Page 50 of Quarterback Crush

“Ha, ha,” Maya says. “You’re so funny. Hey, I know.” She jumps off of the bed and heads to her closet. She pulls out a pale blue dress and holds it in front of me. “How about this?”

I flick through the row of hangers and laugh as I bring out the pink maxi dress that she wore to the Spring Fling. She looked incredible. “Is this my color?”

She shoves me and I fall back onto her bed, making myself comfortable against her pillows. She takes the dresses and hangs them back in the closet. I’m staring at her wall, at the Snow Ridge Owls state championship title flag that’s hanging there, but I glimpse another flag drooping behind it.

“Hey, is that my old Owls flag that I gave you?” I slide off of the bed and walk over to it, carefully taking it down. “I used to hang it out of my window. It’s a wonder it hasn’t fallen apart.”

The ends are frayed and I examine it and turn it over. I read the back and frown.

“Hey, Maya...what’s this?”

“What?” She pulls the closet door shut and looks at me, or rather the flag in my hand.

I hold it up so she can see her own handwriting: FROM OB, MY QB CRUSH.

She stares, her eyes widening in horror as if she’s just realizing what she’s reading.

“No!” she shouts, trying to snatch the flag. I hold it above my head. “No, give it to me! Oliver!”

I race around the room, jumping over the bed, keeping the flag out of her reach. “What’s it mean?” I ask, highly amused. “From OB, my QB crush? Am I OB?”

“Um...no, it’s Obi-wan Kenobi,” she says with a surprisingly straight face.

“The Jedi Master? From Star Wars? You’re a fan?” I say, blatantly scanning the room that offers no proof of any fandom.

“Sure,” she says, her cheeks pink. “I love Star Wars.”

“And QB? Who’s that?”

“Ummmm...”

I approach her, waving the flag in her face, a smirk on mine.

“Okay! Yes!” she cries, “You’re OB, Oliver Blackwell, and you were my quarterback crush, back when I was 12!”

“Really?” Her admission is like music to my ears and sends a shiver up my spine. “You crushed on me back then?”

“Truth?” She looks up at me and her eyelashes flutter. “Actually, before that. Once you helped me when I fell off my sled. You walked me home and carried my sled for me.”

“Nick Herman crashed into you. I remember. He was a total jerk!”

She looks shook. “You remember that? How do you remember that? That was so long ago!”

“I’d seen you with your sister. And Nick was doing crazy stuff, slamming into kids. I was just sorry I couldn’t stop him before he smashed into you.”

“Oh.”

“I left a flower on your front porch.”

“What?” She eyes me suspiciously.

“I left a flower on your porch. A dried one. I took it from Mom’s vase.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“Well, I didn’t leave a note. I just left it on the chair. You probably didn’t even see it.”

“Aww, I wish I had. You should have told me.”

“I think I had a crush on you too,” I say, placing my hand on her cheek. “I used to ride my bike just to watch you dance on your front porch.”

“I was just dancing out there so I could seeyou,” she says with a laugh.

“Hmmm,” I murmur, pressing my lips onto her forehead, “my sweet Maya.”

“Ahhh,” she sighs, leaning into me, “my quarterback crush.”

“Um, I think you mean quarterback boyfriend,” I say, hugging my girl and squeezing her as tight as I can.

THE END