Disclaimer: I don't own Bubbles or Boomer. Or Claire, but she's a real person.
I was nine. Boomer was twelve. It was summer. The night was quiet, except for the chirping of insects and our feet rustling in the grass as we chased fireflies. Above us, the inky black sky twinkled with jewel-like stars. I was burning with a question that I had been meaning to ask him for a while.
"Boomer?"
"Yeah?" When he twisted around to see me, I noticed a faint glow in his hand. He had caught a lightning bug.
I did not hesitate. I wanted to get it over with. "Am I your girlfriend?"
It took a while for him to answer. He released the firefly and said, "No, I already have a girlfriend."
Who do I kill? I thought. Instead, I asked, "Who is she?" I wondered if he could detect the note of envy in my voice.
"Her name is Claire."
"Oh." That sucked. I hoped he still liked me, even though it was really awkward now.
"Why?" he inquired. I sighed.
"No reason." He grabbed another of the glowing insects out of the air and clutched it in his fist.
"Here," He opened my hand and placed the bug in my palm. I quickly closed my fingers so it wouldn't escape. My crush and I were not romantically involved. But I was still happy. Friends was enough for now.
That was… TOO FRIGGIN' SHORT! But I just had to type it up.
This story is based on a real life experience I had with my friend Giovanni when I was nine and he was twelve. We're still friends, and I'm not sure if he's still dating Claire.