Gelefant

College Cheaters             The summer before I started college, I got a new pair of glasses. They were similar to my previous pairs in frame and lens shape (as well as the rims of the lenses and the temple tips still being black), but the bridge and temples were a darker shade of gray. When Lauren and I were out on a date, she wanted to wear my new glasses. I, of course, let her.             I was going to a college that was both out of town and over three hours away. My family was a bit apprehensive about me going to college so far away, but they remained supportive of my choice and were confident we’d make it work. Lauren and I still wanted to be together despite the new, large physical distance that would be between us. We agreed to contact each other (either calling, texting, or Facebook messaging) at least once a week.             During my first semester, I had a freshman seminar class on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (my professor’s name was Hope Garcia, who let us call

Senior Year Spectacles             The weekend before my senior year began, Lauren and I went on another date. This time, we went to the park again. Although we both knew this would probably be the last date we had for a while because of her starting college the following week, neither of us dressed up for it.             “Jermaine, since I’m heading off to college next week, can I see your glasses one last time?” she asked.             “Certainly!” I said as I took my glasses off and gave them to her.             “Thank you,” she said as she took them and put them on. “So, are you excited about your last year of high school?” she asked.             “Eh, not really,” I said.             “Why not?” she asked.             “Because you won’t be there,” I said.             “Aw, Jermaine…,” she said.             “I mean, I know I still have friends at school. I’ll probably make some new friends, too,” I said.             “Yeah,” she said.             “But, you’re my girlfriend.

Junior Year John Lennons             The summer before my junior year, I got a new pair of glasses. They were similar to the previous pairs in color and frame style but had perfectly round lenses. When Lauren noticed my new glasses while we were out on a date, she liked them and immediately wanted to wear them. Naturally, I let her do so.             On the morning of the first day of the new school year, I saw Frida walking nearby and brushing her hair as my mom drove up to the school. Once I got out of the car, I ran towards Frida. I almost tripped.             “Frida!” I said. She turned around and smiled.             “Hey, Jermaine,” she said. I hugged her. “Are those new glasses?” she asked.             “Yeah,” I said. She pulled my glasses off my face and put them on.             “I like these,” she said.             “Thanks,” I said. She wore them until the bell rang and gave them back.             For first period, I had Pre-Calculus (my teacher was Ms. Adams). After I

For the next two months, Lauren and I went on more dates. We alternated among going out to eat, going to the movies, and going to the park. On my birthday at the end of December, she bought me a magnet and mug with Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner on them. To say I loved both gifts would be an understatement. I continued letting her wear my glasses. The week of Valentine’s Day, I felt ready to take our relationship to the next level. I planned on asking her to be my girlfriend. I made her a Tweety-themed valentine. On the morning of Valentine’s Day, we sat outside Mr. Maddox’s classroom and talked as usual. “Lauren, I have something for you,” I said. “You do?” she asked. “Yes,” I said. I opened my backpack and pulled out the valentine. “I made you a valentine.” I gave it to her. She gasped. “You made me a valentine, Jermaine?” she asked. “Yes,” I said. “Thank you!” she said as she hugged me. I blushed. “I really appreciate it,” she said. “You’re welcome.

Sophomore Year Specs             My sophomore year of high school, I had Algebra II first period (my teacher was Mr. Maddox). Next to me sat a girl named Lauren. I thought she was very pretty. Her eyes were big and blue. She had straight, dark brown hair that fell to her chest. Her skin was fair. She had fairly large cheeks. She was a year older than me but had a child-like innocence about her. Despite that, it didn’t take long for us to form a friendship.               “Hey Jermaine, can I see your glasses?” she asked at the beginning of class one morning during the first week of September.             “Okay,” I said as I took my glasses off and gave them to her.             “Thank you,” she said as she took them and put them on with a smile.             I thought she looked cute in them and felt like they made her eyes pop. I didn’t tell her that because I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. She wore them until after class and gave them back.             “Thanks for letting

