Defying Love | Teen Ink

Defying Love MAG

May 24, 2009
By awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
10 articles 0 photos 176 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground"
~Theordore Roosevelt


I didn't want to like him. He was just so charming.

This might sound like every other love story, and it may be, but it may not. If you don't read on, you'll never know.

My name is Emily Brown, which I've always been quite happy with. I think it makes me sound pleasant but ordinary, and I prefer to blend in. Now, I suppose it's only polite to tell you a bit about myself before I jump into my story. I am five feet, two inches, have brown hair that comes to my shoulders, and I am not talented in any special way. These are the basic facts of me, and I think these are all I ought to tell you.

His name was Andrew Rivers and he was perfectly wonderful in every way. When he first came to my school in twelfth grade, he was a bit eccentric and didn't fit in right away. He was into music and played the drums and the guitar, although he wasn't good at either. What he was good at was singing, and when he did, you wanted to cry and laugh and sing along with him all at once.

My name is Emily Brown and his was Andrew Rivers and I loved him.

About two months into my last year of high school, Andrew asked me out. I was surprised since I had hardly ever talked to him, but I didn't have a boyfriend, and I didn't know how to say no.

It may help you to know that at my school there were couples that were simply together for the name, and some that were together only to have a date for dances and for kissing and other such things. When Andrew asked me out I had no idea what his intentions were, and I didn't like having no idea. I'm by no means a confrontational person, but I was starting to feel offended that after I had said that I would date him, he hadn't said another word to me. So I went up to him and we had a little talk.

Me: “Hey, Andrew.”

Andrew: “Hey.”

Me: “So …”

Andrew: (annoyingly, nothing)

Me: “You asked me out.”

Andrew: (nothing again)

Me: “Why?”

Andrew: “Why'd I ask you out?”

Me: “Right.”

Andrew: “I felt like it.”

Me: (irritated) “You felt like it?”

Andrew: “That's what I said, isn't it?”

Me: (infuriated) “I'm sorry. Actually I'm not. I didn't realize you were such a jerk, and I don't want to go out with you anymore.” (I'd never dumped someone before, okay?)

Andrew: “Are you dumping me?”

Me: “What do you think?”

Andrew: “Why?”

Me: “I feel like it.”

Andrew: (smiling) “Do you like Chinese food?”

Me: “I hate it.”

Andrew: “You've never had it.”

Me: “How do you know?”

Andrew: (laughing) “I'm good at reading people.”

Me: “Well, obviously you suck, because I've had Chinese food a million times and I hated it every time.”

Andrew: “Would you like to go out with me tonight?”

Me: “You're asking me on a date?”

Andrew: “Yes.”

Me: “Read my answer.”

Andrew: “Wonderful! I'll see you tonight. Be ready by six. Ish. Sixish.”

I hated this strange boy who I'd only really talked to twice. He made me infuriated. The only problem was, I couldn't figure out if I liked that or not.

That night at sixish sharp, Andrew showed up at my doorstep. My parents have never been into meeting my boyfriends, but as I was stepping out, he stepped in. He walked right into the living room where my parents sat watching the baseball game.

When he came back out I asked, “What'd you say?”

“I told them I'd have you back by eight.”

“Ish?”

He laughed. “Nope. Just eight.”

We didn't talk much on the car ride. He had a CD playing that sounded kind of like Bob Marley, but I'd never heard the song before. It wasn't until we got there that I realized I didn't know where we were going. A small sign stood in front of the building but the name was too peeled away for me to be able to read it. What I could read was the sign beneath where the name should be, and it said, “The best Chinese cuisine for miles.”

“Chinese, huh?”

He smirked.

We walked inside and it was only then that I realized exactly how small the building was. There were little tables in the center of the room, about five of them, and a couch against one wall for sitting while you waited. As if. There was no waiting; we were the only customers. A sign read “PLEASE SEAT YOURSELF,” but I guess because of the lack of business, a waiter came over to seat us. He tried to show us to a table, but Andrew said, “Oh, no, thank you. We'll be sitting down here.”

He strolled over to the couch and at first I thought he wanted us to sit there, but then he grabbed two pillows and placed them on the ground a little way away from the tables.

I looked at him, baffled.

“Authenticity,” he said, smiling. He was always smiling.

I, personally, couldn't see how sitting on the floor was authentic.

***

There were many other dates, all very unusual. I was used to dances and movies, but with Andrew I got sunsets and local concerts. Once he took me to a bingo night that his aunt was hosting. Oddly enough, that was the night we first kissed.

I remember so clearly the day of graduation, the day I realized that Andrew and I wouldn't always be together. After we threw our hats and got our diplomas, he found me.

“End of high school, huh?” he said.

“Yeah.”

“What do you want to do, Emily?”

“With my life?”

