papá moved my family here because he's working on an oil rig off the coast of Mississippi," I said.

He seemed shocked. "Oh wow, I hear that can be a real dangerous job."

I shrugged. "He says it's going to bring in better money than he made back home."

"Well it was nice to meet you, Julian—I gotta go catch my next class since lunch is almost over," he said. He started walking away when I realized he still had my Language Arts and Chemistry textbooks still in his arms.

"Wait," I waved at him. "You have my books."

Grayson chuckled with an embarrassed sort of grin. "Oh, I guess I do."

Later in the afternoon, I walked to my Chemistry class where I spotted Grayson walking by a bathroom in a corner of the hallway. His welcoming smile made my heart beat so fast, I was convinced it would just suddenly stop working. I've never felt this way about a boy before. And while I don't feel the same way around girls, I'm sure what I'm feeling isn't normal. I wonder if I am the freak the other kids take me for.

In class, Grayson sat at the long table across from the one I chose. The teacher continued giving directions about the midterm project. He looked in my direction and pointed, saying because I was a transfer student, I could join someone else's group. Without so much as a second, Grayson raised his hand and begged me to join his group. Another kid who I assume is in that group punched him in the ribs and whispered something that sounded like, "we don't want that Mexican working with us."

It's hurtful to assume that just because I'm Latino that I'm from Mexico. In fact, my home couldn't be any farther from Mexico. Grayson told him to shut up before smiling back in my direction.

At the last part of class, Mr. Wilson let the groups get together to discuss the progress on their projects. Grayson brought me up to speed with the other students, which included a girl with big round glasses and brown hair named Megan. A boy with freckles and braces named Chip. And the jerk who I can tell doesn't like me, Kevin. And of course, Grayson. Just writing his name makes me tingle on the inside.

"We're doing our project on the conductivity of copper," Grayson said.

"That sounds interesting," I replied.

Twenty whole minutes of conversation with the group proved to me that Grayson must be very smart. Afterwards, I wondered if he could help me catch up on United States History, since he seems to be a straight-A student.

This afternoon when I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about him. How he stood up for me and genuinely wanted me to work with them on their project. I can't help but brag about this crush. But I'm sure this journal is the only place I can confess my feelings. Well, I already have some homework to catch up on. Even if my mind will be distracted by the thought of him and his smile. I hope he's planning to be an actor or something, because he looks like a million bucks.