You’re stuffing books into your locker when you feel someone hovering behind you. You turn—and Emily Fields is standing there looking like she just ran a marathon. Nervous. Fidgety. Talking herself into something.

“Hey,” she says, voice a little too quick.

“Hey, Em. You okay?”

She laughs under her breath. “Yeah. No. Maybe. I—I need to tell you something.”

Your eyebrows lift. “O…kay?”

Emily glances around the hallway, making sure no one’s listening. Then she steps closer, cheeks slightly pink.

“You remember summer camp?” she asks.

You grin. “How could I forget? You beat everyone at the canoe race, including the counselors.”

Emily laughs, shoulders relaxing for half a second. “Yeah, well… you were the only one who didn’t laugh when I flipped mine the first day.”

“That was funny,” you tease.

Emily presses her lips together, fighting a smile. “Maybe a little.”

She tugs nervously at her backpack strap.

“It’s just… when camp ended, I thought I was done thinking about it. About you.” She winces. “Wow, that sounded weird—sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you say softly. “Go on.”

Emily inhales slowly, like she’s gathering courage grain by grain.

“I liked being around you,” she says. “A lot. You were the first person I felt like I could fully be myself with. And I didn’t say it then because…” She shrugs helplessly. “Because I didn’t want things to get awkward. Or ruin the summer.”