“Sure.”

“Be with you.”

He didn't smile like I wanted him to.

“Don't you want to go to college?”

I sighed. “Want to, or have to?”

Now he smiled. “You choose.”

“I should. Go to college, I mean. I found one that'll accept me.”

There was a long pause before I said, “Andrew, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I dunno. Do what I do best, I guess. Play my music.”

“Oh. Yeah. That's cool. See you later?”

“When would I see you?”

“I see what you mean.”

“Bye, Emily.”

“Bye.”

Thinking back, I wish I had said something better than bye. I wish I had told him that I loved him more than words could describe and that when he sang to me I felt like I was all that mattered in the world. I wanted to tell him that if he had just asked, I wouldn't have gone to college. I would have played his music with him.

I'm sitting at my computer right now, looking at a name on the screen on a website called “peoplefinder.” I want to call him and hear his voice, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid that he won't be my same Andrew.

I get a glass of cold water and sit on my couch. I picture myself having one last conversation with him.

Me: “Hey, Andrew.” (I say it so casually, just like old times.)

Andrew: “Hey, Emily.”

Me: “Why are you wearing a tie?”

Andrew: “Why shouldn't I be?”

Me: “I don't know.”

Andrew: “I have a job.”

Me: “Good.”

Andrew: “I'm a lawyer, Emily.”

Me: “That's great.”

Andrew: “You don't sound like that's great.”

Me: “Don't I?”

Andrew: “I live in an apartment in the city. I talk on the phone with other businesspeople.”

Me: “I'm proud of you.”

Andrew: “I have a diploma hanging up on the wall of my office. My office.”

Me: “Do you play music anymore, Andrew?”

Andrew: “Music.”

He looks at me as if he doesn't remember the word.

Andrew: “No, I don't play my music anymore.”

Me: “Oh.”

Me: “I loved you, Andrew.”

Andrew: “Loved? Past tense?”

Me: “I think so.”

Andrew: “I love you.”

Me: “Why'd you ask me out?”

Andrew: “I thought you were beautiful and smart, and I loved how shiny your dark brown hair was. I liked how you weren't too loud, and you didn't wear low-cut shirts like most other girls.”

Me: “I wish you'd said, ‘Because I felt like it.'”

Andrew: “Sorry.”

Me: “Me too.”

Andrew: “I have to be going.”

Me: “Yeah.”

Me: “Wait!”

Andrew: “Yes?”

Me: “I'd never had Chinese food before.”



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This article has 542 comments.


samwich7 said...
on Jun. 16 2014 at 5:02 pm
samwich7, No, New York
0 articles 0 photos 55 comments
I went on here for the first time in years and this was in my favorites so I clicked on it and wow. It's amazing and beautiful and really phenomenal writing. Perfect.

on Jun. 11 2014 at 2:51 pm
awesomeaugust GOLD, Boston, Massachusetts
10 articles 0 photos 176 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground"
~Theordore Roosevelt

Wow that's so crazy! And thank you so much! I just signed on to TeenInk today for a walk down memory lane too, so I know how that feels...I'm glad this story meant something to you!

on Apr. 30 2014 at 2:22 pm
sophiacousins BRONZE, Erie, Colorado
2 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I love that story!! The end was so sad but so beautiful that I wanted to cry! You should definitly do more stories like this!

on Mar. 2 2014 at 6:06 am
Promethean SILVER, Kanpur, Other
8 articles 0 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind....

I want to cry, its sos beautifull

on Feb. 18 2014 at 9:44 am
Bethany_Saint GOLD, Dexter, Maine
14 articles 0 photos 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never regret something that once made you smile." - Amber Deckers

"Stories are more than just images. As you continue in the tale, you get to know the characters, motivations and conflicts that make up the core of the story...." - Livia Blackburne

I love it!!!!!! It crushed me when he said he didnt play music anymore! I love the bitter-sweet ending, because, after all, what is life with out a tad of bitter sadness?

on Jan. 27 2014 at 9:40 am
TheFallenAngel BRONZE, Tallahassee, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Life isn't about the number of breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away.

