X-Kid

Six Feet Under The Stars

Snow crunched under my shoes as I walked to the park on Thames and South Broadway, hugging my jacket as close to my body as possible. Jack and I had agreed to each other here, which we had seemed to be doing a lot more recently. I decided not to sit on the hill and instead went and sat on a swing, twisting the chains and waiting for him to arrive. Soon enough, the lanky boy came jogging up to me.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” he greeted. “I had to double check and make sure everyone was asleep.”

“It’s cool...but I’m never agreeing to walk here alone again,” I laughed. “I’m honestly surprised I wasn’t raped or murdered or something.”

He plopped down into the swing next to mine, grinning. “You’ve been watching far too many horror movies, Nora.”

“I think it’s more because it’s dark than anything,” I mentioned.

“Oh, I get it. You just want someone strong to protect you from the bad things that hide in the dark,” he said.

“Nah. Zack lives too far away,” I joked.

He shot a fake glare my way. “Fuck you.”

“Only you would,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at him.

“No, you just wish I would,” he retorted.

“Oh shut up,” I commented.

He fist pumped the air. “HA! I win!”

“I swear, you’re literally 6 years old,” I said.

“Hey,” he pouted. “I’m 6 and a half!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment. I was cold and exhausted, but there I was, sitting on a swing with one of my best friends. The boy that had captured my heart and made me nearly go crazy. I kicked at the ground with the toe of my shoe, staring off absentmindedly. How hard would it really be to just say how I felt? And if I couldn’t say it, why didn’t I just lean over and kiss him? It’s not like we hadn’t kissed before. Besides, he had to have felt the things I had, right?

“You’re quiet. What’s on your mind?” Jack questioned.

“I was just thinking,” I replied. “You know, about like, relationships.”

“Well, what about them?” he wondered.

I tried to find my words before I spoke. “I just kinda want one again. A real one this time. I can barely count Drake as my boyfriend. And Emmett...I’m not sure what happened with him really. I want to find the guy who will laugh at all the stupid things I say, take me out and show me off to the world, kiss me just because he can...I want someone to fall in love with me just as much as I do them.”

“You will, Nora. If anybody deserves to find someone like that, it’s you,” he commented.

“What about you? What do you want in a girl?” I asked, shivering slightly.

He paused, looking at me intently. “She’s gotta be funny, like me. It wouldn’t be very cool if she was super serious. I know she’ll be beautiful inside and out when I fall in love with her. Most of all...I just want her to be my best friend.”

I wanted to tell him how I felt so bad. The words I wanted to say danced on the tip of my tongue, but I bit them back. It didn’t feel like the right time for some reason. I could only hope that I would find the right time soon, and that the feelings would be mutual.