Teddy Grahams

People have this personal construct that everything is about them. Like, that attractive person was looking my direction. they must be interested.

most of the time, you are probably wrong. i don't mean to shatter your hopes and dreams of dating that really cute girl you see in at the same time every wednesday in the quaint coffee shop, but maybe she just needed to look up for a second because her work was boring. everything isn't always about you. not all the time at least

with this in mind, i write this post. A lot of times, people think I am writing about them. that my song of the day represents how i am feeling towards a certain person, thing, or situation. Not today. Today, I write a short story not about me, not about you. I write for writings sake. I write to inspire, to get thoughts out of my head, and to give you that warm and fuzzy feeling on the back of your neck, thinking "wow, I was thinking that exact same thing"

______________________

It was a typical Tuesday, nothing out of the ordinary. Dinner at the dining hall was nothing special--they ran out of pizza again. I hate when that happens. The selection is small of food enough. It's like they are purposely sabotaging the quality of their establishment. Good thing TV shows don't do that. Having to watch gossip girl without blake lively would be worse than watching gossip girl WITH blake lively. '

Once again, I was swamped with work. I had an exam the next day, so I retreated to my usual study nook in the corner of the student lounge. Perfect place, really. It wasn't one of those dead quiet moselium type places, but it wasn't an elementary school jungle gym. More or less, it was kind of like that hit song by Jimmy Eat World.

 Best of all, my strategic spot guaranteed that  i'd see people I know every once in awhile. I love that. It makes me feel cool. And if i strike up a loud enough conversation with a passerby, the decently attractive girl sitting a few tables away from me might look up and notice my dazzling outfit. Maybe I could steal a glance at her. If we lock eyes, I could even do a little smile or something, so if i ever meet her at a party well be good to go.

I don't know how it happened, or why it happened. All i know, is that i'm glad it happened.

There I was, studying some pointless psychology bullshit, minding my own business. Oh, and I was snacking on some Teddy Grahams. The cinnamon kind. Those are the bestest. Healthy, overwhelmingly innocent, somehow nostalgiac, and good for your soul, Teddy Grahams may be the best snack invention of all time. Yep, I said it. Even better than animal crackers.

"You're eating those Teddy Grahams the wrong way, you know."

I jumped like 50 bazillion feet in the air. Well, not really. But almost. Imagine watching a scary movie. Like, the part when the bad guy suddenly sneaks up on the main character and your heart freezes and for a second your body is in a free fall to a black pit of doom. That's what happened.

After I did my best impression of a two year old after seeing a jack in the box for the first time, I was able to register the voice which so stealthily crept up behind me.

My reaction couldn't have been more out of place. The voice was smooth. The voice was calming. It had this light air to it. The kind of tone that said "I'm a pretty confident person, but i like to have fun with myself so I'm not going to be overpowering. Because if i'm overpowering, I won't ever be able to let you get to know me"

I decided not to turn around completely. Judging from her unannounced approach, she definitely seemed like a girl up for a little challenge. A little game. I decided to do a little half turn. This way, I could acknowledge that I was engaged in the conversation while also letting her know I wasn't going to give her the upper hand right away.

"Oh really?" I jested.


"Yup,"

As she spoke, she kept that same low-key flirtacious vibe. She was so attractive. And I hadn't even seen her yet.

"You gotta eat them like THIS"

She did this move where she whirled completely around so that she was now facing me. The image before me was breathtaking. Her figure was perfect, her jeans had little mini rips in them to show that she was down to have a good time but at the same time wasn't complete trash. Her abercrombie T shirt screamed I like this fashion but I like it because I like it, not because everyone else wears it. She wore makeup, but it wasn't overdone. Her dark green eyes gave off an impression of confident sincerity, and her dirty blond hair looked like it was just unraveled from a ponytail. Which in case you don't know, is very attractive.

It wasn't love at first sight, but I wish I was.

She proceeds to take the Teddy Graham and mutilate it. At leat thats what I called it. According to her, it was "appreciating the little guy."

"You gotta appreciate the itty bitty parts," she said. "Look. You have to nibble the ears first. Then the legs. Then the head. and then finally, the belly. Its a process, silly"

She looked up, and flashed me a smile I will never forget. The most beautiful thing about it was that it was unforced. Usually when you meet people for the first time, everyhing is awkward and unnatural, especially signs of affectionism. But with her, it was the exact opposite. In a matter of moments, I already felt like I grew up with her."

"But doesn't the bear suffer when you do that? I wouldn't want my ears chomped off"

"Noooo, it likes it" she said, waving her hair in a "I want to get you know you better so i'm gonna tease you a bit but I don't want to come across as a tease" manner. "It likes the process. The bear wants you to get to know him. If you eat him all at once, he's just another beary. But give him some time, give him some ear nibble, and he's not just another one of the pack."

"Interesting...is that like a greater metaphor for you wanting to be a professional bear hunter or something?"

"Wow, how'd you know? You're good, mister"

I smiled. An brief silence ensued, but it wasn't awkward. It was more like, wow this is too good to be ture.

"I'm Stephanie," she said, holding out her hand. she had painted her nails this real cool shade of pink. with sparkles.

"I'm Bryce."

She smiled again. my heart melted again.

"You are also a teddy graham amateur,"

"oh yea?"

"Yep." her eyes widened, clearly ectastic about something....

"Well, it was really nice meeting you," she said. "I definitely haven't been working up the courage for weeks to introduce myself. I'll see you around, Bryce."

I was half-awestruck, half confused, half flattered, and half italian. My mind overloaded, I blurted. Blurting is a sure sign of liking someone.

"I will?"

"Yea, I think so. It's called fate."

And just like that she walked away, hair glittering against the setting sun.


.....25 mixtapes later, we are both well aware of our affinity for the Backstreet boys.  






song of the day


you set me free: michelle branch

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=michelle+branch+you+set+me+free&aq=0