Maypril Edition 2026: "Just Say It!"

The morning fog mirrored my disposition as the weight of what I’d done dampened my thoughts. One slip-up had caused a plethora of gossip, rumors, and worst of all, endless tormenting from him. All I had sought out was a little fun, one night of reckless teenage fever. Jokes, jokes, that’s what my John Hughes brain liked to cinematically picture, but it really was just a measly text message that changed the trajectory of my life and my middle school social status. I gazed at my reflection in the puddle, displeased with how the pink shirt I was wearing contrasted with my olive skin and faded pink highlights. As one could say, I was pretty much your run-of-the-mill sixth grader. 

I was brought back to reality when my Apple Watch vibrated with a notification. Oh God, more questions about the fateful event. The text that jumpstarted this drama was a simple “U up?” to one of the most popular guys in the entire school, Brodie Jenkins. Purely from a dare; don’t worry, I wasn’t that extroverted. Mortification was painted across my face as a voice that was too deep for a sixth grader found me in the crowd. 

“Hey Trish, do you generally shoot out of your range for guys, or have you never seen your face before?” Amar barked from across the courtyard. Tears welled in my eyes, the events of the past couple of days weighing me down. I quickly fled to my friends, not before quipping my own little retort.

”Gimme a break, Amar. You know it was a joke,” I remarked, willing the tears to retract. After that nightmare of an interaction, I continued with my day, his words replaying in my mind every chance they got. How could my dearest friend, Monica, be attracted to a troll like him? Boys. I just didn’t get them.

TWO YEARS LATER

Oh, hell no. Not one, not two, not three, but four classes with this jerk? Okay, to be fair, I had not spoken to this “jerk” since the 6th grade. Besides the occasional sideways glance here and there, 7th grade had been Amar-free. Monica’s inexplicable crush on Amar had also subsided, pretty much ejecting him from my life. “Trish,” as he used to say. The atmosphere of the first day of school is always a fever dream—the sun hitting in a light a couple of shades warmer than usual. It’s a hug and a bruise all in one.  

> Amar

My eyes furiously read the printed letters on the class schedule that had just been handed to me as I searched the sheet for any classes that I had with my friends. Okay, math with Darren, I can deal with that. Oh, and English and history with Keshav. So far, so good. And, last but definitely not least, Spanish with Max. A slight smile graced my lips and a sense of relief washed over me. This schedule was something I could deal with. 

Or at least, that’s what I thought until the first day of school had finally finished. Something I failed to realize back when I got my schedule was that I had four. Whole. Classes. With Trisha Chakra. Out of all people, it had to be her. She was the one person I was trying to avoid. Our relationship was… complicated, to say the least. I don’t know if it had affected her as strongly as it did me, but whatever the case, I didn’t want to relive it. Back in sixth grade, as much as I tried to ignore it, I had definitely felt something for her. Her highlighted hair, her tan skin, her entrancing eyes, I just seemed to never be able to get enough of it. But that was in the past. Never to be seen again. 

Out of nowhere, the bell signaling the beginning of first period rang, and I headed to math, dapping up Darren on my way there.

 “Ay Amar, what’s up?”

 “Yo Darren, this season we got a stacked team: Keshav, Max, Rowan, all of ‘em.”

 This exchange was normal, to say the least, when a fusion of vanilla and roses entered the room. I know, a weird blend, but I welcomed it to my nostrils. Wait, where had I smelled that before? The flash of pink highlighted locks said it all as Trisha entered the classroom. My jaw dropped.

 Woah. 

I had always thought Trisha was pretty. But this Trisha? This Trisha was gorgeous. Did she get a haircut? She must’ve, right? The hair that had once fallen to her waist was now cut short to a few inches below her shoulders and she had face-framing bangs that made her eyes glitter even more than they usually did. Suddenly, her gaze flicked to mine and I immediately looked away. Wait, why was I even looking in the first place? 

I glanced back at Darren who was standing next to me, as we were all awaiting our new seats for the first day of school.

“Okay, first table, Darren and Eileen.” Darren’s lips tilted up in a grin, as much as he tried to hide it, and a smirk made its way to my mouth as Darren walked forward to sit next to the girl he had been smitten with since fourth grade. I threw him a quick thumbs-up and then he was off, Eileen’s blonde head of hair following close behind him.

“Fifth table…” Woah, woah, did I miss the three tables before that? “Trisha and Amar.” 

You have got to be joking. I peeked over at her, only to see that she was already looking.

