With everyone in their respective classrooms, the hallway was so quiet that we could hear our sneakers squeaking on the polished wooden floors as we walked. The basement entrance was down towards the other end of the building so we had to cover a bit of distance to get there and back.

“Haha, this is a waste of 20 minutes of Math time!” Georgie said.

“We’ll probably still have to make it up though.” I sighed.

“Don’t worry, you’re super smart at it so you’ll make it up in no time, then you can help me!” She smiled.

I laughed.

Georgie was just as smart as I was, and that’s why we found ourselves in the top Math group together. Mrs. Newman’s class was known for its rigorous curriculum, specifically designed for all her gifted students - a group that Dylan, Georgie and I all proudly belonged to. My Dad’s love of Math and Science had also inspired me deeply and when he used to have time over the weekends would often share fascinating puzzles and experiments with me, igniting my passion for learning that I then carried into the classroom.

“Ariah, did you see the way Dylan was looking at me this morning?” Georgie asked, a tinge of excitement accentuated her tone as her comment broke my reverie.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I hadn’t but I decided to play along. “Sure, he seemed quite attentive?” I replied, hoping that was the right answer.

“Do you think he likes me?” She asked shyly, looking at me.

“Of course he likes you!” I replied.

“No, I mean, ‘likes me’ likes me. Like…romantically.” She whispered. Even though the hallways were empty, she looked around to make sure no one was listening in.

“We all think he likes you. I reckon he’s liked you for a long time but just doesn’t know how to express it.”

Georgie nodded and smiled, happy with my answer.

“Do you think he's going to make the first move?” She asked as she looked at me more intently.

“Why does he need to make the first move? If you like him, why don’t you be the one to instigate something more?” I shrugged.

“But I don't want to be the one to make the first move, what if he doesn’t actually like me back?” Georgie sighed, looking a little crestfallen.

“Well…” I thought for a moment. “The concert is on Saturday night, so that might be a good opportunity to do some reconnaissance?”

“I don't know, maybe.” She let out an even deeper sigh. “I’m not good at talking about my feelings.”

“But it’s Dylan, he's been a friend since… well, since forever.” I smiled encouragingly.

“I think that’s the problem. I don’t want to lose his friendship, but I like him so much it’s now hard to be around him without feeling awkward.”

“If you feel awkward around him anyway, what have you got to lose?” I asked.

“True, I guess.” She responded looking like she had already begun to imagine the scenario of asking Dylan out on a date herself.