“Hey! Paige! You want to go out with me?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes, then turned to Ben, in all his glory.

Ripped jeans, baggy shirt, backwards baseball-cap and skateboard tucked under his arm that is.

He was cute, I’ll give you that, but if I actually went out with him, how much would I be made fun of? He wasn’t even in my clique; totally below my level.

“No,” I said to him again.

“Come on, Pretty Face, what’s to lose? Give me a shot!”

“Look, Ben,” my friend Kristine turned to him. “She’s too hot for you, buzz off.”

“Kris, I don’t see how this is your business,” he said, childishly imitating her voice. Then turned back to me; “Come on, please? Movie and popcorn on me.”

“If you weren’t such a slob,” my friend Phoebe said to him. “She might consider you.”

“Yea,” I said backing her up.

He gave me a crooked smile that made me go weak at the knees; “What? Not dressy enough for you?”

“Um...” I said swallowing, trying to keep my cool. “No.”

“Fine,” he said, walking away backwards, arms in the air. “Tomorrow, prepare to be swept off your feet!”

Without another word, he turned, jumped on his skateboard and skated off down the hall.

My heart did a little flip.

“See you later, boy,” I called after him, but it sounded so lame.

Okay, so I wanted him. But I would never tell my friends.

-

The next day at school, I didn’t see Ben. I secretly looked around for the signature backwards baseball cap that was always getting him into trouble. I listened for the sound of his skateboard wheels on the linoleum, but I didn’t hear it.

I sat at the lunch table with Phoebe and Kristine, we were gossiping about what we’d heard about Kylie Jenkins when we noticed that everyone in back of us was laughing.

“Oh my gawd...” said Kristine.

“What?” I asked.

“Don’t look now but-”

“Hello, Pretty Face.”

I turned to look at the boy standing beside our table; he was dressed in a tux and top hat.

He looked totally out of place, but totally cute.

Needless to say, it was Ben.

He fell to his right knee.

“My dear Paige “Pretty Face” Fricke, would you care to join me for dinner tonight? Time and restaurant of your choice?”

I was so close to saying yes, luckily, my friends saved me.

“Are you kidding me?” asked Kristine.

“Yea, you look like a total freak,” Phoebe finished.

“Sorry girls, I don’t think I’m asking you guys out, let Pretty Face answer for herself.”

“You look like a total freak,” I said, Kristine and Phoebe laughed and high fived each other.

“Come on, PF,” he said to me quietly. “Don’t let the clones tell you what to do.”

“I’m not!” I cried.

“You’re a big girl, you can think for yourself, don’t listen to them.”

“I do think for myself!” I said, insulted that he could think of me like that.
”Do what you want to do, not what they tell you,” he said.

“She does,” said Kris. “Now get lost.”

He looked me in the eye.

“Your choice,” he said, then walked away.

“See you later, boy,” I shouted after him again, the same way I always did.

I’d lost my chance again.

-

The next day at school, he was dressed in his normal, baggy attire, he didn’t approach me at all that day. I had to stay a little longer after school, I had to talk to my music teacher about taking my flute home for the weekend. I walked down the hall towards the music room, I could heard music coming from the door, I was about to walk right in when I saw who was playing; it was Ben. Ben and his band were playing together, Ben was on lead guitar and singing; he had an amazing voice.

“But she doesn’t look my way,
No matter what I say,
Some day I’ll make it big,
Get myself some kickass gig,
Then she’ll feel sorry,
I’ll tell her don’t worry,
I’ll say; see you later, girl.

Too bad you got a pretty face,
Such a pretty face,
I’d say; deep down,
You’re ugly, babe,
But I won’t;
You’re too shallow to be deep.”

The lyrics weren’t great, but I’d heard a lot worse. He could also sing, not like those wannabes who swung their hair and pretended they could hit a note; no, he had talent, and not only on his guitar.

I watched them play; enjoying the music they were playing, enjoying watching Ben.

The song ended.

“Thank you, thank you,” Ben said jokingly into the microphone, making his voice even deeper than it already was. “That was; “Pretty Face” by Cosmic Spoons. This is a shout out to Paige. She’s out in the hallway, listening us; she thinks I can’t see her, silly Pretty Face. Paige, want to go out with me tonight?”

He turned to me and flashed me a crooked smile.

I gasped and ran.

I even forgot to yell; “See you later, boy.”

I never did end up bringing home the flute to practice over the weekend.

-

Five years after high school ended, I was out of college and lived in a little apartment downtown alone. I hadn’t given Ben much thought since high school ended, even if he hadn’t stopped pursuing me until our final day of school. After that, I guess he gave up on me. For a little while after, I kind of missed him and wondered where I’d end up if I had. Then he just faded from my mind.

