Chapter 11

Nothing is given so freely as advice

Used to indicate others’ willingness to give advice about the correct way to do something or how you should approach a problem, whether you want that advice or not.

• o 🦋 o •

It was windy that day. The fresh buds on the trees stubbornly waited for the wind’s attack to pass while their elders were being swept away.

It was during lunch at school that I’d gone outside to look for Riley who had been acting weird.. Well, weirder than usual lately. I found her sitting on a low branch of a tree near the school. She had a peanut butter sandwich in her hand, which she wasn’t eating. She seemed to be sulking.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Riley met my gaze by pouting at me.

“What?”

She didn’t answer.

“What’s the matter with you?!” I insisted.

“I could ask you the same thing!” Riley accused.

“Huh?!”

She jumped off the branch and stomped over to me. “You’re keeping secrets from me!” She accused, pointing her sandwich at me.

Me (who hated peanut-butter) instantly repulsed, I pulled back.

“W-what makes you say that?”

“You’re always busy when I ask to hang out-”

“That was one time-”

“SUSPICIOUS! SUSPICIOUS, I TELL YOU!” Riley exclaimed.

“Would you calm down?”

“And when I peek at you during class-“

“You peek at me during class?”

“I always find you grinning to yourself!” Now she was putting on some sort of old English accent.

“Why are you-“

“SUSPICIOUS!” She went on.

I was quiet and waited for her to continue her rant.

“…That was it.” She said in her normal voice.

I nodded.

“What’s with the accent?”

“I watched a British high-society drama last night.” Riley frowned in thought.

“I see.”

Riley squinted at me in suspicion.

What could I say? I couldn’t possibly tell her how I was crushing on the cute ballet dude she’d introduced me to a couple months ago? Not because he was a guy, but because… Well, because she was Riley. And Riley would try to get involved and then it would get awkward. Or worse! She’d blurt out that I like him and he’d totally get freaked out and hate me. So I couldn’t tell her.

Riley looked down at her shoes. She seemed so sad. I felt bad.

“You don’t trust me anymore, do you?” She mumbled.

The wind blew into her hair, whipping her braids across her face.

God, she was like an abandoned puppy! So helpless and sad. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I didn’t trust her. I did! I just wasn’t ready to share that part of my love life (if you could call it that) with her.

“Of course I trust you!” I said.

Riley wouldn’t look at me.

I sighed. “I’m in love.” I admitted.

Riley looked up at me with wide eyes, her mouth practically on the floor. “YOU’RE IN LOVE?!”

I nodded as I felt my ears turn red.

“YOU’RE IN LOVE, OH MY GOD, WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THIS?!” She began jumping around me like we were doing some weird ritual.

“WHO IS IT? DO I KNOW HER? IS SHE TALLER THAN ME? I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE FINALLY IN LOVE AFTER SIXTEEN FLIPPING YEARS…” Riley went on and on.

Finally she took a halt, standing in front of me. “WHO IS IT!” It was much more of a demand than a question.

Who is it? Well, not a she. That’s for sure.

“I can’t tell you. Not yet.”

“Why not?!!?”

“Because.. Because I’ll tell you later, okay? But don’t ever say I don’t trust you cause if I didn’t I wouldn’t have told you anything.”

Riley was smiling ear to ear and she continued running circles around the tree. “He’s in love!” She’d cheer every now and again. She was so happy for me, she was practically Cupid.

“Riley,”

“Yes.” She stopped running. Her cheeks were all lively and red. I squished them together. “Your lunch.” I pointed at her smushed sandwich.

She pushed the whole thing in her mouth and plopped down in the grass. I joined her and sat with my back against the tree.

I took my very plain, boring bento box out of my bag and began eating.

Riley asked me something but I couldn’t hear a thing of what she was saying since her mouth was still so full.

“What?”

She grabbed my water bottle and squirted water into her mouth. Quickly, she swallowed the bread.

“Have you asked her out yet?” Riley asked.

