Leap Year (✔)

October 11

~141 Days till Leap Day~

Everybody was on edge by Friday night. It might have been a better idea to stay home and rest the night before the dance, but Pablo insisted his senior year homecoming game was the ultimate high school experience, not to be missed.

So that Friday at seven, Rosie, Pablo, Hailey, Brie, Tessa, and Beojun squeezed their way up the bleacher steps and crammed themselves onto the end of one of the topmost rows.

With Pablo and Brie being the only ones with both a license and a car, the six of them living on different sides of the city, and Pablo insisting they stop for soft pretzels at concessions, they'd missed the kick-off.

This was a great tragedy for Tessa, who was the only one of the six who actually understood the game.

An arctic breeze blew across Rosie's bare legs, so cold that her knees chattered together. She had forgotten how chilly it could get at night and had made the mistake of wearing shorts.

The game stalled for a few minutes while Darliss's wide receiver argued with the referee. In Rosie's opinion, some people took football way too seriously.

"This is BORINGGGG!" Pablo booed, jumping up and down to stay warm. "WHEN'S THE HALFTIME SHOW?"

Tessa clenched her jaw. "You're the one who asked to come."

It was still only the first quarter. Rosie's freezing fingers clutched the cold seat of the metal bleacher. She was squished on the end of the row, next to Beojun. Rosie allowed herself a glance at Brie, who was sitting two places away, sandwiched between Pablo and Tessa.

"You remember when I said listening to the seniors complain about their college apps was torture," Beojun whispered, sticking a bite of soft pretzel in his mouth.

"Yeah." Rosie was taken by surprise. It wasn't like Beojun to initiate a conversation.

"Well listening to Pablo and Tessa is new kind of torture. I'm outta here." Beojun muttered, hurrying past Rosie and down the bleacher steps. Rosie wished she could follow him, but her mom was still at work, so she was counting on a ride from Pablo.

Currently, her ride was bending over to socialize with people in the bleacher below him. "You're blocking my view." Tessa smacked Pablo on the back, causing him to lose his balance and almost tumble down into the crowd.

"What's your problem?" Pablo shouted.

Brie stood awkwardly between them, trying to act like nothing was happening even though everyone in a ten foot radius was turning to listen.

"Would you two shut up?" Hailey groaned, all the way on the other side of the bleacher from Rosie.

"Agreed!" Rosie shouted. "And get away from Brie, you're suffocating her." They were standing around her like wrestlers eyeing each other before a match.

Pablo rolled his eyes at Rosie. "Would you shut up about Brie for once?"

Rosie felt her cheeks turn red. The hot embarrassment spread up into her ears.

"Pablo, if you don't want to be here, then leave," Tessa spat.

"I could tell you the same thing."

"Fine." Tessa stalked past Pablo, jabbing him with her shoulder as she did. "But don't expect to see me tomorrow!" She added as she huffed down the steps.

Tomorrow. The homecoming dance.

"All the better!" Pablo yelled, even though Tessa was too far away to hear. "Come on, Hailey. Vamos! Let's go home."

"Wait--" Rosie started to say; she needed the ride. But Brie interrupted her:

"I can drive you home after, if you want to stay."

Rosie looked around. It was just the two of them.

Brie set down her pretzel wrapper and cheese sauce and scooted closer to Rosie.

"Thanks for defending me earlier," Brie said. "It was getting pretty uncomfortable." Her face was close and Rosie could smell the cheese sauce on her breath.

She felt a tingling at her hand. It was Brie, fluttering her fingers against Rosie's palm.

Rosie fit her fingers through Brie's and let her palm rest on the smooth inside of Brie's hand. They hadn't mentioned their kiss in three weeks and now Brie was holding her hand.

What does this mean?! Rosie wanted to scream.

The bright lights glowed around the football field and the commentator's voice boomed through the bleachers. The sky was now complete darkness enveloping them. Rosie noticed she wasn't cold anymore.

She wanted to relax and watch the game, but the fight between Tessa and Pablo and the uncertainty of whatever was happening between her and Brie made Rosie wish she were anywhere else.

➣