A raised tree root caught Kelly’s toe, and she pitched forward, arms thrown out as her balance barely recovered. The gravel path crunched underfoot; each step attracted unavoidable attention. A turn taken too quickly led to a near collision with a trash can. Parks promised calm; Kelly delivered chaos.

First kisses often happened in places like this: on benches, under trees, or during conversations that flowed. Kelly found even a simple greeting beyond her grasp. After all, if stumbling, stuttering, and bolting counted as flirting, she succeeded.

How she secured a friend with all her charming, ungraceful, and uncoordinated ways was beyond her. The latter is more shocking. Brown eyes, broad shoulders, straight teeth, two words, one name: Daniel Reyes. That first hello sparked her first overwhelming crush.

Yet, despite sitting side by side in film class, conversation rarely occurred. Thanks to the routine keeping everyone behind cameras, Kelly sidestepped any awkward hellos. However, everything changed last year during finals week when they first locked eyes across the film studio. Kelly stood behind her camera, and Daniel leaned over his tripod—and for a moment, her usual shyness vanished. He gave her a smile, one that stood apart. The type that made him crinkle his nose and close his eyes so tight they disappeared. Her heart had jumped into her throat, and she knew she’d never get over him.

Daniel was uncomplicated and witty. Everything she wasn’t, making her want him more. When he asked for her number, her hopeless romantic side went wild. In late night texts, they swapped memes and silly jokes about school. She’d found a place to belong. She could be playful and flirty. Each encounter was a chance to be normal and draw closer to him.

The desire for more than their shared laughter was hard to resist. Her daydreams were full of passionate confessions and fiery first kisses. It was a long shot, but the need to confess to him grew with more urgency each day. It’s the inevitable move in any teen rom-com, right? Since the end of senior year was drawing near for both of them, she had to take her chance today.

A gust of wind had blown Kelly’s hair across her face, and she sputtered as she fought against it. She eased onto the swings, a careful distance away from the shifting crowd ahead.  The high school gym’s renovation dumped the usual mayhem of senior day downtown. Thus, the celebration transformed into a Friday picnic. Blankets covered the grass, and the scent of fried food and sunscreen mingled in the air. Students laughed and shouted in tight circles, which left Kelly stiff with unease. Social gatherings always felt like quicksand to her. Surrounded by the energy of the crowd, a familiar tension crept back in.

Kelly seemed more distant than normal. Daniel was the only person she talked to at school. Not for lack of effort, but her knack for being endearingly off-putting wasn’t getting her anywhere. Someone like her often wished she could join the crowd someday. The gloomy girl from The Breakfast Club was who she aspired to be. Any strange wallflower can achieve a happy ending with a cute guy, right?

Amid the crowd at the amphitheater, someone caught Kelly’s eye. Daniel waved at her beside the huge BBQ pit. Of course, he’s a cook. Daniel had a knack for making everything look easy. He handled the grill by himself; the teacher’s backup nowhere to be seen. It was the

perfect opportunity to approach him. She inhaled, and went over to him.

“Hey,” Kelly greeted with a hopeful smile.

“Hey, long time no see,” he teased, flashing a cheeky grin.

Kelly giggled.

“So, grill duty,” she said, attempting casualness.

Daniel’s goofy smile grew as he explained how BBQ duty fell on him after a student fight in the men’s park bathroom shifted it from the gym coach.

“Grill master?” Kelly echoed, amused.

“A title of glory… and yes, it’s all mine,” Daniel said, gloating.

“Well, it suits you,” Kelly shot back, meeting his playfulness.

“Excellent,” Daniel replied, grin widening.

They stood in silence. What should her next move be? Jumping him was out of the question. Fail now, and her self-confidence would be gone. Her body fought her impatience. She couldn’t be his friend and obsess over his cologne forever. Friendship wasn’t a safe space for her anymore.

She needed to stay cool but struggled against the urge to blurt it out. Rip it off like a Band-Aid, and get it over with. Graduation loomed, and they might not see each other again. She didn’t expect him to feel the same, but she couldn’t hold on to the crush any longer. She wanted to let him know how much he mattered before it was too late. Daniel talked while Kelly braced herself. The moment came. Without pause, the words escaped her.

“I like you!” Kelly blurted.

Daniel went silent. Her face became flushed.

Kelly clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. Daniel stared, wide-eyed and speechless. Silence didn’t suit him. She had fumbled this and needed to escape fast. Kelly had to say something, anything, and leave.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry,” Kelly apologized. “I didn’t mean to…What I meant is…”

Struggling to find the words, she surrendered to the silence between them until Daniel cleared his throat.

