If you read this you will make me very happy :-)
Ok, so I swear a real update will ensue soon, as well as an email reply to Miss Robeano... (sooo sorry!!) but I wanted to see what you guys thought about some stuff...
I'm taking my second level writing class this quarter, geared toward people who want to be teachers. It focuses on children's literature, and strategies on how to teach writing and improve your own writing skills.
If you know me decently well, you probably know that I pretty much hate reading and writing, and God help me if I have to read or write poetry. ::shudders:: I hate reading things with mushy details, or even worse, being forced to write mushy details..."The golden leaves rustled in the morning breeze..." Just get to the point already!
Well, through this class I have been forced to face my literary demons, and I have actually been surprising myself! I worked really hard on two pieces in particular and I think it paid off. I'd really like to share them and hear what you guys think!
The first is ::GASP:: a poem! A "Where I'm From" poem to be exact. We had to think of a bunch of things that we feel shaped us, played a big role in our lives...basically it's a poem that shows the reader a small piece of who we are and where we came from.
"Before Westerville"
I am from splashing in puddles in the backyard after a menacing rainstorm;
spoiling dinner by grazing in Daddy's garden.
When sprinkling flakes in Michelle's bowl was a part of my morning routine,
and coming home to a yapping cardboard box was the happiest day of my life.
I am from Daddy teaching me the states and all their capitals;
impressing adults by reciting them all.
From learning shapes like "parawewogram,"
and spending hours constructing castles from colorful wooden building blocks.
I am from Mommy's bedazzling holiday décor;
mystified by locks of "angel hair" draped on the Christmas tree.
Caught up in a fantasy land of magic and fables;
it was time for it to come to an end, unbeknownst to me.
I am from family get-togethers with blaring eighties music;
the aroma of Aunt SeeSee's mouthwatering apple pies filled the air.
From a time when an arm load of pumpkins was the norm,
and wearing the Santa hat on Christmas Eve was the greatest honor.
I am from sidewalk chalk bike paths and magnificent blanket forts;
attached to the hip with the girl across the street, hours upon hours spent outdoors.
Bouncing freely on the trampoline, frolicking through sprinklers;
just trudging through the wilderness that was my backyard.
I am from a private Catholic school, number three was me;
breezing through spelling tests, never resting 'til projects were just right.
Overstuffed with the cafeteria's apple crisp;
still running outside to maintain my status as Queen of the Swings.
One last look through the bus window, filled with sadness;
wishing to not start anew.
Pulling up to the new school, butterflies in the stomach;
ready to feel at home there too.
:-)
The second is still somewhat a work in progress. It's my second draft of my "Challenging/Unfamiliar Genre Project". Basically self-explanatory, but we had to pick a genre that was unfamiliar to us, or that is challenging or intimidating to us, research it, write a piece in that genre, and put it all together in project form. (ugh, pain in my tookus.) Well, forget the research part, I dove right in. I chose to write a parody. I knew it would be a challenge for me because basically I am never funny when I try to be. :-(
ANYWAY, it's sorta long (six pages single spaced) but I promise it will be worth it! Please comment and tell me what you think! I'm definitely open to suggestions! (Title??) This is just a draft and I have yet to turn this in for a final grade so I'd like to make as many improvements as possible!! :-D
See if you can figure out what I'm parody-ing...and side note: you'll notice that some things will seem strangely familiar, but that's just because it's easiest for me to write about what's familiar to me. So yes, the main character goes to OSU; yes, she lives in Blackburn on the third floor; yes, she went to Westerville North, among a few other things. HOWEVER, this girl and her life situations are not supposed to be representative of my life in any way, nor anyone else's for that matter. All characters in my story are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Parody Draft #2- Untitled
"I think that was the last box!" Cindy's dad called from the U-Haul. It was a warm autumn morning and Cindy had just finished packing her belongings. She was a bit apprehensive about starting college, but excited nonetheless.
Cindy's dad pulled the door of the U-Haul closed, and off they drove to The Ohio State University. Cindy was a bright eighteen-year-old, known for her academic successes in high school. She was always a shy girl, but somehow always managed to adapt to any situation. Knowing this about herself, she was confident that she would be able to adjust to living with two roommates in the dorms.
Cindy arrived at Blackburn dorm just before ten o'clock. She climbed the stairs to the third floor and unlocked the door to the room at the very end of the hall, only to find that her roommates had already taken over. Clothes spilled out of the closets, school supplies cluttered the desks. It was clear that her roommates had already chosen their spaces, and left Cindy with the smallest desk and the lumpiest mattress.
"How rude," Cindy thought to herself, but she wasn't going to let it bother her. She was too shy for confrontations.
After giving her father a goodbye kiss on the cheek, Cindy turned on the radio to WNCI and began unpacking her things. She had only been unpacking for less than two minutes when a beastly upperclassman appeared in her doorway. She glared at Cindy for a good amount of time before speaking.
