From The Day I Met You

7~ One And The Same

I wish it were that simple. There's no way she would even begin to understand the amount of complexity that is my situation. Maisie was so sure of herself. So confident. I'm the complete opposite shy and afraid to confess my feelings to someone I'm supposed to trust the most. Not only am I shy, but I'm scared. Everything was riding on my friendship with Saida. If there was one mistake, then everything would change. A girl like Maisie would never have these problems because she gets whatever she wants. How could she see things from my perspective when we lived in 2 different worlds?

If my only issue were that I needed a promposal, my life would be so much easier. All you need is a poster board and a fine sense of how to make bubble letters then you're good to go. My problem required hard conversations to be had that I was simply not ready to do. My outlook was bleak, but it was the only way to protect myself from the harsh reality that my family may not accept me for who I am.

Still, I chuckled to mask the pain I was starting to feel. "No...I'm just wholly ignorant," I shrugged.

Her mouth makes a ticking noise, expressing her disagreement. "I think you're purposefully making it harder than it needs to be." Oh brother, here comes a lecture.

I giggle, not understanding where she would get that from. "How does one figure that I'm making it difficult?"

"Because, Summer, you and I are one and the same." She smirks.

My chest becomes tight hearing her say that. I shouldn't have even known what she meant but it was obvious. Maisie, the observation queen that she is, somehow knew my secret. That look in her eye never faltered as I was searching for any ounce of doubt that she may be wrong. Sadly, there was nothing. When she said her opinions, true or not, she stuck to them.

Panicking ensues on the inside as I'm trying to find any way to deny her claims. Rumors at Sunbury Academy can either make or break a person. I've seen the school expel people for nasty rumors that weren't even true. The higher-ups had no problem cleansing what they may consider a cancer to the academy's reputation. If anyone aside from the ones I trusted found out, and it didn't go over well; I'm done for.

Ms. Petrov, the ballet teacher, finally showed up saving me from the awkwardness of that situation. She immediately started yelling about us not being prepared. It's not like she wasn't the one that was late, but I digress. There was no desire for me to complain as Maisie had my head spinning. Is this going to be a recurring theme with her? She'll find me making my brain go into overdrive. Dealing with my feelings for Saida was enough on its own. Now Maisie came into the mix leaving me confused on what to do.

The whole class, I'm avoiding Maisie dancing anywhere that she's not. My focus, once again, was askew thanks to her calling me out. It was fine if she knew as I doubt she'd tell anybody. Maisie didn't seem like the type who liked to gossip. There wasn't anyone my eyes have caught her hanging around either. She was very much a girl who kept to herself. The only difference is, everyone loved her.

With that realization, I couldn't wait for class to be over. As soon as it was and everyone got changed, my sights set on catching her before she disappeared. She said we were one and the same, but what did she mean by that?

The bell rang for lunch, and I bolted out of the changing rooms. As soon as Maisie came into view, my feet ran over to her clutching her arm. Her hair was back down framing her face so picturesque. The closer we were the more her beauty stood out to me. That smile of hers every time she captured my gaze was bright and it was hard to fight back my attraction. Not that I wanted to date her. We barely knew each other. However, my mind couldn't help but think indecent thoughts when looking at her.

Filthy mind aside, I couldn't continue with my day without knowing what her words meant. Maybe it could help conclude what to do.

She licked her full pink lips, filling with euphoria that I stopped her. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She played coy. "It's lunch and you know what they say about leaving women hungry."

"Don't you even play innocent." I sighed. "What did you mean back there...in class?"

Her big ocean eyes roll but not in an aggravated manner. "I'm a lesbian Summer. Is that what you wanna hear?" She giggled.

I was taken aback by her honesty but relieved that what I perceived to be true was correct. Her interest in me wasn't fake and my head didn't know how to take it. Should I be happy, or nervous? My emotions weren't complaint of my wishes as the smile on my face couldn't be erased. A girl that I wasn't interested in at first, liked me. She came on to me. This had to be some sort of dream.

My arms crossed feeling sort of accomplished. "Y-you didn't have to be so straightforward about it." My voice goes back to its normal tone.

Her laugh, so gentle, fills the hall as she walks closer to me. "That's the difference between you and me," she says stretching up to whisper in my ear. "When I want something, I get it." She steps back with a smirk across her freckled face. "Now, will you walk with me to lunch?"

That sounded perfect, but I'm unsure how Saida would react to seeing us together. "Oh...I don't know," I hesitate.

Maisie links her arm to mine without a care in the world. "Sure you do," she smiles up at me. "Let's go."

At this point, there was no denying her. The intent in her eyes made it hard to disobey. It didn't seem all that bad to walk to the cafeteria together. My mind prayed that Saida would be in the art studio like she always is.