Definition Diner

38. congratulations

Saturday, November 22nd

I had arrived at Colin's early. He told everyone to come over at six, but I had gotten there early to wish Kayden a goodbye and safe travel back to school. The drive wasn't long, but I didn't get to see him often.

The get together was simultaneously congratulating me on winning my scholarship, and congratulating the boys for winning the first game of the season.

It wasn't too often that our basketball team won. Although almost the exact same people built up our football team, their skills were definitely on the field and not the court.

Therefore, I was on set up crew with Colin, finding enough blankets from around the house and getting the snacks out of the cupboard so eight people weren't all rifling through them at once. Something a lot easier said than done considering more than half of those people are teenage boys with the appetite of a bear.

"Who all even said they were coming?" I hum the question out while trying to stuff my arms full with chip bags, proving more difficult than expected.

"Shan, Nate, Ryan, Brax, Mia," Colin takes a break from listing off our entire friend group, "and Cade." With the last name, he looks at me, trying to see my reaction.

The chips are successfully on the counter, and Colin has successfully gathered enough throw blankets that it looked like he had robbed Target. "No Harper?"

He's sitting on the couch, twisted so that he was facing me over the back of it, arms folded on top and his head on top of that. An annoyed expression taking up the surface area of his face. "No she had something going on, but Cade will be here." The name is the only part that Colin sings.

"I heard you the first time." I sing back, sneaking a chip before joining him on the couch. "I don't know how you want me to react? We're clearly friends."

His eyes follow me, clearly wanting me to entertain the conversation he was trying to have. "Yes, but something weird happened between you two, and I'm pretty sure everyone else knows but me." He pouts, unconsciously.

"You are not the only one who doesn't know."

"Shan and Nate both know, and they won't spill anything." They have each other to gossip to, of course, they won't tell anybody else.

I debate, whether I should tell him or not. Colin is known for not being able to keep a secret. But it's in the past and I know that if I tell him not to, he probably won't. "You will keep it to yourself?" He gives an overexaggerated nod. "Talk to no one. Seriously." He nods once more, leaning in to get the details.

"That day when both of us came to talk to you, we were coming to talk about the same thing."

He rolls his eyes in the slightest, "that I gathered."

I find myself running my fingers over my knuckles, nervous to say it out loud outside of the bathroom walls, and almost giddy to share. I shouldn't be giddy, I shouldn't be happy in the slightest. I told him no. "We were hanging out, and I took him to the park," Colin interrupts me with a gasp. He knows of the park, but like Shan, I had never taken him. "And we kissed."

My eyes leave my hands, scared to see Colin's reaction. His eyes look as if they're about to pop out of his head, his mouth opens so wide that I'm sure he could dislocate his jaw like a PEZ dispenser. But he was quiet, in utter shock.