“Hello, Earth to Amar, take your seat please.” Ms. Jackson’s high-pitched voice made its way over to me and I cringed.

“Yup, going over there now,” I replied monotonously, slinging my backpack over my shoulder on my way to the miniature wooden desk. My eyes landed on the Jansport next to my chair and Trisha slid up into her seat. The tension was palpable. 

“Dude, can you move your bag?” A familiar voice surprised me.

“My bad, bro.” I reached for my blue backpack and surprised myself when I struggled to lift it.

 “Thats my backpack, genius.” She rolled her eyes at me.

 “Oh shoot. Wait, what? Why’s your backpack so heavy? There’s no way.”

 “God forbid a girl wants to be prepared.”

 I choked out a laugh. “Okay, there’s prepared, and there’s freakishly overprepared. You are the latter.” 

 “You’re just mad I’m smarter than you, bro.” 

 “Okay, well, I’m better at basketball.”

 “You think you’re all that, don’t you. Is it a bit stuffy in here, or is your disconcerting ego just taking up all the room?”

 “If you think I’m so bad, why don’t you pull up to my game then, huh?”

 “Bet.” She looked at me with pure determination in her eyes. Holy, this girl was not backing down. Wait, was I having fun?

“Okay, I’ll see you there, then.” There was no way she was actually going to come. 

“Yes, you will.” She hmph’ed and I wondered how I’d lived without hearing that sound for the past few months. 

I walked onto the gymnasium floor, my basketball sneakers squeaking against the hard wood. First game of the season. Nothing to be worried about. Right? My teammates called me over, Keshav waggling his eyebrows at a certain wide-eyed girl in the crowd. 

“Dude, there’s no way you actually got Sia to come.” He rushed over to me, shock practically written over his face. I had been tirelessly trying to set him up with my friend Sia for the past three months. 

“I mean, what can I say? I swear you guys are basically made for each other. She’s your girlfriend now too. Trust, she was happy to attend.” I responded back to him with a smirk. He rolled his eyes, but there was no hiding the smile that flitted across his lips. Suddenly, the whole room went silent as I noticed a familiar face sitting right next to Sia. 

This cannot be real. 

Trisha looked as good as she ever did, her deep chestnut eyes scanning the room, like she was looking for someone. I was entranced. Was she wearing lip gloss or something? Out of nowhere, the eyes that had filled my dreams for the past week found mine and stopped their roving search across the gym. Our gazes collided and the world went silent, as it always did whenever our eyelines seemed to meet. I raised my hand in what I was hoping was a wave. Someone had to make the first move, I guess. Her eyes widened even more than they already were, like she was in shock. Oh shoot, was the wave too much? Thankfully, her hand raised in a tentative wave back and she smiled, a gesture that immediately made my heart swell. Suddenly, a sweaty hand slapped my shoulder and Keshav called out to me.

“Seems like I’m not the only one with someone to watch in the stands.” He smirked at me and simultaneously shot a glance to Sia, mouthing to her that she was his good luck charm; she was still watching him from the stands. 

 “I mean, I personally wouldn’t call it that.”

 “Whatever you say, bro.”

He shoved past my shoulder, and I tore my gaze away as the referee blew the whistle. 

Game on. 

TWO MONTHS LATER

>Trisha

It had now been two months since that first interaction between Amar and I, and that first argument had blossomed into many, many more. All in a friendly way, of course. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere I heard Amar’s voice float in from behind me. “Try’na run Sundollar today?” he asked, eyes glimmering with the sparkle that I had learned to read as mischief. Sundollar was the high-end local coffee shop that was flooded with kids from the middle and high school on a daily basis.

I shook my head, wondering how to tell him that my friends didn’t want him there. I had made previous plans to go with another group, but those certain people definitely had it out for Amar and his squad.

“I mean, yeah, I might go, but I’m not sure yet.” 

He saw through my words in an instant.

“Okay, I’ll see you there with my friends.”

I muttered a PG-13 curse under my breath, and he bent down, bringing his ear close to my face, hair brushing my lips.

“What? I didn’t quite catch that, you’re too short.” 

I stood at 5’6”, not exactly short for a 14 year old girl. Ignoring the heat rushing to my cheeks, I shoved him away, and began walking out of class with him hot on my tail.

“I can give you a ride on my electric scooter,” he offered. I shuddered, the last memory of the scooter rushing to my mind. The wind rushed through my hair. He’d driven it so fast that I was forced to hold him tight, and I had become the center of relentless teasing. It was just a little caffeine and Amar—what could go wrong? 

