Straight Lines

Personal

"Mason, why weren't you at school?" 

"Um...Personal things." 

"Like what? You can tell me anything, Mason." 

Anything? Okay then. I'm different. I'm not the same as you guys. I'm straight. 

"Reall, I don't want to talk about it right now," I say, sighing. I heard Amanda's mom call her name. 

"Sorry, I have to go. Mom's calling me." She says, hanging up before I can even say anything. 

I flop down on my bed, but only a few minutes pass until my phone rings again. Probably one of the boys. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Mason." A voice says. It's familiar, but it's not the boys. It's a girl. 

"Who is this?" I ask quietly. 

"I know, M." She says. 

"Who is this?" I ask again. Did she actually know? Was it a prank call? 

"You don't remember me?" I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and tried to remember. 

"I'm surprised, M." 

M. Only M. And only one person called me that. And I remember. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you good at keeping secrets, Naomi?" I ask the redhead girl swinging next to me. 

"Why?" She asks back to the 9-year-old me. 

"Cause, I've got one." 

"Tell me M! PLease, I would never tell any of your secrets." I smiled, glad that she wouldn't, but still made her pinky-promise. Then I leaned in to tell her. 

"I like Samantha," I say, smiling. I step back, waiting for her reaction. 

"That Samantha? A girl?" She asks, her mouth hanging open. I nod slowly, letting her take it in. 

"I-I have to go, Mason." She says quickly. No nickname this time. 

"W-why?' I ask, following her to the gates of the playground. 

"Just cause. I have to." She says. Then I'm left standing there. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As far as I know, she did keep her promise. But she quit hanging out with me. 

"Naomi?" 

"The one and only, M."