for strangereighties

All my life

Is changing every day

In every possible way

Some may describe you as an introvert, reclusive was your middle name. You had limited friends, but not by choice. You're shy and by now, everyone had their own cliques in high school. It was hard finding friends.

In short, you've been going to the same school with Dinger Holfield for three years and never uttered a word to him.

He was intimidating to you, despite his kind and playful nature. You figured a girl like you, who appears timid and altruistic, don't mix with boys like Dinger who smoke and doze off while taking the SATs.

If anyone knew you liked him, they would be so shock. Which is exactly how your childhood friend, Lainie Diamond reacted during movie night.

"Him? Really?"Lainie asked you, appearing completely flabbergasted. The background noise from the movie you two were watching was ignored.

"Yes. Him. Why do you make sound like its such a bad thing? You're dating his best friend!" You exclaimed, with your hands thrown up.

"Hey, hey! It isn't a bad thing at all. I'm just shocked, that's all." Lainie responded, grabbing more popcorn out of the bowl to munch on.

"I guess that's reasonable. The last dude I dated was Gordon and he's the total opposite of Dinger." You mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of your shirt.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Lainie inquired, glancing at your direction.

You glanced right back at her before shrugging, "Absolutely nothing."

"Oh, come on! Why not?" Lainie demanded, shifting her sitting position so she could stare you down.

"You know why, Lainie. Boys just don't like me. Why? I don't know, I don't care. The thing is, I rather save myself the drama of unrequited love and avoid him at all costs. Which, if you think about it, it isn't that hard to achieve." You rambled in exasperation.

"You're cute, [Name]. I don't know how many more times I'll tell you before you'll believe me. You just need help. In fact, I'll tell Bobby! You can even hangout with us during school." Lainie concluded, looking more determine than ever.

Despite your protests for her to NOT tell Bobby Keller, she did it anyway. What an ass.

You know this because on Monday morning, Bobby and Lainie were at your house, along with Dinger.

After ten dozen knocks to your front door, you opened it, seeming more irritated than ever.

"What on Earth do you want, Keller?" You snapped, adjusting your backpack. It was obvious you weren't a ball of sunshine during the morning.

"It's about time, let's go!" Bobby announced, disregarding your waspish attitude.

Bobby headed down your porch, talking to Dinger about whatever.

Lainie shoots you a sheepish smile.

"Really Lainie?" You asked, closing your front door after a quick shout that you were leaving to your parents.

"Hey, you'll thank me later for this, [Name]." Lainie counters back in a chirpy tone.

The walk to school wasn't too long. However, within those few minutes, you felt more awkward than you ever did in your whole life.

Bobby and Lainie were a few steps ahead of Dinger and you. They were so cute, it was barf worthy.

"Do you ever feel like a third wheel? Because I do." Dinger, who was right next to you, asked.

"Third wheel? Try forth wheel. Their coupley antics are going to make me hurl and it's only seven in the morning." You riposted back, shoving your hands into your jacket pockets.

Dinger let out a laugh and you swore it was the best thing you heard since David Bowie.

"You're funny, [Name]. I thought you were really quiet before." Dinger revealed, after recovering from his laughter. You could feel Bobby and Lainie smirking at you and you tried so hard to not glare back.

"Really? I guess you thought wrong, buddy. I'm quiet because people don't talk to me." You replied back, looking at anything but Dinger. It wasn't fun admitting you didn't have much friends outside your ex-boyfriend, Gordon, and Lainie.

"I guess I did. But maybe everyone did too. You seem cool." Dinger stated, running his hand through his red locks.

You looked up and genuinely smiled, it was obvious you were blushing but it can't be helped. Compliments, from anyone, didn't come often to you.

"Thanks Dinger."

The rest of the walk to school seemed like a dream. It didn't occur to you, until you were laying in your bed in the middle of the night, that you never gave Dinger your name. He already knew.

