“You go.” Tim nudged me as I groaned. I didn’t want to go. “I have a paper bag over my head, what will her parents even think?” I whispered harshly to him, keeping in mind that Paige was asleep in the back seat.

“You’re the one with a crush on her. Be a good crush now.” He smirked when I groaned and blushed at the same time.

“Fuck you.”

“Ew, better not.”

Face-palming myself, I slapped him on the arm before getting out of the car. I took in a lungful of fresh air before opening the back-seat door and taking the heavy sleeping body of Paige out.

Now, that I was holding her properly, I could feel how heavy she really was.

Although, I didn’t want to call her fat or make her feel that way, I still wanted her to be awake so that she could just walk by herself to her own house.

One thing that I hated was meeting anyone’s parents. I hadn’t even met Tim’s parents yet and he was my best-est friend in the world.

I tried not to let go of Paige’s body, even when my hands were shaking terribly.

Walking over to the front door of her medium-sized house, I gulped a million times, trying to get my throat to not feel like it would just close up and no words would come out.

It was only when I had reached the front door when Paige began to struggle in my hold.

Oh no, oh no!

I could hear my arms whimpering at the excessive weight of her struggling and before I knew it, I had let her go and she was now on the stoned pathway that was in front of her house, and did I mention that she was now wide awake? No, well, she was.

“Ouch!”

“I’m so sorry, but you were struggling and you’re really heavy!”

She looked up at me with her eyes still drooping a little, before giving me a glare, and offering her hand to me. “H-Help me up.”

I immediately helped her up and dusted her off. She continued to glare at me and soothed her butt.

Her actions made me want to laugh at her but I controlled the urge. “W—where am I?” She slurred as she looked around. I coughed before speaking, “at your house.”

Her head turned to me abruptly and she groaned loudly. “But I wanted to dance some more.”

I shook my head, not wanting her to go back to that stupid party where Darren was gonna dance with her again, and then I’d be jealous even when she wasn’t my girlfriend or anything.

“You need rest.”

She shook her head this time before stepping a bit close to me. My breath hitched when she spoke her next sentence. “B-but, I wanted to d-dance with you.” Even though, her words were a bit slurred and whiny, my heart picked up its pace.

She wanted to dance with me?

“Um-uh.” Great, my inability to form words was back.

“I k-know you wanted to dance with me too. Because you have a teeny-weeny crush on me.” She poked at my shoulder as my breath hitched completely and I felt heat come up to my cheeks. Teeny-weeny? I’d say, very huge.

Wait, how did she even know that I had a crush on her?

“Uh, h-how did you know that?” She smiled widely before shaking her head. “You do have a crush on me!”

Face-palming myself for telling her that I had a crush on her, I grabbed her arms and took her to her house’s front door. “You should go inside.”

I was about to walk back to Tim’s car, but I was pulled back and pushed up against the wall beside the front door. “I-I really want to kiss you now.”

What in the name of the Lord is happening?

“Paige, you’re drunk and y-you’re wanting to do things that you’ll regret later and you’ll also forget, so...”

She pouted for a minute, and in that minute, I found myself feeling her body press up against my own, with her hands grabbing both of my arms tightly and yet so gently. “I’ve always wanted to kiss you.”

Oh-my-god!

Suddenly becoming speechless, I just stared at her and watched her stare at me as well. “I know that you wouldn’t like to kiss me, because I just puked and I’m r-really drunk, but can I just kiss your p-paper lips?”

Fucking hell, please don’t wake me up from this amazing dream where Paige is about to kiss my paper lips – wait, what paper lips?

I watched Paige come close to my face and how her eyes fell shut slowly. Her lips came in contact with my paper bag, and I felt it because of the way the paper bag touched my own lips from the inside.

My eyes closed shut as well, and I just felt in that moment, while my heart raced and my breath wasn’t on my side anymore.

After a few seconds that were too little for a kiss, she pulled away and smiled with her eyes still closed. “Goodnight, J-Jade.” Opening up her green eyes, I noticed how beautiful they looked at that moment. I had never seen them from up so close.

“G-goodnight, Paige.” A giggle escaped her lips before she knocked on the door while I turned around, in a love-struck state, and walked over to Tim’s car again.

“Jade!” I quickly turned back around and watched Paige’s smile as she stood in the now opened front door. “See you tomorrow!”

