A Love Unforgotten, with Fate in Control

A new chapter had just begun. It was the first day of the rest of her life, a day which introduced her to the lasting and impactful memories over the next five years. ‘Fresh’ into high school and all that was on Gabrielle’s mind was getting to class on time, hoping to meet new friends quickly, and ensuring grades were maintained at excellency. A nerd she was, young teen with dreams, scared and eager.

The bell rings signalling the end of school. Gabrielle grabbed her books and packed her bags and with no hesitation headed straight home which was literally across the road from school. Due to the fact that she had terrible motion sickness and lived almost an hour away from school, boarding was the only option for the first two years. Days went by and high school had now become a reality. All the fantasies and stories about how great it will be, and how it will forever be the best years weren’t really starting to manifest as she expected. Of course she had good friends, academia was interesting and inevitably peer pressure came along too – ‘I hope you didn’t think I was going to forget to mention it!’

Like any average teen as the years progressed curiosity grew. Gabrielle was now in her third year of high school and started to take a keen interest in boys, although the thought of having a boyfriend hadn’t crossed her mind yet. Sometimes when you least expect it, life throws amazing things your way and in that moment, you maybe haven’t even realised it yet.

It was an average windy day in the tropics. Heatwaves unforgiving, sharp dust scraping colour off faces and adding an extra layer of insecurity to the qualms of puberty. Unashamed and with bold grace, the diva emerged as Gabrielle removed a mirror from her uniform pocket and did a spot check. It was lunchtime! “Darn, my lip gloss is smudged, my face totally greasy” uttered Gabrielle – and the list of youthful diffidence continues. Without warning, and completely ignorant of what was going on around her, was the dim admiration of a ‘young’ boy from a distance. Upon realisation of his stare Gabrielle walked by not quite sure of what to think, especially since he didn’t say one word to her. Little did she know, that moment was the start of something even you and I may not be able to fathom.

He looked at her with much charm and intrigue but was too shy then to confront her. Now I guess you could say at that age male friends tend to use each other to pass messages around to their crushes. One day after leaving class to head for lunch, a boy approached Gabrielle telling her how much his best friend really adores and has a crush on her. A light scoff was her immediate reaction and she didn’t pay it much attention. At that time she wasn’t intrigued nor was she enthusiastic about having a boyfriend. In her head she simply wasn’t ready. Though time passed by, the seasons and the constant rejection would not allow this admirer to give up without a fight. Valentine ’s Day would bring chocolates, roses, and love notes. He was really showing his sweet side.

Over time Gabrielle’s interest and the thought of getting to know him began to grow. But, as serendipity would have it…or if you prefer destiny, this secret admirer was temporarily replaced by a guy she met while spending weekends at her cousin’s house. She developed a liking for this guy who shared a mutual friendship with her cousins and other friends in the neighbourhood. By now and with constant visits to her cousin’s house on the weekend, Gabrielle’s attention had now shifted to this new crush. It’s a feeling of youth where you don’t know what you are doing and how to explain it, but the lack of maturity and wisdom may allow you to feel blinded by what you feel is right, when in fact, it could be so wrong! ‘Oh was he so wrong for her!’ Bad boy, older, cute, but definitely not the right guy.

High school was fast approaching its end and as life would have it, Gabrielle started to look at her life and where she wanted to go after the end of that chapter. Between the mid high school period and final year, she had now become really good friends with her admirer, she even found out they lived in the same district. They both had mutual circles and was now spending most evenings together with their friends having fun after school. The indescribable love Gabrielle had for her best friends meant everything to her, this amid the typical world of teens, belly burning laughter and growing bonds was evolving. Late afternoons of waiting for the bus and doing silly idle things while they discussed life had become the norm for this circle of friends. The mystery admirer now became a part of life, added meaning and was very observant and well aware of her true character. He opened up many doors to feelings she never knew existed. He channeled emotions through her veins like lightning bolt flashing rapidly through the sky. He held her hands, she closed her eyes and all that she felt next was coalesce of souls. It was now the love that she knew she deserved, the love that she didn’t know was longed-for. Somehow Gabrielle knew it felt right even though she couldn’t define it. The admirer gave himself without restraint and so did she. The souls were yearning; he fought endlessly to show her how much he was really serious about what he was feeling and what he wanted for them.

Mixed feelings, thrill, a flashback to the good and bad memories lingered in her head as she prepared herself to take graduation photos and walk amongst peers as they celebrated triumph. The end of the high school chapter had approached, marking the inception of a new journey with a different outlook on love. Gabrielle’s high school sweetheart became her best friend, her eternal soul mate. The next journey for these two was college and their love blossomed even more as they grew with each other. However, fate had its way and love was interrupted when life presented them with their biggest and unforgettable challenge…

to be continued...

#HighSchool #love #crush #teen #lovestory