8.

Hey Emma,

Note that this email might be longer than usual, because I'll be replying your last two emails in this one. I'll try to make it short though.

I'm going to address the last paragraph of your last email before anything else. Nothing you say will ever be boring to me. Strange, yes. Ridiculous, definitely. But boring, not at all. I hope you understand that. 

Now that that's over with....you said I should pursue psychology. Well, I don't know what to say to that, but I'll put your advice into consideration. Plus, I know it's something I'll enjoy doing.

I'm sorry about your mum. She sounds like an amazing person. Correction...I know she was an amazing person. Look how you turned out. And I completely understand what you mean when you said writing poetry helps you heal. Sports is my mode of healing. 

I won't say anything about the whole tiger naming, simply for my sanity and peace of mind. 

I've had lots of crushes before, and I've had lots of girls crush on me too(just saying). My very first was in the fourth grade, and that was because she yelled at a butterfly that kept hovering over my head. Soon after, we became good friends, and  years after that, she left for California with her family. I might've been young, but I did like her  a lot. And I miss her still. 

You remind me of her, Emma. You say the most spontaneous things sometimes, I have to ask myself if I read right. 

Now to girlfriends. I'm no man- whore, but like I said,I've had lots of girls crush on me. And since I'm a ridiculously nice person, I've gone on dates with lots of them before. Meaning, I'm your go-to-guy if and when you want to hear about epic dates gone wrong. I'll tell you one, and if you want to know about others, let me know. I'll be sure to include them in my next emails. 

Okay so, there was this girl in my English class, freshman year. Her name is Becky( and yes, I remember all their names). She's really sweet and I actually liked her. But not in that way. 

Becky and I were paired up for an assignment, thank God she loved reading. She basically did all the work. And surprisingly, she didn't mind. But I felt bad, so I asked if I could buy her lunch. I don't think she really wanted to go out with me the first time, because she kept saying it was okay. But she eventually agreed ( a day after I asked the first time), and I had myself a date. It was em...I don't know the word to use without sounding like a douche, but I wouldn't want a repeat of that date. 

Becky kept on talking about the book and the assignment and how fun it was to do it all on her own and how we were going to definitely get an A. All I did was nod and smile and ask questions at the most appropriate times. And I remember being so glad when our order was ready. 

I feel bad saying this the way I am, but I hope you understand where I'm coming from. Imagine someone talking to you about equations for an hour straight. 

After surviving that day, Becky and I didn't see each other, I think, till three days after, which was when we were to talk about our assignment. I keep saying "assignment" because I can't, for the life of me, remember what it was about. That's how much I loathe English.  Safe to say, I didn't mess it up too much, we ended up getting an A, and Becky squealed and pecked me in front of the entire class. When I asked her why she did that, she said she thought I liked her or something. And that she thought I was a really good listener, which was very rare in guys. I had to tell her straight to her face that I only liked her as a friend, which wasn't that hard to say. Since that day, she avoided me.

And I mean, avoided me. 

Like, if she saw me moving to sit beside her, she'd get up and take another seat. If I was coming down the hall, she'd start to talk on her phone. Or text. Or whatever. I guess it was just insane embarrassment. And one would think she'd get over it. She hasnt, even till this moment. 

That's enough for now. It's kinda embarrassing for me to say. 

I might not be as crazy as you are about music, but I do want to learn to play the piano. Or the guitar. Whichever one comes first. Or whatever instrument I end up learning ( I'm not picky).

Your favorite color is black, huh? And you like dark humor as well. You're the only girl I've heard this from, and like i said earlier, I'm no stranger to the opposite gender.

Then there's the meat thing. You do know that that's strange, like, "no one should tell you that it's strange because it's very obvious" strange, right? 

You like meat, you're into black and dark humor. Next thing I know, you'll tell me youre a vampire or something. 

I laughed when you told me about the dress thing. You're telling me that you couldn't wear a dress for a day, just one day? And you bought your friend smoothies for a week as a peace offering? Is that how much you despise dresses?

When I'm stressed, I work out. It takes my mind off things, and then I get to loosen whatever kinks there are in my body. Also, ice cream and pizza is an interesting combo. 

I'm an over thinker as well, but I can tell you're worse than I am. And siblings aren't as bad as you think. Like I said in my last email, Allen and I are very alike. We play the same sports, like the same games, love the same kind of clothes etc. And he's also someone I can actually talk to about some things, unlike some older siblings that want absolutely nothing to do with you. 

I guess it just depends on the kind of family, and bond among siblings. Some have it bad, some are okay. 

I understand what Matt must be feeling whenever he sees Janet. She seems like a free spirit, and he won't be able to cope well with her, but there are rare cases though. 

Wait, I'll explain well.

With the little you told me about Janet, she's the type that says her mind irrespective of what other people think, she talks to anyone and everyone, and is very friendly unless you get on her bad side. Now boys, especially boys like Matt, avoid these kind of girls because it's difficult to hold them down. They might seem into the relationship one day, and before you know it, they're completely tired of it and want out. And then, as if that's not bad enough, girls like Janet want and capture attention. Guys notice Janet well, I'm guessing. I'm not completely clear on Matt's personality, but if it's what I think it is, he has his hands full with Janet. 

He's a math lover you said? He'll do okay with Janet then. We math geeks tend to display a high level of maturity, along with patience. Not to brag or anything, it's just what it is.

Now I don't have that tight group of friends like you do, because I have my brother if I need to really talk to someone, but I have the guys on the football team. Then there's the fact that I'm generally a friendly person, so I talk to new people everyday. Nowadays though, there's this one girl that makes me smile every time I hear from her. Unfortunately, I can't meet up with her because she lives in another state entirely. 

Okay, I think I've got most of what I wanted to say out. Yeah there's this question I've been meaning to ask you...

What do you do now that we're on vacation? I know you've told me what you do for fun, but I want to know if you're the kind that stays locked up in her room unless she absolutely has to step out, or the kind that is productive and shit during the holidays. 

Now to what I was saving for last. You asked for what I looked like. I'd have sworn you knew already, because you know both my first and last name. Social media would've answered that question for you. But since you insisted, there is an attached file contained in this email. The picture you see there is me a month ago. I'm not a huge fan of pictures. 

Also, I don't know why you pegged me as that golden boy/ boy next door kinda guy. Those people live meticulous lives. You should see my closet. 

Hoping to hear from you as soon as possible,

Nate. 

***

Please note that this book will be proofread and edited upon completion. Forgive any errors. 

Hope you liked this chapter. 

Stay awesome, 

Kathy.