This is my school notebook. The teacher wants us to keep our thoughts and stuff in it. Well, I may as well introduce myself. I am Maria DeLuca and I’m ten years old and in the fifth grade. My best friends are Liz Parker and Alex Whitman (Everyone calls him Witless though.) and my enemy is Mickey Guerin. My mom’s name is Amy and my dad doesn’t live with us anymore. I wish he would just pull up in a limo one day and live with us again.

Maria turned the page and read on.

Alex and Liz got married on the playground today. Their wedding cake was a chocolate cup cake. I was the maid of honor and this boy named Peter was the minister. After the wedding Mickey sprayed me at the water fountain. I told him he had dog breath. He pulled my hair afer that and I told him that one of these days I would cut off all my hair and he’d never be able to pull it again. He’s so stupid. Liz wanted me to marry him. He gave me one of his evil looks and ran over to Isabel and Max Evans. Mickey is so weird and his hair stands up in spikes like he was hit by lightning.

Maria sighed and turned the page. It was a shrine covered with I LOVE MICKEY. She giggled and turned the page.

Kyle pushed me in the dirt today. I got mad and started yelling at him. Mickey kicked him in the shin and told him to leave me alone. Then Mickey called me a baby and tripped me when I walked away from him. I got back at him in P.E. I hit him with a football in the tummy. He cried. I felt kinda bad so I said I was sorry and I hugged him too. He smelled like dirt. I felt all tingly afterward, like when your foot falls asleep, but all over. I wonder what would happen if we kissed. I don’t care if he’s stupid. I like him just the same.

On the back of the page there was a piece of paper attached with a paper clip. Maria carefully unfolded it and read.

Dear Maria,

The teacher is making me write this because I was mean to you. I’m sorry I called you a selfish brat even though you said I threw like a girl. I am also sorry I pulled your hair after you told me to drop dead and rot. Accept my apology, please.

From, Michael Guerin

Maria laughed a little and folded the note back up, carefully clipping it to the page again. She turned the page. It was a drawing of a butterfly that Michael had done for her. She smiled and turned the page again.

I stole Mickey’s note book today. He wrote that I danced pretty and smelled like vanilla and trees all the time. He also wrote that Max wanted to marry Liz. I thought that was funny. Mickey took the note book back and called me a thief. I deserved it, but I still called him Fungus Face. Later I let him read my note book to make him feel better. He read the first two pages. He got mad that I made fun of his hair. I laughed at him.

Michael came up behind Maria and read the next entry over her shoulder without her taking notice.

It’s Valentine’s Day today. Liz gave me a special Valentine. I have it clipped to this page with Mickey’s. His was home made. It was on pink construction paper. He wrote on it with red crayon. It said that I could be on his kick ball team and that I could kick first. I gave him my cup cake at lunch. He put frosting on my nose so I stepped on his foot. He tickled me. The cafeteria monitor yelled at us and told him he couldn’t sit next to me if he didn’t behave himself.

Michael snorted. Maria jumped and turned to face him.

“God, you scared me! What are you doing here?” she asked casually closing her notebook and sliding it off to the side.

“Let me see,” he said.

“It’s a notebook,” Maria said innocently,

“There’s nothing to see.” Michael grabs the notebook out of Maria’s hands and reads.

Today was class picture day. The picture taker had to take our picture seven times because Mickey was being stupid. He was standing next to me. He tickled me, put bunny ears on me and pulled my hair. Because he was so stupid, he got me in trouble too. Now we have to clean the blackboards and erasers after school. I’ve changed my mind. I hate Mickey.

“You really thought I was stupid?” Michael asked.

“We were ten years old. Of course I thought you were stupid,” Maria said.

“By the way, I just love the poem you composed about me” he said as he handed Maria the note book to let her read.

Michael is so dumb
His brain is gum
He’s so rotten
He’s made of cotton
He went to Jupiter
And came back stupider
He’s got spiky hair
But I don’t really care
Cause he’s my Mickey

“I can’t believe I wrote that.” Maria said handing the notebook back to him. Michael flipped back to an earlier entry and read.

“Now I know why I hate football.” Michael said.

“I really was sorry about that.” Maria said.

“I was never good at football anyway.”

“I couldn’t believe you let me hug you,” she said

“ I think the pain had me preoccupied considering you didn’t hit me where you thought you did.” Michael said.

“Oh, sorry,” Maria said biting her lip and looking at the ground.

“No permanent damage,” he said giving her one of his signature half smiles.

“Well-well good.” Maria stammered, “‘Cause I wouldn’t want to be the cause of any of your problems.”

“Did you know, you were the only person I let call me Mickey?”

“It was only fair after all the things you called me,” Maria said.

“True,” Michael said, “I did seem to have a large vocabulary around you.”

“It’s weird though. We never talked after fifth grade,” she said.

“We waved to each other.” Michael said.

“Uh-uh,” Maria said, “I waved and you scratched your head.”

“I waved,” Michael insisted.

“Only when Liz hit you up side your head,” she shot back.

“Okay, you’re right,” Michael said.

“As long as we have that straight,” she said.

Michael reached over and tickled Maria’s side. She shrieked and giggled in response. He always knew the right spot to tickle her ever since fifth grade. Maria who was now getting tired of being tickled incessantly, grabbed the special spot on the back of his neck that she could always use to control him. Michael stopped tickling and his eyes locked with hers. It was like being suspended in time with her, like the first time they kissed. It was during recess and Michael had tripped Maria causing her to skin her elbow. She was crying and he felt badly, so he told her he was sorry and let her cry on his shoulder. When Maria finally calmed down, she looked up at him with her big blue eyes and smiled at him. They inched toward each other and their lips met in a sweet innocent kiss. Things were never the same between them after that. Michael was suddenly brought back to the present by the sensation of Maria’s lips on his own. This kiss was different than their first. Maria’s short hair no longer tickled his face the way her soft curls had when they were in the fifth grade. Her mouth was opening to his and her tongue was brushing against his. This kiss was better and a lot longer too. They finally pulled away from each other, both out of breath. “Cheeto brain.”

“Fungus face.”

“Cry baby.”

“Dog breath.”

“Take it back.”

“You first.”