I Dare You to Kiss Me

Sick

It's been a week since I've seen Maizy. Or anyone really beside my mom. I don't know if I just fortunately happened to get sick this week or I feel this way because of Maizy. I'm just glad it gave me an excuse to miss school all week and avoid her. Wow I'm so freaking clueless.

I grabbed my giant teddy bear, the one she got me, and just hugged it and stared out the window. It felt like time was going by so fast but yet frozen at the same time. I didn't understand. Maizy probably isn't home from school yet. Thank god. I can't let her see me like this.

"Emory?" I looked up to find my mom in the doorway.

"Yes?" I softly answered to her.

"Honey please tell me what's wrong." She looked at me with sympathy and came to sit down next to me.

"Everything mom." I stuffed my head in my teddy bear.

"Please talk to me. I understand more than you think I do."

"I screwed everything up and now I just don't know what to do."

"What'd you screw up?"

"Maizy. Our friendship. Our anything."

"Did you tell her?" I looked up at her and stared at her eyes, confused.

"Did you tell her you like her?" My mom asked me and my heart started racing.

"How'd you know?"

"You're my daughter. What mother would I be if I didn't notice the way she looks at the person she loves?"

"I don't love her." I looked back down into the teddy bears fake fur.

"Not yet. Something tells me it's not over." I looked back up at her again.

"Oh really? Did her walking away from me in the forest tell you that? Or her saying she has to go? Her not even saying a thing to me all week? What about the fact that she wouldn't love me back? What tells you it's not over mom!?" A tear came down my face and she wiped it away.

"I thought she liked me too mom. I really did. I was certain." I told her.

"Maybe she does."

"Want a better thought and more accurate one? Maybe she doesn't."

"Don't be a pessimist."

"I'm not being a pessimist! I'm being realistic mom!"

"It's okay Emory. It's okay." She said and patted my back while I laid on her lap.

"But I don't feel okay."

"You will. Look you can't let what one person does or doesn't do ruin your life. There's billions of people out there, why let one thing one person said on one night make you forget that? You will feel okay. Maybe with her. Maybe without her. But you will be okay."

I looked up and outside my window to see hers.  She was there now. Watching some show that we probably would've been watching together if I wasn't such an idiot. Or if she liked me.

The doorbell rang and I ran downstairs.

"Hi." Dustin said when I opened it. He had a balloon that said "get well soon", a yellow rose, and a card.

"Hello." I motioned him inside.

"We all got you something so you would feel better. Here." I took the card first and read through it. Maizy didn't sign it.

"Why didn't she sign it?" I said trying not to cry.

"She hasn't been at school."

"Wait what?" I was shocked.

"Yeah she said she was going somewhere with her mom for a few days."

"But I just saw her in her room?"

"Maybe she just got back?"

"But I've seen her all-" I was interrupted.

"Okay well I'm sorry I have to go, I hope you feel better Emory." Dustin told me and walked back outside.