It Happened Last Year

so clearly. Harris

not sure why he was talkin

g smile. All of the girls in my grade dreamt of that smile. He was a Junior like I was, but he

talked to guys. The only time I was around popular

u want something to drink? He a

seat before heading to the double doors of Knocks. Since school just e

d scan the room for Jana. Thankfully, I spot her in the corner booth, on her phone. Once I a

n't?" I ask and sit

school, but I'm glad you're here because we have so mu

ger to start things up

with this girl who loved to surf-and urged me to learn-her name was Lila. Lila and I were stuck together like glue. The guys loved her, and I loved th

riends. He was young, it was his first year teaching and he had just moved to Florida from Seattle. We were both new, in a way. We became close, a little too close. Close enough to the point where I would visit him afte

ay after. I thought he was handsome, I thought what we were doing was wrong, so

s da

ever things became too heavy I woul

p of her pink milkshake. "Beaches every day, warm weather,

"I'm sure you'v

exciting thing here is the high school f

are there any gu

h who is super sweet, and he's a total catch. We've been talking for a bit, I gav

n," I comment, "

r Bra

A few students have wandered in, none of them noticing

, it was

I feel a pain in my lungs, as I am forgetting to breathe. I shoot back to Jana and sh

. I can't risk ruining my newly mended friendship. Ma

Fonte,

with Jana for help, but she seems s

ell in

it hard to focus, to breathe even.

ng me from the booth. With my head down, together we push past Harrison and

son calls, but we

before I do the same. Knowing Jana, she doesn't h

suggests and I nod. "Do you w

throughout the first semester, but when he did, I could

en. His friends had moved on with the party while Harrison stayed

mumble

come wit

and how they had left me. I did,

have you all t

ver flirted with a guy before, only Daphne did.

sting as you are, Hailey. I'm surp

n. Harrison chatted me up, asked me about school, about m

ever he gave me, I wasn't sure what it was.

iful, I thought for sure some other guy would hav

shed,