Sunshine and lollipops

I'm done saving the Princess in the tower. Figure out how to get down.

Leon's POV

🍭🍭🍭

After talking to Jacky for a bit and getting to know her I really like her. No, not in that way but as a friend. She's super cool.

She likes drawing. Always has. She's also really good at it. She used to want to be an actress but realized that dream was well, bad after what happened with her past. She really didn't need fame. Now she wants to be an artist. She's also into comics. Like, a lot. Her grandpa was a miner and her parents wanted her to continue with that. But she really doesn't like anything with mining.

She also wants to give inspiring speeches about child cruelty and mistakes. Also about anger issues and therapy. She says because it took people so long to help her that she wants to help them.

She's also really into soccer. Like obsessed with it. Her favorite team is DC United. She's gone to so many different games with her grandma for DC United. She also likes swimming.

She took ballet when she was younger when she lived in Russia. She hates it to no end.

She likes writing short stories but not reading. She claims it takes too long. I don't really like reading either.

Her grandma taught her to knit when she came here. She knitted her own quilt because when she left she hardly took anything with her. Tried to break away from the past.

She also is a cat person. She has two cats at home named Sprinkles and Fudge. Sprinkles is white with little sprinkles of orange and brown. Fudge is brown with dark green eyes. Apparently, they were found on the journey from Russia to here and Jacky begged for her to let her grandma take the kittens.

I'm really enjoying getting to know her.

"I have some Russian desserts that I brought from home today for lunch, want to try some of them?" She asks in the middle of lunch once we found a table near the doorway.

"Sure!" She takes out this thing from her lunch box.

"What are you looking at it like that for?! It's not going to kill you!" She laughs at me. I'm about to stab it with my fork before she stops me.

"No, no, no. You're eating it wrong, here, let me feed it to you to show you," she takes the pastry from her tray and starts to feed it to me.

She practically shoves it into my mouth. I chew it but I'm having a hard time eating in while trying to contain my laughter.

"That's really delicious!" I exclaim, I see she's smiling shyly to herself. She looks up at me and raises her hand. She tenderly puts her hand on my cheek.

"You had something on your cheek," she says. At that moment, I hear something crash to the ground. I look over to what made the noise and see it's Sandy. He looks like he's going to start crying again.

"Sandy, wait!" I get up from the table and go over to him. Jacky follows me to where Sandy is at the doorway.

"What, what do you want?" He asks, his voice sounds like it's about to break.

"What you saw there was-"

"Don't you dare say that it was nothing? Because if it was actually nothing, you would not have had to assure me nothing was there. Because obviously, you thought you were doing something wrong," he hisses at me.

"Sandy," I start.

"No, just leave me alone, tell your girlfriend she can take you home because I sure as hell will not!"

"She's not my girlfriend! Is that why you're upset? Because you think Jacky is my girlfriend? She is not my girlfriend," I try to say calmly. I look up and see Sandy doesn't believe me.

"So you just let you're best friend feed you food and wipe their hand intimately across your face?"

"I've eaten donuts out of your hands when we did the donut eating contest a few years back! Same with pretzels! And every Fourth of July we do the annual sip coke challenge where we make each other drink coke as fast as we can by feeding it to each other. Why is Jacky any different, Jacky and I are just friends like you and I." And at that moment, I can tell that was the wrong thing to say.

"Please Leon, don't talk to me for a while. Just, just give me some time. I'll talk to you when I'm ready, please, just, just don't talk to me until I'm ready," he pleads and then walks off.

"Sandy, this is unbelievable. You are being ridiculous. She's not my girlfriend, we are just friends."

He doesn't respond.

"Fine, be a baby. But don't expect me to come crawling back to you when you start crying. I'm done saving the princess in the tower. Figure out how to get down."

I shout back after him. Of course, he doesn't respond.

"Leon!"

"Jacky, what."

"You're angry. And being irrational. Just like me. You don't mean this. You'll be crying in your pillow about this a week later. But first, give him time. Then you need to explain yourself. Why are you angry that he needs alone time?"

Huh. I hadn't thought about that. I wonder why his wanting to spend time away from me made me upset.

Oh god.

Wait.

Oh no.

Seriously.

I think I might know the answer.

Of course, right then and there the answer flashes. Little images of how the situation could have gone come up in my head. I run up to him, kiss him.

I'm kissing my best friend.

I

I

I

I think that I'm crushing on Sandy. And this isn't a small crush. This is a huge crush. It's been building up for quite some time now. Like me being thrilled we are partners. Saying we weren't dating, but not quite believing myself. Not wanting to be apart.

Now I know that this is an absurd thought but I wish he liked me back. I want to date him but there is no way he likes me.

Right?