After school one perfectly sunny Monday, I made my way to the drama studio. I’d left my locker keys in there, or so I hoped. I opened the door and made my way in, but as I heard voices, I stopped.

“Once upon a dreary midnight…night…” The voice had been strong at the words ‘upon a’, but kind of faded at the end of the line.

I giggled at the unknown speaker’s butchery of the line.

“That’s not it at all,” said another voice, one I recognized – Aaron’s.

I couldn’t see them, due to the door I had just entered being situated right behind a big stage prop, but I remained there, amused and not wanting to show myself and stop the fun.

“Well excuse me,” said the first voice. “I’ve only gotten the script like, two hours ago.”

“More like two weeks,” said Aaron irritably. “Come on, Jason. Get your act together.”

‘Jason’ burst out laughing, seemingly randomly. “Ha! That’s a good one. Seriously…My act…It’s funny ’cause…I’m acting…” He giggled a bit more before sobering up.

Smiling, I presented myself, walking over to the stage. “Sorry to interrupt, but have either of you seen stray locker keys?”

“Oh, my god!” said Jason once he’d caught sight of me. He held out his arms, with his fingers making a square, like a picture. “You’re like an everlasting Kodiac moment.”

I laughed. “What are you talking about?”

Jason jumped down from the stage, and put both hands on either side of my face. “Your face! You have the face of a fucking superstar.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, right.”

“No, I’m serious!” Jason removed his hands, before wrapping an arm around my neck, looking up to Aaron on the stage. “Doesn’t she look like a million bucks, Aaron?”

Aaron nodded, pushing his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose. In the other hand, he held a script. Add his hair, which was long and shaggy, tied back; he looked like the perfect director.

Of course, I’ve seen Aaron before – he wasn’t a teacher, but a lot of people thought he was. He was super smart and graduated early; he needn’t take any classes in his would-be senior year. So, acting being his passion, he wanted to stay at school for the year and help the theatre teacher. He was like a constant T.A., only he didn’t get a grade for it.

“He’s in drama,” Aaron said, crossing his arms over his chest. He was thin and very tall, allowing a lot of freshman who didn’t know him think he was a teacher. “He’s a great actor.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jason turned back to me, and looked me up and down. “Do you say, ‘he’?”

“Yes, Jason, he,” Aaron sighed. I could tell he was a little more than frustrated with Jason.

I blushed a little. I mean, I knew I was girly, and I wore make up, and…skirts…But I mean, I don’t look that much like a girl…

“Dude, he’s wearing a skirt!” Jason gestured to my innocent, knee-length skirt.

I ducked my head in embarrassment. I wasn’t ashamed or anything…I’ve just never had someone think I was a girl…And Jason wasn’t being subtle.

“Yes, Jason,” Aaron used a tone as if talking to a small child. “He is wearing a skirt.”

I also felt a little weird because Aaron was talking about me as if he was my friend. I mean, sure, we’ve talked and stuff…But…It just seemed weird for him to address me so casually. Like he was defending a friend.

“Well, that’s cool,” Jason said, giving in. “I’ve just never seen a cross-dresser.”

“Uh, yeah…” I said awkwardly. “Anyway, my keys…Have you seen them?”

Aaron dug around in his pocket before throwing a ring of keys at me. “That it?”

I graciously caught the keys that were slightly warm from being in his pocket, and looked at them. “Yes, thank you. Were you planning on stealing them?” I smirked up at him.

“Why, yes,” Aaron brought the back of his hand to his forehead, and tilted his head back, feigning sorrow. “You caught me.”

I grinned. “Well, anyway, thanks.”

Turning, I made my way to leave, but I stopped when I heard Jason’s voice, “Hey, wait. You wanna hang out with us?”

I looked back over my shoulder at the two of them.

“We’re done here for today, anyway,” Jason said.

“Uh…Sure.”

--

After Aaron and Jason had closed up the studio (the teacher trusted Aaron like a co-teacher, and had even given him a key), I followed them to supposedly Aaron’s car, because once we got there, he got into the driver’s seat.

I got into the back seat as Jason got in front, saying, “So, whose house is it today?”

“Mine,” Aaron replied, driving out of the parking lot. “My parents are out for the week.”

“A week-long sleep over at your house it is!” Jason replied jubilantly, before turning around in his seat to look at me. “Hey, could you stay for the week too?”

“Um, I don’t know,” I said shyly. “I don’t have any of my stuff…And I hardly know you guys…”

“Oh, come on!” Jason said, smiling. “You don’t need anything, you can borrow anything from Aaron. And we’re not mass murderers or rapists, I promise!”

I didn’t really see the harm in it, so I agreed. “I’ll have to call my parents, though.”

Once we got to Aaron’s house, I called my parents to tell them I was at a friend’s house for the week, and that was that. I was free to do whatever.

