To 10th grade
I remember in my 10th grade year that Johnny S. was in my Spanish class as a junior. He hated Spanish and had failed the class in his 10th grade year. He is a really bright kid, but he just didn't give a shit about Spanish, which really doesn't fit my picture of him.
For a while Johnny sat to the left side of me (an isle separated us), he was really funny, and spent most of the class annoying and talking to me. Which probably wasn't too cool, because we sat in the first row. He also use to do these playifully creepy staring contests. If you saw his face when he stared at you, you couldn't help but laugh. He was a true Comedian. He would expect me to tell him what page we were on in the book when we were doing lessons, etc., when he had someone sitting right next to him. One time he wanted my book or something weird like that, and we fought over my book. We sat in those desks where the flat planel desk is attached to the seat. So he hopped his desk on over toward mine as he wanted my book. Both literally tugging at it, until we finally stopped fighting, and our teacher was so furious she ran down the isle of the class (she taught in front of us, but her desk was in the very back of us in the back of the room) with a dentention slips. She said if "you" did not calm down and stop our nonsense "you" would have detention. She was talking over us and looking straight up ahead (toward the back of the room). I thought she was talking to someone else. Then at the end of her speech, she looked at Johnny and I. We were in trouble. Johnny shut up and I laughed. We were good for the rest of the class.
In the middle of the year our assigned seating in Spanish changed. So Johnny was now sitting behind me. Which meant Johnny could now annoy me every second of Spanish class. Now he was within distance to touch me. So every 3 seconds he was tapping me, tapping me, and tapping me. Hey look at this...hey what does this mean in English...hey I'm staring at you (staring contest)...hey I have your pen...hey turn around...hey your hair (which was really long at the time) is on my desk...and so on. This was everyday, with no breaks. It felt like Johnny's sole purpose for those 50 minutes was to annoy the crap out of me. He use to pull at my hair and tell he was tying single strands in knots. He use to ask me US army/marine questions, like I was suppose to know the answers. He would steal my pen and not give it back. If I complained, it took it apart. He use to 'hit' my back for no reason. He use to hit my back when he asked Drew a question and Drew got it right. Drew use to sing if you are happy and you know it clap your hands. Johnny would look at me (normally I always sat to facing the isle so that I could turn around and look at Johnny easily) and Johnny had this stern voice and he would command me to clap. I would- every time. He use to shake my desk with his feet (not only was the desk and chair connected, but there was a basket under the seat of the chair for your books I guess) and he said it was an earthquake. He use to flex his arm and say there was a baseball in there. He use to make sure he got up to leave class before I did. He would hold me up and not let me out of the room. Or he would walk ahead of me, then stop short and sudden so I would walk into him. He had alllll his books in his backpack. UGH. Obviously, as a 15 year old girl- I had a crush on him. HAHA.
As a 16 year old girl, I had a computer art class with Johnny. Things had changed. He wasn't as playful but was more sarcastic. Still SUPER annoying. We didn't have the same fun and silliness, although that was there too. I would assume things changed probably because this computer art class was mostly males, most of which Johnny really got along with and would talk to. I still had an on and off crush on Johnny but I did miss his playfullness. Through his sarcasism he could still be a really great kid. I remember we sat together (once again assigned seating) at one point. I was really bummed about my grades and I really wanted a 93 avg. in all my classes. In that art course I was only around an 89 or 90. So I complained and talked to the teacher about it as everyone was sitting at the computers. I said how I wanted a higher avg. for college, etc. and Johnny goes "what you aren't happy with a 90? are you going to stanford?" or something like that. Funny, and it let me kinda realize I was being a bit obsessive. As I argued and discussed with the teacher and I was getting teary eyed....which was a rare thing for me at school. Anyhow the subject was dropped. The next day a kid from a counterpart computer art class came in our class. He asked me something about my project and Johnny said "LEAVE HER ALONE, she is frustrated with her project." He was very serious, and the other person (which was a kid that can be a dick but wasn't at the moment) didn't really get what was going on, but left me alone. I didn't even care that the kid was asking me about my project, but it just showed that Johnny could really be a nice kid. When we had all our project on the board and we were reviewing them. Someone asked why my one object was so small...and Johnny said "Its called PERSPECTIVE, what a bunch of idoits." I felt like telling Johnny I was fine now and didn't need his defensive but it was cute.
I could go on and on with little silly teenage stories from spanish class, etc, but I'll just keep them to my self.
I am however, very sad that Johnny is still in the hospital. I don't know the whole story, but I heard he is not progressing. I remember how Johnny use to have a military marine book and he use to ask me and a friend to quiz him on the questions from it. He would ALWAYS get them right. I remember I asked Johnny what a marine really did. He drew some blobs on a piece of paper to show me how they were in front of the army, etc. He abrupted turned around after telling me (I think this was the only time he sat in front of me...it wasn't easy for him to bug me if he was the one that had to turn around). I thought he was doodling. He was drawing a better very detailed picture for me, to explain again what a marine did. HAHA. I remember seeing the second picture and realizing he had great artistic talent. He went to the Art Ins. of Pittsburgh. Which made me happy because I have always had a fear of ppl I know being in the military. I learned that he completed one semster and did indeed become a marine. Then the fighting and the war broke out. By this time, I had many more friends, and relatives in the forces. Johnny did have an encounter, that was in our local paper. I hadn't seen him in years at this point. We were never true friends, the kind that hang out after school. But he really did mean something to me at 15. But, I barely remember it now. I remember the times in class and the jokes. I don't remember his meaning to me though. I have grown up and become the adult I want to be. I have many great people in my life that mean so much to me. So I have moved on, and forgotten about that 15 year old girl, that loved that Spanish class, and loved to be picked on by Johnny. I do know, even if he doesn't remember any of that, I do. Its a very distant memory but I definitely smiled as I recalled it today. I will keep him in my prayers and really hope for his full recovery.