It was the morning following graduation. It was the forenoon after the most electrifying evening of my high school life. My tired eyes opened in what I could only hope was my bed. A dull pain throbbed between my temples, I assumed, brought about by the chaos of the night before. How do people want to experience this every time? Parties weren't for me. Yet, as I lay in bed and glanced at the digital clock on my nightstand, I couldn't seem to keep my smug smile from appearing on my face. Even if I felt horrible, I wouldn't change a single thing about yesterday. I'll miss everyone. My peers, my rivals. And I hope they'll miss me.
A loud chime from my phone interrupted my thoughts. Muffled; under my sheets. My motor skills were shot. I had to wrestle my phone from the velvety folds of my bed before turning it on. A message from Brianna. It read: "im outside come out i want to talk".
My face dropped. Just like Brianna to interrupt any happiness I conjure up. But she's always been that way. My hand flurries over the on-screen keyboard, typing that I'd be out shortly and need to put on some clothes. Her reply of "great" was almost instant, so I knew all went well last night for her as well. A little too well? I peeked out my bedroom window, meeting the brilliant sunlight streaming in. It took all my strength not to groan. Then I pause.
I can complain about Brianna's bullying of me, but it would be foolish to ignore her change in character. Things between us evolved, so drastically that 'amusing' was a poor word to describe it. Hell, 'unbelievable' or 'incomprehensible' didn't fit either. Regardless, said change was brought on by junior year. Her failing grades were enough for the headteacher to intervene. Telling her to seek tuition or face dismissal from school. To my surprise, she wizened up and chose me as her tutor.
We had some rough sessions in the beginning. Brianna began determined to undermine me, ignoring any material we would be discussing. It wasn't until the fourth session that I wanted to give up. In the midst of packing my stuff, she called out to me. Her voice being one I never heard before from her. A scared, weak voice. She knew that this was her last chance to improve her academic standing. She recognized how bad the situation would be if she didn't start revising now. Despite my better judgment, I stayed. Contrary to what I expected, she backed off on her insults. She mellowed things off so much that we got along.
Shaking my head to quell my thoughts, I putter around my house, searching for my usual items. Wallet, keys, and cell phone charger find their usual places on my person. Once done, I made my way downstairs. Seeing her tall silhouette leaning against a wall beyond the doorway, I walked towards it. Her nervous expression greeted me as I opened the door, her countenance glowing in the light.
"Morning." Her voice was soft yet stern. Something was different about her today. Usually, by now she would growl or snap at me, yet she was quite the opposite – cordial. This didn't feel right. I forced myself to stay calm and approached her, even though my first instinct was to go inside and close the door.
"Hi, Brianna. What brings you here?" The red color of her cheeks deepened even more as she remained silent. She looked away, down at the ground, and let out a deep breath.
After a few moments, she spoke in a subdued tone. "I-I'm here to make peace."
I couldn't help but furrow my brows at that. "What does that mean?" Her shoulders slumped forward as she sighed again. She then straightened up and stared at me, her gaze intense.
"Timothy, I tried to talk to you last night but," she paused, glancing down, "you weren't interested. That was fine, but I hoped we could get past that. You know, still be cool. Friendly. Or maybe something more…?" I had never heard her speak so much to me. In the end, it was only because of how nervous she was that she held her composure for so long.
"Brianna, I…"
She interrupted me, "No! Don't say anything. Just listen to what I have to say." Nodding, she continued. "I know we don't talk about me mistreating you, but I want to make amends for everything that happened in school. I shouldn't have been so rude. I should've been nicer, like now, or some shit."
"Oh?" I said, trying my best not to sound skeptical. "And why exactly are you apologizing for being a bully?"
"Because I was wrong, obviously. But I also think that I need to apologize to you. And I kinda need to tell you something else." She looked me in the eye with an earnestness that was unlike her. "I really liked what we had going on for a while there. I thought it was great. It was fun, and I wanted to keep doing it. Ugh! I know if I don't do this next part now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. So, here goes."
"What next part?" I asked, but Brianna began speaking before I could elaborate.
"… I-I like you, Timothy. A lot. I can't explain it, I just do. I've got feelings. A bunch of them." Upon hearing her mention that she felt something, my heart skipped a beat. I was so stunned I forgot to respond. Brianna waited a moment before speaking again. "I know this is sudden, but… um, I wanna, like, hold you or whatever…" My stupor finally broke.
"Hold me?" The fearsome Brianna wanted someone to hold her? Most surprising of all, me?
"Yeah, I-I mean, kiss you. All that fluffy shit." Her face flushed even more. Her words shocked me. It never occurred to me she would admit she liked me. I wasn't sure what to do. But I knew I had to respond.