After what felt like the longest school day in history, I trudged home with my backpack heavier than my shoulders could handle. I probably overloaded it. Every step felt like a reminder: Ethan existed, and apparently, my life would never be the same. He's been hiding in my mind recently. Maybe not recently because I once had a crush on him year before last, he left and returned back last year, yet he was still bright, intelligent like he hadn't skipped a whole year. He was probably homeschooling that year, who knows.
I sighed, shoving my hands into my hoodie pockets, trying to mentally prepare myself for the rest of the day—friends, family, homework, and probably more awkward moments waiting in the wings.
I spotted Lara and Jade waiting outside the school gates, leaning against the low brick wall, laughing over something that sounded entirely too dramatic for me to catch without stopping. When they noticed me they stopped, so I resumed walking towards them.
Lara was the firecracker of our group. Shoulder-length curly hair, sharp eyes that noticed everything, and a mouth that rarely stopped moving. She was the kind of friend who would call you out on your nonsense the second she saw it—and I needed that in my life, especially today.
Jade was quieter, thoughtful, always the peacemaker between Lara's chaos and my… chaos. Dark, wavy hair always tied in a neat ponytail, the kind of person who listened first, asked questions second, and then gave advice like she'd rehearsed it in advance. She was grounded, which made my flustered, accident-prone self look even more ridiculous.
"Spill," Lara demanded the moment I got close. "You've been spacing out all day like you're in some sad music video. What happened?". Oh yeah, this is it.
I hesitated. Did I tell them about Ethan? Did I tell them that I literally tripped into a guy so impossibly cool that my brain short-circuited? Or that every time he glanced at me, my heart threatened to leap out of my chest?. Maybe he was like everyone else, I was probably the one over thinking it.
Jade gave me the classic "don't be stubborn" look. "You're going to tell us. I can see it in your eyes."
Lara smirked. "Or maybe she's fallen in love. That could happen, you know."
I groaned. "I did not fall in love. I literally fell… into him. Different thing."
They both laughed, Lara louder than Jade, and I tried to pretend it wasn't exactly what I'd been thinking. But it was. They already knew.
"You're blushing," Lara accused. "This is cute, Tash. Spill, or I will drag it out of you."
I hesitated again. "Fine… he's… uh… annoying," I said, hoping that would sound neutral.
"Annoying, huh?" Lara teased. "Do you mean… ridiculously magnetic, unbelievably handsome, mysteriously infuriating, and somehow makes your heart do gymnastics?"
I groaned, wishing I could disappear into my hoodie. Jade shook her head, smiling softly. "You like him."
"I do not!" I shouted, even though my own voice sounded uncertain.
"Yes, you do," Jade said calmly, as if she could read my thoughts better than I could.
We walked home together, Lara jabbering about some homework she hadn't done and Jade reminding her to calm down, while I silently calculated how many times my stomach had flipped today. Ethan was on my mind, of course, but these moments with my friends grounded me somehow. They reminded me that the world didn't revolve entirely around him… even if it felt like it sometimes.