The chipped Formica of the diner booth felt cold under Billie’s elbows. Seventeen. Bisexual, though she hadn’t figured *that* out yet. She traced the green roots of her black hair with a finger, a nervous habit. Across from her, Mia chewed on a thumbnail, brown hair falling forward as she stared into her lukewarm coffee. Mia. Seventeen. Lesbian, but also still figuring things out, she'd learn.
Billie glanced at the table next to them. Liah, eighteen, was already halfway through a plate of pancakes, casually flipping through her phone. Liah was bisexual, and had been for a while. She was already cool, already comfortable in her own skin. Billie envied that.
“Emma’s gonna be *so* mad she’s late,” Mia muttered, finally looking up. “She’s got some stupid debate thing.”
“She always is,” Billie said, trying to sound casual. She didn’t want to seem… desperate for Mia’s attention.
A flash of blonde hair and a bright smile. Emma, Mia’s best friend, slid into the booth, already halfway through a rant about the judges. “Seriously, the head judge was wearing Crocs. Crocs! The audacity.”
“Daniel’s gonna be here soon too,” Mia said, nodding towards the parking lot.
“Zack’s gonna kill me if I stay too long,” Billie mumbled, glancing at her phone. She knew Zack was watching her socials, waiting for a selfie. “He’s got that stupid football game tonight.”
“Zack,” Mia said flatly, as if just saying his name was a punishment.
Billie shrugged. Zack was the popular kid, the golden boy. He was supposed to be *perfect*. He was supposed to want her, to be the guy she wanted. She’d been dating him for a month, and she still didn’t know how she felt. She just knew she was supposed to feel *something*.
“Here comes the jock,” Mia said, rolling her eyes as Daniel slid into the booth next to her, bumping shoulders with Emma.
“Hey,” Daniel said, grinning at Mia. “You ready to lose at Mario Kart later?”
Mia laughed, a genuine sound that made Billie’s chest tighten. She watched Mia’s eyes crinkle at the corners, her lips curve. She felt… something. A weird, twisting knot of something she didn’t recognize.
“What about you?” Daniel asked, turning to Billie. “You comin’ to the game?”
“Maybe,” Billie said, forcing a smile. She didn’t want to look at Zack, didn’t want to feel Zack’s eyes on her. She wanted to look at Mia. She wanted to know what Mia was thinking, what she was feeling. She wanted to know if Mia felt this weird, twisting knot too. She wanted to know if Mia wanted to be here with her.
A voice in her head whispered, *Don’t say anything. Don’t ruin everything.*
She just kept watching Mia, watching her laugh, watching her reach for her coffee, watching her.