Just Say It
"Hey, Neo."
She called his name before her brain could talk her out of it.
For a split second, a rush of pure, golden hope hit her. She could actually do this. All it took was saying the words out loud. Simple.
Neo turned around.
"Yeah?"
He offered a smile.
It wasn't a huge, dramatic grin. Just his normal, offhand smile.
Which somehow made the entire situation ten times worse.
Their eyes locked.
And just like that, her lungs completely forgot their basic function.
Why is he standing so close?
He wasn't invading her space or anything. He was just... closer than usual.
She’d seen him a million times. Passing in the crowded hallways, hanging out by the stairs, sometimes every single day, sometimes only once a week. They weren't close friends. Honestly, they barely spoke.
But she’d been watching him for years.
Not in a creepy way. Just... noticing.
The exact way his eyes crinkled when he found something funny. The easy, unbothered way he talked to anyone. The way she could spot the back of his head in a crowded auditorium without even trying.
And now here he was. Right in front of her. Waiting.
She had absolutely no script for this.
In all her late-night daydreaming, she was calm. She was cool. She delivered every line with movie-heroine precision. She didn't stand there short circuiting like a total system failure.
"Um..."
Groundbreaking. Outstanding start.
Neo didn't push. He just stood there, still wearing that patient smile.
She jerked her head away, staring intently at a random patch of brick wall. She knew it looked terrible and rude, but her heart was hammering so violently against her ribs she was convinced he could actually hear it.
"You okay?" he asked, a subtle tilt in his voice.
She nodded instantly.
Then immediately shook her head.
Then desperately wished she could undo both.
Great. Now I look unhinged.
Without thinking, her eyes darted around, searching for her safety net.
Empty.
Her friends were nowhere to be seen.
The exact same people who had spent the last three weeks shoving her shoulder and whispering, "Just go tell him, it's not a big deal!"
Traitorous liars. Every single one of them. Abandoned at the front lines.
Her fingers felt like ice, but her cheeks were practically on fire. Human biology made zero sense.
Neo’s expression shifted into mild confusion, and honestly, who could blame him? She had literally shouted his name across the space just to stand there, hyperventilating in silence.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted them.
Not coming to save her. Not running interference.
Just hovering near the tree line. Watching.
One of them met her frantic gaze and instantly pieced together the disaster unfolding in real time. A slow, evil smirk spread across her face.
"No," she mouthed, practically begging with her eyes.
The smirk widened.
"Please, no."
Too late.
One of Neo’s friends caught on. Then another turned around. Then three more.
The entire universe was collapsing in fast forward.
"What's going on?" Neo asked, glancing back and forth between her and the sudden audience.
Nobody said anything for two agonizing seconds. Then one of his friends burst out laughing.
"Wait, you seriously don't get it?"
Neo frowned, clearly lost. "Get what?"
She wanted the earth to split open and swallow her whole. A trapdoor. A sudden localized meteor strike. Anything to erase her from the physical plane.
His friend pointed a finger straight at her.
"She’s trying to confess to you, man."
The noise of the entire courtyard seemed to get sucked into a vacuum. Total, suffocating silence.
Neo blinked. "What?"
Her soul officially left her physical vessel.
She slammed both hands over her face, burying her head. "Oh my God..."
Behind her, she could hear her friends snickering into their sleeves, which only added fuel to the mortification. Everything was out in the open. No quick recovery. No pulling back and pretending she just needed to borrow a pen. No lying about homework.
She was completely exposed.
She could feel Neo’s eyes on her. Heavy. Focused.
"Is that... true?" he asked softly.
The quietness of his voice was somehow a hundred times scarier than his friend shouting it out.
She stared down at her worn-out sneakers. Then at the sky. Then at a stray pebble near her foot. Anywhere. Everywhere except his face. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like a bird trapped in a cage.
Finally, very slowly, she gave a single, tiny nod.
The whole world held its breath.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
It felt like a small eternity. In those few seconds, her brain ran through a thousand nightmare scenarios. He’d laugh it off. He’d apologize awkwardly. She’d have to transfer schools and live as a hermit.
Then, Neo let out a low, soft breath of a laugh.
It wasn't mean. It wasn't mocking or uncomfortable. Just completely, genuinely surprised.
When she finally forced her eyes up, he wasn't looking away. He was smiling a real, warm smile that reached his eyes.
"Seriously?"
She gave another small nod, her throat way too dry to form actual words.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down for a second before meeting her eyes again.
"Then... yeah. I'd like that."
Her brain stalled out completely.
"Yeah," he repeated, softer this time. "Yes."
All the spiraling panic. All the suffocating dread. All those years of watching him from three rows back in class, wondering if he even knew her name.
And now that it was actually happening, her mind was a total blank. She just stood there, looking up at him, probably looking utterly bewildered.
But under all the lingering shock, a sudden, overwhelming warmth flooded in.
And for the first time all day, a small, quiet laugh bubbled out of her, the kind of laugh that only happens when your brain finally catches up and realizes you're actually safe.
