“Hey.” I drop beside her. Autumn’s eyes widen as she regards me. Suddenly, she bursts out laughing, which only confuses me, but I grin as I ask her, “What?”
“You look like you’ve been through a car wash,” she tells me with another little giggle that makes my heart soar. When I hear her laugh, my heart does stupid things. I don’t even think she’s noticed, but I have—she’s growing up, and she’s prettier every day.
I want to tell her that I like her more than just friends. But I can’t. Even though we promised each other to always offer the truth, I know it will only make things weird between us. That’s what we said, our pact. We said that forever friends always tell the truth, no matter what.
Shrugging, I tell her instead, “It feels like I did. My dad dropped me off two blocks from school because he had a meeting.” I roll my eyes in frustration, and the moment I say it, I notice the sadness overtake her expression. My heart hurts when she looks at me like that, and I want to hug her, but I don’t.
“JD and Autumn sitting in a tree.”
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
The taunting starts, and it makes me nervous. If the kids keep doing that, then perhaps Autumn won’t want to be my friend anymore. That makes me sad. I glance at her, noticing her eyes shimmering with tears, and I know if I don’t do something or say something, she’ll start crying.
“Leave us alone, idiots!” My voice echoes in the big cafeteria, and the kids who were teasing us run off, laughing. “Ignore them,” I tell her with a grin before I place her candy bar on the table. “That’s yours.”
“A whole one? For me?”
“Yeah, my mom bought them for me, and I grabbed an extra one. I knew you would need one because it’s raining today.” My heart does strange beats in my chest when she looks at me like I just told her that I’ve bought her a puppy. I always listen to her. When she told me about her fear of being out in the rain but enjoying the sound of it, I was confused at first, but then I got it. I don’t know how, but I just smiled and nodded, knowing that I’d be able to calm her down and distract her if she was ever scared.
“Thanks,” she says, smiling as she rips the wrapper and takes a big bite of the crunchy, chocolatey goodness.
“Any time, Snickers,” I laugh, calling her the nickname that I gave her not long after we met. She's always loved her candy bars, and I enjoy seeing her smile when I'm the one to bring her one every day.
“You going to get lunch?” she asks me in-between bits of chewing and swallowing.
“Yeah, you want anything?” I ask, looking at her empty lunch box. She shakes her head, looking rather happy with her chocolate, so I leave her to finish up her homework and eat her candy bar.
She’s my best friend.
My friend forever.
Chapter Three
Autumn
Thirteen years old
I hear my momma come home from work. She enters my bedroom moments later as I am just finishing up my homework for math class. It’s been so long since we moved into this apartment, but I still can’t get used to the smaller space.
Our home was beautiful. Daddy bought it when he and momma got married. It was the heart of our family, and when Dad died, we couldn’t afford it anymore. The upkeep became too much, and we moved.
“Hey, sweet girl,” Momma greets as she reaches my desk.
“Hi, Momma.” I smile, standing to give her a hug and kiss. It’s our ritual. Every time she comes home, we always greet each other properly. No matter what’s happened or even if we’ve had a disagreement. Being a teenager is hard, and being friends with a boy you love is even more difficult.
“How was your day?” Momma asks, settling on the chair at my vanity. She looks so pretty today in a red polka-dot dress. Momma sings at the local jazz club, and she’s been teaching me to sing as well. My natural talent comes from her, and I have a love of music, which only seems to make my voice stronger. I can’t explain it, but I know if I wasn’t into it, I wouldn’t be as good as I am.
“Momma,” I say, nerves tumbling in my stomach. “I wanted to ask you something. I mean . . .” My cheeks burn with embarrassment. We haven’t really spoken about boys before, mainly because I have never been interested in any of the boys at school.
Except one.
“What’s wrong, Autumn?” she asks, worry creasing her beautiful face. My momma is a stunner; that’s what Dad used to call her. It always made me giggle because I saw how she would blush.
“I don’t know. I mean, I do know, but I’m scared. Nervous.” I look at my mother, a softness in her gaze that seems to shine when she looks at me. Affection and love are two things I’ve never wanted for because my mother has given me both. I’m lucky and thankful.
“Autumn,” my mother says. “You can tell me anything. Are you hurt? Is someone hurting you or teasing you?” The worry on her face makes me feel bad.
“No, Momma,” I insist. “It’s . . .” I sigh, trying to find the courage to tell her. It’s strange telling my mother something I really should have a best friend for. And not the best friend it’s actually about. “I like JD.” The words tumble from my lips in a whoosh. When I first met him at eight years old, I never thought he would become such a big part of my life, and now, I have my first crush.
I look at her. My mother doesn’t seem at all shocked or worried. There’s a smile on her face, which makes me frown. I expected her to tell me I’m too young or to tell me that I shouldn’t like my best friend.
But she doesn’t do or say either of those things. Instead, my momma nods and responds, “I know, sweet girl. There are times when you look at him just the way I would look at your dad when I was young.”
There were so many times over the past few months that I would think about how my parents were when they met. I wondered if my mom and dad ever exchanged lunches. I haven’t asked her, but I used to see them smile at each other over the dinner table, and there were times when Dad gave Mom the last few French fries from his plate or even allowed her to steal his ice cream when we would sit watching a movie.
It was in those times I thought about the day I would meet someone who would be my person. And I knew when I grew up, I wanted a prince like Daddy was for Momma. And I’ll also smile when he kisses me on the forehead and wraps his arms around me to keep me safe from anything bad. And JD does that. He’s done that for years. It’s only now, at the tender age of thirteen, I realize he’s my person.
“You’re still young, sweet girl. And love comes in many forms,” Momma tells me. “Over time, you’ll find your feelings will change. JD is part of your life, a good part, and if he feels the same, then when you’re old enough, you can date.”
“When will I be old enough?”
“When you’re sixteen. But also, you have to remember, being careful when you’re around a boy is important. Don’t allow him to do anything you don’t want him to do. And you’re not allowed to be intimate with a boy until you’re at least eighteen.”