“I like you, like really like you…” Friday September 6th, I awoke excited for the football game that night and performing in the band once again.

Now most of the day could be described as a usual school day, a sloth, until around lunch time. During the week prior, my friends Maddie and Katie had been chatting about something that they refused to explain to me.

Anyway, during lunch that day, our other friend Hope stared at Katie and declared, “We need to find you someone,” and at the time I didn’t think anything of it. Yeah, I had a crush on Katie, a pretty big crush, for a little over a year at that point. She had already made it clear that she just wanted to be friends, and I was content with that. However, the moment that did interest me was what happened next. Maddie leaned over to Katie, and whispered something in her ear that caused her face to turn to a cherry red, and Katie responded nervously with saying, “Shut up!” I didn’t hear what Maddie said, but I thought I could read her lips and thought she might have said my last name.

I thought, ‘Did she just say my name? There is no way.’ I decided that I was wrong and didn’t question if that was what she said. After lunch, I wasted Academic Enhancement contemplating it, trying to figure out what was said.

‘Could Katie like me?’ I thought to myself. ‘That can’t be the case. She said she just wanted to be friends.’

I concluded that the only way to be sure was to ask Katie myself. She refused to tell me.

After that I forgot about it until we left for the football game. During the ride to the game, I sat across from both Katie and Maddie on the bus.

I only asked, “What have you two been talking about this week?” I received the same answer. During the game, I decided that I would not let up until they explained to me what they were talking about. First, I tried to pressure Maddie into telling me but she wouldn’t budge.

I asked once again, “Why can’t you tell me? You should tell me.”

“No, you’ll have to ask Katie. It’s not my business to tell,” she claimed.

That was a different answer to the usual “no.” I didn’t let up. I kept begging her to tell me. Still she wouldn’t tell me. I once again gave up for the time.

During the last half of the game, we were sitting and talking and Katie was acting differently than normal, like she was much calmer than what she normally would be. She is normally excitable and very open about matters. This time around she was sitting still and really just listening to other people talking to her. This made me all the more curious as to what was on her mind.

At the end of the game, we loaded up on the yellow bus, removed our moist jackets and headed back to the school. Maddie, Katie, and I were talking when they asked if I wanted to join them in their seat, so we could have more personal discussions. I agreed and ended up halfway on the leathery olive-colored seat and halfway off, which didn’t bother me so much. It was at this point that I, for the final time, asked,

“Katie, can you please tell me what has been going on this week?” This time, however, Maddie agreed with me and helped convince Katie to be honest with me right then and there. Katie’s face turned as red as a rose, and she covered it with her hands. She then revealed, “I like you, like really like you; and I know I said that I only wanted to be friends, but I was wrong.”

Silence filled the small bus seat, and a smile formed on my face. Thoughts rushed through my head ‘I can’t believe she just said that. What do I say?! I can’t mess this up!’

I answered, “Can I be honest. I never stopped liking you and thank you for telling me.”

From that point, on we sat with frozen smiles for the rest of the trip. We talked, laughed, and enjoyed the of the ride back to the school. After returning to the school, we removed the rest of our hot uniforms and laid them out to air out before hanging them back up. After that was all said and done we continued to talk. “So, does that make us a thing now?” I questioned.

She replied, “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that yet. What do you think?” 

“I’d like to think we are,” I responded.

Unlike most other stories like this one, we did not leave the school hand in hand or together even. We both announced, “See you later,” and she left with her brother, and I drove home, still smiling.