"Look, I know it's the first day and all, but you really need to keep it down. Got it? By the way, I'm your Resident Advisor, nice to meet you." Cindy was in shock. It was the first day and she was already getting on the RA's bad side!
"What a terrific start," she thought sarcastically. She hardly had another moment to herself when two girls burst suddenly into the room, cackling with delight. One was a tall blonde, the other a medium-height brunette, both done up with make-up and their hair in messy buns. Feeling insecure, Cindy couldn't help but compare herself to these girls. They looked like the stereotypical "popular" girls in high school. Perfect bodies, sense of style. Cindy wasn't nearly as striking as they were, with her dimpled cheeks and eye glasses. For goodness sakes, she moved into the dorm wearing purple velvet overalls…but she hoped to become good friends with them. Who knew? Maybe they could give her some styling tips or teach her a thing or two about guys.
"Oh, hey," the brunette said coolly, "You must be our roommate."
"Yeah! I'm Cin-"
"Just stay out of our way, nerd," the blonde retorted as she looked Cindy up and down, critiquing her mess of a wardrobe. Her words resonated in Cindy's ear. Nerd? She never really thought of herself as a nerd. She was a bit confused by her roommate's comment, but by the looks on their faces, Cindy knew instantly she wasn't going to become good friends with them. It was going to be a long year.
After a few weeks of school, the roommate situation wasn't getting any better. They were always talking or watching TV while Cindy was trying to study, they never cleaned up after themselves, and her RA was always on her case. Luckily, Cindy's first quarter courses were going well and she saw her time in class as an escape. She was particularly fond of her Psych 101 class, but not because she was interested in learning the parts of the brain...it was because of Vince.
Vince Karming was the star and captain of the Ohio State baseball team. He led the team to two state championships and had a smile that simply made girls melt. Not only was Vince athletic and good-looking, he had brains and a roaring personality to match. Everyone knew who Vince was, and every girl dreamed to date him. He was the ultimate catch. Too bad he didn't know that Cindy existed.
Upon returning to her dorm room after a glorious hour of staring at Vince, Cindy walked in on her roommates discussing something that they deemed very important. She sat at her desk and turned around to listen.
"When is it again?"
"Thursday night, two days from now. You're definitely going, right?"
"DUH! Like I would miss VINCE KARMING'S party! Are you crazy?"
They stopped once they noticed Cindy eavesdropping.
"What are you staring at?" the blonde hissed at Cindy.
"Oh, sorry...nothing...Vince Karming is having a party?"
"Yeah, but don't get your hopes up, you're not invited. So just go back to your studying and for God's sake, leave us alone!" Avoiding confrontation once again, Cindy decided to ignore her roommates' unpleasant attitudes and take matters into her own hands.
Cindy was quite internet-savvy and she knew the latest trends- Facebook was where it was at. Using the "events" feature, Cindy managed to unveil the date, time, and location of Vince's party. It was going to be a big one, too. Over one hundred people had been invited via Facebook! To Cindy's delight, she noticed the disclaimer that stated "Guests are allowed to bring friends to this event." Everyone knows that means basically anyone is invited. She was nervous, but she convinced herself to take the risk and go to Vince's party.
At the sight of Vince the following day, Cindy could hardly contain her excitement. She thought about what she might say to him, how she should do her hair and make-up. But her excitement soon wore thin once she got to thinking about what she might wear. Cindy was never much of a partier, and only now realized that she didn't have any "going out" clothes. The grim reality of how much she would stand out, in a bad way, at Vince's party was slowly setting in. She scanned her options. Who could help her? Her roommates had great senses of style! But they would never help Cindy. They would want to have their best chances with Vince. Unfortunately, that was it. Cindy hadn't really made any friends yet and was already out of possibilities. She was out of hope.
Cindy sat glum at her work desk in the dorm office, filing papers, sorting mail here and there. In the middle of her shift, an acquaintance from her high school walked in.
"Hi, um, our dorm is out of T.P." a girl with brown hair and freckles stated expectantly.
"Alright," Cindy replied as she reached behind her desk for a couple rolls, "Here you go."
"Thanks...hey, you look kinda sad. Is everything okay?" Cindy was surprised by her acquaintance's concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit bummed because my plans for tomorrow night seemed to have fallen through."
"Oh, that's too bad...what were you gonna do?" the girl asked inquisitively. Cindy was hesitant to tell her the details, but proceeded to anyway. The girl was very sympathetic, and even offered that Cindy come to her place tomorrow night and she would help dress her all up. After all, they appeared to be the same size, and were formerly Westerville North Warriors together.
It was finally Thursday night and Cindy ignored her roommates when they asked where she was off to. She arrived at her new friends' dorm and couldn't wait to be transformed. After about thirty minutes, Cindy was all dolled up and looking stunning. She wore blue jeans and high heels, and a racy turquoise halter top that had a neck line drizzled with sequins. Her curly hair was neatly tousled and pinned gracefully at the back of her head, and her eyes twinkled behind the blue frames of her glasses.
