Johnny's "crush"
In the busy streets of Los Angeles, California, having a toned, muscular body, good looks may seem like a norm, but not for seventeen year-old Johnny. Ever since the summer of 2005, eating and staying in bed was his solution to cope with his parents divorce.
“ Dad..”, Johnny said softly as he taps on his father’s shoulders.
“ What is it Johnny boy?” his father asked in concern.
Johnny was afraid to ask his father for advice about girls solely because his parents are no longer together. So instead of directly telling his father he likes a girl from school named Jessica, he says his best friend Ricky really likes her and wants advice on how to approach her.
"Ah! The teenage love! Tell him that girls are difficult to deal with and you will never win against her. Just stay single boy. Tell him that!” his father answered.
"Dad, I don't think it's helping..." Johnny said in disappointment.
After trying to ask his father for advice, he put his problems on the side and continued with his studies so he can get acceptance scholarships and bursaries to Berkeley. Within the two months of studying, Johnny gained more weight causing him look like a big squishy marshmallow. His father became concerned and worried for his health and reminded him to exercise on a daily basis.
Johnny never realized how big he was getting and took his fathers advice as a way to cope with one of his insecurities.
Couple months later, he finished his last and official exams in high school and was able to get in Berkeley with full scholarship.
At his graduation, Jessica walked up to Johnny and congratulated him on his acceptance at Berkeley and also saying her farewells, as she will be going to school abroad in Paris. Johnny was sad and disappointed that he wanted to wait until he was finished high school to ask her out. So he made a move and asked for her number so they can still keep in touch. In awe, she gave him her contact information as a way to become closer in the summer before they start their freshman year in post secondary. Johnny was ecstatic and his heart filled with joy!
"Well, I'll talk to you later Johnny!” said Jessica in the most soft and beautiful voice.
Ever since the day after graduation, Jessica and Johnny have been talking and hanging out doing as many things as they can with each other before the summer break was over. They have become very close friends but Jessica never brought up the question of whether they can become more than just best friends, and Johnny was too nervous and afraid to ask her. One week later, the two decide to take stroll downtown in downtown L.A until they confront the hottest group of boys from high school. Jessica dated the one guy named Jake and things became a little awkward.
“Oh Jessica who is this?” In a very sarcastic voice said Jake.
Jessica did not want any trouble because she knew that the boys were going to make fun of Johnny because of his looks and overall appearance.
“No he’s just a friend,” said Jessica.
Deep down Johnny felt really upset that he was just a friend to Jessica and thought he should ask her right on the spot. He asked if she feels the same way as he does but she had no reply and slowly walked towards Jake and the other boys. Johnny felt very confused as to why she was slowly walking away from him and asked for a definite answer.
Jake interrupted and said “ why would anyone go for a guy like you, you’re fat and you’re ugly, no one would ever want to date someone like you.”
Johnny was hurt and felt like he had lost all his self-esteem because Jake and the other boys made fun of him and laughed at him included Jessica. He felt so betrayed that the only thing he could do was to stand still and watch everyone make fun of him.
When Johnny got home he went to his room and thought about a solution to show everyone that he deserves more than Jessica and those rude comments made by Jake and his friends. He had the confidence and inspiration to show them that he can change and yet be better off without them.
So the rest of the summer and during his first year at Berkeley he learned how to balance his school schedule and time to go to the gym. After years hard working he was able to graduate from Berkeley and fulfill his overall appearance.
One day he went to a cafe in downtown L.A and coincidently ran into Jessica and she could not recognize him. Johnny politely said hello and Jessica gave him her number and asked if they could hang out one day. Johnny refused and told her that he has changed and has no plans to hang out with someone like her. Jessica was in shocked that he did not have any more interest in her.
Johnny then added, “ Now do you know how I feel?” and walked away with his girlfriend that he met in Berkeley
Story by Johnson Ho
Short Story Reflection
The point of view in this story is third person. The diction in my scenes is more of a casual type of writing. I chose to write it this way because of how it connects to the audience. Informal writing allows for the audience to understand the story better because it uses words that people use in their everyday lives. You won’t have to look up many words in the dictionary; it is more of a relaxed, conversational language that we use everyday. Informal diction allows for an easier way to show characters’ personalities by using slang. In my short story, I used “big squishy marshmallow” to describe Johnny’s body type. This is more slang because of what I am describing Johnny with. The details that establish voice in the story is the way I described the situations Johnny encounters and by the way he speaks. You can tell his personality from how he speaks to his dad. He doesn’t tell his dad that it is really about himself. This gives him a more shy personality because he doesn’t want to open to his dad. The third person view of Johnny gives the reader a way of understanding how he is feeling towards Jessica. You get to understand how he reacts things. The voice feels elevated because of the way he is speaking to others. I used many adjectives in the story to explain how Johnny feels in some of the situations that he encounters. The reason for this is because it allows the reader to understand what he is going through. It allows the reader to compare to the story from personal experience. Most of the story comes from my own experience, so it is easy to compare from different perspectives. It can relate to many others. I may have used too many adjectives instead of allowing the reader to figure how the character is feeling. Instead of using adjectives, maybe give the reader how he reacts later. This allows the reader to interact with the story more to stop from boredom. I feel that I could have done a better job by allowing the reader to interact with the story more. To do this I would keep the reader thinking throughout the story, give more twists, and allow for plot changes.