Just Between Us #Wattys2019

BEE

Ding!

Cleo glanced at my phone at the same time as me, and I tried to reach out to grab it faster than her, but failed. She was too quick.

"No! Cleo, give it back!" I yelled.

She read the text message I had just received and proceeded to look at me with an extremely surprised expression.

"Cleo—" I tried.

"Fuck that!" She yelled.

"What's going on here?" Finn asked, walking in on our discussion.

"Everest just received a message!"

"So?" Finn asked, not caring about the statement.

"FROM A BOY." Cleo added.

Finn gasped as if she were seeing someone die right before her eyes. "Everest!!!" She said.

I grabbed my phone back from Cleo's hand. "I was going to tell you guys in today's meeting, gosh," I complained, feeling my cheeks burn of embarrassment.

"Everest likes a boy, Everest likes a boy!" Finn and Cleo sang together.

"Shut up!" I demanded, but they kept on singing.

The doorbell rang, and I used that as an escape. I opened it and saw Bennet, typing something on her phone.

"Everest likes a boy!" Finn told her, and Bennet gasped and started singing along with them and jumping around.

"My friends are fifth graders," I complained while I rolled my eyes.

They just kept singing.

The doorbell rang once again and Bennet ran to get it.

As soon as she opened it, Harley was already singing the song with them; she had heard it from outside.

"Stoooopp!" I begged, but they circled me while they danced and chanted like whitches in the woods.

My phone sang again, announcing a text message coming in.

"IS IT HIM?" Bennet asked.

"No, it's Arcadia." I said.

"What'd she say?" Cleo asked.

I showed them the text that read: YOU LIKE A BOY!!!!!!¡¡¡¡!!!

They all laughed and giggled, high-fiving each other.

About five minutes later, Arcadia arrived, and we started the meeting.

"Okay." I started, preparing myself for the meeting that would be all about me, I predicted. "How were your weeks?"

"Oh, shut up Kilimanjaro," Finn told me. "Get right on it." She commanded.

They all giggled and agreed. I rolled my eyes.

They were excited because I don't tend to have crushes very often. In fact, I hardly ever do. I can't find someone I'm interested enough in, that's all. I'm not asexual or demisexual or any of that, I just had high standards. That's all. Finding someone cute is easy, the hard part is finding someone who you actually like. Who you're genuinely interested in. Who you'd love to stick around. Who you'd love, period.

That's why they were going bananas over me liking a boy. Years had gone by since it last happened. I didn't care much for that fact, but I have to admit that it felt great to finally be the story teller for once.

"Fine, fine." I said, finally.

"I'm really curious to know what a guy has to do to conquer the great Everest." Cleo said.