I kept replaying the small gestures Candy displayed today, in my head. It was around eleven o'clock at night and my thoughts were not letting me sleep.

Was he doing it deliberately?

Oh who am I kidding? It was 110% deliberate. Especially that peck on the cheek.

I crossed my arms, annoyed.

I wasn't annoyed at the peck or the secret comments he passed. They were kind of nice-oh God .

I was annoyed at the fact that I got flustered every time he did that. I mean why was I even getting flushed?

These were normal gestures that best friends did, right?

So why on this cake-eating planet did I enter my 'Tomato Phase' when he was around me like that?

Getting frustrated with my thoughts, I jumped up from my bed and walked towards the washroom for a nice shower.

Maybe water could help wash away the confusion.

With that thought in mind, I walked towards my cupboard to collect my clothes.

I pulled out a t-shirt that read 'Ms. Lazy Ass' and grabbed my sweatpants from the cupboard.

Or at least what I thought were sweatpants.

In my hand, right now we're black shorts. Shorts that I had no idea I even owned.

I made a move to grab my sweatpants when I paused.

I really wanted to try them. There was no one here and I could at least try to wear them.

Feeling a bit giddy at that thought, I entered the washroom.

I had always envied the girls who wore shorts confidently in the school hallways. And no, I'm not just talking about the trashy ones.

There were so many girls who carried themselves normally with shorts while I stuck to jeans and leggings.

It's not that I couldn't. It's just just that every time I tried to wear things like shorts and skirts, I got paranoid and kept thinking about everyone staring and judging.

I took a relaxing shower, letting my thoughts drown in the warm water that caressed my skin.

Once I was satisfied, I got out and put on my t-shirt and finally the shorts. The black shorts came up to my mid-thigh, exposing the rest of my leg.

One thing I realised as I wore these shorts was how relieving it was, wearing them. The cool air-conditioned air touched my legs like a feather, giving me some relief from the jeans and sweatpants I usually wore.

I examined myself in the mirror, a smile etching in my face. I looked good.

My legs looked longer and my natural light tan made my legs look bold.

Even though I was appreciating these shorts, somewhere in the back of my mind I knew how insecure it was going to make me feel in the public.

Everyone's scrutinising gaze would make me want to cover myself in the comfort of my jeans.

Huffing out at the reality, I exited my bathroom and walked sluggishly towards my bed.

I was about to fall right into the soft duvet when a particular blue cloth caught my eye.

I picked it up and huffed once again as I read the name 'Pelt' on it.

What was I going to do with his jersey?

I removed my t-shirt to try it on. The jersey fell till right where my shorts ended. My shorts were completely covered with it.

I walked over to where my mirror was and studied my reflection. The jersey looked like a mini dress on me.

It didn't put too much of my upper body on display as it did my legs.

Should I wear this thing tomorrow?

A sudden beeping sound called for my attention and I walked towards my phone to check it out.

I unlocked the screen to find a text message from none other than Aaron.

💩

I rolled my eyes at his winky face. He knew me way to well.

I decided to think about it in the morning. Right now, all the over-thinking had drained my energy and that warm shower helped me calm my nerves, making me want nothing but a deep slumber.

So, succumbing to my inner desires, I quickly changed back and threw myself on the bed, letting out a contented sight.

Let's see what tomorrow brings!

****

"Hey Alyssa!" Candy greeted me as he slung his bag on his shoulder and leaned against my locker.

I frowned a bit as I heard my full name. It didn't sound right. But I ignored it and concentrated on my best friend.

He was wearing a tight fitting blue t-shirt and a hoodie on top of it, making his muscles visible.

Trying not to stare too much at the stretch of his t-shirt against his abs, I focussed my attention back on his face.

"Hey Candy! What's up? You look particularly happy today," I remarked as I caught on to his grin.

"Oh nothing much. I just wanted to tell you that Shelley and I are back together and we have a date today, so I won't be coming to our movie night."

"W-What? You're back together?"

"Yes, Alyssa. I just said that ," he answered, smirking.

"Why aren't you calling me 'Muffin'?" I asked, a bit hurt the way he was addressing me.

"Because that name is reserved for my girl."

I was about to open my mouth to respond when I saw an arm snake around Candy's waist. I looked to my right to see Shelley-the witch pressing herself on to my best friend.

The sight itself wanted me to punch her so bad.

"Hey Candy babe, I thought you were going to meet me near the janitor's room five minutes ago," she purred into his ear.

Candy?! What the actual fudge!

"Muffin, why are you worrying? It's not like I'm ditching you. Let's go right now." Aaron cooed at Shelley.

"I-I thought I was your Muffin," I spoke in a small voice, my face drained of any colour upon seeing the look of pure affection on Candy's face. For Shelley.

The same kind of affection he kept reserved only for me. His Muffin.

"Yeah. You were. But come on, I mean you won't even dress like a girl. How long has it been since you chickened out while trying out anything that looks like a dress?"

I shifted my gaze towards the ground. It was true.

"You didn't give me a reason to call you my Muffin so I moved to somebody else," she replied calmly.

At this, I looked up. The smirk on his face made me clench my jaw.

This was not my Candy. He wouldn't give up on me just because I didn't dress like a girl.

Plus, one look at his dirty smirk, and I knew that this was far from what Candy would give me. He would never smirk at my insecurities. Never.

