First Sight

Five

A few months pass, and summer break is rapidly approaching. Mira and Peter are still the only ones who know. I still daydream about what life would be like in a relationship with Grant. I start to have regrets telling Peter and Mira so early because I thought I was lying to myself. But after a while, I finally start accepting it.

For my birthday, Mira buys me a bracelet. It's made of a thin black cord, and it has beads in the colors of the rainbow.

"It's so you can be proud of who you are and show it off, but it's subtle enough that people would have to be looking for it in order to notice it."

And sure enough, Peter notices it. He doesn't say anything, he just smiles wide.

While I'm at home, I cover it with a long sleeve shirt, jacket, or I just put it on when I leave the house. If my parents saw it...

I finally come to terms that Grant is just a friend, and that's all he'll ever be. He, Mira, and I hang out a lot, and we do most of our homework together.

One night we were all studying for a test when Mira's and Grant's phones go off almost simultaneously. "Oh my gosh!" Grant says.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Samantha," Grant says.

"She just sent out a group DM to almost all of the junior class," Mira explains. "Apparently she's planning a party that she's calling a 'Senior Start.'"

"So like... an end-of-the-year party?"

"I guess so." Grant tosses his phone back onto the carpet. "I don't really care."

Mira reaches over and grabs Grant's arm. "We should go! All three of us!"

"I don't know Mira," I say, "if Samantha is starting it you know exactly how that'll end up."

Grant chuckles. "She'll be blackout drunk and throwing her body on anyone in sight except her boyfriend."

"Oh, come on guys! We can all stick together, please?" Mira holds out "please" and looks at us with wide eyes.

Grant and I look at each other. Finally, I break the silence. "I'll go, but only if all of us go."

"Okay yeah me too, I guess." Grant smiles, and Mira squeals and hugs us both.

"Oh geez okay, I didn't know I would get this close to a girl today," I joke.

Mira lets me go and smacks me playfully on my arm. "Oh shut up! Anyway. We should probably finish studying."

We crammed as much information as possible that night but I still somehow only got a 78% on the test.