We get to the top five and perhaps the most controversial (to others who know the history) placement on this list. Some people reading this may ask “How can she even be on the list, especially at number five?” Truth be told, her spot on this list is not based on the Kayla Sutter that everyone knows today, but on the Kayla Sutter than I knew for exactly 13 days in my junior year.
I have heard people describe Kayla today as having an attitude and being snotty among other things and I have no comment to those descriptions. The Kayla that I knew was nice in every way and we built a relationship in the days that we were together that I never had in the first 13 days of any other relationship.
It all started by what one would call complete coincidence. That coincidence was being in the same study hall during the 2005-2006 school year. That was my junior year and her freshman year. Kayla was one of the people who liked to go to the library during study hall instead of remaining in the classroom to do her work. Every day the teacher would call those people up to get their hall passes to the library and I would see Kayla walk up and wonder to myself “Who is that?” More often than not, our eyes would meet, as if some hidden voice had told us to look at the other. It was one of those chemistry things people talk about, a weird happening that got me thinking.
Based on these frequent glances, I decided that I would take some action. I was not big on the dating scene, so I didn’t anticipate having much luck with this plan, but I went through with it anyway. I wrote my phone number down on a little piece of paper and at the end of the day I walked the long way to leave school as I always did, knowing that I would see Kayla on my way, another meeting of sorts that we had every day. As she came into view, I got that feeling that some might call “butterflies.” I approached her and not knowing what to say, I just cut to the chase. “Call this” was all that I said. As she exited school she saw my brother and asked him if that was indeed our phone number, which he comfirmed.
Later that night around 4 o’clock p.m. I was sitting in my room doing some homework when the phone rang. I didn’t think much of it, the phone rang all the time. My dad came in and said that it was for me, I expected it to be Jim. As it turns out, it wasn’t Jim at all, it was Kayla. I was astonished to say the least, she had actually called me, someone who she didn’t know.
We got to talking on that Thursday afternoon and discussed the play that was going on at the school that night. She said that she was going with a few of her friends and asked if I wanted to join, an opportunity that I jumped at. We hung up and I was lost for words really. I thought “Wow, not only had she called me, but we would hang out just hours later.” Off to the play it was.
I arrived at the play earlier than Kayla and her friends and waited for them to arrive, which they did some time later. We paid and swapped tickets amongst each other so that Kayla and I could sit next to each other.
While we watched the play, I outstretched my hand in front of Kayla, palm up. I was hoping for a response, and it came. She placed her hand palm down in mine and we held hands for the remainder of the performance and when we left during intermission. I can say that that moment in that relationship was probably the most magical of any.
Me and Kayla officially began dating that night, not by me asking her out, but with that locking of hands. This relationship, if I ever had to describe the “perfect” match, was it. I had gone from locking eyes to passing by in the hallway to giving out my phone number to locking hands in a theatre. I still to this day find it remarkable that without talking more than 20 minutes in our entire lives, we began dating. Things got better when Kayla was switched out of her history class and into my gym class, actually giving us an opportunity during the school day to spend time together.
As with any story, it is appropriate to tell both the beginning and the end. So, even with the negativity of this ending, I will disclose that information too.
In the 13 days that I dated Kayla, I had some of the happiest moments relationship wise that I have ever and probably will ever have. Some say that 13 days isn’t alot of time and I completely agree. I would not say that we were in love, because we weren’t and never used the three letter phrase that so many couples use so early on in relationships, but we were close. For our relationship, the 1st day was the best, the 12th day was the next step, so to speak, and the 13th day was the worst.
The 12th day was when I asked Kayla to the prom, and she accepted. This made me very happy for many reasons, but mainly because it was just another benchmark for us together, a night that we would enjoy. The 13th day marked the end of our relationship in a saddening way for me, a moment in time that I still feel to this day.
My grandmother, out of the generosity that she expresses every day, said that she would pay for my prom and my tux. For this I was very thankful. While on the phone ordering my tux and a corsage for Kayla, I got a call on the other line. I asked the man to hold on a second while I took that call, and he said it was no problem. I answered the other line and it was Kayla. She told me, in no easy way, that this relationship was over. I felt horrible, to say the least. I hung up with her and switched back to the guy and told him “Never mind, my girlfriend just broke up with me” and hung up the phone. Like I said above, this moment in time will always remain with me.
Even though the relationship came to an end on such a note, I wasn’t hateful of Kayla in any way. It did hurt though, alot. The next day in school I sat out gym class and watched, the only time that I have ever sat out in roughly 450 gym classes (took gym 5 times) that I took in high school, so that is saying something. I obviously found it hard to move on.
Some people reading this may think that the solution is easy. They may see the 13 days together and think bad luck, but not me. For me, there is no bad luck. I would have those 13 days back any day to relive and would take 13 days with her over never dating her in the first place any day. Our connection was unlike any other, and with this piece I thank her for ever having dated me in the first place. I am also thankful that my memory is very good, allowing me to recall details about things like this so that I can write about them. I am thankful for being able to have this person be forever a part of my life and I am thankful that I knew Kayla in a way that no one else did.
