The third book in The 100 Shot Zine Project was titled Perfect. I recall writing this shortly before putting the booklet together. The inside is hand lettered, the front and back cover is drawn, and it comes with a red dust jacket. Similar to the previous zines, the cover is hand stamped along with the included stickers.
This zine was only made in very limited quantities, so I've decided to post the entire story here in this blog entry.
Perfect
The spring breeze slightly ruffled my hair as I walked through the school campus on my way to my first class for the day. I was not really looking forward to it because I knew it was just going to be another dry college lecture, but I just couldn't miss any more days.
Class was precisely as I had imagined it would be; boring and dry. The auditorium classroom was impressively large, but only about half of the seats were filled. I'm sure the other students had more important things to do, like sleeping in until noon. The semester was nearing an end, and attendance was no longer a deciding factor in the final grades.
"If it wasn't for all of the extra credit I have to do to bring up my grade, I could be doing better things." I thought as I glanced around the room. At that moment I saw her.
She appeared to be a thin, petite girl with short, jet-black hair. She was wearing a black knit top with elbow-length sleeves and a scooping neckline, a knee-length cream colored skirt with a small strip of lace at the hem, and classy knee-high boots that zipped up at the sides. Her outfit flowed over the contours of her body and only succeeded in further accentuating her sexy aura.
Although she was one row ahead of mine and a few seats over towards the right, she had turned around and was looking directly at me. I could not decipher any emotions as she held her gaze on me, oblivious to the fact that I had caught her staring and was now looking right back at her. We locked eyes for a split second. Was I imagining things? I could almost hear the ticking of the classroom clock. Everything had paused and it seemed like an eternity between the ticks of the third hand.
"You're beautiful" I thought as I nervously glanced down at my desk, feeling guilty that maybe somehow she would be able to read my thoughts. The rest of the class period passed by in a blur, but that's only because I didn't stick around. Halfway through the lecture, she stood up, grabbed her books and discreetly left out of one of the side doors. After giving the situation a brief thought, I got up two seconds later and followed her out. So much for the extra credit and not skipping anymore classes.
"Excuse me, but do I know you?" I asked her in an uncertain tone as we passed through the classroom doors.
"No." She said as she abruptly started walking towards the food court without even glancing my way. I could see the tiniest hint of a smile form on her lips. Was she flirting with me? What is the point in showing up to class only to leave halfway through? I had a feeling that there was something more.
"So what are you doing right now?" I asked her as I tried to keep up with her fast pace.
She turned her head and looked at me. "I was just about to grab some lunch. What about you? what are your plans right now?" She asked me. I think I detected some interest, but there was no way that I could be positive.
"Do something." I thought.
"Do something."
"DO SOMETHING!"
"I was just about to grab some lunch too......with you." I told her with a smile.
My window of opportunity was open a crack and I took the chance. I've passed up too many opportunities in the past just because I choked up at the last second, and it was not going to happen to me again. Life is a learning process, and you should learn from your mistakes. Otherwise history repeats itself and you end up with a lifetime of regrets.
She was definitely smiling now and I was glad that she was.
I ended up skipping my three other classes of the day. We drove together to the beach, where we stayed all afternoon. I learned a lot about her in that one day.
She was from out-of-state and was staying in California for college. She enjoyed cooking, photography, and poetry, among a multitude of other things. Poetry stimulated her mind, and music moved her soul. She was very kind-hearted and had a real weakness for kids and animals. She had a passion for shopping, and the clothes, hand bags, and shoes that accompanied the word, which did not surprise me in the least. She loved the feeling of being able to curl up in bed while it rained outside. Cheesecake was her favorite dessert, and she ordered it every chance she got. She cried when she was deeply moved. When it came to school and work, she was ambitious and determined, looking to the future with an exhilirating sense of confidence. There was a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her lips the whole time we were at the beach. She was perfect. She was everything I was not.
I was in love.
"I've got to get back." She told me.
"So soon? Do you have to be somewhere?" I curiously asked.
"Yeah, I have to meet my boyfriend for dinner in an hour." She replied with a flicker of uncertainty.
She wasn't looking into my eyes anymore. She was now staring at the ground.
Posts
