I watched him from afar, never even thought he may have noticed. He was 2 grades ahead of me and quite popular.
The year prior, his locker was near mine and he would say hi to me and chuck me under my chin.
This year he was in my History class, I sat near him and made sure I had an extra pen and paper to give him if he needed it just to get to have him say something to me.
I loved that class because of him, I day dreamed of he and I all through it.

Near the end of the year we received our yearbooks and we exchanged them to get signatures. Most friends signed inside the front and back covers or around their pictures.

I left mine in History class one afternoon by accident, I went to retrieve it and it was gone, I was walking back to my locker when he caught up with me and handed me my yearbook. He explained he had seen I left it and had grabbed it for me. He smiled softly at me and in that moment I wondered if I had a chance, but a girl from his grade came up and stepped between me and him as if I wasn't there and so I left to walk to my bus.
I continued to exchange my yearbook for a few days after that, reading around pictures and inside covers.

It wasn't until years later when my oldest was looking through my yearbooks that she said, "Hey mommy, who is Duane?" I said I wasn't friends with a Duane but knew a couple of them in school. She went on to say, "He signed your yearbook." I slid it from her and sure enough, way in the back, on the pages that held advertisements Duane had left me a message.

To a sweet girl that is a real nut.
Here's to you, good luck in everything that you do.
Stay as you are and you will likely go far!!
Maybe we can go out sometime!
Take care!
"Love Ya"
Duane

Where ever you are Duane, I missed your message, but I truly hope your life is good, and thanks for that invite, Lord knows I would have took you up on it had I known.