"I wish I could come with you to the party!" Cindy's friend explained, "Grey's Anatomy beckons me..." After one last look in the mirror and a hug for good luck from her new friend, Cindy was ready to head to the party.
Not knowing the extent of the uphill hike to Vince's off-campus house, Cindy stopped for a moment to catch her breath and rest her throbbing feet. It wasn't every day she wore high heels! By the time she made it to the party, there was already a good crowd of people. Cindy began feeling nervous. Sweaty palms, butterflies in her stomach. As she got closer she spotted her roommates chatting it up with Vince. To her disappointment, Vince was actually flirting back.
Cindy entered the front yard through a break in the orange plastic fence and immediately heads started turning, particularly the guys'. "Who is that girl?" was running through all their minds.
The roommates thought this mystery girl looked familiar, but she was standing at quite a distance and they couldn't quite put their finger on it. They desperately tried to hold Vince's attention, but once he made eye contact with the mystery girl, his heart was captured by her adorable dimples and vibrant smile. He was taken aback by her beauty and nervously approached her. Cindy was equally astonished by Vince's good looks, and was tremendously excited that he actually seemed to have taken an interest in her. Vince introduced himself, but before Cindy could tell Vince her name, he was abruptly pulled away by a friend. The friend proceeded to whisper something in Vince's ear, and Cindy grew worried. What if this guy knew that she was actually a nerd? Soon after, Vince announced to the guests that the party had been busted due to noise, and the cops were on the way!
Cindy was devastated. She got all dolled up and walked all that way in painful shoes and didn't even get a chance to tell Vince her name. And just like all the other underage students, Cindy dashed out of that orange plastic fence in a frantic frenzy. Kids were running every which direction and amidst all the fury, an upperclassman crashed right into Cindy, sending her glasses soaring through the air. She was blind as a bat without her glasses, but as she turned back to pick them up, all she could see were blurs of bright flashing red and blue lights. There was no way Cindy was going to risk getting in trouble with the cops, so she decided to leave her trusty glasses behind and slowly managed to make it back downhill to her dorm.
The next day was Friday, and luckily for Vince and Cindy, Psych 101 wasn't until the afternoon. You think Vince would be stupid enough to have a party on Thursday night if he had to be up for class in the morning? The sun was gleaming and as Vince stepped off his front porch, he noticed something twinkling in his lawn. He walked over, bent down, and carefully picked up the still intact set of glasses. They looked oddly familiar to him, and only after a few moments did he recognize that they belonged to the mysterious girl from his party. Vince was thrilled! This meant that he would have to see the girl again to return them to her! Just for kicks, Vince tried on the glasses to get a sense of what the mystery girl could see without them, and he was astounded by her lack of vision. "Oh my gosh! It looks like I'm holding up seven fingers when I’m only holding up two!" Vince discovered. Everything was a blurred mess, and he started feeling bad that she now had to stumble around without her glasses.
Meanwhile, Cindy was getting dressed for class and having a hard time readjusting to her awkward nerdy look. She felt even more self-conscious than usual because she was forced to wear her old, thick-brimmed, gawky set of glasses because she didn't own contacts. She arrived to Psych 101 and found a quiet seat in the back of the room. Even though she desperately wanted to talk to Vince, there was no way she was going to let him see her like that. Her plan to hide worked; Vince didn't even notice her in the back of the room.
After class, Vince headed to the North Commons dining hall for lunch. Since Cindy's next class wasn't for another hour, she saw this as the perfect opportunity to sneak back up the hill and search for her beloved glasses. She climbed the hill, re-entered the orange plastic fence, and hunted for those glasses like a hawk stalking a field mouse. No luck. She just as well assumed her glasses were stepped on and destroyed, and figured she better call her dad soon to let him know she’ll need a new pair.
Vince had met up with a buddy at the Commons, who instantly spotted the pair of feminine glasses sticking out of Vince's bookbag.
"...Is there...something you want to tell me, Vince?" his buddy teased as he snatched the glasses from the bag.
"Very funny. These glasses belong to that babe that showed up at my party last night!"
"Really? Did she forget them when she snuck out of your house this morning? Heh Heh," the buddy snickered and nudged Vince's side.
"It's not like that, man. I didn't even get her name, but there was something intriguing about her...I just got this...vibe."
His buddy just stared at him, not grasping the concept that by the time guys enter college they should be mature and treat girls with respect.
"Whatever. If it helps you find her, I'm pretty sure I saw her staggering down the hill towards the North Campus dorms last night. I think she was headed toward Blackburn."
Vince was thrilled once again. "Really?! Thanks! I think I'll look into that after my last class." Vince decided that he would have the best chance with his mystery girl if he went out and personally looked for her, instead of just putting an ad in the school paper for a lost pair of glasses.
