Summer ‘14
Yesoh 14, Wynter 16,
I was always a late bloomer.
Both in nature and in life. I was the seed before the forming of the fruit, the crackle before the thunderstorm, the question and never the answer. At fourteen, I often heard the girls in my grade speaking about experiences I could onlydreamof being able to relate to. I hadn’t had my first kiss, never hit any of the bases, never even gotten my first period. I was still in a training bra for crying out loud.
The backyard glowed in the warmth of the fading sunset, barbecue smoke curling into the air, the sound of laughter and clinking glasses filling the space between us and the adults on the patio. This was the kind of night that felt endless. One where it was easy to believe that nothing in the world could touch us.
Sydney nudged me as I watched Wynter across the yard. He was helping his sisters set up a few sleeping bags, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he wrestled with a stubborn zipper on the tent. Bae stood over him, arms crossed, smirking as he struggled, while Beck and Jiwon giggled.
“You’re staring,” Sydney whispered, stifling a grin.
“I’m not!” I protested, feeling my cheeks warm.
“Uh-huh. Sure.” She shared a knowing look with Jax, who tried to hide his laughter. “You look at the dude like you’re trying to see through his clothes with X-ray vision.”
“What the—why would I want that?” I muttered cracking open a can of Diet Pepsi.
“Why wouldanyone?” Sydney joked. “He got his braces off, he’s kinda cute now.”
“He wasalwayscute,” I reminded her. “No one was just paying attention.”
“I heard he’s been accepted to take part in the Youth Olympics,” Sydney foretold, “Mr Kwon spoke to my mom about it.”
“The skating thing, I didn’t know it was that serious,” I expressed, “he never really talks about it.”
“Hm, I think he would if you asked,” Sydney mused. “I think he’d tell you alotmore than you think if only you had the courage to ask.”
Cahya called over to us from the other side of the yard. “Hey, Yesoh! You and Sydney done gossiping about us yet?” he teased, earning laughs from the others. I shot him a glare, but he just chuckled, ruffling my hair as he passed by.
“Of all the people we’d waste our precious moments discussing, it’sdefinitelynot you.” I scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
With everyone settled and the tents set up, we circled around the campfire Cahya and Soleh had set up. The fire flickered and cracked, casting a warm, golden light over all of us. We shared sweet sticky caramel popcorn, passing it around.
“Truth or dare?” Jiwon asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.
“Oh, we’re doing this?” Jax said, looking around. But it wasn’t a question. We were doing this.
The game started with harmless fun. Bae dared Soleh to run a lap around the yard singing a random song, and he took off, belting out the chorus of a pop tune at the top of his lungs. Jiwon dared Jax to admit his crush on Sydney, who turned redder than the fire as he shyly confessed, “Well, yeah… I mean,everyoneknows.”
We all laughed, and Sydney rolled her eyes, leaning against his shoulder. “Kinda,” she comforted.
“Wynter, truth or dare,” Jax asked him, and his face remained unreadable.
“Truth,” he responded.
“Of course you’re so lame, Wyn!” Jiwon grumbled.
“Last I checked the game is called truth or dare, and I have freedom of choice,” Wynter disagreed, and Bae and Soleh laughed. “So ask whatever you want.”
“Gasp, I get to ask the vault that is Wynter Andy Kwon whatever I please?” Jax hummed, rubbing his palms together menacingly.
“Careful with all that power, don’t let it get to your head,” Beck warned.
Jiwon laughed. “You’re all so dramatic.”
“Wynter, how many girls have you kissed?” Jax questioned him, “Or people, we don’t judge here!”
