Valentine's day / True Love by Joanne Denelle (classe 3ème avancée)

 

 

True love by Joanne Denelle

 

 

Part 1   

 

Do you believe in destiny? I do. Nothing ever happens by accident; everything has a purpose, a meaning that we have to find by ourselves. The same goes with love:  in this world, everybody has a soul mate that he’ll see at least once in his life. That chance is given to everyone. Afterwards, it’s up to you to decide if you want to be with that person or not. As for me, I never gave up on finding my true love, always asking myself: could it be her? What if I’m wrong? But the day I saw her, the last day of the summer holidays, I knew she was the one for me.

 

- So, where do we have to go to next? Mom asked for some organic soya beans, but I have no idea where you can buy them.

- Oh, I know, it’s not that difficult: it’s just around the corner there, you see?

- You mean Ekoplaza?

- Yes, that’s…. Ouch!

I had been talking to Thomas, my oldest brother, when someone bumped into me, more specifically, into my shoulder. Hard. I turned around and yelled, furious:

- Hey, you clumsy idiot, watch where you’re going!

I immediately regretted my harsh words as a girl of my age stopped and turned to face me. Her eyes were glistening, and though it was clear that she had difficulty speaking, she managed to mumble an excuse and quickly ran off. I had only seen her face for a few seconds, but it stayed in my mind the whole time: her deep indigo eyes, framed by long eyelashes, her curly brown hair, dancing in the soft summer breeze and her delicate features. But something about her bothered me: why was she crying? And what was that frightened look in her eyes?

 

The teacher was in the middle of handing out the School Rules when the Head came in. We hurriedly stood up and waited for the usual welcoming speech, but instead of that, she asked us to sit down and beckoned to someone in the corridor. The door opened quietly as she came in. But the girl had completely changed: she didn’t look like the little fragile girl that I had seen yesterday, but more like an Ice Princess, someone beautiful but unattainable.

As her eyes wandered curiously through the class, our eyes met and I clearly saw a flash of recognition passing through hers before she continued her observation.

Mrs Roy cleared her throat to draw back the attention of the students:

- Let me present Laura, a new student in our school from today on. She has been homeschooled since birth for personal reasons, so I assume you will help her adjust and get used to our school.

It was easier said than done.

 

I have always been treated like an alien as I had the best marks in every subject but still managed to do after school-activities. But I was astonished to find out that she was even better than me. But not just for normal school subjects: Music, Arts, looks, she had everything. But strangely enough, it seemed like she didn’t appreciate guys: cold looks and the refusal to speak to them earned her the nickname ‘Ice Queen’.

Quite appropriate if you ask me.

However she had no problem getting along with girls. They often asked for her help and advice, and so she was at all times surrounded by a bunch of girls, keeping her company in one way and protecting her against us boys, in another.

 

 

True love Part 2



  

I knew from the start that she couldn’t refuse, as she loved challenges and the only thing where we could equally compete at was PE, so we both had a reasonable chance of winning. She hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded and said:

- I like the idea of it, but I warn you, you’ll lose.

Determination had replaced the fear in her eyes while a smile played on her lips.  There was no doubt that I’d definitely have to train hard.

 

She was running next to me and I could clearly see that she was gaining ground, so I gave it my all. I can’t lose to her, I have to win, it’s for her sake, I thought.

And so I did. I crossed the finish line first, and proud to have won the bet I turned around, smiling. But what I saw then made me gasping for air: Laura was lying on the ground, unconscious.

I couldn’t think properly seeing her like that, and so even though I was exhausted, even though I couldn’t breathe properly, I ran, shouting.

- Laura! What are you doing? Wake up! Come on, wake up!

But to no avail.

 

-Are you feeling better already?

-What happened?

Her voice was still sleepy but she already looked a lot better than before. A flush of pink rose to her cheeks as I told her what had happened after she had fainted in the middle of the hundred meter sprint, but  I couldn’t tell if it was out of embarrassment or perhaps of something else.

- Just one question, she shyly asked, who carried me here? I mean, the nurse is far too frail to carry me, so…

- It was me.

- You?

She looked surprised. I didn’t know if I should have felt vexed, but either way, I just held my tongue.

- You do remember the bet, don’t you? I enquired.

