Harper took a deep breath as she looked around the hallway. She knew exactly what she was about to do, though she was terrified what the outcome would be. Today would be the day that she told Noah Myers, the running back of the junior varsity football team, how she felt about him. He was a freshman like her with beautiful brown eyes, dirty blonde hair, and tan skin. They had known each other for years, since fourth grade. Harper had liked Noah for a while now, but only today with the encouragement from her friends on the cheer-leading team did she finally decide to make the leap. As soon as she spotted him walking to his locker, Harper decided that now was the time to make her move.
"Hey Noah," Harper started out, leaning against the locker next to his. He turned towards her with a half-smile. "Hey Harper. How've you been?"
"I've been good, you?" She responded, trying her best to act casual despite her wildly beating heart.
"I've been good, thanks." he replied.
Harper leaned her head against the locker and smiled, trying to look as cute as possible. "So, Noah, I had a question for you."
"Yeah?" He asked, sounding interested. "What is it?"
"Well, I was wondering if... well, I really like you Noah. Like, a lot. So, I was wondering if you might like to hang out as more than friends sometime?"
Noah looked at her with a confused smile. "You do?" He asked. Harper gave him a soft smile, her cheeks beginning to flush. "Okay then. Meet me under the bleachers after school and we'll talk."
"Yeah?" she asked, feeling extremely happy and excited. "Okay then!"
Harper skipped away, elated that it went so well. Noah watched her as she went away so excitedly, the conversation going the exact way his friends said it would.
After school, Harper walked as quickly as she could to the bleachers. She wanted to run over there, but if she did she might get all sweaty and that wouldn't look good. Her friends on the cheerleading team said they would follow a little behind her so that if things didn't go well they wouldn't be too far away to cheer her up, and if things went great than they could cheer her on. She was really hoping for it to be the latter.
As she got closer and closer, she was able to start seeing Noah come into view. She was struggling to keep her excitement under lock and key, feeling that this was all going to go her way. She could see in her mind that she and Noah would get together, have a strong relationship the entire four years of high school, be prom king and queen, and maybe even go to college together. She had it all mapped out in her head, and all she needed to seal it was this one night under the bleachers.
"Hey Harper," Noah said as she approached.
"Hi!" she greeted excitedly. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
"So, are you sure you're ready for this?" Noah asked her, his tone very even and calm. Harper nodded emphatically, putting her hands together in suspense. Noah stepped closer to her and put his hand under her chin. "Close your eyes," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. She did as she was told and closed her eyes. She felt his nose rub against hers softly, sending chills down her spine. She then felt his lips brush her cheek, and just as she was sure he was about to kiss her... he pulled away.
Confused, Harper opened her eyes, and not a second later she felt something sticky get poured all over her. She gasped as laughter bursted all around her. She wiped the goo off her eyes and looked around to see all the football team and all the cheerleaders around her, roaring in laughter. She was covered in sticky green slime, and it seemed everyone was in on this prank except for her. At first she was going to try to laugh it off, but then she realized that in one football player's hand was a phone. He recorded the entire thing, and was live-streaming it on Instagram. "Say hi to all your fans, Harper!" He called out to her. She looked towards Noah, who was laughing too but seemed to slow his laughter when he saw the devastation in her eyes. Noah didn't realize it was being recorded either, and when he did coupled with the look in Harper's eyes he realized the situation wasn't as it was explained to him.
Just before he went to the bleachers, one of the senior cheerleaders came up to him and his buddy, telling them that Harper was going to play a prank on Noah by pouring slime on him while she confessed her love.
"Wait, so she doesn't like me?" Noah asked, feeling confused.
"No silly, she does like you!" The cheerleader, Layla, said. "It's just cheerleading tradition that when a freshman girl falls for a football player, she has to get him alone and then dunk slime on him."
"Bro," Noah's senior football buddy Josh came up with an idea. "Why don't we turn it around on her? You get her under the bleachers and we'll pour slime on her instead!"
And so the plan was set in motion. Noah thought that all along she was in on this and would laugh off the joke, but when he saw the confusion and devastation mixed with the recording and all the cheerleaders being in on it, he realized that she had no idea this was going on. Layla lied to him about the tradition.
"Harper," Noah called her name and started walking towards her, but tears started rolling down her face and she took off, causing everyone else to erupt into more laughter. Noah ran his hand through his hair and started chasing after her. By the time he reached Harper, she was already in the parking lot and there were more kids laughing at her. She ran to Connie, who was horrified at seeing her daughter like this. Connie grabbed her urgently and said "Quickly, get in the car." She hurried Harper in, not wanting her to hear anymore of the laughs. Connie was furious and wanted to know what happened, but knew better than to press things now. She just wanted to hurry Harper home and get her cleaned up. Noah ran right up to the window and tried to get Harper's attention, but Connie stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Noah Myers, did you have a part in this?" She asked angrily.
Noah stammered, "Yes, kind of, but-"
"No, no buts." Connie demanded sternly. "Stay away from Harper, and I will be speaking to your mother about this later.
Harper continued to cry in the front seat of her adoptive mother's car. She had never felt so incredibly humiliated in her life. Connie drove her away, trying her best to comfort Harper. Noah watched the car leave and put his head in his hands, knowing this was one of the biggest screw-ups of his life.
