The iPod

When Chris got his first iPod, all he did for weeks was dance around listening to it. Well, after he finally figured out how to fill it with songs. That took a while. But once he finally learned, he took that iPod everywhere.

He listened to it during car rides, out shopping, at restaurants, and even at Will's birthday party. Will was not pleased about that. I think it's a fair bet to say that Chris will never do that again.

One day, I got really curious as to what was on that contraption that could possibly be so addictive. So I casually asked him if I could look through it.

But he abruptly turned defensive. He completely stopped dancing and gave me a good, hard stare. It was difficult for me to keep from laughing. If you've ever seen Chris try to be serious, you'd know what I mean.

He told me, in the most somber tone he could manage, that it was his iPod and that nobody could touch it but him. He actually wagged his finger at me as he said this. I had to turn my face to keep from going into hysterics.

Chris was not pleased with my weak attempts of hiding my laughter. He frowned and put his hands on his hips. "I mean it! Jonny-boy, if you touch this iPod I will be forced to use...well, force." I just snickered. Chris made some sort of huffing noise. And then he begun to cradle his iPod in his arms, like it was an infant or something! I had to tell him that he was crazy. And then-I am not joking- he actually kicked me. Right in the shin. I tell you, that man is as crazy as I told him he was, and maybe even more so.

A couple of weeks later though, I saw him showing it off to Guy. Guy did not seem impressed, by the way. Which is understandable. Someone that lives and breathes music from bands like Pink Floyd is likely not going to be impressed by Beyonce's latest hit single.

Back to the point. I was now insanely curious. Chris had told me that nobody was allowed to touch it. I realized that must have been a lie. He just didn't want me to see it.

I have to admit I was upset that he would show it to Guy but not me. I felt a little bit like a reject. Truthfully, I remained heavy hearted about the whole incident for weeks afterwards. I know that probably seems like an overreaction. So what if he wouldn't let me see the songs on his iPod? But it hurt me. I had always thought we were best friends. I wondered what had changed.

After a few weeks of feeling like a loser, I saw the iPod sitting on a table one evening. Chris wasn't around. I couldn't help myself. Curiosity got the best of me. I had to know what Guy could see, but I couldn't.

I quickly snatched it up from the table and turned it on. It was under the playlists section. I scrolled through them, but none of them seemed to be special in any way. But one of them caught my eye. I stopped scrolling and stared at it. A playlist called "Jonny".

Now I was really curious. Why would he name a playlist after me? I clicked on it, and upon looking through the songs, I was shocked by what I saw. And heard. I had to listen to a few of them to believe it. They were all love songs. I quickly put the iPod in my pocket.

That night I listened to every single song on the playlist. The one called "Jonny". The one he made with my name. The one that expressed all his feelings for me. I fell asleep with a smile.

The next day, Chris was freaking out. He frantically asked me if I had seen his iPod. I had forgotten that I still had it. Of course Chris was freaking out, he loves that iPod like his own son. I took it out of my pocket and handed it to him.

He looked shocked rather than angry. I expected him to be angry. Encouraged, I told him that I had been curious and spent last night looking through it. I told him that I had seen his playlist for me.

His face turned so red right then. He looked completely stricken too, and wobbled like he was going to pass out. I realized how much it meant to him that his feelings were kept secret. But luckily, he didn't have to worry.

I pulled out my own iPod and showed him one of my own playlists. It was called "Chris".



THE END