Mid-afternoon, Cindy sat glum at the Blackburn office desk. She felt ashamed for changing herself for a guy. Look where it got her- she lost her glasses and now she's stuck wearing ones that make her look even sillier. Even though it was nice dressing cute and getting a lot of attention, her roommates were probably right; she better just get used to being a nerd.
With only ten minutes left in her shift, in bounced Cindy's high school acquaintance, ready to pump her for the juicy details from the party.
"So...give me the scoop!" the acquaintance pried.
"You don't want to know..."
"Oh no, what happened?"
Cindy proceeded to tell her how the evening unfolded, and when she was finished just sat silently behind the desk.
"Aww, I'm really sorry," the acquaintance consoled Cindy, "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be with Vince...but I wouldn't worry. Sometimes things just magically work themselves out. Be patient- things happen the way they do for a reason."
Cindy appreciated her new friend's words, but still couldn't help but feel a little down. Her shift ended and she headed back up to her wonderfully empty room. While most of the girls on her floor were already getting ready to go out for another night of partying, Cindy was trying to study. She was interrupted by a distinct and distracting pounding noise on the floor below her. It crept up and down the hallway, pausing for a minute or two between pounds. After about twenty minutes it stopped.
"Thank goodness," Cindy thought, "now I can finally concentrate."
To her dismay, the pounding started up again, this time on her floor. She got up from her desk to see what was going on, confused as to why her R.A., of all people, wasn't lecturing the perpetrator about "quiet hours". As she reached for the tarnished silver door knob, the solid wooden door swung open and whacked poor Cindy dead in the forehead, crushing the lenses of her only remaining pair of glasses.
Once again her roommates exploded through the doorway in a manic manner, gossiping exuberantly about something.
"VINCE IS DOWN THE HALL LOOKING FOR THE GIRL WHO LOST HER GLASSES AT HIS PARTY! I guess she lives in Blackburn, and he's been knocking on everyone's door trying to find her! He's on his way here next!"
Cindy didn't know what to do! She wanted the chance to get to know Vince, but how could someone so popular and amazing ever fall for a blind nerd, who now had a huge bump on her forehead? She hustled into the bathroom and locked herself in. There was a knock at the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock. The roommates tried to stifle their giggles and whispers of excitement. Cindy could hear everything. The door creaked open.
"Hi ladies, I'm looking for-" Vince couldn't even finish his sentence before the brunette ripped the glasses from his hands.
"Oh! Those are mine! Thanks so much for finding them!" The brunette tried on the glasses, turned around to sit at her desk, tripped over the frayed rug, and not-so-graciously fell to the floor.
"Mmhmm..." Vince sighed as he cautiously removed the glasses from her face.
"Silly! She's always mistaking my things for hers. Those glasses are mine!" The blonde exclaimed. She giddily grabbed the glasses from Vince. She prepared her eyes for what she assumed would be great strain, but not for when she accidentally jabbed herself in the eye while trying to fit them on her head.
"Ahh! Ouch!" The blonde wailed in pain.
"What's all the commotion?" the R.A. sternly asked as she appeared in the doorway. The perturbed expression on her face quickly changed to bliss once she noticed Vince standing in the room.
"Oh! Hi, Vince! I didn't see you standing there...what's going on?"
Vince took the glasses back from the blonde. He appeared disheartened.
"Nothing, someone just left their glasses at my party last night and I was hoping to return them to her. A buddy of mine told me she lives in Blackburn. This is the last possible room; does anyone else live here?" Vince asked with a glimpse of hope in his eyes.
There was a slight pause. The roommates and R.A. looked back and forth at each other suspiciously. The blonde held her hand over her eye as she spoke.
"Just our loser roommate, she never would have gone to your party though. She's too lame."
Cindy couldn't take it anymore. She had let those girls push her around long enough and those last few words were just enough to send her over the edge. A sudden rush of adrenaline and courage soared through her body and Cindy whipped open the bathroom door. She had every intention of telling those girls off right then and there, and claiming Vince as her own, but her high came to a screeching halt as soon as she saw the hazy silhouette of her roommates and R.A. staring at her, and Vince's big brown eyes. She stood there, mind racing, frozen.
No one was quite sure what to do next. Vince hardly recognized the girl before him. Was this really his mystery girl? There was only one way to find out.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked Cindy.
"Um...seven?"
Vince laughed and carefully placed the glasses on Cindy's face, feeling the softness of her curly locks as he did so.
"There, how about now?"
"Two."
Vince felt a wave of relief and satisfaction sweep over him. He felt that same vibe from the night before when he made eye contact with his mystery girl.
"I'm Vince, I didn't catch your name the other night," Vince said with a smile.
"I'm Cindy," she replied shyly as Vince reached to shake her hand.
"Cindy...can I take you out to dinner sometime?"
Cindy glanced over Vince's shoulder to witness the jaws of her roommates and R.A. drop to the floor. She couldn't have asked for a better avengement.
