Catfish | Teen Ink

Catfish

November 21, 2013
By ovomarisa BRONZE, Detroit, Michigan
ovomarisa BRONZE, Detroit, Michigan
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." -Thomas A. Edison


0800 hours. The sun has set in the country of Iran. My name is Jack, Jack Anderson Jr. I’m 25 years of age. I work in the computer and technology department for the U.S Army and I’m proud to be here. This might seem odd but I’m looking for someone who has similar personality traits as me, not the same as me because, a clone of me would be hell on Earth. My family is a big part of my life, my mom Karen, my father Jack Sr and my sister Anna I typed, clicking “Create Profile” on the typical dating sight eHarmony. I was a little hesitant about making this because I had some trust issues way back about my latest ex-girlfriend Gina, she cheated on me. I loved her. Now that I’ve gotten over that I decided to make this profile.
A week later, I received a message from a girl named Andrea Lesser as I was moving my cursor onto her profile picture and clicking on it, she had crimson red curly hair that you could see from a thousand miles away, it wasn’t her natural hair color it seemed as if it was dyed, but wow was she beautiful. Andrea messaged me saying,
Hey Jack, my name is Andrea as previously stated by my username. I have noticed that we have the same personality, and as creepily as this sounds I went to grade school through high school with you. We had Mrs. Chaps together, but I don’t know if you’ll remember me I was a shy one but I grew out of that, don’t worry. Contact me at 416-822-9804 (:
I replied to her saying, Hey Andrea, thanks for messaging me, wow that’s crazy that we’ve grown up in the same city and went to school together, I’ll have to ask my mom to crack open some old boxes and find my yearbooks. Unfortunately I won’t be able to contact you over phone but through via email and Skype will work the best, and then I could see your beautiful face!
As soon as I sent the messages not even 10 minutes passed, she replies,
Sounds great to me! I have a webcam its kind of crappy but it will do, whatever it takes to talk to you, it will be successful in the end. (:
A simper flows over me and my face turns into a color of a hand as if someone has high-fived you too hard. Is she the one? This can’t be, I’m just over thinking this, I’m too excited that finally I can get passed the fact that I was cheated on and move on to someone who cares for me and someone that can fights for someone they want, and I’m that person.
1000 hours. Crickets began to play their violins. I can’t get her out of mind, no matter what I try; closing my eyes doesn’t help nor does trying to sing a song in my head help. I began to feel myself getting too attached to her even though she only said two sentences to me over the Internet. I wonder if she’s thinking about me too.

Logging onto my account and receiving another message from Andrea saying,
Good morning handsome, I just wanted to Right as I was about to read more the sirens in the lab were going off as the sound of shooting outside the base and the floor shaking. Running down the crowded hallway as people are screaming and pushing, I finally hit the emergency exit. Looking for a getaway, leader General Sanders pulls my arm and pushes me into the plane to evacuate. I’ve never been that scared for life. Wondering what is going on, from a distance I ease into what the walky-talkies are saying “It seems that we are under attack from the Taliban but for further notice the people that are in plane 5427 will be going back home until base is safe.” Once I heard that I was so pleased and excited to see my family and Andrea, but first I had to tell my parents about her.

Early that morning, seeing the clouds of soft cotton candy pass by and from afar the sun peaks from beneath as the pilot clicks on ahead “We will be arriving soon, uh probably 2 hours or so” I’m so excited to even be alive. My legs start to fluctuate up and down. I don’t know how long I’ll be in America but however long I will be, it will be worth it.

Arriving at an army force base in Michigan, stepping down the stairs with nothing but the clothes that I have been wearing since the attack. I look in the distance and knowing my mom she will be jumping up and down, screaming. Well I guessed it right “Jack! Jack! My son, oh how I missed you!” Thankful tears run down her face. My dad looks straight into my eyes “Welcome back son” Grabs my hand and shakes it forcedly. “Thanks dad, and mom I’m happy to see you too” Kissing her on her cheek. “We just heard this morning that your department will be coming home today so your father and I rushed down here as quickly as we could, we didn’t set up your room or anything because we were super excited to come and get you, we didn’t want you to drive home in a taxi.” Chuckling “Its okay mom, thanks for coming to get me” Grabbing her shoulder and walking to the car

It’s about 12 o’clock and I see my house coming up I don’t know whether to jump out and kiss the floor or stay inside. It’s different from seeing dirt and polluted air with chemicals in it to freshly cut grass and fresh air as birds chirp from above. It’s amazing. My dad pulls into the drive way and parks the car in the driveway and before I opened the door he turns his head to me as he says, “Well son, I’m glad to see that you’re safe and welcome home again” I smile and open the door. I walked down the newly paved sidewalk leading to the newly red painted door. Walking into the house getting the whiff of cinnamon and going straight to the shower to turn it on step in seeing that the shampoo I used a year ago is still present. “Home sweet home!” Stepping out of the shower, grabbing a towel with my first initial sewed onto it. It’s surreal. “I can’t believe I’m home.”