One day, when I was home, I sat on the couch flipping channels when I landed on MTV, it was in the middle of a music video. I got up to get myself a drink and when I came back, I dropped the glass and it shattered against the ground, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Ben was being interviewed on MTV.

“So Ben, what’s it like to become so big, so fast?” asked to host.

“Kinda strange,” he said, giving the camera his crooked smile that he used to only give me. “Cosmic Spoons were nobodies for so long, then you get one hit, and people stop you in the street.”

He looked older, and now he wasn’t just cute, he was a hunk, but it was defiantly Ben.

“Do you think it’s weird that most of your fans are girls, seeing how most of the music you play is punk?”

He looked at her with a confused expression on his face; “Girls like punk too.”

“I’m not sure you caught my drift,” she said smiling.

Comprehension dawned on his face; “Oh yea,” he said, laughing. “Sorry, I’m kinda slow. Yea, the guys kinda blame me from attracting so many fans.”

“What inspires you when you write your songs?” he asked him.

“Um, I dunno, listening to other artists I guess, their songs sorta give me ideas.”

“What was running though your mind when you wrote Druger?” she asked, referring to their hit song.

“I had read in the newspaper about a girl who’s died because of an overdose of heroin. It kind of shocked me ‘cause it said she was only 15. I mean, I remember when I was fifteen and I can’t imagine what it would be like to loose a friend, like that. So I decided to write a song about it. When I was fifteen, pretty much the biggest thing I my life was my band.”

I had thought I was the biggest thing in his life back then.

A thought hit me.

What if he had completely forgotten about me?

“Cosmic Spoons is one of the few bands of today who don’t play love songs, why?” she asked.

He just shrugged and gave another crooked smile; “I dunno, I write piece of crap love songs.”

“So you’ve written some?” she asked, interested.

“Yea, I just don’t like playing them at concerts,” he said.

“Why?” she asked.

He paused before he answered, I expected some deep answer.

“‘Cause they’re a piece of crap,” he said finally.

The host turned to the camera; “Here’s the hit music video Druger from Cosmic Spoon’s new album; Stoned to Death.”

I watched the music video in amazement. There was Ben, on TV, singing a punk rock song about a girl who was addicted to heroin. It was a sad song, Ben had written that? I didn’t think Ben knew how to be sad. He had always been so filled with high spirits, even after every time I turned him down. As soon as the music video was over I ran to the phone and dialed Kristine’s number.

“Hello?”

“Kris! It’s Paige.”

“Oh hey Paige, what’s up?”

“Kris, you’ll never believe who I just saw on MTV!”

“Oh you were watching too?”

“You saw Ben too?”

“Yea, he and his band are in town next week, me and Phoebe are going, you want to come?”

“You want to go see him play?” I asked in amazement.

“Yea, totally, we’ve got tickets, you wanna come?”

“Okay...”

-

Standing in the front row of the concert on the dance floor, I just couldn’t get into it. Standing in front of me was the guy I had turned down a hundred times.

Why on earth had I turned him down?

I had said “See you later, boy”, when I could have said yes.

I used to be the in-girl in school and he was the reject, him along with his loser band.

Now he was a superstar, slamming on his guitar, and I was a nobody, too lowly to be remembered.

I tried to catch his eye, but I never did, all I could do was stare at the guy I could have ended up with. After the show, I could have been waiting behind the stage, but no, after this, I would go home. I’d probably never speak to Ben again. He’d probably forgotten my existence, what with his fame.

I should have said yes.

They finished their song and Ben walked towards his band mates, I recognized two of them as original band members; Bobby McPherson and Kyle DuPont from high school, but I didn’t know the guy on the other guitar or the keyboard player.

They looked confused for a minute, but nodded their heads in agreement. Ben came back to the mike.

“It’s kind of a Cosmic Spoons policy; no love songs, but I’m going to make an exception tonight. This is actually the first song I ever wrote... I had to change it a bit, to account for time, but here it is. Ladies and gentlemen; Pretty Face.

I gapped and just starred as the bass player started up, the keyboard flowed in, soon joined by a simple beat on the drum and finally by Ben on his guitar.

“Pretty Face,
Oh such a pretty face,
I called her everyday,
Pretty Face, oh Pretty Face,
Just a chance, that’s all I wanted.

But she didn’t look my way,
No matter what I had to say,
I told myself; some day I’ll make it big,
Get myself some kickass gig,
Then she’ll feel sorry,
I’ll tell her don’t worry,
I’ll say; see you later, girl.

Too bad you got a pretty face,
Such a pretty face,
I’d say; deep down,
You’re ugly, babe,
But I won’t;
You’re too shallow to be deep.

But she didn’t look my way,
No matter what I had to say,
I told myself; some day I’ll make it big,
Get myself some kickass gig,
Then she’ll feel sorry,
I’ll tell her don’t worry,
I’ll say; see you later, girl.

