Moving Mountains

The grass feels so warm beneath my feet. But even this little pleasure can’t bring back the warmth I felt whenever I was around him. His very presence made me feel all fuzzy inside. I always long for him, especially now that I’m here in our most favorite place in the whole world. I smiled a bit, even though I was missing him so much, simply because I realized that if Jason were here, he wouldn’t like seeing me this way. He’d brush off the strands of hair on my face and tell me that everything is going to be okay in the gentlest tone he can manage. I wish he were here now, telling me that he’s fine and that everything’s going to be okay. But that’s just wishful thinking.

…

“Do you think I should invite him?” I said, my tone so full of force. He looked up, taken aback, as if he didn’t know I was here the whole time. “Invite who to what?” he replied calmly.

“Ugh. Him. You know him!” I yelled.

“Oh.”

As a matter of fact, Jason did know him. I’ve had a crush on Ethan Thorne since our Freshman year. Ethan, captain of the basketball team, is the most popular boy in the entire school. He has jet black hair and a boyish, cute grin. Every single girl in the campus swooned over him whenever he passed the halls and every single boy, including his peers, envied him. One time, he caught me staring at him and gave me a flirty wink. It was love at first sight… for me, at least.

“So… Should I invite him to my Sweet 16?”

“I don’t even know what you see in that jerk, Nic.”

“And I don’t know why you’re using that tone on me, Jay.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound that way. It’s just that… I don’t get why you like him so much. I mean, sure he’s handsome and all but he… ugh, he just doesn’t seem like your type, okay?”

“My type? Well, what type of guy do you think I should like then?”

“I don’t know, like… like someone who actually cares about you, for instance. Someone who’ll comfort you when you’re lonely, laugh with you when you’re glad, stay with you when things are getting rough. Someone who’ll move mountains for you, Nic, ‘cause you deserve that much and no less.”

I just stared at him for a few seconds, barely blinking, unsure of what to say. I looked at the ground, trying to process what he just said. I looked away for what seemed like hours.

I swear I heard some crickets chirping.

Finally, he said, “Look. Just stay away from the dude, okay? I heard he’s bad news. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

He got up and left. That was the first time I’ve ever actually seen him look so angry. Only now do I fully realize that he was that “someone who’ll move mountains for me.”