Young Writers Society

You see him on the rooftop of your school. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Listening to music and waiting for my class at 6 since it’s still 4 o’clock in the afternoon." He smiles at you.

You smile back too. "Hey. Low that down. Your mom will scold me. Why are his ears ringing again?"

"Tell her it’s my fault."

"Then you’d be dead meat." I sigh.

"I don’t care."

I copied his movements. "I don’t care."

He laughs and offers an earphone. "Hmm?"

"Ugh." You roll your eyes. "Fine, fine."

He slightly smiles and stays flustered without you knowing.

You guys stay quiet while a DEAN song blares in your ears.

"You know what?"

"What?" He looks at you.

"I am really happy you’re my friend."

"Oh," he sighs. "That’s random as hell."

"I’m really happy ‘cause my old friendship never lasted as long as ours." You explain. "My old friends were insecure about other friendships that weren’t ours, and now people want what we have."

A pause comes as the wind rushes between the two of you.

"I don’t know. I just observed how other people look at us and approach us." You sigh because your friend stood still the whole time. "It’s just funny."

"You know what’s funnier?" He smirks like he’s about to tell a silly dad joke.

"What is?" You looked suspicious of him.

"I feel the same way." He takes a sip of his Americano.

"I thought you were about to say an unfunny funny joke." You roll your eyes.

He chokes on his drink and laughs.

A pause comes again with the painful silence because both of you said the most random, deep stuff to each other at a time when both of you were just simply chilling in the best place to cool your minds off.

"Hey." He looks at you again. "Can we play truth or dare?"

"Yeah, sure." You look back at him, but he faces a different direction.

"Truth or dare?"

"Um, truth."

"Do you have a crush on anybody that I don’t know of?" He asks.

"Oh, yeah." You lied immediately because you didn’t want him to know that you actually had feelings for him. You lied because crushing on him and telling him would ruin your friendship.

"Okay." He takes a sip of his drink again. "Sus."

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to give me that coffee."

"Okay." He hands his drink to you.

You take a sip of it. "Hmm…yummy."

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Why’d you take my drink?"

"I don’t have one." You pout.

He snickers. "Will you give it back?"

"Hell no." You laugh and take more sips.

"Disgusting." He shows disgust on his face. "It’s like putting your lips on mine or something."

You give back his drink and get flustered.

Both of you laugh.

"Truth or dare?"

"Oh, we’re still playing?"

"Why?" You ask him. "You don’t want to anymore?"

"Truth."

"Okay, " you smile. "Are you hiding a crush too?"

"From you?"

"Yeah."

"Nah, ‘cause you know her and I know her too." he smiles. "She’s one of our classmates."

"What?" You get shocked. "I thought you said you didn’t have any other female friends and only me. Emma?"

"No, I am not friends with her. And not Emma."

"Who?" You guess. "Jessica?’

"No." He says. "You asked how many questions already?"

"Ugh." You sigh. "OK, now ask me."

"What?" He asks. "Who’s that guy you like?"

"No, truth or dare?" You laugh and get nervous.

"Okay."

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"You can change the song."

You change the song to The Only Exception by Paramore.

"Good choice." He smiles.

"Well, these are all the songs on your phone and the songs we listen to, so..."

"Can we stop playing now?" He asks.

"Alright."

"Can you make a poem or a deep saying about me?" He asks you.

"Oh, sure. Deep saying? The hell is that? Anyways…" You sigh. "My best friend, you in blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Standing on the rooftop with dirty sneakers, drinking an iced Americano. Listening to our favorite songs and playing truth or dare. I told you a random, deep thing in the middle of the afternoon about how lucky I am to have you as a best friend. Then I do something to make a shy boy like you flustered."

He smiles. "How do you know you could fluster me?"

"How about you?" You smile at him. "Say something about me too."

"In the spring air, your long hair blows in the right direction." He sighs. "In your favorite cardigan and light-washed jeans. Listening to Paramore and saying the random things you say that you don’t say all day. I think you’re lucky to have me, ‘cause I’m lucky too. Having a loyal and truthful best friend is all I need in a world filled with cruel people with stressful, depressing lives. Sometimes I want to jump off the ledge, but I remember you and your cute doodles on my arm. You might be the worst person for people, but you fill my world with color. You like that?"

"That’s crazy, ‘cause you said more words than I did." You laugh.

"You have said enough to make me happy." He smiles brightly.

You guys sit down and talk for hours. You guys laughed for many minutes about some stupid dad joke he mentioned. A few minutes later, you lay down on his lap and went to sleep.

While you sleep, he stares at you with admiration. He smiles because he feels himself getting closer to your face. The bell rings, and you wake up.

"Hey," he shakes you. "Wake up. I have classes."

"Skip it."

"Why?"

"I want you to stay." You frown, with red marks on your face from his pants.

"Sleep on my lap later and on the bus, so it’s more comfy." He moves your head gently off his lap and goes down to his class. "Talk to you later. Meet me at 7 p.m. near the bus stop. Bye, friend!"