Crush On Her

Choices

     Ms. Decker thought it would be a good idea to take photos of her class with their not-yet harvested crops for the sake of memories. Everyone thought it was a good idea, too, and they happily posed again and again in front of Ms. Decker's camera.

     The only two who appeared awkward in every photo were Charlie and Jessica. They hadn't been in contact over the weekend, and they were still on shaky footing. They took photos for Ms. Decker's sake but otherwise blended into the background and were glad when someone else was the focus of the camera.

     When it was all done, Ms. Decker said she'd have the pictures developed for everyone to see, and they'd compare them to the ones they were going to take when the harvest was to happen. Then, happy with her class, Ms. Decker allowed them to care for their plants or simply stand around and talk.

     Charlie took the opportunity to kneel beside the cucumber bed and rub a vine to calm herself. She had had a long talk with her parents about what had happened, and though it helped, she was still feeling down about it. The only thing she knew to do was to keep her distance and hope she didn't do anything else to worsen the situation. She sat back on her heels and sighed, feeling the sun heat her skin.

     "We need to talk."

     She jumped at Jessica's sudden voice above her and looked up, startled. She pushed at her glasses, blushing, and clumsily got to her feet. "Okay," she said softly.

     Jessica's face was already Rage Red. She looked over her shoulder then jerked her chin toward the shed. "Over here." Then she went off without waiting.

     Charlie hurried to follow, slightly frightened to leave everyone behind, but willing to attempt to solve a big problem. She adjusted her glasses as she entered the shed and moved over to a corner near the door so she'd have a quick exit if she needed one.

     Jessica was near the back of the shed, and she put her hands on her hips for a moment, looking at the wall, before she turned and laid eyes on Charlie. "Alright. So I'm in a better state of mind now."

     Charlie noted the extreme Rage Red, but didn't comment.

     "I thought about what happened," Jessica went on, her voice hard and chilly. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. When she spoke again, she sounded calmer, nicer, "I just want to know if you were serious. Was what happened... one of those things- in the moment? Or did you mean it? Do you mean it?"

     Eyes down, fingers fiddling with her glasses, Charlie's cheeks burned. "Yes," she admitted after a moment. "I mean it."

     Jessica remained silent. Then her hands dropped from her hips and she waved an arm out, irritated. "What changed?"

     "I don't know. I always liked you. It's just- okay. When we became friends I saw you for... you." Charlie stopped fiddling with her glasses and looked up. "Then I heard you talking to your mom that weekend..."

     Jessica grunted. "I knew something was up with you. Was that- that changed your mind?"

     "No, of course not. That just made me see. I didn't want to admit it because I thought it wouldn't be fair to you. I didn't want to tell you one thing and then flip to the next thing. That's why I started getting distant with you." Charlie exhaled roughly, her heart thumping faster the longer she talked. "Then when you invited me over and we were lying together... it came out. I didn't mean for it to. I came over because I wanted to talk. But... well..."

     Taking a worried step, Jessica asked, "Are you okay?"

     Charlie inhaled, exhaled. One, two, three. Careful. "Yes." She gripped her hands to keep herself grounded. "Sorry."