Freshman Year Frames             The summer before my freshman year of high school, I got a new pair of glasses. They looked exactly like the old pair but with slightly larger lenses. It took me a little while to get used to the new lenses.             A few weeks into the new school year, I ate lunch with my new friend Olivia. Her eyes were hazel. She had wavy, dark brown hair that fell to her chest. Her skin was fair. Braces adorned her teeth. She wore a gray T-shirt and a white hoodie patterned with colored polka dots.             We met during summer band practice. She played a woodwind instrument (I don’t remember which one). We quickly bonded over our mutual love of unicorns (which she clearly liked more than me), old Nickelodeon cartoons, and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. We soon exchanged numbers and became friends on Facebook.             “Hey Jermaine, can I see your glasses?” she asked.             “Yeah,” I said as I took my glasses off and gave them to

Middle School Meganekko             I wore glasses from my second semester of second grade through the end of fourth grade. I only let other people wear them once or twice, but I sometimes wish that I’d shared them more often. I also sometimes wish that I continued to wear glasses after fourth grade so I could share them with others. If I’d kept wearing glasses full-time past fourth grade, would other people still want to borrow them? Would I let other people borrow them?             For all of my first semester of seventh grade, I ate lunch alone. This was partly because I was still getting bullied (which was mostly because I loved Pokémon and was considered too quiet) and partly because the friends I did have had different lunch periods than me. I continued eating lunch alone into my second semester. One day in the middle of January, however, that changed. On the day in question, the cafeteria served pizza. As I ate, I noticed a spot on my glasses. The lenses were oval-shaped

Lens Shares Redux             I wore glasses from my second semester of second grade through the end of fourth grade. I only willingly let other people wear them once or twice. What if I’d let other people wear my glasses more frequently? Would this continue if I’d worn glasses past fourth grade? One morning during homeroom the fall semester of seventh grade, I cleaned my glasses. As I cleaned them, my friend Ricardo kept reaching for them. He had brown eyes. His straight, black hair was short. He had fairly large lips. His skin was tan. He was of Mexican ancestry. Once I finished cleaning my glasses, I gave them to him. He wore them until after class. “Hey Jermaine, can I see your glasses?” my friend Myrna asked the following morning in homeroom. Her eyes were brown. She had slightly curly, black hair always kept in a ponytail. Her lips were fairly large. She had fair skin. She was also of Mexican descent. I took my glasses off and gave them to her with a smile.

Glass Action Redux             I wore glasses from my second semester of second grade through the end of fourth grade. I only ever had them stolen from me once, but what if they’d been stolen more often? Would people still take my glasses if I’d worn them past fourth grade?             For Lap Day in P.E. class during second grade, I ran alone. While running, my classmate Josh jogged up to me, pulled my glasses off my face, and ran off. I sped after him like the Road Runner. I retrieved my glasses, but I don’t remember if he had them on his face or in his hand.             Two years later, I sat at a brown picnic table on the playground during recess. My classmates Yurema and Alberto walked up to me. Yurema had deep brown eyes. She had straight, black hair that flowed down her back. She had olive tan skin. Alberto’s eyes were brown. He had short, curly black hair. His skin was tan. He and Yurema were both of Mexican ancestry. They sat down on the other side of the table.  

Dreamer View Specs Redux             Early on during my second semester of seventh grade, I had a dream in which my friend Brandi wore glasses. Afterwards, I frequently brought my old glasses to school in secret for the rest of the year to let her and some of our other seventh period theatre history classmates wear them. They liked my glasses but didn’t always want to wear them, but what if they did?             While getting ready for school the morning after the aforementioned dream, I dragged the gray shoebox containing my glasses out from under my bed. It was covered in dust. When I opened it, there were cobwebs in the corners. I grabbed some toilet paper from the bathroom shelf and cleaned the shoebox, inside and out. I picked up my old glasses case and wiped it off, too. I took my glasses out and looked at them for a moment. “Wow. I haven’t worn these in a long time,” I said to myself. I didn’t bother cleaning my glasses since they looked clean enough. I placed them