Wow! This was amazing :) I almost cried!

on Jan. 4 2014 at 12:39 pm
rosewiththorns BRONZE, Gainesville, Georgia
2 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
No one is too old for fairy tales :)

Yes. yes. yes. This is so good, it was simple in the sweetest most endearing way possible. I like how you ended it in a bitter-sweet manor. Thats usually how highschool relationships end so it made it a lot more realistic!

jackie144 said...
on Dec. 23 2013 at 6:44 pm
jackie144, Frazier Park, California
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
dont ever go back

i like it and you shoud keep writing  

on Dec. 17 2013 at 8:59 pm
ImAWxllflower BRONZE, Fairfax, Virginia
3 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand. You're a wallflower."
- Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

i liked the dialogue. It was simple and quick paced and authentic...idk it was just a cute story lol :)

on Dec. 3 2013 at 12:18 am
Hey, I'm Nikki. I thought I would properly introduce myself because I'm such a fan, yes, your fan!  A couple years ago I was a high school student that had nothing else better to do with her free periods but to sit at a school computer. I was trying to find some kind of book, anything to interest me (since I was an outcast and in my school that was not cool at all, so I was shunned) since I had never, and I mean never, read anything other then the back of a cereal box before. This crazy thing came up on Google called Teen Ink. I clicked it and I checked out the site a bit and got a feel of what was going on. I clicked the romance articles since I loved loosing myself in Nick Sparks movies. A ton of people's writings came up, but one really caught my eye, "Defying Love". To think, defying love how amazing would that read be?!  It was such an intresting title, and I just could'nt pass it up. I loved that it was short and easy to keep up with, not to much depth to get lost in and what not either. It was the most perfect story I had heard...EVER! I wished it could have been my life. Almost every other day when our class went to the computer room, I would go back to Teen Ink and find "Defying Love". Then every lunch hour the same. Finally I got smart and printed your story out. I read it every where, over and over and over again. It never did get boring to me. I loved it! Today I sat with nothing to do on the computer waiting for my laundry to finish up, (I am now 20 years old) then I remembered, Teen Ink, and that one story I fell in love with so long ago. I decided to go to the web page knowing what I was looking for, (just not the name) but not knowing where it would be, if it would still be here, or if it would only cause me joy being as only a memory. But yet your story was right where I had last seen it in all its glory, even in the same spot, number one. So I had to write this really quite long sermun to you to just pretty much tell you...you changed my life forever, in so many ways, and I just wish I could thank you in person some how, and talk to you about how this all came about. It really hit home seeing this story again.  Your Biggest Fan, Nikki

on Dec. 2 2013 at 2:09 pm
mine.yours.ours. GOLD, Varennes, Other
11 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
"All those paper people, living in paper houses, burning the future to stay warm..." - John Green

I loved the ending.  It said so much, in few words.  Many authors aren't able to do such a thing.

on Nov. 12 2013 at 7:13 pm
KennaWenna GOLD, Topeka, Kansas
18 articles 1 photo 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If your eye's could speak what would they say?" -The Book Thief

I love love stories, and when I read the title I knew the end was going to end a way that no one would want it to end. It made me cray and I loved your story :)

on Oct. 15 2013 at 6:58 pm
I don't get emotional over love and stuff.  I don't even cry, but this story has me on the verge of tears. Truely a great pieace. 

on Jul. 9 2013 at 6:47 pm
AdrianaMartinez SILVER, Goose Creek, South Carolina
7 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
Carpe Diem .

The introduction was pretty clever; "This might sound like every other love story, and it may e, but it may not. If you don't read on, you'll never know." I loved that sentence. I loved the way you developed your characters; not too many details to overwhelm us, but enough to comprehend their actions. I enjoyed reading your story.

on Jul. 5 2013 at 5:12 am
JulietTiernan BRONZE, M, Idaho
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Don’t pick a fight, but if you find yourself in one I suggest you make darn sure you win.” -John Wayne

So beautiful. I`m so sad though! "The way you can tell someone is a good writer is if they make you feel that awful feeling of loss once you`ve finished reading." Even with it being so short I can tell you this: You are an amazing writer.

on Jun. 28 2013 at 12:42 am
brittafischer PLATINUM, Dulles, Virginia
29 articles 5 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em"

This is an amazing story. I simply must say that I've fallen in love with it. You know how when you read a really good book or story, and you don't want it to end? Well, that's how I felt about this one. Well done!

AHulsey SILVER said...
on May. 26 2013 at 12:20 am
AHulsey SILVER, Troy, Texas
7 articles 2 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind,"
- C.S. Lewis

Aw:( Sadness

on Apr. 21 2013 at 5:32 pm
beccalynn1663 GOLD, West Milford, New Jersey
14 articles 2 photos 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let your smile change the world. Don't let the world change your smile.

so amazing!

Dolphy said...
on Apr. 12 2013 at 3:40 pm
This story made me cry ^-^
It reminds me of a guy from middle school. A sweet and cuddly boy! He said that he liked me, and he was ready to kiss me.
I can't say the same thing. And somehow, when I try to picture it all over again, I think I lost my chace with him.
A huge chance threw right into the garbage chute :/

holly1999 GOLD said...
on Mar. 20 2013 at 5:46 pm
holly1999 GOLD, Middlesbrough, Other
12 articles 8 photos 114 comments

Favorite Quote:
'There was no need to clarify my finger snap, the implication was clear in the snap itself' - Magnus Bane

Love this! Really sweet!