"I don't like that man. I must get to know him better" -Abraham Lincoln

 A lot of the times in my life I’ve been told “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that whoever said that, was a very wise person. First impressions are, most of the time, completely wrong. When you meet someone for the first time, it’s very hard not to judge them. It’s very hard not to make up an idea about them in your head based just in the first signs you get from them.  And I’ve recently experienced this.  
My whole life, I’ve loved cheerleading. I started when I was eight and cheered a couple of years after that, but had to quit as soon as I moved to the city. I was getting used to this whole new environment and didn’t want to get involved in any activities outside of school yet. But a couple of months ago, I entered a team called Wizards. As soon as I started, I realized how much I missed cheering.  I missed being part of something that felt right, finding a place where I belong.
The day of my fist practice I met Laura. She’s a flyer. One of the best, I should say. I saw her tiny little body walking towards me. Her dark hair matched with her eyes and it was held up in a messy ponytail. She was also wearing a purple headband, I remember. If she had it on to keep her hair from going into her face, it definitely wasn’t working. Her face was a little flat, her eyes were round and they sort of gave the feeling that they were going to pop out.
“What’s your name?” She asked. She wasn’t smiling and had an indifferent expression on her face, which made me wonder if she was really interested in her own question. But I answered anyway, “Desiree, but you can call me Desi” I smiled a little, trying to make myself more comfortable, but it didn’t work. “What’s your name?”
“Laura” She replied, her expression still neutral. “Why did you come here, who told you about us?”
“I take dance lessons here and my dad told me that you guys train here, so I decided to come.”
“Oh… Cool” Her voice came out a little more friendly this time, and I started to relax. We continued to talk for a while, until it was time for me to go. I said goodbye and went off my way.
That night, as I lay in my bed, waiting to fall asleep, I remembered the conversation I had had with Laura a couple of hours before. I realized I hadn’t really like her. She seemed like a snob and the type of person that feels superior to the rest. I was tired of meeting people like that and felt angry at the fact that I was going to have to share a lot of time with her for a long time.
The next day I had practice, I still got that feeling from her. I guess I had unconsciously decided that my first impression about her was right. I didn’t even think that she could turn out to be different from what I had assumed. I sometimes tend to build this big, fat wall as a sign of protection, I guess, to keep people I “don’t like” away from me, not even giving them a chance to show their true self and this was not the exception.
After a few weeks from my first conversation with Laura, I was at cheerleading practice, trying out a new stunt. I was having a hard time trying to get it right and she noticed it. I was surprised when I saw her walking towards me, with a smile across her face, willing to help me. “When you are doing it, do not look down and just keep your leg straight… that should help you.”  I nodded and got back up again.
“Don’t worry; we are all here to catch you if something goes wrong.”
 I stopped a minute to think about what had just happened.  She actually tried to help me. She was not acting the way I always expected her to act. I thanked her for the tip and when I finally got it right, she smiled and said “That was great!”
“Thank you” I replied, smiling back.
From that day we got along better. I no longer think of her the way I used to. The more I get to know her and discover things about her, the more I admire her. I sometimes even think of her as a role model. She has been through a lot and has still accomplished various things that many of us expect to accomplish in the future. Maybe every scar that’s left in her body and in her heart is what makes her seem tough and cocky at first, but underneath all that, it’s still the same innocent, kind girl that once decided to fight for what she wanted, no matter what. Besides inspiring me to become a better cheerleader each day, she inspires me to become a better person. And she has taught me that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, we should read it first. I am still reading hers. And let me tell you, the pages in between are way more interesting than the cover.

You Never Know What You Have Until You Lose It

Last year was a very special year for me. I learned new things, made a lot of good memories and met a lot of new people. Some of which I will never be able to forget. Nicholas was one of them. We met at a friend’s house; I remember it was a Saturday. When I first saw him, I never imagined meeting him would end up meaning so much to me.
He was tall and seemed older than me. His hair was dark, just like his eyes and his presence made me a little bit uncomfortable to tell the truth. We were at the living room and he was sitting in the couch next to me. I started playing an Eminem song on my phone and as I started to sing he turned to me and said “Omg, you like Eminem?” He sounded surprised and shocked. I laughed a little and replied “Yeah, I actually kind of love him”. I noticed how his lips slowly turned into a smile. “That’s pretty awesome… I’ve never met a girl who knows Eminem’s lyrics that well” He said. I smiled back and replied “Do you like him?”
“I do. What songs do you have?”  I showed him the ones I had on my phone and he showed me the ones he had on his. We hanged out the rest of the night together and I started to discover he was a pretty nice guy.
After that day, we became great friends. We talked every single day, all day long. He told me about his life, his family and friends. He expressed his feelings with me and I knew he didn’t do that with a lot of people, so it made me feel confident to tell him my own problems or anything that was bothering me. He one time told me some issues he had with his dad and opened up his heart to me in a way that not only made me feel special, but so much closer to him.  
I sometimes admired him. He was so secure about himself. He saw himself as someone who deserved the best and was above everyone else. I hated it now and then, but at the same time I kind of liked it. He was also proud and not the type of person who apologizes. We sometimes fought and not one time did he say sorry. But what was special about him was that, even though he was stubborn and obstinate, it somehow worked. We got along great and his personality seemed to fit mine. He was fun to be with and we never ran out of things to talk about. He told me about his ex’s and their stories. He was definitely not the type of guy that’s faithful; he was more the type that parties all night and doesn't care about anything.
At that time I didn’t look at him like more than just a friend, but on a Friday night, while we were at the movies, he grabbed my hand. I could feel his fingers trembling as they touched mine and I felt a wave of heat flowing through my body, starting at my feet and ending at my head, making my cheeks go red. I still remember his sweet smell. It reminded me of my father’s cologne filling my lungs every Monday morning when he said goodbye and went off to work for another week. Suddenly he let the words out, “I need to tell you truth about how I feel.” This time, my hands were the ones trembling.  “What do you mean?” I whispered.
He took a deep breath. “I think I’m starting to have feelings for you. I was going to tell you sooner but I felt it wasn’t the right time. I want you to give me a shot. Please.”
“I don’t know what to say Nicholas, I’ve just never thought of you that way.  I don’t know.”
None of us said anything after that and when the movie ended, we just said goodbye and went our own ways.  We continued to talk the next couple of weeks, until I decided I couldn’t be with him because I was holding on to the idea of him being just my friend so strongly that I didn’t even pay attention to what I was truly feeling. As the months passed I found myself missing him and I knew hadn’t make the right choice. I tried to talk to him again, but he had already moved on. I still love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone else and I like to think that when we are more mature, we will find ourselves throughout the way; everything will go back to what it used to be, and we will learn to love each other more and more each day.