She’s still pretty,
Pretty Face,
You’re still pretty, babe,
But I wasn’t good enough for you then,
I wasn’t good enough,
“Outta ma league”
That’s what she said.

But she didn’t look my way,
No matter what I had to say,
I told myself; some day I’ll make it big,
Get myself some kickass gig,
Then she’ll feel sorry,
I’ll tell her don’t worry,
I’ll say; see you later, girl.

I thought you were amazing,
I thought you were so fine,
If you could just think for yourself,
Just do it yourself,
But no, you wouldn’t give it a chance,
You wouldn’t give it a shot.

She didn’t even look my way,
No matter what I had to say,
I told myself; some day I’ll make it big,
Get myself some kickass gig,
Then she’ll feel sorry,
I’ll tell her don’t worry,
I’ll say; see you later, girl.

But she didn’t look my way,
No matter what I had to say,
I told myself; some day I’ll make it big,
Get myself some kickass gig,
Then she’ll feel sorry,
I’ll tell her don’t worry,
I’ll say; see you later, girl.

I say, see you later girl,
See you after the show,
We got some catchin’ up to do...”

With only the slightest pause to allow the crowd to cheer for the “new” song, they then launched right into the next song called “Bluffs for Fluff and Bones”.

Did that mean he remembered me?

Did that mean he wanted to see me after the show?

Had he seen me?

Or was it a coincidence?

Was there really any harm in trying?

-

After the show my friends and I tried to get backstage, along with a bunch of other giggling obsessive girls.

I was arguing with the security guard.

“But I know him,” I was telling him. “You know the song Pretty Face? That was written about me! That was my nickname in high school!”

“Well good for you,” said, leaving his arms crossed across his chest.

“Please,” I said. “He asked me to come backstage!”

“Yea, you and all these other girls,” he said.

“Let Pretty Face though.”

“OHMYGAWD!” Kris screamed. “IT’S HIM!”

“Yea, yea, hey Kris,” he said rolling his eyes. “Come on Steve, let Pretty Face though.”

The security guard let me through but stopped Phoebe and Kris.

“But we’re with her!” Phoebe screeched.

I followed him backstage, he opened his arms and gestured to the general splendor.

“Am I good enough for you now?” he asked.

Saying yes would sound shallow and saying no would sound snobby; I kept my mouth shut.

He shook his head; “Still the same? I don’t get you Pretty Face, can’t you do anything without the clones?”

“I can!” I cried.

“Like what?” he asked sadly. “Give me one example where you didn’t go running to them.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Paige, do you have you idea how sad that is? You have no backbone. I thought if I went out with you, I could change that. I know you’re good deep down.”

“I’m not too shallow?” I spat, hurt.

He sighed; “What was it that made you say no to me so many times? Was it really the way I dressed?”

“I always liked you... but... peer-pressure.”

“The clones,” he said.

I nodded.

“Do they think I’m good enough now?” he asked.

“I guess so; they bought the tickets to your concert. Look, Ben, I’m sorry...”

He gave me a crooked smile, “Kinda late, Pretty Face.”

“Ben!”

I turned to see a brunette run towards him. He held out his arms to pick her him, he swung her around and kissed her mouth.

What?

“Ben you played so well! I’m so glad you played Pretty Face, I was totally shocked, it wasn’t even in the schedule!” she beamed.

“Well I had to make the change for someone in the audience. Pretty Face, meet April, April; Pretty Face.”

“You’re Paige?” she said, interested in a kind manner. “Ben’s told me all about you, you’re the influence for so many of his songs,” she said.

I looked blankly from April to Ben.

“April’s my fiancée,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“What?” I said, appalled.

“I couldn’t wait for you forever,” he said. “Believe it or not, she said yes the first time.”

April’s cheeks grew red and she looked at the floor.

“Sorry Paige,” she said.

All I could do was gape.

This was all my own stupid fault.

Why had I ever listened to Kris and Phoebe?

What was wrong with me?

He was right; I had not backbone, I was pathetic.

This was my chance to be the bigger person, I smiled.

“Well, accept it or not, I am sorry for being such a bitch. You were right, everything you ever said to me was right. I’m really happy for you two, I really hope your marriage works out.”

He gave me his crooked smile and tapped the side of my cheek in a friendly way.

“Good girl, Pretty Face, you’re finally growing up.”

--

AN: I always thought the song “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne had a cute storyline behind it, so I decided to make a short story out of it. I could have turned it into one of my huge projects, but I just wanted something short and sweet, so here it is. Sorry if the lyrics suck; I write poetry and stories, not songs. Why the band name Cosmic Spoons? Because it’s the most random thing I could come up with (apart from “Death to Spoons”, which I love, but I didn’t think it was quite right), I think Ben came up with the band name. In case you’re wondering, you are supposed to hate Paige and her little posse and that’s why she didn’t get the guy.