Chapter 20: The Blame

Emery

I excitedly went down to the playground after lunch had finished. It was still a little early, so I was the first one there. I sat on one of the swings and enjoyed the sweet and cool breeze.

“Hi!” I heard a voice say beside me. “Emery, right?” She asked.

I looked back and saw a tall, curly-haired girl. Her dark skin shone in the sun.

“Yeah, hi!” I greeted back. “Are you Desiree?” I asked.

“That’s me,” She responded, sitting on one of the swings next to me.

She looked at me momentarily, and I got shy. “Is there something on my face?” I asked.

“No! Sorry, was I staring?” She laughed embarrassedly. “It’s just that Dalton and Dante were right. You really are pretty.”

I blushed. “You’re prettier.”

She laughed. “Thanks, that really means a lot. Especially coming from you.”

We fell in a comfortable silence as we swung back and forth. I wanted to become closer to her, so I initiated a conversation