I stay in the corridor, leaning against the cold, hard wall, lost in thoughts of him. The noise of students shuffling past me, the distant clatter of trays in the cafeteria, the hum of conversation—it all fades into the background. My mind is elsewhere, consumed by the image of him, the way he smiled at me earlier, the way his voice sounded when he spoke my name. I don’t even care about lunch anymore; I’m not hungry. Instead, I just stand there, like a freak, waiting for something—anything—that might bring me closer to him.
After what feels like an eternity, he walks past again. This time, he’s by himself. He’s headed to the toilet when he spots me, still in the same place, like I’ve been frozen in time. I don’t even realize he’s there until I feel the gentle weight of his hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch startles me, pulling me out of my reverie.“Hey, you good?” he asks, his voice laced with concern. I open my mouth to answer, but the words catch in my throat. I’m too nervous to speak, too afraid that I’ll say the wrong thing. But he knows. He knows that something’s up, that there’s something I’m not telling him.“What’s bothering you? You can speak to me, y’know?” he says, his voice soft and reassuring.I look up at him, searching his eyes for any hint of insincerity, but all I see is kindness, genuine concern.
“You mean it? And you won’t tell anyone? No matter what?”
I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. There’s a part of me that wants to believe him, that wants to trust him with the thoughts that have been eating away at me, but I’ve been hurt before. I need to know that he’s different.He shakes his head, his expression serious. “What? No! I’m not like my so-called friends. I’m not even friends with them anymore as of like ten minutes ago. Same with my girlfriend—she cheated on me with one of those dicks!”Right when he says that, my heart flutters and aches at the same time. A part of me is relieved—relieved that he’s no longer with her, that he’s no longer tied to those people who hurt him. But another part of me aches for him, for the pain he must be feeling. He doesn’t deserve to be heartbroken; it hurts me to see him hurt.“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice soft, full of concern. He gives me a small, sad smile, and nods, but I can see the pain in his eyes. I want to reach out, to comfort him, but I don’t know how. Instead, I offer him the only thing I can—my time. We spend the rest of the school day together, talking about everything and nothing, just being there for each other.
When I get home, I immediately start getting my clothes ready for the night. My mind is buzzing with anticipation, my thoughts racing ahead to the moment when we’ll be alone together under the stars. I can’t help but imagine it—me and him, lying on the grass by the lake, watching the meteor shower, talking about our lives, our hopes, our fears. It feels like a dream, something too good to be true, but it’s all I can think about.As I’m waiting for the time to come, my little sister walks into my room. She’s always been curious, always wanting to know what I’m up to.“What are you doing?” she asks, her eyes wide with curiosity.“Just... waiting, I guess,” I say, trying to sound casual, but I can’t hide the excitement in my voice.She tilts her head to the side, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “Waiting? For what?”I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I should tell her, but then I decide there’s no harm in it.
“I’m going out soon, to hang out with a boy.”She raises an eyebrow, her smile widening. “That’s a bit specific, don’t you think?”I roll my eyes, but I can’t help but smile back at her. She knows me too well, knows that there’s more to the story than I’m letting on. And she’s right—I do like him. More than I’m willing to admit, even to myself. Finally, it’s time.
The clock reads 10:06 PM, and the house is quiet, everyone asleep. I get dressed quickly, pulling on a hoodie and sneakers, and then carefully climb out of my bedroom window. The cool night air hits my face as I drop to the ground, and for a moment, I just stand there, taking it all in. The world feels different at night—quieter, more peaceful, like anything is possible.I start running towards the lake, my heart pounding in my chest, not just from the exertion, but from the excitement, the anticipation. I know he’s going to be there—at least, I hope he is. I can’t bear the thought of him standing there alone, waiting for me.On the way, I stop by the shop to buy us some snacks. I want everything to be perfect, to make sure we have something to munch on while we talk. But as I’m paying for the snacks, I feel a chill run down my spine. I glance around, and my heart sinks when I see them—his ‘no longer friends.’ They’re standing by the entrance, their faces twisted with anger, their eyes locked on me.They saw me. They know I’m the reason for the fallout between them and him, and they’re not happy about it. I try to keep my head down, to avoid their gaze, but it’s no use. They’re coming towards me, and I can see the hatred in their eyes.“Hey, you!” one of them calls out, his voice dripping with malice. I don’t respond, just keep walking, hoping they’ll leave me alone. But they don’t. They surround me, cutting off my escape, their faces twisted with anger.“You think you can just ruin everything and get away with it?” another one sneers, stepping closer. “You’re the reason he abandoned us, you little freak!”I try to defend myself, to explain that it wasn’t my fault, but they don’t want to listen. They’re not interested in talking—they want to hurt me. And they do. They push me around, hit me, kick me. I try to fight back, but there are too many of them. I’m outnumbered, outmatched, and they’re relentless. At one point, I think they might actually kill me. The thought terrifies me, but even as I’m lying on the ground, gasping for breath, all I can think about is him. I can’t back out now, not after everything we’ve been through. I won’t let him be alone tonight, no matter what.Eventually, they get bored, or maybe they just realize that they’ve gone too far. They leave me there, bruised and battered, but still alive. I lie there for a moment, trying to catch my breath, trying to gather the strength to stand up. Every part of me hurts, but I can’t stop now. I have to keep going. For him.
I make it to the lake, limping slightly, but still determined. He’s there, waiting for me, just as I knew he would be. When he sees me, his eyes widen in shock, and he rushes over to me.“What the hell happened to you?” he asks, his voice filled with concern. He gently touches my bruised face, and I wince at the pain, but his touch is so tender, so caring, that it almost makes it worth it.“Ran into your old friends,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant, but my voice wavers. “But I’m here now. That’s all that matters, right?”He doesn’t say anything for a moment, just looks at me, his eyes full of worry. Then, he pulls me into a tight hug, and I can feel the warmth of his body against mine, the steady beat of his heart.“I’m so sorry,” he whispers into my ear, his voice thick with emotion. “You shouldn’t have had to go through that. It’s all my fault.”“It’s not your fault,” I say, pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes. “I wanted to be here with you. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”He gives me a sad smile, and for a moment, we just stand there, looking at each other, the world around us fading away. And then, as if on cue, the first meteor streaks across the sky, bright and brilliant against the dark canvas of the night.We sit down on the grass, side by side, our shoulders touching. I can feel the warmth of his body, the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. We talk, just like I imagined we would, about our lives, our dreams, our fears. He tells me about his family, his hopes for the future, and I tell him about mine. It’s easy, natural, like we’ve known each other forever.And then, just as the meteor shower reaches its peak, he does something I never expected. He leans in close, his breath warm against my cheek, and whispers, “Thank you. For being here. For being you.”
After he said that, he did something. Something so little, but so big at the same time...