In all my dreams

It's never quite as it seems

Never quite as it seems

I know I've felt like this before

But now I'm feeling it even more

Because it came from you

For the rest of the week, you would walk with Lainie and her boyfriend. However, you never felt like an intruder. Dinger, despite what ridiculous rumors people conjured up about him, made you feel wanted and welcomed.

You didn't realize, but every moment you spent with the boy, you opened up. Dinger made you feel comfortable and safe to show the true colors you've been repressing.

You joked more, laughed more. You were always smiling thanks to him. It made it seem insane that he's only being talking to you for a week.

But with his goofy antics and jokes, he truly made you more infatuated than ever.

People around school, like Joel, who never noticed you before started to. You weren't sure if it was because you were finally smiling and became more social or if it was because you were always with Dinger.

You didn't mind the extra attention, much to Dinger's dismay.

It was Thursday, you were eating lunch with Bobby, Dinger, and Lainie.

At the moment, you were trying hard not to choke on your sandwich from laughter as Dinger horribly serenaded you KISS's "I Was Made For Lovin' You."

"I was made for lovin' you baby, you were made for lovin' me and I can't get enough of you baby-" Dinger sang, however it seemed more like screeching, as he kneeled in front of you.

If you asked an outsider, it seemed like a proposal gone wrong.

"Dinger! You're so loud! You almost made me choke on my food." You exclaimed, a huge smile was on your face.

"Yeah, but it's only out of love, [Name]." Dinger replied back dramatically, winking at you as he stood up and sat next to you.

"Aw, cute!" Lainie commented with amusement.

"Shut up, Lainie." You mumbled back, however, your reply lacked any menace.

Then I open up and see

The person falling here is me

A different way to be

It was about 8:30 PM and you sat on your bed, the phone against your ear as you listen to Dinger rant about Mr. Ryan.

"He gave me detention! For making a joke in class!" Dinger moaned in distress.

You just rolled your eyes and smiled, "Well, maybe you should've been paying attention. The only thing you know is that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and we're taking chemistry, not biology."

"Yeah? Well, you laughed so I guess it was worth it." Dinger answered back, his voice suddenly soft.

You didn't utter a word, but you felt your heart swell up.

"[Name]?" Dinger asked, wondering if you were still there.

"I'm still here...Dinger, that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever told me." You revealed, your left hand fidgeting with the hem of your shirt as you hold the phone with your right hand.

"I'm glad." He replied back.

You talked and talked, until your mom demanded you to hangup and go to sleep.

Later that evening, laying down in your bed as your eyes felt heavy with drowsiness, you realized something.

You might be falling in love with Dinger Holfield.

If anyone had told you before, that your crush with Dinger would blossom into love within a week, you'd laugh and found it a preposterous notion.

You've had crushes before, a boyfriend as well. But those feelings of infatuation seemed minor compared to whatever Dinger made you feel.

It also made you nervous. What if things didn't end well? What if Dinger was just really nice to you and your feelings really were unrequited? You weren't ready for that kind of pain again.

Still, you hoped your dreams would come true and he would like you back.

I warn more

Impossible to ignore

Impossible to ignore

They'll come true

Impossible not to do

Impossible not to do

It has been four weeks since you began walking to school with Lainie and her boyfriend. It has been four weeks since Dinger started talking to you along those walks to school and eventually all the time.

And it has been four weeks since Dinger made you fall completely and utterly in love with him.

It was becoming harder to hide your feelings. Lainie, and occasionally Bobby, have been your only ways of venting your feelings.

You didn't want to avoid Dinger, it didn't seem right. But it also became harder to avoid your feelings the more you stayed around him.

You were scared.

He started to notice too.

It was Wednesday, lunch just ended. The hallways began to crowd as teenagers head to their fifth period class.

You were too, until a certain redheaded boy stopped you.

"[Name], you've been really quiet lately." Dinger said, as you opened your locker.

"I've had a lot on my mind, Dinger." You reply, pulling out your psychology books.

