Formal bermuda shorts.
Friday, 05/31/02 - 9:40 pm.

It's been raining for more than 24 hours now. With different intensity, but it hasn't stopped.

This afternoon I had to get my prom picture taken. Seniors were dismissed at 10:45 a.m., so we could get ready. I went to the Beauty Salon (oh, vanity) and spent almost three hours in it, just to get my hair straightened. That girl was obviously just learning, it usually takes an hour and a half.

When I arrived at school at 2:20 p.m. (under the pouring rain) I ran into Art. He looked great, very elegant. Wearing some kind of tux...and sneakers. I was wearing two black shirts (the sleeveless Steven-Tyler-On-Sunshine-Video shirt and another one, V-neck (well, no neck) with long sleeves), blue jeans and sneakers. I figured no one would wear formal outfits nor dress up as if it was an elegant party. They were just taking a pic of their face and neck.

I saw all the opened umbrellas outside the building (the auditorium) and I saw this boy, Guille, wearing a tie and a suit, a tux...Art and I went Hoooly shit..., he looked great. But as soon he came out of that sea of umbrellas, we saw he was wearing a very formal suit and tie, but also nice bermuda shorts. Hi-la-ri-ous, I'm telling you. We walked in and Ricardo...dear God, you should've seen him: a formal white shirt, a black coat, a black tie, his hair combed (he never combs it...or at least, you can't tell)...and shorts a la Blink 182. Beautiful!!!

The boys were very colorful, to say the least. Every boy from the Class of 2002 is very handsome, and looked even more handsome dressed up with formal shirts, ties and sneakers. The boys tried to make laugh the one who was getting his picture taken at the moment, by waving and going: baby, look at me!, say "Pablo"!. The one in front of the photographer sat straight, very serious and looked at the camera. After the flash, he'd burst laughing.

The boys were the first ones to go. That was very thoughtful, because the girls were very nervous about the picture: hair this way, make up that way...it'd take hours. I didn't wear make-up, thought. Just lip gloss. Simplicity rules.

Everybody was in that spot, near the doorway and the stairway. The doorway was packed with boys looking inside, acting like bodyguards, and the stairway with the people (girls by then) lining up. Onstage there was the photographer.

Girls are kind of stupid and vain, and they asked Hector to throw the boys out of the auditorium, because they were embarrased and didn't want them to make them laugh. Whiners. I was very nervous, but Cel and I said we'd get it together, we lined up and when it was my turn, I followed the directions of the photographer. My God, you looked beautiful!!!, I was told. Huh, cool. I do hope so.

Then Art called me from the doorway. Hey, you know what....you look very, very pretty.... He said that in front of the whole gang (Vic, Pablo...about 5 boys). I smiled and involuntarily turned bright red. They seem to love that (Vic and Art, especially), and started to say that it was very cute. Oh, how cute.

I left the building and went to look for Fidel. I found him in his office and stayed there. A boy named Allan was there, too. We talked for a long time. It was very cozy. He'd left the door open, so we could see the rain (at that time it was pouring again). He went to the cafeteria and bought chips for the three of us. We chatted about a lot of things. It was so cozy. Inside it was kind of warm. By the way, he's got a notebook with the picture of each junior high student. I flipped the pages and I saw the guy's pic. He's smiling. He looks....um, yeah....cute.

I was hoping he'd stay this afternoon at school. Of course he didn't, it's friday. But I thought that, on the other hand, that was the wisest thing to do. He'd have had to see all of his friends getting the prom picture taken, while he...you know...he couldn't be part of it. But I truly missed him, and I wished he was there.

When I was leaving, I saw Pablo and some guys from the gang (Ern, Patch, QB, Omar -aka "Omie"-) in the hallway. He pulled my arm to greet me, and since I was leaving, we just kissed good-bye (he's such a nice kid, let me tell you)...and, due to social standards, I had to kiss them all good-bye (except Omie, I don't know him). They're very sweet people. I wish they didn't smoke. They have a bad reputation, and sadly they kind of deserve it...but they're not bad people, they're wonderful. I feel so comfortable among them, much more comfortable than with...certain people.

I saw Melvin with his girl Lex, when I was in the parking lot. No, this time it's for real, it's not just a one-night-stand. I don't know him that deeply, but I'd never seen him so nuts about a girl. It looked very tender, he'd put his arm around her to keep her warm and you could tell they love each other. It's a shame she said "no", just because this is Melvin's last year at school and she won't get to see him that often next year. It's stupid, she's missing the present. But he waits for her. They look so precious together.

My math exam? Oh, yeah...I failed it.

Have you heard that theory about people and space (the more crowded a place is, the more violent people become)? I thought about it during recess. Only in this case, the more crowded the hallways were, the more stupid people became. I got so annoyed by the childish behavior of some students...

This weather calls for going to bed early. I'm sleepy. And tomorrow, as usual, I'm doomed to go to school and take math classes.

Holy shit, May is gone. Only five months left for me.

Hey, guess what? I feel wasted. Happy, because it was a nice day. But wasted.

prev / next