[Nightblood.]

We sat on the roof of her house, a typical evening in a typical subdivision of Florida where all the houses look identical and pink flamingos and garden gnomes sprinkle the perfectly manicured lawns of her neighbors. In the distance we could hear the sound of kids splashing in the community pool, the same pool we grew up swimming in during the hot and humid Florida summers. The sun was setting, casting a soft pink and orange glow on the clouds. We sat on the roof for the sunset every chance we had, it was our time to talk and be close or just sit in comfortable silence.

She lied on her back and I watched her watching the sunset. She had the greenest eyes I had ever seen, the deep emerald of Irish fields. I liked that she didn't feel like she always had to wear layers of makeup. She had hair that resembled dark wood, but it gave off a soft, warm, glow. I knew so much about her from countless sleepovers. Her shampoo smelled of lilacs, but she used body wash made for men because she hated smelling too much like flowers. She still used little kid toothpaste because she likes the taste. She used strawberry chapstick because the taste of cherries made her gag. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help the direction these thoughts led me. I didn't want to like other girls, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't deny it anymore. I was bursting inside, hiding a secret I could no longer bear.

I propped myself up on my elbows, looked at her, and said "I love you." She looked at me and said, as we've said many times before, "I know, I love you too." This was my last chance to back out; my last chance to keep this declaration to myself. But no, I couldn't. This sentence was burning a hole in my brain and I knew I had to tell her. "You don't understand," I said, "I love you....as more than a friend." There was silence for a few minutes, I looked at my red converse because I couldn't bear seeing her face, her reaction. Finally, she spoke. She smirked as she replied with such ease, "I know." And then she slipped her hand into mine, my life falling into place as the first stars peeked through the passing clouds.