Light from my window was shining on my face.
I slowly opened my eyes.
The light was brighter than I thought.
I grabbed my phone to check the time. 11:48 am
I put my phone back down and turned to the other side to get some more sleep.
"Morning sunshine," Barry said just laying next to me.
I screamed and sat up abruptly.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" I shouted.
Barry laughed so hard that he started crying.
I laid back down rubbing my face harshly.
"I'm sorry," he said while wiping his tears.
I rolled my eyes and laid my head on his shoulder.
We laid in silence for a minute before I asked.
"Did my mom let you in?"
"Yes, she said she was feeling better and she decided to go to work. But she also told me to tell you, 'have a nice time on your date?'" He repeated confused. "You have a date?"
"It is not a date. I'm just going to Cascade diner with Nathan that is all.
He looked down at me confused.
"I'm just trying to get to know him as a friend," I said
He put his hand on my forehead. "Are you feeling okay Dre?"
I moved his hand " yes I am fine. I just feel like I misjudged him that's all. Everyone deserves a chance."
I decided to change the subject.
"So what are your plans today?" I asked.
"I came over here to see if wanted to do something but you have plans." He replied.
I felt bad for some reason. I never hung out with someone other than Barry before.
"We can do something tomorrow. We can binge-watch saved by the bell tomorrow." I exclaimed.
He laughed at my excited tone.
Barry is one of those people who put other people's feelings first and I hate that.
He deserves to be happy just like everyone else.
"Ok, what time do you want me to come over?" He asked
"At 4" I replied.
"Will you be up when I come over tomorrow?" He asked with a wide smile.
"Maybe, maybe not" then out of the blue, and started to rock me back and forth like a baby.
I was laughing aloud and so was he.
He stopped after a while and kissed my forehead.
"I'll see you tomorrow Dre." And with that, he left my room.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if we were together.
Would we be happy?
Would we be closer than we are now or will it ruin our friendship?
But then I realized that we were just friends and that's a line I would never cross.
***
When noon came I finally got out of bed and started to get ready.
I wore an oversized black graphic t-shirt, some jeans, and my black and sneakers.
I did nothing with my curly-dyed blond hair.
I loved my hair and I especially love my light brown skin.
My mom is African American and my dad is Puerto Rican.
I've never met him or at least I don't remember meeting him, but my mom has told me a little about him.
She doesn't like to talk about him much and I never pressured her about it but she didn't want me to be clueless about him.
She told me they use to be in love, how he used to teach her some Spanish, how he taught her to play the guitar, and that he died a year after my birth.
I wish I could be sad but I'm not.
It's hard to feel sad for someone you don't know.
But I do think about him a lot.
I just wish my mom would've kept a picture of him just to see what he looked like.
***
I decided to watch tv until he arrived.
Eventually, he texted me that he was outside.
When I walked outside it started to drizzle, I walked a little faster to his car and got in.
When I got in he didn't even look my way.
His face was scrunched up in annoyance.
He was wearing a grey sweater though not taking the attention off his hand tattoos and dark blue jeans.
We sat in silence for the entire ride.
***
When we arrived at Cascade diner he got out of the car and came over to open my door.
I smiled at him and got out.
When we went inside we went to a booth.
We ended up passing a group of men saying vulgar remarks when I pass by.
I choose to ignore it and sit down across the booth near the window.
The second we sat down a waitress appeared.
"Hello I'm Sara and I'll be your server today. Can I get you guys something to drink?" She asked.
"Water please," I said nervously.
"Lemonade," he said.
She wrote it down and walked away.
I looked back at Nathan.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to guess?" I asked him.
He sighed before saying "My mom is getting remarried."
Oh
"What's wrong with that?" I whispered.
"It's only been a year since—" he stopped.
"Since your father left you" I finished for him.
"Pretty much."
"What's his name?" I asked
"Greg banks" he replied.
"Ew," I said not meaning to say it out loud.
He chuckled "yeah ew," he said.
"You don't like him?"
"It's not that I don't like him it's just that it's too soon. My mom's happiness is the most important thing to me but she didn't even ask me how I felt about it. Or how I felt when my dad left. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid," I said softly
"I'm sorry I'm over here talking about my dad leaving when— it was inconsiderate." He said
"No, it's ok you needed to get that off your chest." I chuckled
He smiled "So, what else do you want to talk about?" I nodded.
Before I could answer the waitress, Sarah had come with the water and lemonade.
"Are you ready to order your food?" She asked
I ordered a burger and fries and Nathan ordered a crunch wrap.
***
After an hour and a half of talking and eating I realized how funny Nathan is.
I laughed more with him than I ever did my entire life.
He told me how he got arrested for throwing up in front of a racist white trump supporters' house because they told his parents that since they were white they should stay away from "colored people."
He told me that he wanted to play basketball but because his dad didn't like basketball, so he chose football.
In the middle of our conversation, my phone began to ring.