18. Hey Stephen (10/18/20)

In the spring, around the end of April, I was sitting on a gingham-style picnic blanket in the local park. I watched as mommy joggers, dog walkers, and young teenage boys wielding Frisbees moved throughout the park.

Snapping out of a daze, I looked down at my notebook and glanced at my guitar, which sat next to me. The school's talent show was coming up in May, and I had finally gained the courage to perform this year. I had scribbled a few different song ideas down, but if push came to shove, I could just perform one of my older songs.

I checked my texts for a moment and saw a new one from Stephen, the boy who lived two houses down from me. We had been friends since preschool, thanks to our parents, who had been friends in high school. Stephen and I had grown up together, throwing water balloons at each other in the summer and building snowmen in the winter. Now that we were both in high school, we tried to keep in touch, despite our different friend groups. He was popular, playing baseball for the school's team and dating a new girl every other week. As for me, I was a part of the drama program and choir, but my latest obsession was songwriting. I had written enough songs to produce an album, but wasn't drawn to the idea. It felt weird sharing my music with other people. I figured performing at the talent show would help me take the next step in releasing my music.

Stephen's text said: Are you at the park?

It wasn't funny, but I giggled before replying: Yes?

Stephen didn't respond, so I returned to my songwriting. None of my ideas were particularly interesting to me, and I didn't think any of them would go over well at the talent show.

I flicked my head up for a moment, and my jaw almost dropped. Walking across the grass was Stephen, his brown curls hanging in his eyes. He narrowly avoided the boys throwing Frisbees, before bumping into a girl around our age. I watched them talk for a moment before Stephen started walking toward me. He waved, and I shot him a smile.

"Thought I'd find you here," he said, joining me on the picnic blanket. "What're you doing?"

"I'm gonna perform at the talent show," I told him, returning my guitar to its case. With Stephen here, I wasn't going to get any writing done.

"Really?" He asked, eyes wide. "Are you writing a song? I know you won't do a cover."

I giggled. "I'm trying to write a song, but turns out it's kinda hard."

"Understatement of the year," Stephen said, even though he had no songwriting experience. "Why don't you write me a song?"

The idea bounced around in my brain, and I tried to show a reaction on my face. I glanced at Stephen, "Who'd want to listen to that?"

But as Stephen and I chatted, ideas started forming for a song all about Stephen. We had an uncommon friendship. Our parents always assumed we would end up dating, but Stephen seemed like too much of a player. He had girls at his beck and call, but somehow he always made time for me.

I left the park with Stephen, and he walked me home. Once I was in the safety of my room, I sat cross-legged on my bed with a notebook and my guitar. The lyrics came easily; I thought about my relationship with Stephen. The song came off as sounding romantic, so I had to pause for a moment. Yes, Stephen and I were very close, but had I been harboring a crush on him all these years, right under my nose? I read over the lyrics again, realizing the truth. Then it dawned on me that I would have to perform the song at the talent show, in front of the whole school. In front of Stephen.

I read the lyrics for the third time. It sounded like none of my other songs. I had grown to like it. So, I decided at that moment, that I would take the risk.

The talent show was a few weeks later, on a Friday in May. I would be the last one to perform, which I was thankful for. Then, if the performance was a flop, I could just sneak out the back and no one would notice.

Singers, dancers, and poets all performed before me, with mixed reactions. The only time the crowd got on their feet was during the band's performance, and even I had to admit they were good. It was a group of freshman boys, and they impressed everyone, including the seniors.

Then it was my turn. I walked onstage, guitar in hand. Center stage was a stool, lit by a single spotlight. The crowd cheered as they watched me take a seat and adjust my grasp on the guitar.

"Hi, everyone," I said into the microphone. "My name is Justina, and I'll be performing a song for this guy I know."

The crowd cheered again as I started playing the opening chords. I couldn't see anyone in the crowd, but I liked to imagine that Stephen was towards the middle of the auditorium.

"Hey Stephen, I know looks can be deceiving, but I know I saw a light in you," I began, trying to focus on the song and not on the fact that everyone had gasped upon hearing the name. Everyone at school knew Stephen. I just had to keep singing, and couldn't acknowledge who the song was actually about.

Towards the end of the song, I sang one of my favorite lines: "All those other girls, well they're beautiful, but would they write a song for you?" The crowd cheered as I sang the chorus again, and as soon as the song ended, the spotlight on me went out, and the lights in the auditorium came up.

In the middle of the seats, Stephen was standing and staring at me.

I copied his actions, slinging my guitar so it was on my back. Everyone in the auditorium, including me, watched Stephen move down the aisle, climb on the stage, and stand next to me.

"So you did write a song about me?" He whispered. Whoever was working the spotlight shone it on us.

"Yeah." My words were cut off with a kiss. Stephen placed a hand on the back of my head and kissed me. In front of us, the whole school burst into applause and cheers. I almost lost hearing.