She puts her hands on her hips with a heavy exhale, careful not to look directly at me and call her dad’s attention, but I see the smile I wanted grace her face.

My dad moves the curtain aside and looks at me questioningly, but then he sees Olivia in her yard and he must know what I’m doing, so he just nods and closes the curtain. As the hour goes on, it gets chillier outside, but I don’t go in until she does. Her dad runs inside but she lingers for just a moment to mouth a silent “thank you” to me. She doesn’t have to thank me.

That’s what best friends are for.

Olivia

Thirteen years old

Today is going to be a great day.

The weather is absolutely perfect. The sun is shining brightly enough that I can feel its rays kissing my skin with a delicate grace as I stand on my front lawn, but it’s not so hot that I’m sweating through my shirt.

My dad actually decided to leave me alone for a day and let me just be a teenager.

I get to go to the fair today, which I’ve never been to before, and the best part? I get to spend the day with my favorite boy.

Ugh, I’ve got to play it cool.

Kai has been my best friend for a year now, but in the last three months, I don’t know what happened. One minute, I was whooping his butt in Super Smash Bros and making fun of him with Kylie and the next I was wanting to run my hands through his curls and make him my first kiss.

My first real crush. I mean, yes, David Beckham makes an appearance in my dreams every night. Have you seen that smile and that curved free kick? Unreal. But this is a real boy we’re talking about! A boy I can touch, who I do touch. Often.

Did that sound weird? I just mean we hug a lot, and play fight, and bump fists. You know, all the actions of best friends. Which is all we are so I need to lock this crush down because I can’t lose him.

All I’ve ever wanted to do is play soccer.

And then I met Kai.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s still the only thing I want to do. Soccer is the blood in my veins, but Kai is the air in my lungs. I can’t live without either one.

“Are you ready to go or do you want to pray to the sun god some more?”

Oh crap. Of course, he caught me facing the sun with my eyes closed and hands out to my sides like a weirdo.

I spin around and there he is—the beautiful boy with the beautiful smile. He looks good in his Space Jam T-shirt, basketball shorts, and Air Force Ones. His lips look soft and welcoming. Stop looking at his lips.