I smiled back even though she couldn’t see it, before waving at her, “Yeah!”

And then, she closed the door, and I closed my eyes, finding myself stuck to the ground. Oh, my lord, I am in love with that girl.

***

The next day, everything was happening the way it did every day. The birds were chirping, the smell of freshly cooked eggs circled around the house, Paige wasn’t there when I entered the kitchen. Wait – Paige wasn’t here?

“Where’s Paige?” Mom turned to look at me with a sour expression. Oh wow, she looks like she woke up from the wrong side of the bed. “She called in to say that she won’t take you to school today. Something about having a headache or something.”

As mom spoke, I heard nothing as my head ran off to the possibility of her remembering everything that had conspired last night in front of her front door. She kissed my paper lips, for god’s sake! And before that, she had found out about my crush on her, which has turned into love as if it was waiting for me to realize how much I really wanted Paige.

Insert dreamy yet very scared sigh here. She might not want to talk to me now, I can’t stand her ignoring me. It’ll kill me.

“What’s up with her?” I heard Caleb’s voice and turned around to face him. He was sat on the dining table with an open file in his hands. His eyes were squinted as he peered at me. “I have no idea. I guess, she doesn’t like the fact that Paige didn’t show up to take her to school today.”

Mom brought two plates of egg and toast, and placed them on the table before going back behind the kitchen counter to get herself some coffee.

“Ugh, do I have to take her to school then?” Wow, they are talking about me, in front of me, as if I’m not even here. Rude!

“Yes, please.” Mom threw a convincing smile from over her shoulder, which made Caleb huff before leaning on his chair with his arms crossed, his file now long forgotten on the table beside his plate.

“Jade, sit down and eat your breakfast.”

“Oh, so now you see me.” I rolled my eyes before sitting down on the seat across from Caleb’s, who gave me a glare.

Oh Lord, please don’t let Paige hate me.

***

Everyone stared at me as I walked the walk of shame through the parking lot. The person that wasn’t staring at me, was Tim, oh and also Paige, who was talking to Tim. They were laughing with each other and a frown came onto my features which was pretty much non-existent since no one could see it.

Walking over to them, who were just beside the double doors of the school building, I only got a head tilt from Tim, while Paige didn’t even see me coming.

“Hi.” I managed to keep some of my dignity intact by not letting my inability to form words, show. Tim smiled at me, while Paige just glanced at me.

What the hell, does she remember last night? Well, I was being a creep last night when I threw her to the ground, I even called her heavy which equates to fat. Did she think that I was calling her fat? Oh no.

“You aren’t fat.” Face-palming myself internally, I watched Paige turn to me with a confused face while Tim placed both of his hands over his mouth, probably trying hard to control his laughter.

Was it necessary for me to humiliate myself in front of this angel over and over again?

Yes, a voice spoke from the back of my head. I sighed.

“What I meant to say, w-was that y-you aren’t wearing a hat. Yeah, why aren’t you wearing a hat?” Giving the blonde goddess a smile which she couldn’t see, I slapped myself across the head internally. Paige gave me a confused look before she touched her hair, which were looking quite silky and smooth today. Insert dreamy sigh, while I imagine touching her hair.

“Uh, Jade?” I snapped myself away from my thoughts and looked at Tim, who was trying hard not to laugh, judging by the way he tried hard to suppress his lips from stretching.

“Yeah?”

“Um, you’re touching Paige’s hair.” He chuckled but quickly controlled himself, while I jumped ten inches away from Paige, who was looking more confused than ever, but at least her face was a bit red.

That’s just because she’s angry.

“Uh-um, your hair just looked so silky, I had to get a feel.”

Tim burst out laughing with a snort while Paige’s face turned a darker shade of red.

Oh, my god, when you aren’t torturing me with the inability to speak real words, you give me the power to humiliate myself with real words.

“Um, I’ll get to class. Bye.” Before I could even apologize or tell her how much I loved her, she rushed away from the two of us and inside of the building.

“Dude! Great way to get your girl!” Tim was laughing and I was pitying myself. Oh-my-god, why did that just happen? Oh yeah, because you hate me so.

“Let’s just get to class.” I groaned before dragging my feet towards the entrance of the building. Tim, still laughing behind me.

***