With perfect composure Cindy replied, "Sure, I would love that."
THE END.
I'm taking my second level writing class this quarter, geared toward people who want to be teachers. It focuses on children's literature, and strategies on how to teach writing and improve your own writing skills.
If you know me decently well, you probably know that I pretty much hate reading and writing, and God help me if I have to read or write poetry. ::shudders:: I hate reading things with mushy details, or even worse, being forced to write mushy details..."The golden leaves rustled in the morning breeze..." Just get to the point already!
Well, through this class I have been forced to face my literary demons, and I have actually been surprising myself! I worked really hard on two pieces in particular and I think it paid off. I'd really like to share them and hear what you guys think!
The first is ::GASP:: a poem! A "Where I'm From" poem to be exact. We had to think of a bunch of things that we feel shaped us, played a big role in our lives...basically it's a poem that shows the reader a small piece of who we are and where we came from.
"Before Westerville"
I am from splashing in puddles in the backyard after a menacing rainstorm;
spoiling dinner by grazing in Daddy's garden.
When sprinkling flakes in Michelle's bowl was a part of my morning routine,
and coming home to a yapping cardboard box was the happiest day of my life.
I am from Daddy teaching me the states and all their capitals;
impressing adults by reciting them all.
From learning shapes like "parawewogram,"
and spending hours constructing castles from colorful wooden building blocks.
I am from Mommy's bedazzling holiday décor;
mystified by locks of "angel hair" draped on the Christmas tree.
Caught up in a fantasy land of magic and fables;
it was time for it to come to an end, unbeknownst to me.
I am from family get-togethers with blaring eighties music;
the aroma of Aunt SeeSee's mouthwatering apple pies filled the air.
From a time when an arm load of pumpkins was the norm,
and wearing the Santa hat on Christmas Eve was the greatest honor.
I am from sidewalk chalk bike paths and magnificent blanket forts;
attached to the hip with the girl across the street, hours upon hours spent outdoors.
Bouncing freely on the trampoline, frolicking through sprinklers;
just trudging through the wilderness that was my backyard.
I am from a private Catholic school, number three was me;
breezing through spelling tests, never resting 'til projects were just right.
Overstuffed with the cafeteria's apple crisp;
still running outside to maintain my status as Queen of the Swings.
One last look through the bus window, filled with sadness;
wishing to not start anew.
Pulling up to the new school, butterflies in the stomach;
ready to feel at home there too.
:-)
The second is still somewhat a work in progress. It's my second draft of my "Challenging/Unfamiliar Genre Project". Basically self-explanatory, but we had to pick a genre that was unfamiliar to us, or that is challenging or intimidating to us, research it, write a piece in that genre, and put it all together in project form. (ugh, pain in my tookus.) Well, forget the research part, I dove right in. I chose to write a parody. I knew it would be a challenge for me because basically I am never funny when I try to be. :-(
ANYWAY, it's sorta long (six pages single spaced) but I promise it will be worth it! Please comment and tell me what you think! I'm definitely open to suggestions! (Title??) This is just a draft and I have yet to turn this in for a final grade so I'd like to make as many improvements as possible!! :-D
See if you can figure out what I'm parody-ing...and side note: you'll notice that some things will seem strangely familiar, but that's just because it's easiest for me to write about what's familiar to me. So yes, the main character goes to OSU; yes, she lives in Blackburn on the third floor; yes, she went to Westerville North, among a few other things. HOWEVER, this girl and her life situations are not supposed to be representative of my life in any way, nor anyone else's for that matter. All characters in my story are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Parody Draft #2- Untitled
"I think that was the last box!" Cindy's dad called from the U-Haul. It was a warm autumn morning and Cindy had just finished packing her belongings. She was a bit apprehensive about starting college, but excited nonetheless.
Cindy's dad pulled the door of the U-Haul closed, and off they drove to The Ohio State University. Cindy was a bright eighteen-year-old, known for her academic successes in high school. She was always a shy girl, but somehow always managed to adapt to any situation. Knowing this about herself, she was confident that she would be able to adjust to living with two roommates in the dorms.
Cindy arrived at Blackburn dorm just before ten o'clock. She climbed the stairs to the third floor and unlocked the door to the room at the very end of the hall, only to find that her roommates had already taken over. Clothes spilled out of the closets, school supplies cluttered the desks. It was clear that her roommates had already chosen their spaces, and left Cindy with the smallest desk and the lumpiest mattress.
"How rude," Cindy thought to herself, but she wasn't going to let it bother her. She was too shy for confrontations.
After giving her father a goodbye kiss on the cheek, Cindy turned on the radio to WNCI and began unpacking her things. She had only been unpacking for less than two minutes when a beastly upperclassman appeared in her doorway. She glared at Cindy for a good amount of time before speaking.
"Look, I know it's the first day and all, but you really need to keep it down. Got it? By the way, I'm your Resident Advisor, nice to meet you." Cindy was in shock. It was the first day and she was already getting on the RA's bad side!
