A Summer's Crushlist

Writing my crush list in a crowded place was such a dumb mistake. Derek, my seatmate in Biology class, somehow ended up with my list. "It's simple, Maya Ilagan. Just do everything on my list, and then I'll give this back to you."

I stood there, hands on my hips. "I can't stand you, Derek Torrez!"

He flashed a smile, patting my head. "You've got the spirit of a cute little tiger with that temper."

"Give it back!"

But he was too tall, and no matter how high I tried to reach on my tiptoes, the list was out of my grasp.

"Let's start with number one: I want those chocolate donuts. And don't forget the next one, it's pretty important: roses. The third one is non-negotiable: you have to talk to my crush for me. I'm too shy to do it myself. Once you're done, you'll get this back."

"Fine!" I huffed, crossing my arms and heading towards our first stop: the nearby donut shop.

As soon as I got there, a friendly smile from the old lady caught my attention. "Hi there, you don't need to pay. They're on the house."

"No, please take my money. You might need it."

"Take the donuts. Consider it a gift."

I smiled. "Okay."

With the donuts in hand, I completed mission number one. I whispered to myself, "Finding someone selling roses around here might be tough. There don't seem to be any nearby. I might fail mission number two."

Suddenly, I heard a vendor singing, catching my attention. "Oh, red roses!"

I walked over and asked with a smile, "Are you selling those?"

"No, I'm giving them away. Take three."

I grinned. "Really?"

"Yes, consider it an act of kindness."

"Thank you so much!" I took the three roses, feeling accomplished as I finished mission number two.

For the third mission, I had to talk to Derek's crush, someone he described as being too perfect. Oh no! I never got the chance to ask him her name!

I headed back to school, and at the entrance, I spotted Derek with a smile on his face.

"So, you've completed missions one and two. Congrats!"

"I still need to do the last one. Who is your crush? I need to talk to her, right? Tell me her name so I can get this over with."

Derek cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. "I guess before school ends, I should tell her how I feel. Graduation is coming up..."

"Come on, Derek, just tell me her name. Spit it out," I said impatiently.

"Um, I wanted to ask her if she'd take a picture with me as a souvenir. After graduation, she's moving abroad," Derek hesitated, his eyes filled with loneliness.

I could see the sadness in his gaze, but I was too focused on getting my list back. "Her name... Derek."

With a shy smile, Derek finally revealed, "... Maya Ilagan." His smile warmed my heart. "Those donuts and roses are for you."