And with that, I looked up into his eyes. With one deep breath, I pulled my hand back and went ahead with a hard punch to his nose.

I jolted up with heavy breaths exiting my nose and mouth. I looked at the clock. It read 2:34 AM

That wasn't particularly a nightmare but it wasn't something pleasant either.

I pulled my knees against me and rested my chin on top of them until I relaxed.

I looked down at my bare legs, with my shorts ridden up a little bit.

To be honest, it was kind of true that I'd let my insecurities and fears control my life.

Not only my life, but my actions, my thinking, my way of living. Everything. I'd let anyone walk over me, if they toyed with my fears. I didn't learn how to face them, so I did the worst thing ever; hide in the dark corners.

I hadn't realised at that time that that was what was keeping my fears a step ahead.

The only time I stood up to them, was when I sang on the stage. For Candy.

Candy was indirectly the reason for which I was ready to fight anything that came as an obstacle.

And that is what I realised now.

My fear of losing my best friend was much more greater than any other fear that trampled my faith in standing up for myself.

But now, it wasn't going to happen. I was learning how to hold my head up high and I wasn't going to let just about anyone push it back down.

"Yes. And I'm going to start this tomorrow. I will wear Candy's jersey tomorrow!" I told myself, determination lacing every word.

After five minutes of holding up a perfectly motivated face, I added,"And I need sugar. Now."

With that, I scrambled off to find my stash of candies.

*****

"GET UP! GET UP!" Someone yelled.

I groaned and covered my head with my pillow to block the sound. Go away.

"Ali! Come on!"

"Go away!" I mumbled before cuddling with the thick pillow and duvet.

"There's fire in your house!"

"Go call the fire brigade, then and stop waking me up!" I spoke, groggily.

"Ugh! Okay. How about this, Nate is emptying your fridge!"

I only heard the words 'emptying' and 'fridge' clearly and that was all it took for me to bolt up.

It was like someone had told me that they were kidnapping Aaron. (Yeah it was equally enraging)

I jumped off the bed, as fast as I could and grabbed the pillow and ran down the stairs.

"AAAAH! I'm coming, you food-eating monster!" I gave out a strangled war-cry and ran as if someone had lit fire in my butt.

I skipped down the stairs with my weapon in hand, ready to attack anyone who dared to touch my food.

My heavy footsteps made my parents jolt up in surprise as my eyes tried to spot any intruder.

"Where is he?" I asked in a deep voice, my eyes scanning for any possible food-stealer.

"Where is who?" My mom asked, clearly in shock to see me like that.

"The food-robber," I replied.

By this time, Sam had descended the stairs. I could see her clearly trying to muffle her laughter.

My dad turned to Sam and raised his eyebrow in question while my mom voiced out her concern.

"What did you tell her?"

"She wasn't getting up so I told her that Nate was stealing her food," Sam informed my mom.

After hearing this, she turned to me with a stern expression. "How much did you have?"

I momentarily relaxed my posture to look at mom, confused.

"How much sugar did you have at night?"

My eyes widened and I could tell that my expression resembled that of a deer caught in headlights.

"Uh..."

"Ali...," mom spoke with a dangerous tone.

I gulped.

"Uh-three packets?" I replied in a timid voice.

I shut my eyes, waiting for her scolding. She knew my sugar rush mornings quite well. It was apparently, like today, when I went into all ninja mode if I ate too much sugar the night before.

And the funny part is, I never realise it until someone points it out!

"You are so going to get puni- hold on. Are you wearing shorts?" My mom paused and let out a deafening squeal.

I cracked my right eye open to see if I was in danger of getting punished but my jaw dropped as I saw my mother with an ear-splitting grin on her face.

"Yes! YES! Finally I can play dress up with her!" My mom spoke out, excitement radiating off her.

My jaw dropped. "Seriously mom? Dress up? What am I, two?"

She ignored me and kept gushing about dressing me up. Rude.

Before I could open my mouth to comment on my mom's whacky behaviour, dad took the chance to speak up. "You are not going out like that."

I rolled my eyes. But before I could speak, once again I was interrupted.

Mom smacked the back of dad's head. "Save that daddy talk for another couple of years. Right now she can dress the way she wants as long as the thing doesn't go too beyond her knees."

I literally gaped at mom. Is this normal for all the moms?

I stood there with my jaw dropped as I saw my parents bickering on this topic.

I don't know how long I stood, but Sam pulled me away from them and led me upstairs to my room.

I was still in a daze, trying to comprehend the situation.

Sam snapped her fingers in front of me, bringing me out of my shock.

"Come on. Go take bath. We're going to rock the hallways today."

The giddy expression on her face scared me a bit but I complied.

I went in and showered.

After that, I dressed myself in Aaron's Jersey and wore skinny jeans under.

"Sam? I'm ready!" I yelled and exited the washroom.

Sam turned around. She examined me from head to toe.

"Oh no no no no. You are so not dressing up like a rag doll."

Offended, I opened my mouth to retort when she gripped my shoulders and turned me around, making me sit in front of my mirror and dress table.

The sly smile on her face made a trickle of fear climb up my spine. "What're you planning to do?"

"I'm going to make sure the jaws of the boys never go back up once they see you today," she answered, before pulling my rubber band off my hair.

"What exactly do you mean?"

"You'll see." And with that, she started with her experimentations.

****

❤️