John
Krys and Matt aren’t enemies like the rest of us. I don’t know if Krys likes Matt but Matt loves Krys. Late one night, I get a text from B.B. He has all our cell phone numbers so he can call us in an emergency. I groan and sit up in my bed and read the text. The light from my phone shines into my eyes blinding me. I squint and wait for my vision to clear. I see what the text says. “I texted everyone in the group to alert you that according to my map Krys and Matt are in the park. Will one of you who’s awake please go make sure Krys is okay?” I look at my clock to see it’s almost three in the morning. I wonder what B.B is doing stalking Krys and Matt at three in the morning. I figure I’m probably the only other person awake who got the text so I decide I need to go and check on Krys. I open my window and look out. My room is on the first floor so I can just climb out. The grass feels cold and wet on my feet. I lift up my gem and transform. I run over to the park and look around. I don’t see Matt’s yellow glow or any movement. I wonder if they’re fighting or just talking. I follow a path to a garden full of flowers. I hear whispering and duck into a rosebush.
“Are you scared?” a familiar voice asks. It’s Krys. I listen for a response from who she’s talking to. “Yeah. But I’ll be fine.” Matt’s voice says. Krys and Matt aren’t fighting. They’re talking! I listen closer. “What are Rob and Scotch like?” she asks. “Well . . . they’re intimidating, merciless and cold-hearted. Exactly what you’d expect from two murderers who are just out of high school.” Matt explains. “If they’re so cold-hearted and merciless, why haven’t they killed you? You come here every night.” Krys points out. Every night? I wonder how we only just realized now our tough tomboy friend was meeting with a killer every night. I imagine she must’ve snuck out too. “Well . . . Rob wants to kill me. He knows I come here. But Scotch has a soft-spot or something because he tells Rob not to screw with love.” Matt explains giggling. Krys snickers. “So much for cold-hearted.” She mutters. They get very quiet. “Krys?” Matt asks. “Yeah?” Krys sounds nervous. “Do you like me?” he asks shyly. There’s a long pause. Please say no, I think to myself.
Krys is my friend and I hate Matt. If anyone else in our group was here to see this, they would be hurt too. Who wants to see their friend slowly and inevitably get a crush on the boy who tried to kill us? Krys’s voice interrupts my thoughts. “Maybe.” She whispers. I wince a little. It’s better than saying yes but it means she probably likes him more than I thought. “Do you like me?” Krys asks Matt. “Maybe.” Matt mutters. “Not maybe,” he begins quietly. “I do.” He says boldly. There’s another long silence. I peer out of the bushes to see if they’re kissing. They just look at each other’s feet. I realize Krys is only wearing a nightgown and socks. I wonder how she’s not cold. It’s not spring weather yet even though spring did just start. The moonlight illuminates her pale face. Her lips are chapped and faded. They’re dull pink. Her eyes sparkle in the moonlight. Matt has the same glow but he is also glowing yellow as usual. His hazel eyes are huge. He slowly moves his hand on top of Krys’s. She blushes and looks at their hands. Their fingers intertwine and they both blush. I look away.
I can’t stand to think we’re losing our friend to some stupid boy who plays with her all the time. She’s three years younger than me. She’s like the younger sister I’ve never had. I want to protect her. What can I do? Tell B.B and everyone else? She’d hate me. I can keep this a secret. Pretend I was asleep when B.B texted and that I never came. I creep out of the rosebush and follow the cement path back to the park. I quickly run home and climb in my window. I barely have the energy to transform back to normal before I fall asleep.