“Are you serious?” he asked, his tone suddenly gentle.

“What?” she croaked.

“Are you serious?” he asked again. “What you just said.”

She battled the desperate need to run away.

“Um, well,” Kelly blushed and sighed as she looked down at her shoes. “Yes.”

“Man,” Daniel ran his hand through his hair, “I can’t believe we wasted all this time.”

“What?” Kelly gulped, peering up at him.

That response hit harder than expected. She hoped for a simple ‘no thank you’. This must be the cost of pining after a friend in secret. Her offbeat charm had fooled him; now he saw her as an infatuated disaster. This is the end.

“Imagine if we’d known… we would’ve had a head start with dating by now,” Daniel smirked.

“What?” Kelly blinked in disbelief.

She took a second to steady herself. Had she heard that right? Was her infatuation making her hallucinate too?

“I like you too, Kelly,” he reassured.

The kindness in his eyes held Kelly dumbstruck. She fell silent.

“But how, when?” she sputtered, still reeling.

Daniel laughed. “Kelly, had you honestly not figured it out?”

“What? No! How was I supposed to—?” Kelly scrambled for words.

“Seriously?” Daniel laughed. “I’ve been paying more attention to you than to class. All those memes I sent to you after I asked for your number. I played it slow, sure… but I’ve had my eye on you. Took you long enough.”

She drifted in a daze. He’d sent signals the whole time… and she missed them all? This set her up for maximum awkwardness. He’d been crushing on her and left her clueless. Couldn’t he tell she was hopeless at reading the room?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she pressed.

“Believe me, I thought about it. But I had no clue what you’d say,” he kept his voice low.

She regretted the confession and let out a flustered sigh as his hand brushed hers.

“Kelly,” he crooned, voice low and warm.

She forced herself to look at him. His look was sincere and tense, with his cheeks tinted pink. The gap closed between them, and her stomach flipped. A faint aroma of bug spray and smoke drifted from him, and it made her knees weak. The rustle of nearby leaves softened the distant chatter of classmates. Sunlight pressed against her skin, mixed with the heat on her face. His shirt brushed hers as he leaned closer. A shiver ran down her spine. Was this happening? Butterflies in her stomach, she shut her eyes and surrendered to the moment.

The touch of his lips almost made her topple over. It was strong, sure, and overwhelming. Her thoughts became still, her nerves disappeared, and for once she didn’t overthink. Completely engrossed, she experienced it, sensing a movie-like reality. His hand settled on her waist, a gentle weight that sent a searing jolt straight to her chest. Sparks ignited between them. Kelly burned, blazed, sizzled, scorched, blistered: then realized she was literally on fire. The wind had wafted a flame from the BBQ pit to the end of her hair.

“Ouch!” she cried out.

“Whoa! Holy crap!” Daniel shouted as he grabbed for the ends of the flames and tried to smother them out.

The smell hit first—sharp and burned—and then the heat crept up the side of her head as it threw everything into sudden focus. Her arms shot out like they had a mind of their own. Somehow, he became the unlucky target. She yanked back. He stumbled. The scene folded in on itself. Each second of panic stretched too long. From flirt to fiasco, Hopeless Romantic Turns Human Torch. Her stomach knotted as her pulse pounded in her ears. Dignity had run away without her. A full-blown disaster in high definition.

“Wait! Stop moving!” Daniel barked, pulling her away from the BBQ flames.

He wasn’t the type to raise his voice. She did as she was told and stood still. The terror wasn’t as bad as she feared. Daniel snuffed out the fire that only singed the ends of her hair.

“Dammit, girl. Why are you so chaotic?” Daniel exclaimed.

Kelly’s heart dropped into her stomach. The confession had gone to her head. Undeniably, clumsiness and oddity would forever define Kelly.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

That was the end. She had ruined everything. Time to bail. Daniel’s laughter struck her as she was about to leave, and her pulse raced. Kelly blamed herself, and the prick of tears in her eyes felt like her heart had broken into tiny pieces. Certainly, fleeing him now was valid, but Daniel’s renewed kiss rooted her in place. He read the questions on her face and answered them when he intertwined his fingers with hers and tucked a strand of her singed hair behind her ear.

“Chaotic is cute,” Daniel winked. “I like weird.”

She was on fire all over again.

Editor: Lucy Cafiero