Monday morning, with newfound confidence, I approached Amy Carena and she was already posted next to my locker. Could she have been waiting for me?

“Hey.” she greeted me.

“Oh, hey,” I replied. “I wanted to tell you how great your singing was yesterday.”

“Thank you.” She thanked me and walked to class with her friends.

At first, I was shocked that that was the first casual conversation I had with Amy Carena, but then a newfound hope grew in my chest knowing I had a chance to get close with her.

After school, I decided to run to the store real quick and sat in the café seating area that was inside. I figured I’d bring my laptop and do my homework there. I plugged in my headphones and got to work. I was in the middle of figuring out a math formula when I heard someone pull out a chair from the table next to me. It was so loud that I heard it through my music. To my surprise, it was someone I recognized. I don’t recall her name, but she looked like one of Amy Carena’s friends. The nicest among all of her friends, the person Amy Carena Allard trusted the most. Viveca Maison was her name. It was in this moment of deep thought where Viveca turned, noticed, and recognized me.

“Sorry, what was your name again?”

“Mo-“

“Wait no! Don’t tell me,” she cut me off, “M-Moir…?”

“Yes.”

“You’re that guy that Amy talks to me about!”

She talks about me!? I thought frantically. Maison proceeded to go on about how she never thought of seeing me here and she helped me with the math problem I was stuck on.

Before Maison left she decided to give me her socials, in her own words “In case you need more help with homework, I’m always willing to help someone out”. I finished my homework shortly after her departure and finally decided to go home. It had me thinking, I envied Viveca for being that close with Amy Carena. I kind of wish I was that close to Allard. I wonder if she likes Viveca, as opposed to liking me. She only likes girls I’m assuming.

I decided to take a nap as soon as I got home. When I awoke, I received a message from Viveca Maison, an image. I assumed it was the correct answers for today’s homework, but it was a photo of Amy Carena glued to the screen of her laptop. In the bottom left corner of the image is Maison holding up a peace sign towards the camera. This felt so intimate. Seeing a more personal side to Amy Carena was not something I ever thought of experiencing, even if it was just through a simple photo sent over the phone. My head was spinning, she looked so pretty even outside of her usual school getup. I usually see her in a button-up with frilly, puffy sleeves under a sweater vest. She’d either wear a plaid skirt or short and light jean shorts, along with a pair of classic Doc Martens shoes, and socks that stop below the knees. In the photo, she was wearing a purple shirt with a brown bear printed on the front and matching shorts. Her brown hair was tied in a small ponytail because she had so many sporadic layers.

I’m turning sixteen in a few weeks. Every birthday just feels the same nowadays. I was thinking I could invite Maison and Amy Carena to a pool party I’m planning with a few friends already, but how would I even go about that? Most guys invite their crush to show off. What if they think I’m trying to show off? Is the worst they can truly say is “no”? This made me recall back to Maison blurting out “You’re that guy that Amy talks to me about!”. I couldn’t get over the fact that Amy Carena Allard talks about me. I assumed it’s not in a bad light, but Viveca Maison could just be the nicest person I know and didn’t try to elaborate further for a reason. 

  As the weeks go by, I look forward to attending church more. Going to church now meant I got to hear Amy Carena Allard’s angelic voice early in the morning, but the day of the celebration was nearing slowly but surely. I decided it’s time to stop chickening out. After Sunday service, I decided to approach Amy Carena on stage. She was talking to Marley, our worship leader, about something. Marley noticed me first, “Hey, Moir!”

“Hello, Marley,” I replied.

“You don’t usually come up here. What’s up?”

“Oh, I just wanted to ask Amy about something.” It felt weird saying just her first name, but I briefly and subtly motioned for her to follow me.

I decided to take her near the entrance. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if that was necessary, considering I was only inviting her to a pool party.

“Exactly why did you take me all the way out here?” she finally asked.

“I kinda just wanted to invite you to a pool party, my birthday is next week on a Saturday.” This was when I started to get nervous. “Um- You don’t have to. If you do decide to come, you can invite a friend or two as well!”

She looked at me thoughtfully, then said, “Oh, I’d love to! I’ll definitely invite Viveca to come with me.”

Holy shit! SHE SAID YES! I thought to myself. “O-oh my goodness, that’s great!” I managed to sputter out.

“Alright, I’ll see you there.”

“See you.”

When Amy Carena left, I silently celebrated. I never thought I could do that! I can’t wait for my birthday!