I locked the door as I made my way to the mirror. My face was so red. Was I embarrassed… No, I wasn’t embarrassed. My heart stopped when he got so close to my face. I felt disappointed when he started to apologize and ran off. 

As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Marco's sudden departure had caught me off guard, and now I was left grappling with the realization that I might have feelings for him. It hit me like a ton of bricks, a revelation that both excited and terrified me.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. The sound of my heartbeat echoed loudly in my ears, drowning out everything else. My hands trembled as I reached up to touch my flushed cheeks.

I leaned against the bathroom counter, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of my emotions. How could I have been so blind to my feelings for Marco? And what did this mean for our friendship? The thought of losing him sent a pang of sadness coursing through me.

But amidst the chaos of my thoughts, there was also a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, Marco felt the same way. Maybe our friendship could blossom into something more beautiful, something that transcended labels and boundaries. But before I could entertain that possibility, I needed to sort through my feelings and figure out what I truly wanted.

 I quickly made my way over to the meeting room where Roxy was leading the conversation. Roxy's eyes fell onto me, she raised an eyebrow as she spoke. I waved her over to me and she shook her head no. She signed the words in 15 minutes as she continued to speak to everyone else.

 A sigh escaped my lips. I lean against the wall waiting for her to be done with her stories. I always loved her stories but right now I needed to talk to her. 

 What felt like the longest 15 minutes of my life, Roxy pulled herself away from the crowd. She leans against the wall next to me. “Well, aren’t you looking like a lost puppy?” She pinches my cheek. 

 I roll my eyes at her. “And you are the popular one,” I grumble. Roxy smirks a little. “Well, it takes talent to be this perfect.” She jokes

 I let out a small smile. She raised an eyebrow at me before she spoke, “So what is it?” She always looked concerned for those who she considered her children.

 “I have a crush.” I directly stated. Her eyes stare at my face with a bit of confusion. “Like I have a crush on another dipshit who doesn’t think my gender is real?” She asked. I stifled a laugh.

 “Well no not exactly but I think he might be straight,” I say. Roxy rolls her eyes. “I swear if I have to go on my whole straight, it doesn't just mean they only like girls and I will be here all night.” I laugh at those words. “But most of the time it does.” I retorted. She sighs as she nods. 

 “So who is it?” She asks. I fiddle my thumbs for a minute. “You know the guy you were talking to earlier,” I say. She gave me a serious look. “Are you telling me you got a crush on a guy you just met?” She said,

 “I did not just meet him,” I say with a glare. “I started talking to him 8 days ago when he wanted to join a D&D game.” I finished. She laughs a little. “Well, 8 days is too soon to know who someone is.”

 I roll my eyes because she is right. “I know… I know. But is a crush real?” I ask. She thinks for a moment. “Alright let me say this… you know I am demi-sexual and demi-romantic. I don’t really get the straight-away crushes or wanting to bang a stranger.” She started. 

 I stifled a laugh at the last part since she knew I’m openly ace. “My point is I will be against straight away wanting to date someone you just met but…” She thinks for a moment. “Hand me your phone.”

 I pulled my phone out of my jacket. “Why?” I asked. “You're gonna ask him out.” She said, My face became very hot. “What?!” my voice cracked. 

 She smirks at me. “You like him.” I pull my hand away as she attempts to take it from me. “I thought you were anti “Don’t date anyone you just met,” I whisper yelled. She reaches herself over my body trying to grab my phone from my hand. “I will make an exception this one time.” She says proudly.

 She laughs as I struggle to keep my phone away from her. She eventually grabs my phone and rushes out of the room. “Roxanne!” I yelled as I fumbled to get up and chase after her. I ran after her as I noticed she was going through my phone. Suddenly I regret giving her my password to my phone.

 Roxy eventually stopped running around and gave me a smirk. I felt fear tug on my heart. What the hell did she do? I stopped right behind her catching my breath. She hands me my phone, “You’ll thank me later.” She said,

 I quickly looked at my phone to see she had texted Marco. My soul left my body as I read it.

-June 9th - 1:10 pm-

River: Hey, Do you wanna go on a

date with me? Monday night at

Patty’s?

I looked at Roxy as she started to do her victory dance. “Roxy, I’ll strangle you,” I said as I jumped on her causing her to laugh.