“Um…erm… is Paige home?” I stutter. 

“Oh, you’re her new friend.  I expected you to be a bit more attractive,” the girl says, entering the house and calling Paige down. I just sigh and look at the steps, perfectly glossed deep mahogany.

“Hey,” Paige says, pushing the girl aside, and clinging onto me like a koala. The girl walks away and Paige and I walk towards the lake near her house.

“Umm…erm… I am going to assume that is your sister,” I say. 

“Yep. Was she mean?” Paige asks, skipping ahead. “She thinks she’s all that.” Paige continues to hop ahead of me as I follow along. Her smile grows wide as she walks backwards. She runs towards me and grabs my hand, tugging me along. I encourage myself, You’ve got this, ask her out when we leave. We stand on the dock, looking past a big tree at the bright blue water that matches Paige’s eyes. 

“How was your cheerleading competition last week?” I ask, trying to make small talk.  Start off slow and steady.

“We lost,” she replies, kicking a stick into the lake. Well that was a rocky start. 

“Oh, sorry I asked,” I say.  I sit down. She follows suit, plopping down next to me. 

“I…erm…wanted to…erm..talk to you about something,” I manage to say. My heart starts to race as I clench my fist. 

“Oh,” Paige looks me in the eye, “You seem nervous. Is everything alright?” Oh no. I seem nervous? Well, I am nervous. She won’t like me being nervous. Act normal, Bash!

“Umm….erm…well…” I try to speak, however my voice kind of stops working. Paige nods, trying to get me to say more. I try to speak again and nothing comes out. I look at the ground and take a deep breath. 

“I kinda…think…erm…that…well…I…think…you…are…uhh…really pretty…and erm…I would umm…like to…go…out…with…you,” I panic, “If that’s ok with you of course.” I squeeze my eyes shut as Paige wraps her arms around me. 

“Really?” Paige squeaks.

“Well,” I open my eyes, looking into her pretty blue eyes. 

“I would literally give my left arm to go out with you,” she says, squeezing me as if I were her teddy bear. My body loosens up as my heart rate slows down. I grab her hands as we gaze into each other’s eyes. She sparkles when the sunlight hits her. Her skin glows and her hair glistens. I can’t believe I just won over a cheerleader. She grabs both of my hands. 

“Can I?” Paige whispers.

“Sure,” I murmur back, as we lean in for a kiss. Time feels as if it stops as we get closer and closer to each other. When our lips finally touch, I melt. Letting go, we look at each other. Oh my god, I just kissed Paige. Pinch me please. I feel as if my body is floating through the air. My heart flutters as I look into her beautiful eyes. I feel myself break into the biggest smile I have ever had. 

“You’re adorable,” Paige says, poking my dimples. Paige and I walk around the lake, holding hands gently.

–WP–

(Published January 2021)