"Don't you want to talk about it?" Dinger urges on, it was obvious he was concern.

You felt bad. You never wanted to see him unhappy, especially not because of you.

"Maybe later?" You answered, closing your locker.

"Let's ditch. It obvious you aren't okay and I feel like we should fix that." Dinger announces, like it wasn't a big deal if you ditched.

"Ditch? Are you insane? If my parents found out, I'd be dead meat." You cried out loud at his absurd idea.

The hallways were clearing and soon enough it was just you two standing.

And moments later, the bell rang.

"Live a little? I mean, you're already late anyway. Might as well not go." Dinger stated, urging to you to leave campus with him.

Well, he did have a point.

"Now I have to put my books away." You grumbled in defeat.

Dinger grinned.

Now I tell you openly

You have my heart so don't hurt me

You're what I couldn't find

"I can't believe you convinced me. I swear Dinger, after today, you'll see me again once my mom finds out." You say, as the two of you walk around a neighborhood not to far from school.

Your destination? The park. Dinger felt if you played like you were five again on a playground, you'd feel better.

"You're being so dramatic, [Name]. Live a little." Dinger replies, rolling his eyes. You were being melodramatic.

"I'll try." You said, the two of you were near the park.

"I want to go on the swings first." Dinger tells you, grabbing your hand and rushing you towards the swing set across you as you arrived at the park.

It was peaceful, most children were in school. The only people there were young parents with their toddlers and old people walking around the park.

However, despite the tranquility surrounding the two of you, you felt as if you were going to explode.

He was holding your hand and you swore you felt sparks.

But the moment ended as soon as you reached the swing sets. You sat down, slowly swing back and forth as you held on to the chains of the swing.

"Now that we're here, what's wrong? You've been acting really quiet, almost like before we started talking." Dinger said, as he slowly swung on the swing next to you.

You took a deep breath, and before you could think about the consequences, you blurted out, "I think I'm falling for you."

To say Dinger was stunned would be an understatement of the year.

"I know you might not like me back and I'm really sorry for fucking everything up but please don't break my heart." You added on, looking away from Dinger.

You weren't ready for his answer. You already felt dumb for even saying anything.

"That's actually really great, [Name]. I was worried I wasn't doing anything right." Dinger answered, his smile bigger than ever.

"What?"

"I think I'm falling for you too, princess." Dinger responded, slowly stopping his swinging motion before standing up from the swing.

You rigged your feet into the mulch to stop your swing. You couldn't believe it. Him? Liking you?

You can already hear Lainie and Bobby yelling, 'I told you so!'

You didn't get up from the motionless swing as Dinger approached you.

"Am I dreaming?" You ask him, feeling out of breath even though you never did anything physically exhausting.

"Not a dream, [Name]." Dinger said, grabbing the chains of your swing and pulling you closer to him until your lips met his.

Even if it was dream, it was a pretty damn good one. Good thing it wasn't.

You've never had feelings like this before. You never felt more alive than the moment he told you he was falling in love with you too.

Dinger Holfield was odd. He was loud and goofy. He might've had a limp and a cane for awhile. You could spot his red hair from a mile away. Some of his friends, Joel, are questionable.

But you truly loved him.

He brought out your loud side. He made you laugh and crack jokes. He helped made you more risky, he brought you out of your shell. You really had to thank Lainie and Bobby for not minding their own business.

Him falling for you was a dream come true.

Totally amazing mind

So understanding and so kind

You're everything to me

All my life

Is changing every day

In every possible way

And oh my dreams

It's never quite as it seems

Cause you're a dream to me

Dream to me

---

author's note:

lmao this is so bad i am so sorry!! i'm 99.9% sure that dinger is ooc and this doesn't make sense but oh well. i also apologize for any grammar errors, spelling errors, or missing words in some of the sentences. It's 4:18 am in california and i should be sleeping but I felt inspired and really wanted to do this request. i hoped you liked it lizzy!