Sigh, Finally

We got on the bus after the long, tiring day of events that we just endured. We sat in our same spots for the most part, divided amongst ourselves mostly by age and "clique." The seniors sat in the back and were the loud, obnoxious ones; doing whatever they could to enjoy their final choir trip. The freshman sat up front by the chaperones because they were the shyest of the group. Besides that, everyone was intermingled for the most part. Jackie and Lucy were always side by side, being the best friends possible. It was kind of sad, actually, they kind of secluded themselves from the rest of the group and only stayed by each other. Then there were Jim, Greg, and Steve who were the "shenanigays." That's what everyone called them. They were the three gay kids from the group. The great thing about the choir was that there was complete acceptance, no one was judged or penalized for being gay, straight, ugly, weird, different, etc. Everyone was friends, and it was great. Anyway, we called them that not only because they were gay, but because they were the jokers of the group. They would do absolutely anything to get a laugh out of the group. They were the stereotypical gay kids, and we loved it. Dana, Claire and Theresa were the "good ones," they were the best female voices in our choir, but weren't bitchy or diva-like which we all appreciated. My group of friends sat in the very back of the bus since we were seniors and the most prominent members of the group. It was always Jack, Kelly, Rosie, Chuck, Pat and me, Grace. We all did everything together. We had been great friends since sophomore year, and it has stayed that way ever since. Even though we were all best friends, there were those of us within the group that were even closer. Rosie and I were best friends and had been since second grade, Kelly and Jack had been dating for three years, Pat and Chuck were best friends since before time, and Chuck and I had always been extremely close. It was amazing to me that we all had such a wonderful thing like choir to bring us all together. The choir trip was something we could spend together every year, including this one, our final year: senior year.

Well, we all sat in the back of the bus, and at night time there were no lights, so it wasn't really possible for all of us to talk like we could during day time. So when it was late like this, we just spoke to whomever we sat next to. Jack and Kelly, Rosie and Pat, and me and Chuck. Chuck and I had the very last seat on the bus, so it was easy for us to talk privately with no interruptions.
"How ya feelin', girly?" I blankly looked over toward Chuck and he could see in my face how tired I was after the long day we just had. "I'm okay. Just... just tired," I said with a sigh. "You look it. You can rest on my shoulder if you want." I placed my head on his strong shoulder and felt him place his head on mine. I began to think about our relationship. We had been friends for so long, and I, being a teenage girl, had always had a little crush on him, but he never seemed to have mutual feelings, so I kept them to myself. I stopped myself from liking him because I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship, but I knew I'd always have a little liking for him. My eyes just began to close when I heard his warm, deep voice in my ear. "Gracey?" "Yes, Chuck?" He lifted his head off mine, so I lifted mine off his shoulder and found his eyes. "Do you ever feel lonely?" I smiled, knowing where this conversation would lead. "Chuck, we talk about this all the time. Of course I do. We all do, and it's okay. You don't have to feel that way, I'm here." A huge smile spread across his face which forced me to do the same. "I know. I just wish you were here all the time." I didn't know how to respond to that exactly, so I smiled again and looked out the window since I was sitting right next to it. Within a few minutes, I felt Chuck's warm hand creep up into mine and intertwine our fingers. I looked over at him, confused, and saw him looking away from me as if he were avoiding my eyes. I rested my head on his shoulder again. He turned his head toward me finally, and I pretended to have my eyes closed as if I were sleeping. Our hands were still held together, and out of the cracks of my eyes I saw him looking at me. It wasn't a creepy stare, but a look as if he were admiring me.

I opened me eyes, proving to him that I knew he was looking at me, and after a few seconds of eye contact, he took my chin in his hand and lifted up my face. He stared into my eyes once more, still holding my face and then did it. He kissed me. Right there on the choir bus for everyone to see, even though no one did. It wasn't just a peck, either. It was a good, long kiss. One I've awaited for a long time. We continued to kiss for a good five minutes, until we heard our director's voice come over the loud speaker which startled us and tore us apart. The lights on the bus flickered on, and the moment was over. As everyone got up to leave the bus, Chuck looked me in the eyes and winked at me. "Get some sleep tonight, Gracey."