The Cat and the Confession

I've been hiding behind the bleachers for twenty minutes when Zoe finds me.

"There you are," she says, sliding down the wall to sit beside me. "Everyone's asking where you ran off to."

I pull my knees to my chest, studying my scuffed Vans. "I can't go back out there."

"Because of what happened with Jordan?"

My face burns. Of course she knows. By now, the entire homecoming dance probably knows.

It was supposed to be perfect. Jordan - my crush since seventh grade, my friend since kindergarten - finally asked me to dance. We'd been talking for weeks, bonding over our shared hatred of gym class and our mutual love for that old show with the talking cat. I thought tonight was the night everything would change.

Instead, I froze.

The DJ started playing our song. Jordan looked at me with those soft brown eyes, waiting. And I just - panicked. Like literally turned around and sprinted out of the gym like a bear was chasing me.

Who does that?

"He feels terrible," Zoe says quietly. "He thinks he did something wrong."

"No, I'm the one who messed everything up." I drop my head into my hands. "I've been dreaming about this moment forever, and when it finally happened, I couldn't handle it. I'm pathetic."

Zoe bumps my shoulder with hers. "You're not pathetic. You're human. And you know what? Jordan's been waiting for you to make a move since eighth grade."

My head snaps up. "What?"

"The swimming party last summer? When you were too scared to jump off the high dive? He stayed in the pool for an hour encouraging you. That's not just friend behavior, Maya."

I remember that day. How Jordan's voice was the only one that mattered. How my stomach did that flippy thing every time they smiled at me.

"You're overthinking it," Zoe says. "Just go talk to him."

"What if I freeze again?"

"Then you freeze. But at least you'll know."

The gym doors burst open, spilling music and laughter into the cool night air. I take a deep breath, stand up, and brush off my dress. My heart's pounding like crazy, but something's different now.

I spot Jordan immediately, standing near the snack bar, scanning the crowd.

When our eyes meet, he starts walking toward me.

And this time, I don't run.