She watches him from across the room as he laughs with his friends. He glances over at her and his smile softens, becomes wider. His eyes beckon to her, urging her to come over, to let him make her laugh like he is the other girls. For a moment, she entertains the thought. She’d go over there, show them all how confident she secretly was, show them that she isn’t the shy little mouse they all pay no heed to. And then, she remembers who she is. She’s the quiet girl who never speaks out. Who has straight A’s. Who has never attended a sporting event in her life. Who never dreamed of dating him, the star quarterback, until 2 months ago, when he’d smiled at her. Her whole world had lit up. Her body was heated with an inner glow she’d never possessed before. She smiled back, managing a careless, free, the whole world is at my feet, smile. One that enticed him to carry her books to her class the next day. And so on and so forth. Until it hit her. If she let him get any closer, he’d realize that she wasn’t the carefree girl all the other’s were. She has responsibilities that she can’t shirk. So she pulled away. Each day that she didn’t talk to him, the cuts got deeper & the red river flowed harder.

A flash of movement out of the corner of her eye brought her back to the present. He’s standing next to her! He whispers a greeting and she returns it, keeping her eyes down. One hand reaches out and coaxes her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet his. He cocks his head towards the door, silently asking her to join him. She takes a deep breath and in tandem, nods. His face lights up, shining from within like a lighthouse to a ship. He stretches his hand out to her, and she takes it, slipping her small hand into his. Gently, he tugs her to her feet and leads her out the door. The warm night breeze sends her ponytail into a frenzy, the strands twisting and turning in the wind. He reaches behind her and carefully releases her hair from it’s constraints. Her hands immediately reach to contain it but his wrap around them first, holding them in a tight embrace. His lips press to hers in a silent comfort, silent reassurance. He wants her. He wants to know that she is his, forever and always. His hands slide up, one in her hair, one behind her neck. He holds her as if she is the most fragile thing on earth. As if he never wants to let her go.