I was the new kid in a small town high school. Friends had never come easily to me, so when Olivette took an interest in me I leaped at the opportunity. We quickly discovered that we had a lot of the same interests. Books, movies, TV shows, favorite subjects, favorite foods, we were compatible in every way. And we shared several of the same classes.
So whenever a project came up where we were offered the chance to partner up, we took the opportunity and convinced her parents or mine to allow a sleep over on a school night.
It was winter, and we had been given an assignment for history. Within two hours the project was complete, leaving us to our own devices (no pun intended). I was prattling on about the most recent boy I had gone to the movies with when she looked at me and said “Why do you keep dating guys, when you can’t stop staring at gorgeous girls?” my jaw dropped. I thought I had been discrete. It turns out that I’m a rather transparent person, and in this moment I wanted only to disappear. After what felt like an eternity of searching for words that wouldn’t manifest, Olivette saved me “You don’t have to be embarrassed, I’m usually looking too.” I felt my cheeks go red.