"What a terrific start," she thought sarcastically. She hardly had another moment to herself when two girls burst suddenly into the room, cackling with delight. One was a tall blonde, the other a medium-height brunette, both done up with make-up and their hair in messy buns. Feeling insecure, Cindy couldn't help but compare herself to these girls. They looked like the stereotypical "popular" girls in high school. Perfect bodies, sense of style. Cindy wasn't nearly as striking as they were, with her dimpled cheeks and eye glasses. For goodness sakes, she moved into the dorm wearing purple velvet overalls…but she hoped to become good friends with them. Who knew? Maybe they could give her some styling tips or teach her a thing or two about guys.
"Oh, hey," the brunette said coolly, "You must be our roommate."
"Yeah! I'm Cin-"
"Just stay out of our way, nerd," the blonde retorted as she looked Cindy up and down, critiquing her mess of a wardrobe. Her words resonated in Cindy's ear. Nerd? She never really thought of herself as a nerd. She was a bit confused by her roommate's comment, but by the looks on their faces, Cindy knew instantly she wasn't going to become good friends with them. It was going to be a long year.
After a few weeks of school, the roommate situation wasn't getting any better. They were always talking or watching TV while Cindy was trying to study, they never cleaned up after themselves, and her RA was always on her case. Luckily, Cindy's first quarter courses were going well and she saw her time in class as an escape. She was particularly fond of her Psych 101 class, but not because she was interested in learning the parts of the brain...it was because of Vince.
Vince Karming was the star and captain of the Ohio State baseball team. He led the team to two state championships and had a smile that simply made girls melt. Not only was Vince athletic and good-looking, he had brains and a roaring personality to match. Everyone knew who Vince was, and every girl dreamed to date him. He was the ultimate catch. Too bad he didn't know that Cindy existed.
Upon returning to her dorm room after a glorious hour of staring at Vince, Cindy walked in on her roommates discussing something that they deemed very important. She sat at her desk and turned around to listen.
"When is it again?"
"Thursday night, two days from now. You're definitely going, right?"
"DUH! Like I would miss VINCE KARMING'S party! Are you crazy?"
They stopped once they noticed Cindy eavesdropping.
"What are you staring at?" the blonde hissed at Cindy.
"Oh, sorry...nothing...Vince Karming is having a party?"
"Yeah, but don't get your hopes up, you're not invited. So just go back to your studying and for God's sake, leave us alone!" Avoiding confrontation once again, Cindy decided to ignore her roommates' unpleasant attitudes and take matters into her own hands.
Cindy was quite internet-savvy and she knew the latest trends- Facebook was where it was at. Using the "events" feature, Cindy managed to unveil the date, time, and location of Vince's party. It was going to be a big one, too. Over one hundred people had been invited via Facebook! To Cindy's delight, she noticed the disclaimer that stated "Guests are allowed to bring friends to this event." Everyone knows that means basically anyone is invited. She was nervous, but she convinced herself to take the risk and go to Vince's party.
At the sight of Vince the following day, Cindy could hardly contain her excitement. She thought about what she might say to him, how she should do her hair and make-up. But her excitement soon wore thin once she got to thinking about what she might wear. Cindy was never much of a partier, and only now realized that she didn't have any "going out" clothes. The grim reality of how much she would stand out, in a bad way, at Vince's party was slowly setting in. She scanned her options. Who could help her? Her roommates had great senses of style! But they would never help Cindy. They would want to have their best chances with Vince. Unfortunately, that was it. Cindy hadn't really made any friends yet and was already out of possibilities. She was out of hope.
Cindy sat glum at her work desk in the dorm office, filing papers, sorting mail here and there. In the middle of her shift, an acquaintance from her high school walked in.
"Hi, um, our dorm is out of T.P." a girl with brown hair and freckles stated expectantly.
"Alright," Cindy replied as she reached behind her desk for a couple rolls, "Here you go."
"Thanks...hey, you look kinda sad. Is everything okay?" Cindy was surprised by her acquaintance's concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit bummed because my plans for tomorrow night seemed to have fallen through."
"Oh, that's too bad...what were you gonna do?" the girl asked inquisitively. Cindy was hesitant to tell her the details, but proceeded to anyway. The girl was very sympathetic, and even offered that Cindy come to her place tomorrow night and she would help dress her all up. After all, they appeared to be the same size, and were formerly Westerville North Warriors together.
It was finally Thursday night and Cindy ignored her roommates when they asked where she was off to. She arrived at her new friends' dorm and couldn't wait to be transformed. After about thirty minutes, Cindy was all dolled up and looking stunning. She wore blue jeans and high heels, and a racy turquoise halter top that had a neck line drizzled with sequins. Her curly hair was neatly tousled and pinned gracefully at the back of her head, and her eyes twinkled behind the blue frames of her glasses.
