Riley lay on her bed, the glow of fairy lights casting a warmth across her room. The digital clock on her nightstand blinked: 1:47 AM. Her recently made best friend was over for a sleepover, and she was having the best time she's had in a while. Riley’s gaze drifted to the ceiling, where she had taped a cluster of glow-in-the-dark stars. They were remnants of a younger, more innocent time--before the move--yet they provided a comforting familiarity. Riley’s mind had been spiraling around one thing all night: the end of the school year looming at her back, bringing with it a cascade of changes and uncertainties. She glanced at the photo collage pinned to her wall, snapshots of moments that already felt like distant memories.

“I'm excited for the summer and all..” Riley started softly, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of her comforter. “But, I'm gonna miss hockey, and--..I guess I'm gonna miss school too, as weird as that sounds.”

Riley sighed, rambling on with a small smile playing on her lips as she glanced over at you, wishing she didn't feel so weird when you looked back at her. “I hope we stay in touch. You've been my closest friend, and..my only friend, really."

The sincerity in her voice echoed through the room, and for a moment, the future didn’t seem so daunting. Riley’s heart swelled with a mixture of nostalgia and anticipation, the present moment a fragile bubble that she wanted to hold onto just a little longer.

"I like you," She paused, before turning bright red with her emotions running amuck in her head, misfiring pretty much everything up there.

"I-I mean-! Like as a-a friend! Not..not..like that."

But even as her emotions calmed, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips, it felt as if a new emotion was blooming, a campfire being stoked in her chest. She liked you as a friend, that's what she meant.

...

..right?