The next day had gone by like any other, a soulless drag. Screams and shouts drifted through the air of the crosswalk, and I became overwhelmed with the urge to leave. I thought overstimulation was just a TikTok trend, but right now I was really feeling the effects. Panic crept up my throat like icy hands, tirelessly gripping the life out of me. My breath came out in short spurts and my hand came up to my chest. You see, in situations where there are tons of people and a cacophony of sound, I tend to get pretty uneasy. I was about to tip over the edge when I felt a light tug at my sweater sleeve. I was greeted by soulful brown eyes, flecks of shine in the irises, bringing to mind a diamond in the rough. All of a sudden, all of the noise disappeared and all I could see was that face. His square jaw, slim nose, and full lips were a beautiful harmony I had not noticed before. Oh no, no, no, no. No damn way I was feeling a single thing for Amar Khanna, of all people. A bus came and went, but neither of us made a move to leave. After what should have been an awkwardly long period of time, but somehow wasn’t when it was the two of us, he finally said something.

”Are you alright? You seemed a little…not yourself,” he said.

”Yeah, no, I’m totally fine, I just got a little overwhelmed. Uhh, do you take the bus or like what?”

”Usually I do but today I don’t have practice and I just saw you and…”

“Oh? Is that so?” Wait, was I flirting? Was he flirting… back? I didn’t know, “Well I’ve gotta get home. Walk with me?” 

“Yeah, bet. Wait, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

”An iced coconut chai from Sundollar? Obviously.”

A couple weeks later, I was walking to the blacktop in first period. Amar was tailing behind me, nagging me about something or the other, when a piercing alarm rang through the courtyard. A robotic voice echoed through the speakers.

“Intruder on campus. Enter full lockdown. Close and lock all doors and windows, and remain in complete silence. Intruder on campus…” A fierce jolt of shock ran through my body, and I turned through the crowds of people to try to find Amar. The logical part of me knew that I shouldn't have been running around aimlessly, but all of a sudden, my biggest priority was locating him. Before I could call out his name, a hand gripped my wrist, dragging me to the empty boys' locker room. I recognized Amar’s torso barricading the door with all the backpacks left under the bench, and I spent a few seconds taking in breaths. Once he was done, he whirled on me, gripping my shoulders with his strong arms, a look of fear so strong that it shook me. 

“Why didn’t you run inside? Who were you looking for? Who could possibly be more important to you than your own life?”

I shoved his hands aside, thanking my tan skin for hiding the blush that was rushing to my cheeks.

I mumbled, “I was looking for you.”

He frowned, and gestured for me to speak up, irritated. 

I stood up, annoyance replacing my wariness. 

“I was looking for you!”

He gaped, ignoring my awkwardness in favor of clutching my hoodie sleeve tighter, and I watched his eyes flick between my own. He must’ve seen something in them, because abruptly, he slumped, head on my shoulder. I kept myself perfectly still, partly from shock, and partly because I was scared he would move if I breathed. My arms snaked up his back in a sort of hug. After a few loaded moments, he finally spoke, voice exhausted. 

“Trisha. Please just give me a signal. You go from hating me, to doing things like—like this,” I tensed even more, feeling my hairs stand up. Could he hear my heart beating through my chest? He slowly raised his head, and my shoulder craved the warmth that it now lacked. He knelt on the floor, now head level to me on the bench. He lifted his eyes to mine, and I remembered every time I had held his gaze before. If I had thought the moment minutes before had been loaded, I was wrong. Forever passed in his eyes before he spoke. 

“I have felt something since the moment I met you. I thought I hated you at first, but I guess I was wrong.” I waited for him to continue. “Say something, Trisha. Please tell me I’m right, that I’m not imagining it all.” His gaze searched mine for an answer, dropping to my lips for a moment too long. He raked his eyes back up, and waited. My throat refused to cooperate with the long speech I had planned. So I closed my eyes, and leaned. I tipped my head onto his shoulders, a recreation of his previous pose, and hoped that was response enough. He gripped my sleeves, and he tilted my chin up and leaned close, stopping centimeters from my lips. My heart rate spiked up, my body subconsciously leaning closer to his, but he tilted his head away.

“Say it,” he said, “I need to know for sure.”

Three unspoken words floated between us, and somehow that was more than enough. A glance felt like a million years too long and a thousand too short. 

And with that, I melted into his arms.

"Say it,” he said, “I need to know for sure.”