"I wish I could come with you to the party!" Cindy's friend explained, "Grey's Anatomy beckons me..." After one last look in the mirror and a hug for good luck from her new friend, Cindy was ready to head to the party.
Not knowing the extent of the uphill hike to Vince's off-campus house, Cindy stopped for a moment to catch her breath and rest her throbbing feet. It wasn't every day she wore high heels! By the time she made it to the party, there was already a good crowd of people. Cindy began feeling nervous. Sweaty palms, butterflies in her stomach. As she got closer she spotted her roommates chatting it up with Vince. To her disappointment, Vince was actually flirting back.
Cindy entered the front yard through a break in the orange plastic fence and immediately heads started turning, particularly the guys'. "Who is that girl?" was running through all their minds.
The roommates thought this mystery girl looked familiar, but she was standing at quite a distance and they couldn't quite put their finger on it. They desperately tried to hold Vince's attention, but once he made eye contact with the mystery girl, his heart was captured by her adorable dimples and vibrant smile. He was taken aback by her beauty and nervously approached her. Cindy was equally astonished by Vince's good looks, and was tremendously excited that he actually seemed to have taken an interest in her. Vince introduced himself, but before Cindy could tell Vince her name, he was abruptly pulled away by a friend. The friend proceeded to whisper something in Vince's ear, and Cindy grew worried. What if this guy knew that she was actually a nerd? Soon after, Vince announced to the guests that the party had been busted due to noise, and the cops were on the way!
Cindy was devastated. She got all dolled up and walked all that way in painful shoes and didn't even get a chance to tell Vince her name. And just like all the other underage students, Cindy dashed out of that orange plastic fence in a frantic frenzy. Kids were running every which direction and amidst all the fury, an upperclassman crashed right into Cindy, sending her glasses soaring through the air. She was blind as a bat without her glasses, but as she turned back to pick them up, all she could see were blurs of bright flashing red and blue lights. There was no way Cindy was going to risk getting in trouble with the cops, so she decided to leave her trusty glasses behind and slowly managed to make it back downhill to her dorm.
The next day was Friday, and luckily for Vince and Cindy, Psych 101 wasn't until the afternoon. You think Vince would be stupid enough to have a party on Thursday night if he had to be up for class in the morning? The sun was gleaming and as Vince stepped off his front porch, he noticed something twinkling in his lawn. He walked over, bent down, and carefully picked up the still intact set of glasses. They looked oddly familiar to him, and only after a few moments did he recognize that they belonged to the mysterious girl from his party. Vince was thrilled! This meant that he would have to see the girl again to return them to her! Just for kicks, Vince tried on the glasses to get a sense of what the mystery girl could see without them, and he was astounded by her lack of vision. "Oh my gosh! It looks like I'm holding up seven fingers when I’m only holding up two!" Vince discovered. Everything was a blurred mess, and he started feeling bad that she now had to stumble around without her glasses.
Meanwhile, Cindy was getting dressed for class and having a hard time readjusting to her awkward nerdy look. She felt even more self-conscious than usual because she was forced to wear her old, thick-brimmed, gawky set of glasses because she didn't own contacts. She arrived to Psych 101 and found a quiet seat in the back of the room. Even though she desperately wanted to talk to Vince, there was no way she was going to let him see her like that. Her plan to hide worked; Vince didn't even notice her in the back of the room.
After class, Vince headed to the North Commons dining hall for lunch. Since Cindy's next class wasn't for another hour, she saw this as the perfect opportunity to sneak back up the hill and search for her beloved glasses. She climbed the hill, re-entered the orange plastic fence, and hunted for those glasses like a hawk stalking a field mouse. No luck. She just as well assumed her glasses were stepped on and destroyed, and figured she better call her dad soon to let him know she’ll need a new pair.
Vince had met up with a buddy at the Commons, who instantly spotted the pair of feminine glasses sticking out of Vince's bookbag.
"...Is there...something you want to tell me, Vince?" his buddy teased as he snatched the glasses from the bag.
"Very funny. These glasses belong to that babe that showed up at my party last night!"
"Really? Did she forget them when she snuck out of your house this morning? Heh Heh," the buddy snickered and nudged Vince's side.
"It's not like that, man. I didn't even get her name, but there was something intriguing about her...I just got this...vibe."
His buddy just stared at him, not grasping the concept that by the time guys enter college they should be mature and treat girls with respect.
"Whatever. If it helps you find her, I'm pretty sure I saw her staggering down the hill towards the North Campus dorms last night. I think she was headed toward Blackburn."
Vince was thrilled once again. "Really?! Thanks! I think I'll look into that after my last class." Vince decided that he would have the best chance with his mystery girl if he went out and personally looked for her, instead of just putting an ad in the school paper for a lost pair of glasses.