“N-no. Of course not. We only met a couple months ago.”

Riley smacked me very, very hard.

“Ow! Riley!”

“You met her a couple months ago and didn’t tell me?!”

Before I could say something she’d smacked me again.

“What was that for?!”

“Ask her out, stupid.” Riley grabbed my bento and began eating all my meat.

“I can’t just ask her out.” I sighed in frustration. I banged my head against the tree. “He- She doesn’t like me like that. And if I say something she’ll think I’m gross and she’ll hate me forever.”

“What? You guys are friends now, right?”

“Yes.”

“So how could saying your like her ever make her hate you?”

Because he will be disgusted that I’m into guys. Specifically him.

I closed my eyes and tried to remove that agonizing idea from my head.

“If you liked me I wouldn’t hate you.” Riley said.

“You’d be grossed out, though.”

“Yeah.” She agreed quickly.

“Thanks a lot”

“Sorry.”

I opened my eyes and literally half of my bento was gone and still Riley was going in for more.

“Stop that!” I slapped her hand.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She was contemplating something. “Maybe she does like you. She has to, what’s not to like?”

“That I look like and ogre and she…” I sighed dreamily.

Riley looked at me surprised. “Wow… You’re in deep.”

“Tell me about it.” I continued eating my rice-balls which now, thanks to Riley, had no sauce.

Riley continued thinking.

“Ooh!” Her braids practically stood up in excitement.

“What?”

“I’ll give you some signs a girl likes you! We can test it that way!”

“Sure.” I sighed. This was going to be depressing.

“Okay, number one: she says your name a lot.”

I thought about that. Mica didn’t say my name particularly often but when he did, he used my full name and it sounded so good…

Riley smacked me again. “Keep your head in the game! Does she do this or not?”

I shrugged.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Number two!” Riley got up and began pacing. Why did her face look like she was solving some sort of difficult math equation?

“She stares at you. A lot.” Riley wriggled her eyebrows.

I felt those butterflies again as I thought of Mica’s hazel eyes boring into my soul. He did look at me for a pretty long time yesterday..

I nodded proudly.

Riley was beginning to smile.

“Three! She touches you a lot. Physical Barrier: broken.”

I smiled happily as I thought of the first time I’d gone to Mica’s house. How he made me dance with him. And just yesterday, he was the one that bumped against me in a playful way! I was getting excited at the idea that Mica might somehow, miraculously like me.

I nodded again, eliciting a loud “YES!” from Riley.

“Number four, the final one: She’s always excited to see you and smiles when you’re around.”

I mean…. Mica did always smile when I was around. And he was always excited to see me. I almost melted thinking of his sunshine smile. Aah…

“That face is another yes. Jay! That girl is obsessed with you! She probably wants to marry you!”

“Oh come on, Riley. Maybe she just smiles a lot-”

Riley practically jumped on top of me. “She. Likes. You!” She shook me left and right.

“Listen to me, Jay. And listen to me well,”

“Alright!” I said as I tried to look straight.

Riley’s face was suddenly serious. “Jay, if you don’t ask this girl out soon, she’ll lose interest. I’m telling you. She likes you and she’s waiting for you to make a move. If you wait too long, she’ll be swept away by some other guy, is that what you want?”

“No! God no!”

Riley squeezed my shoulders. “Then go after her! Court her!”

“Court her?”

“Show her your romantic side! Make a big move!” Riley punched my arm. “Stop playing it small!”

“Alright!” I agreed, rubbing my now sore arm.

“You promise?”

I thought it over. I had all the signs. Mica wasn’t a girl but it still applied, right? He liked me. I couldn’t contain myself, I was just too happy. The last thing I wanted was for one of those alternative-haired boys at his school to get with him. I wouldn’t survive that. I wouldn’t want to. I wanted to be Mica’s and for Mica to be mine. Here it was. My big chance. I couldn’t wait anymore. The next time I saw him, I’d make a move.

“Promise.”