"I dedicate this song to my girlfriend, Kylie."

Jake came back to school yesterday.  At our school we can order flowers for people to be delivered to their first period classes.  I ordered some for Jake and he ordered some for me.  Hmmm.
"It's good to have you back," I said to him.
"It's nice to be back," he said.  "The past week was just miserable."
"Death is always hard," I said.
"That's not all.  I broke up with Rachel," Jake said.
"Why?" I asked, trying not to sound happy.
"I just thought the way she acted at my grandma's wake and funeral was really rude and inconsiderate," Jake said.  "I mean, you're one of my closest friends.  I appreciated having you there.  She just was making a show of being a b**** to you and she's been that way to you and I'm really tired of that.  I'm allowed to have other friends."
"Oh, of course you are," I said.
"I was getting tired of her anyway," Jake said.  "She didn't even treat me that well and I was afraid to break up with her."
"Well, now you're free," I said.
"Yes," he said.  "And let me tell you, tomorrow I have tryouts for the choir at my first choice high school.  The song I'm singing will certainly NOT be dedicated to her."
"Are you going there for sure?" I asked.
"If I'm accepted, most likely.  I'm still waiting to hear back, but I still have to try out for band, choir, soccer, swimming and baseball, even before I find out.  And they give out sports and music scholarships, so if I try out before acceptance letters, I have a better chance of getting one."
"I'll really miss you next year."  (And what high school gives out sports and music scholarships?)
"I'll miss you too.  I'd say come with me, but the school's all boys."
"So, what song are you singing for your choir tryout?  And are you dedicating it to someone else instead?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet."
I had a feeling there was another girl he would sing for at his tryout.  And I made up my mind then and there - today, I would go spy on him.
I talked Katy and Maddie into going with me.  Since the strings were practicing today, we just told our families that we were going to observe the string practice.  I told Natalie what I was REALLY doing though and told her not to tell the family.
We took the train downtown and then caught another bus to the high school.  When we reached the address, Maddie said, "Kylie, are you SURE this is it?  This doesn't look like a high school.  It looks like..... I don't even know what this looks like.  A small college campus."
"It costs like $20000 a year," Katy said.
"This is it," I said, pointing at the sign: LOYOLA HIGH SCHOOL OF CLEVELAND: HOME OF THE WILDCATS.
"Holy.  Crap," Katy said.
The campus was CRAZY.  There were three buildings.  The center building: "ACADEMICS."  On the left of the courtyard was "ATHLETIC CENTER."  On the right was the smallest building, "RESOURCES."  The courtyard was paved with marble, with a flagpole in the center, benches and picnic tables throughout.
"This isn't a high school.  This is - I don't even know what this is," Maddie said.
"We've got to find the auditorium and avoid being seen by him," I said.  "Let's check the resources building."
We went inside, where there was a FOUNTAIN.  With the Christ in the center of it.  Wow.  Just wow.  What type of school is this?
On the wall, the creed of Loyola men was emprinted.  "I am a man for others.  I am a man of Christ.  I am a man of my family.  I am a man of my country....."
"Here's the guide," Katy said, reading the sign.  "The auditorium is on the first floor, but the balcony entrance is on the second floor.  If Kylie doesn't want to be seen, we should go to the balcony."
We each grabbed a map and made our way to the balcony.  I looked at the map and was just in shock.  What high school has a FITNESS CENTER opened to ALL STUDENTS 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily?  They have three gyms, an Olympic pool and natatorium, indoor and outdoor fields and courts..... Their library looks so extravagant from the pictures.  The school has an on site market and school spirit store.
And the auditorium while we sat.  Red velvet seats.  Velvet curtain.  Banisters that remind me of those at Severance.  The auditorium seats 2000, for all school assemblies.
As the other boys tried out, we read the information on the map and were so stunned.  At the high school we'll be going to next year, they have 16 AP classes, sports teams that are among the best in our league (and sometimes even go to states) and a music program (vocal and instrumental) that has won competitions throughout the Midwest.  We thought that was cool until now.  Here, they have FORTY AP classes (HOW MANY AP CLASSES CAN THERE BE?), sports teams that are NATIONALLY ranked and a music (again, both vocal and instrumental) that has won INTERNATIONAL competitions.  Their brags about their graduating seniors are disheartening as well.  At Heights, three graduating seniors went to Ivy League schools last year.  How many seniors at Loyola went to Ivy League schools last year?  Eleven.  So far, the Class of 2011 has had five perfect ACT scores, nine perfect SAT scores and fourteen National Merit Scholarship semi finalists.
"This school is nuts!" Katy said.  "They're TRYING to make others feel inadequate!  Who else puts all those brags on the back of a map?"
"I know!" Maddie said.  "'We are proud of having a diverse community where seven percent of our students are minority races...'  That's not diverse!"
I looked at the photo of four boys in the uniform.  I must think, Jake will look good in it if he ends up coming here.  Khaki slacks, navy suit jacket, white shirt and blue and gold striped tie.  And then, finally, we heard what I'd been waiting for.
"Hello, my name is Jake Cirino.  I'm from Miramar Middle School in Cleveland Heights, and I'll be singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith."
"Very nice song choice.  Let's hear it," the choir director said.
I've always loved this song.  As I listened to Jake, I couldn't help but think this song was about us.  As we should be.
At the end, the director said, "Very nice, Jake."
But Jake had something else to say: "I dedicate this song to my girlfriend, Kylie."
"Kylie's a very lucky girl," the director said.
OH MY GOD!
Now I didn't mind that he was possibly going to this extravagant school.  Or that he was in denial for so long.
JAKE CALLED ME HIS GIRLFRIEND!  TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHOIR AT THE SCHOOL OF HIS DREAMS!