Forests and Forts

Life can be as simple as a game.

By early Spring of year 8, I felt like a true friend to Sophie. I'd been there for her when girls in her tutor turned their backs on her and I'd listened and laughed my way through the term with her. The problem was, I always had in the back of my mind this thought. The thought that I saw Sophie as someone I thought of as more than a friend. I always worried I'd ruin everything if I told her, I told myself a girl like her could never feel anything towards a guy like me. And so I waited, I told myself I'd just not say anything and time would work away. But time had other ideas.

One evening, Sophie and I were trying a new game. The Wheel of Fortune. It was as you expect, a wheel that had different options on it that one person had to spin and then challenge the other person to do the option it landed on. It started as a light-hearted game with me having to play guitar, dress up, make weird faces etc. But, it just so happened that one of thrones options was to "tell a secret" and I was terrified of it. As luck would have it, I landed on that one pretty quick. And Sophies question was both terrifying and intriguing. 

"Who is your crush?"

I panicked. What do I say? Do I lie? Do I tell the truth? All these things flooded me. I calmed myself though, and decided what I would do. It was now or never to say and so I welled up the courage to say what I felt.

"The person I'm talking to"

Sophie seemed startled a bit and went red. She seemed as embarrassed as I was. But I was glad to have said it. If chance would have this happen, then I'd let it happen.

Although the subject was quickly changed and we returned to casual game playing, it was clear something had changed between us. I felt closer to her than before.