for lurve, the finale and the fireworks.

Did I mention that when he picked me up that first time we hung out, his hair was vibrant beautiful long gingery RED? Yes. He'd finally got rid of the browns and unleashed the ginger. It was utterly glorious.

No, no. He doesn't like me.
"Mallory, he never talks about anyone like this. And I KNOW Chris. Guess what he told me?? He told me that he feels like a schoolgirl! He LOVES you. He is crazy in love with you." And then she started crying because she was so happy for me and for Chris. This was becoming the best phone call of my life.
We talked more about exactly what he said and how I felt and I felt like I was floating. It was too good to be true. But, as far as I knew, he didn't know I liked him and I didn't know he liked me. I'm sure Tawna told him, but we were too shy to bring it out in the open.
Somewhere in those crazy two weeks of school, Tawna moved to Cody, Wyoming. It was going to happen for months. Finally it did, and me and Chris were both super sad. All we had left was....EACH OTHER. Heh.
A random number called me one night. I answered because I thought it was Tawna.
"Hello?"
"Guess who??"
It was He-who-must-not-be-named.
I hung up immediately. The worst feeling in my stomach. I immediately texted Chris. He understood. He told me that if he came near me he would shank him. Then He-who texted me. "You hung up...." I played it off as an accident, but he didn't call me again.
The next day he texted me during fourth period. After school I went to my best friend Rachel's house with my other best friend Hannah. They sat next to me on Rachel's couch in her basement as I called He-who and broke up with him. Officially and finally. I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off me. That night I felt like heaven itself was inside of me, and Hannah and I had a dance party at the football game.
So it was Monday, September 7, 2008, when Tawna called me from Wyoming. She had just got off the phone with Chris, again. She had more good news. Apparently he was just getting crazier for me by the day. And I for him. But we were still being shy about it and just acting like friends. Even though every time I saw him at school I nearly peed my panties. So Tawna said "Mallory, he's not going to be the one to make the first move. You have to do something about it." And I told her, I can't, there's no way. I am too scared. I somehow in my mind did NOT believe that he liked me as much as she said he did. Then she said this: "If you don't tell him that you like him TOMORROW, I am never talking to you again." And I firmly decided in my mind that I was going to do it.
Wednesday, September 8. My mom's birthday. Chris and I planned on spending lunch together, so that's when I decided I was going to do it. We went out behind the school and sat under a tree and talked. My heart was racing like the fastest racing thing. The bell rang. I hadn't done it. Darn. He walked me to my class. And when I got in, I texted him and said "I have to tell you something after school. Meet me by the student center." And he agreed, with a smiley face.
School ended, and there he was, waiting for me. We started walking towards the doors not saying anything. I could barely breathe from all the insane butterflies. I let out a nervous laugh. We were still walking. People all around. I didn't care. Finally, I couldn't bear the craziness and shaking and insanity any longer, and I said "Chris...............I like you." And I peeked over at him and he had the biggest smile on his face. He put his hand over his mouth and looked at me. We were still walking. He took his hand away. Smiling so huge and laughing. I could feel all the blood in my face turning my entire head red. And then guess what. He gave me a high five. It was the greatest thing ever. We just kept walking and we were almost to the parking lot. I felt so much better but I was still shaking like a leaf. Then, I looked at him and he said, "I will see you tomorrow, okay?" He was still smiling so so big. And I said okay, and we went our separate ways. About five minutes later, he texted me and said, "This is the happiest I have been in all of my life. Really Mallory." There were all kinds of explosions going on inside of me. I couldn't believe that just happened. But it was done. I felt so strange and so good.
We kept on texting each other all day. I was just about to go to bed when he said, "Tomorrow I want to ask you something, okay?" You know what that means.
Thursday, September 9. We had lunch again. Oh how I loved him. We were walking back to the school from the parking lot when he said all casual like, "So, do you want to be like, together?" And I said yes. And then we embraced. Giddy. Gumdrops. Everything was so glorious happy and PERFECT!!

And then the next day I left to go to Africa for ten days. Ha ha ha.

On September 27, he took me to my first concert ever: Shiny Toy Guns. After we went home and laid on his trampoline swaddled in blankets and looked at the stars. It was perfect but he didn't kiss me.
A couple of nights a week he would come over to my house late at night and we would talk for a little while. He would hug me goodbye. I kissed him on the cheek once and ran inside and freaked out in my room.
On October 9, our one month anniversary, he came over to my house at night and we sat outside talking. He got up to leave and gave me a hug. Teasing, hinting, I turned my head to kiss him on the cheek again. Then he said, "Nope." Turned my chin ever so slightly and kissed me.

And you know the rest.
I was getting so many butterflies and smiling and laughing while I wrote this. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I love my life.

Oh, and Tawna went absolutely crazy and claimed that she loved Chris all along and cried to Chris on the phone and passive-aggressively blamed me for all of her woes. She said that Chris had changed SO MUCH, when actually he simply didn't like her anymore and wasn't chasing after her anymore. She didn't like that, not one bit. You do remember..."I just can't picture myself with him." So absurd. After she led him on and hurt him for years and years. She hasn't talked to me since. She still texts him all the time and tells him that she misses and loves him. Just take a guess on how I feel about that whole thing.

But, I don't care anymore. He is my favorite person in the world, my handsome happy ridiculous hilarious wonderful ginger sunshine, and I love him so much.