Kadie sat in the back, twirling a pen between her fingers while her blue eyes scanned the room. Her gaze landed on Aubrey, the choir kid with curly brown hair and twinkling brown eyes, who was engrossed in conjugating verbs.
"Looks like someone’s ready to serenade us with some Spanish ballads," Kadie teased, flashing a playful grin.
"Only if you promise to cheer me on with your pom-poms," Aubrey shot back, her smile wide as she met Kadie's gaze.
Between classes, Kadie and Aubrey often found themselves sharing lunch, their trays clattering on a sun-dappled picnic table.
"You know, you’re like my sunshine," Kadie quipped, her voice light and teasing.
"If you mean I’m blinding, then yes," Aubrey laughed, tossing a grape at Kadie who caught it effortlessly.
Underneath the banter, Kadie felt her heart flutter, a secret she kept even as she longed for Aubrey to see beyond the jokes.
Kadie’s[/@ch_1] room, fairy lights twinkling softly, music playing low.]
Kadie lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts a jumble of emotions. She replayed their conversations, each flirty remark a hint she hoped Aubrey would understand.
"Why can’t I just tell her how I feel?" she whispered to herself, the words hanging in the air, unanswered.
Kadie watched from the sidelines as Aubrey chatted with a boy from the choir. Despite trying to smile, a pang of jealousy twisted in her chest.
"You okay?" her friend asked, noticing Kadie’s distraction.
"Yeah, just... lost in thought," Kadie replied, her mind elsewhere, on how much she wanted to be the one making Aubrey laugh.
Aubrey sat across from Kadie, pretending to study while stealing glances at her friend. Each shared laugh, every brush of hands over textbooks, became moments she cherished more than she realized.
"Could she really mean it?" Aubrey mused, her heart skipping as she dared to imagine the possibility.
Kadie and Aubrey stood side by side, overlooking the sprawling campus.
"Aubrey," Kadie began, her voice steady despite the fluttering in her stomach, "I’ve been meaning to tell you something."
"I think I already know," Aubrey interrupted, turning to face Kadie, her eyes soft and hopeful.
"And I feel the same way," she added, her words a balm to Kadie’s anxious heart, sealing their friendship with a newfound understanding.
