INDIE'S SITTING RIGHT beside me. "I asked my uncle if I could go to your house because..." She takes a moment to think. A long moment.
"Because..." I drag the word out.
"Uh...because you're my friend and I don't think Alaska likes me."
"Why do you say that?"
As I pull into the garage, she shows me her text that says "seen" at its bottom.
"Well, she never texts me either. And she's like a little sister to me." I hope so. I wish I could back in time to the moment we dated. I wish I'd never done that. I sigh hoping she'll just grab me and pull me in close, but I don't even know if she likes me like that. I shake the thought of having a chance with her out of my head. She has on a baggy lifeguard shirt and leggings that show every curve on her legs, "do you ever swim or run track?" I say before I even realized it myself hoping that she didn't catch on.
"No," she laughs.
"What do you like doing?" I say glazing at her brown skin sun-kissed by the sun and the universe as her hand lets go of the door handle and she slouches down hunched over her phone.
She looks up at me and straightens up, "oh, I like...art and science."
"Oh, me too. I like life science. Like, what's happening in the world and what people are doing to it."
"Oh, I like astrology and the history behind it."
"Oh, cool. So you like school?"
"Yeah. I like going even more because--" she cuts off and stammers, "Uh c-can we go outside?"
"Sure." I hop out and so does she.
"It's sunny out, can we just walk...or something?"
"Sure..." I space out as I see her cheeks flourish looking down. I look down too. I had not realized that I'm holding her hand. It's warm, my pale fingers united with hers of a crisp like "ritz crackers" my favorite crackers. She doesn't shy away she just simply stands there waiting for the garage door to open. We wait until the slow hum of machinery lifts the door up as the sun spills all over the garage. We walk out as the heat of the sun hits our bodies uniting us once again.