(Photo courtesy of Jessica Perez)

Creative Writing

Poem: I remember falling in love in East LA

I remember standing outside of class and him looking at me like I was the only girl in the room. I remember smiling and giggling nervously as I entered class feeling his eyes still on me. I remember him observing me for days looking for a way to approach me. I remember receiving Snapchat requests…
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April 26, 2019

I remember standing outside of class and him looking at me like I was the only girl in the room.

I remember smiling and giggling nervously as I entered class feeling his eyes still on me.

I remember him observing me for days looking for a way to approach me.

I remember receiving Snapchat requests millions of times, feeling the vibration of my phone in my pocket each time.

I remember receiving his message, every word that he wrote to me is forever recorded in my memories.

I remember the first time we hung out, both of us were nervous, I heard his voice shake as he spoke worrying he’d say the wrong thing.

I remember our first date, we went to Starbucks, he’d study me while I took sips of my cold drink that tasted like caramel.

I remember he bought me roses, no one has ever gotten me roses before, they were red and smelled like nature.

I remember standing on the edge of a hill looking at the view ahead of us and watching the day end next to each other.

I remember when he asked me to be his girlfriend, “Jessica I don’t want to be friends anymore,” looking at me with puppy eyes hoping for me to say yes.

I remember the first time we kissed, his lips were warm and pressed against mine, it was the sweetest thing.

I remember our adventure to Six Flags, he was scared to hold my hand during a ride, it was his first time going.

I remember when he told me he loved me for the first time outside my geometry class next to a water fountain I was speechless.

I remember saying our goodbyes as we entered our next class and “I love you” slipped out of my lips without me realizing it.

I remember the huge smile on his face as he processed what I had said, while I nervously entered class processing what just happened myself.

I remember staying up all night talking on the phone waiting for the clock to hit 12 a.m., we made 2 months that night.

I remember all our dates to Dave’s 2 For 1 Pizza, pizza is our thing.

I remember the taste of brisk ice tea on his lips as I kiss him gently.

I remember going to the beach and spending the day in each other’s arms watching the sun go down.

I remember buying him a watch as a token of my love for him, he wears it every day.

I remember the dinner party where he ate so much he was having trouble breathing and hearing my own laughter as he tried catching his breath.

I remember laughing so much to the point my stomach hurt and I had to pee, all because of him.

I remember when I realized I don’t want this relationship end, I need him like the oxygen I breath.

I remember smell of his cologne in the summer breeze, it smelled like home.

I remember gazing into his eyes and glimpsing our future in his eyes, realizing how much I love him.

I remember summer ending and all the memories we had together flowing in mind making me feel giddy.

I remember how it feels when I’m with him, the butterflies in my stomach are active.

I remember feeling the rush of his love flowing through me as he kisses my forehead and tells me he loves me.

I remember dances so much at homecoming feeling each other’s vibrations as we groove together.

I remember feeling so connected as we danced slowly to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran at homecoming.

I remember my feet hurting so much because of the dancing and his warm hands massaging my feet.

I remember the fights we get into the feeling of being scared that our fighting will end our relationship.

I remember him saying that no matter how bad the fighting gets, we are stuck with each other for life, because we have forever.

I will forever remember the summer where I fell in love for the first time in East Los Angeles, the city of love.

Scholar-athlete Cody Going: off to Division 1

Scholar-athlete Cody Going: off to Division 1

Cody Going has been in Mission Viejo high school’s football program, a team ranked number four in California by MaxPreps, for five long years. From his time in eighth grade to now he’s been able to see the athletes at Mission Viejo High grow from teammates to a...