Mid-afternoon, Cindy sat glum at the Blackburn office desk. She felt ashamed for changing herself for a guy. Look where it got her- she lost her glasses and now she's stuck wearing ones that make her look even sillier. Even though it was nice dressing cute and getting a lot of attention, her roommates were probably right; she better just get used to being a nerd.
With only ten minutes left in her shift, in bounced Cindy's high school acquaintance, ready to pump her for the juicy details from the party.
"So...give me the scoop!" the acquaintance pried.
"You don't want to know..."
"Oh no, what happened?"
Cindy proceeded to tell her how the evening unfolded, and when she was finished just sat silently behind the desk.
"Aww, I'm really sorry," the acquaintance consoled Cindy, "Maybe it just wasn't meant to be with Vince...but I wouldn't worry. Sometimes things just magically work themselves out. Be patient- things happen the way they do for a reason."
Cindy appreciated her new friend's words, but still couldn't help but feel a little down. Her shift ended and she headed back up to her wonderfully empty room. While most of the girls on her floor were already getting ready to go out for another night of partying, Cindy was trying to study. She was interrupted by a distinct and distracting pounding noise on the floor below her. It crept up and down the hallway, pausing for a minute or two between pounds. After about twenty minutes it stopped.
"Thank goodness," Cindy thought, "now I can finally concentrate."
To her dismay, the pounding started up again, this time on her floor. She got up from her desk to see what was going on, confused as to why her R.A., of all people, wasn't lecturing the perpetrator about "quiet hours". As she reached for the tarnished silver door knob, the solid wooden door swung open and whacked poor Cindy dead in the forehead, crushing the lenses of her only remaining pair of glasses.
Once again her roommates exploded through the doorway in a manic manner, gossiping exuberantly about something.
"VINCE IS DOWN THE HALL LOOKING FOR THE GIRL WHO LOST HER GLASSES AT HIS PARTY! I guess she lives in Blackburn, and he's been knocking on everyone's door trying to find her! He's on his way here next!"
Cindy didn't know what to do! She wanted the chance to get to know Vince, but how could someone so popular and amazing ever fall for a blind nerd, who now had a huge bump on her forehead? She hustled into the bathroom and locked herself in. There was a knock at the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock. The roommates tried to stifle their giggles and whispers of excitement. Cindy could hear everything. The door creaked open.
"Hi ladies, I'm looking for-" Vince couldn't even finish his sentence before the brunette ripped the glasses from his hands.
"Oh! Those are mine! Thanks so much for finding them!" The brunette tried on the glasses, turned around to sit at her desk, tripped over the frayed rug, and not-so-graciously fell to the floor.
"Mmhmm..." Vince sighed as he cautiously removed the glasses from her face.
"Silly! She's always mistaking my things for hers. Those glasses are mine!" The blonde exclaimed. She giddily grabbed the glasses from Vince. She prepared her eyes for what she assumed would be great strain, but not for when she accidentally jabbed herself in the eye while trying to fit them on her head.
"Ahh! Ouch!" The blonde wailed in pain.
"What's all the commotion?" the R.A. sternly asked as she appeared in the doorway. The perturbed expression on her face quickly changed to bliss once she noticed Vince standing in the room.
"Oh! Hi, Vince! I didn't see you standing there...what's going on?"
Vince took the glasses back from the blonde. He appeared disheartened.
"Nothing, someone just left their glasses at my party last night and I was hoping to return them to her. A buddy of mine told me she lives in Blackburn. This is the last possible room; does anyone else live here?" Vince asked with a glimpse of hope in his eyes.
There was a slight pause. The roommates and R.A. looked back and forth at each other suspiciously. The blonde held her hand over her eye as she spoke.
"Just our loser roommate, she never would have gone to your party though. She's too lame."
Cindy couldn't take it anymore. She had let those girls push her around long enough and those last few words were just enough to send her over the edge. A sudden rush of adrenaline and courage soared through her body and Cindy whipped open the bathroom door. She had every intention of telling those girls off right then and there, and claiming Vince as her own, but her high came to a screeching halt as soon as she saw the hazy silhouette of her roommates and R.A. staring at her, and Vince's big brown eyes. She stood there, mind racing, frozen.
No one was quite sure what to do next. Vince hardly recognized the girl before him. Was this really his mystery girl? There was only one way to find out.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked Cindy.
"Um...seven?"
Vince laughed and carefully placed the glasses on Cindy's face, feeling the softness of her curly locks as he did so.
"There, how about now?"
"Two."
Vince felt a wave of relief and satisfaction sweep over him. He felt that same vibe from the night before when he made eye contact with his mystery girl.
"I'm Vince, I didn't catch your name the other night," Vince said with a smile.
"I'm Cindy," she replied shyly as Vince reached to shake her hand.
"Cindy...can I take you out to dinner sometime?"
Cindy glanced over Vince's shoulder to witness the jaws of her roommates and R.A. drop to the floor. She couldn't have asked for a better avengement.
With perfect composure Cindy replied, "Sure, I would love that."
THE END.