From below I hear a door slam “Jacky! Jacky pooo!” I already knew who that was, Its Anna. Hearing stumbling and pounding as she runs up the stairs and gives me a big bear hug. “Look at you getting muscles” “Yeah thanks sis’ I’ve been working out since I’ve been in Iran, what have you been up too?” “School, work and more school” “Well good, stay in school” I said as I was laughing

Everyone’s around the dinner table,
“Mom do you still have my middle school yearbooks by a chance?”
“Why do you need your middle school year books?” Anna laughs
“Yes dear I do, they’re upstairs in the cabinet by the entrance of your room”
“Well?”
“I made an account on a dating site” I said under my breath “she went to school with me”
“What did you say?”
“She went to school with me?”
“No, before that”
“I made an account on a dating site,” I quietly said.
“Why would you do that, she could be lying, you don’t even know if she even is a girl” Anna says angrily
“Son I agree with you sister, be careful”
“I knew I should of said it in privacy, I knew Anna was going to freak out, give me a break.”
“I’m just protecting you”
“Well this time you don’t need to” I get up and walk up stairs and grab the box of yearbooks and shut my door.

Flipping through pages of my yearbook sliding my fingers down every last name in the year book still no sign of Andrea Lesser, could my sister be right. I can’t tell her that or she’ll say, “Told you so!” and I’ll be the laughing stock of the family, it will always be brought up if I tried to go on a date and I’m just not going to deal with that. Walking into my dads office and I log into my profile and I realize I have 5 new messages in the past hour all from Andrea saying, Hello, you haven’t messaged me back I was just wondering if you haven’t received them or your just not responding back, did I creep you out? Hope not.
Hey sorry, due to a attack on our base in Iran, we were sent back home and I am now home and I would like to meet up with you how about Café Andrews for a starters something simple, ,my best friends family owns Café Andrews. Oh, and I was looking through my yearbooks and I couldn’t find you anywhere, weird huh?
5 minutes late as I responded she replied quickly back,
Uhh, yeah that’s weird... Uhm actually that sounds great! 8 pm Friday night sound good? I…Uhh…have a surprise for you…
Sounds perfect (:

I couldn’t wait day by day passed on. I decided that I needed to go to the gym to try to look built for her, may be she’ll like that. Wednesday to Thursday and finally Friday arrived and I got my haircut and all I was doing was waiting for 8 but it just wasn’t coming as fast as I wanted it to.

Driving to Café Andrews and opening the door hearing the little gold bell ringing at the top of the door as I ask for a table for two, looking around noticing that there aren’t many people here today. “Hey Jack what’s up? Oh, you can seat yourself tonight, it’s not really full tonight” sitting down into the booth and all I could think is how excited I am to see her. Lifting my jacket looking down at my silver Rolex watch noticing that time has passed and its 9 and that I’ve been sitting here for about an hour, she’s probably just running late or something. The thought of my sister being right for a change might actually becoming true what if it is a complete stranger and what if it’s not the girl that I seen in Andrea’s profile picture?
The waiter comes up to me awkwardly saying,
“Would like to wait a little bit longer for whoever is coming or…?”
“No I’m just here by myself” When really I was too embarrassed to say she stood me up
“Alright, what would you like to eat tonight?”
“The café special and a Coke please”
“Is that all for you tonight?”
“Yes, thank you”
I put my head in my hands and took a deep breathe as I looked at the table, listening to the “click” and “clank” of chefs knifes as they prepare dinner to give out to their customers, hearing as if someone has slid into the booth and sat in front of me, all I’m thinking is how excited I am to see her and how I was going to hug her tight. Excitingly jolting my head up. “Surprise…”
Luscious long brown hair with alluring green eyes, as she sympathetically grins at me, looking at her in fury, my brain about to explode. Anger devouring my mind. How could you…Gina? I honestly have no idea what to think, either I just pay for my meal and leave or actually listen to what she has to say.
“I know this looks completely wrong and you can be upset with me all you want, I understand but I just wanted to talk to you, I miss our talks that we’ve shared together. I know it was wrong for me to cheat on you; it took me a long time to forgive myself, you have no idea how sorry I am. At the time I was confused and I had no idea what I was putting myself up to losing someone so loyal and caring like you. You really don’t know what you have until it’s gone. I realized that. I hope we can fix things and try again. I miss you.” It was silent and she just sat their staring at me, waiting for a response and all I could think of is how hurt I am and how mad I am at her for lying to me, how could she do this? Does she really think I want to “try” and get back with her after she cheated, yeah right. I’m getting out of here.
Grabbing a white Styrofoam container for my unfinished food and leaving Café Andrews. Walking passed the window were we sat to see her in tears, seeing black mascara rolling down her clear ivory skin, looking hopeless and confused, that’s how I felt when she told me she cheated on me with my best friend.


The author's comments:
Be careful who you meet online

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