- How could I even forget that, she replied, annoyed. I may have fainted but that doesn’t mean that I’ve lost my memory, you know?

I grinned.

-Great! So then I’ll come and pick you up at 2 P.M, is that alright with you?

- I guess so… she smiled.

And I smiled back. It was the first time that she had ever smiled to me like that, not smirking or making fun out of me, and she evidently realised that too. The friendly mood that had been hanging in the air since the beginning of our conversation abruptly gave way to an awkward silence, broken a few minutes later by footsteps in the hallway.

- That must be your father…

 

  True love Part 3

 

- Tell me, where are we going? Laura asked curiously.

- It’s a surprise, you’ll see it fast enough.

The weather was truly beautiful that day; the sky was cloudless and blue and I heavily suspected it to be one of the last sunny and warm days of the year, so I had decided to go here, one of my favourite places of the city: the beach.

In summer it was packed with tourists, but now that the season had ended it gave a peaceful and calm feeling.

As we arrived I looked at her. She was wearing casual clothes, t-shirt and skirt, and her mid long hair resting on her shoulders was occasionally lifted by a gust of wind, but it was her expression that charmed me.

Her blue eyes were wide open, as if she had never seen the sea before, and she grinned.

- It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, and the view is simply bewitching.

- Well then, come on, lets enjoy it from a bit closer!

I grabbed her hand and enthusiastically dragged her down the stairs, which leaded to the beach. I took my shoes of and urged her to do the same, which she hastily did. We walked for a long time, but I’m incapable of saying how much: it could have been seconds, minutes, hours, I wouldn’t know. We talked about various subjects, including why she was crying that Sunday afternoon, her hatred of guys, the cause of it, if she had ever tried to get rid of it, but not only that: hobbies, family,  friends… I think I learned more about her in one afternoon than about my brother in sixteen years.

Later on in the afternoon, I treated her on Churros, which she had never tasted before, and I only managed to eat one or two while she ate the rest of them by herself, like a dozen.

When we finally decided to go back home, both of us worn out by such a day, it was nearly evening.

- Hey, look!

- What is it?

- See for yourself, it’s too hard to describe.

I lifted my head from the lock of my bike and understood what she meant: the sunset on the sea was breathtaking.

We stood there, pensively contemplating the sight of the descendant sun while listening to the waves breaking on the shore, when she said the few words that changed my life forever:

- You know, coming here with you has shown me many things, and perhaps you aren’t such a bad choice…

Before I understood what she meant, she slowly bent over, gently brushing my cheeks with her lips. By the time I had gathered my senses, she was already on her bike, but I had the feeling that if I didn’t say something now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.

- Laura!

She turned back, and looked at me expectantly.

- Yes, what?

I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and blurted:

-I’d blove you!

She smiled, amused.

- Excuse me, but what did you say? 

- I love you.

 

True love Vocabulary

Part 1:

English	French
Around the corner	Au coin de la rue
To bump into	Foncer dans
Harsh words	Mots cassants
Glistening	Brillants
To mumble	Bredouiller
To be bothered	Etre dérangé
Frightened	Effrayé
Head	Chef d’établissement
To beckon to	Inviter à
Unattainable	Inatteignable
To clear his throat	S’éclaircir la voix
Homeschooled	Scolariser à la maison
It’s easier said than done	C’est plus facile à dire qu’à faire
To find out	Découvrir
To get along with	S’entendre avec

 

Part 2:

English	French
To challenge	Défier
Outcome	Résultat
PE (Physical Education)	EPS
To gain ground	Gagner du terrain
Sake	Bénéfice
To gasp for air	Le soufflé coupé
Unconscious	Perdu connaissance
To no avail	En vain
A flush of pink rose to her cheeks	Le rouge lui monta aux joues
To faint	S’évanouir
Shyly	Timidement
Frail	Frêle
To hold his tongue	Se taire
To enquire	S’enquérir
To smirk	Sourire narquois
Awkward	Gênant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 3:

English	French
To be packed	Etre bondé
Gust of wind	Une brise
Bewitching	Ensorcelant
To urge	Encourager
Hastily	Hativement
To treat someone on	Inviter quelqu’un (à manger)
Worn out	Fatigué
Breathtaking	Epoustouflant
Shore	La cote
To gather his senses	Reprendre ses esprits