“Ah, I love this place,” Jason sighed as he threw himself down on the couch in the family room. Aaron sat down a lot more calmly, and I (kind of awkwardly) took a seat next to Aaron. “Hey, so,” Jason looked across Aaron to me. “You’re wearing a skirt, so, you’re gay, right?”

I couldn’t help it as my face heated up. I nodded timidly.

“Hey, cool!” Jason beamed. “I think all male high school drama students are gay.”

“That’s not true,” I contradicted quietly. I knew a few male high school drama classmates that were perfectly un-gay.

“Yeah, but it seems like it,” Jason replied.

“Are you?” I asked, looking from Jason to Aaron, so he’d know I wanted his answer, too.

“Straight as a rainbow,” Jason said proudly. “And Aaron here’s just a closet case; don’t mind him.”

Aaron smacked Jason upside the head. “That’s not true.”

“Yes it is!” Jason pouted, rubbing where Aaron had hit him. “Have you ever actually admitted it out loud?”

“Shut up,” Aaron huffed, scooting towards me. I knew it was just to scoot away from Jason, but I still felt a small blush color my face.

--

The week passed so quickly, but it felt as if it were a common routine. I felt like I’d known Aaron and Jason forever.

Jason was really loud and blunt. He always spoke his mind, and wasn’t afraid to do outrageous things in public (hence, why he’s good at acting). Also, he had messy back hair that went everywhere, and full red lips, making him always look like he’d just made out with someone. He wasn’t too graceful, but I think it would be weird if he were.

Aaron on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He wasn’t really shy, just very quite. He was more the person to observe, than the thing of observation. He was mysterious, too. It felt like there was always something he was hiding from the world. He was very guarded and analytical. But I could tell he and Jason had been friends for years, and that Jason makes Aaron a little less tense.

Also, Aaron had golden brown hair that was always messily tied back. He always wore really baggy pullover sweaters, and loose jeans. And he was always pushing up his thick-framed glasses.

Together, I think Jason and Aaron looked cute.

Then there was me…I still couldn’t believe they’d want to be friends with me. I had long, waist length hair that was dyed the color that you get when you half-ass bleach black hair. I always wore long sleeved shirts and short skirts, and usually knee-high socks with my ankle boots.

But, seeing as I was at Aaron’s with none of my own stuff, I had to make due looking like a boy.

“I miss my skirts,” I whined Tuesday morning. I was currently just wearing one of Aaron’s pullovers, that was practically a dress on me, and boxers. “I feel like booooy.”

“You are a boy,” Jason reminded me, laughing.

I sat on the couch, with my knees pulled up to my chin, and my hands at my ankles. Jason came up to me, and put his hands on top of my knees, leaning down. “We should cut your hair.”

“No!” my hands immediately flew to the back of my head. “Never in a million years!”

Jason snickered. “You’d look adorable with your hair short, and elegantly disheveled.”

“Mm-mm,” I hummed in disagreement, shaking my head.

“Come on, now, Jason, stop being mean,” Aaron chided softly, sitting down next to me with a cup of coffee.

“Ooh, can I have some?” I asked, batting my eyelashes and leaning into Aaron.

Aaron handed over the cup, and I gleefully chugged the coffee inside. “Hey, come on, don’t drink all of it!” Aaron said, laughing lightly.

I beamed as I gave it back. But then I suddenly thought of something. “Oh no, I have to wear these clothes to school! My reputation will be ruined!”

As I buried my face in my arms, Jason chuckled, “What reputation?”

“Shut up,” I muttered, before laughing.

“I’m sure I could find some old stuff that would fit you better,” Aaron reassured. “And maybe you could borrow one of my mom’s skirts.”

“Really?” I looked up at Aaron. “That’d be great.”

--

I ended up wearing a slightly less baggy pullover of Aaron’s, and his mom’s ankle-length skirt. It wasn’t quite like my normal wear, but it was definitely very comfy.

“Now I know why you always wear these pullovers,” I said to Aaron during lunch on Tuesday.

And so my attire was much the same as that for the rest of the week.

--

On Wednesday, the day went by like it had yesterday. After school, the three of us stayed in the studio for a while to goof off and try to act. Aaron was directing and Jason was acting in, of course, Romeo and Juliet. I wasn’t a part of the play, but Jason was Romeo. As he practiced, I played the part of Juliet.

After we were sick of practicing at school, we went back to Aaron’s house, as usual. But today it was raining, so Aaron had to drive extra carefully. But as he turned, the puddle of water on the side pulled him in, steering his car off course.

A big truck was coming down the other side of the street Aaron was turning onto. The driver didn’t stop it in time, and it slid a little too far into the intersection. Aaron wasn’t paying attention to the truck though; he finally got his car out of the puddle.

But the truck slid a little too far, and Aaron went a little too late.

“Aaron, mind the fucking truck!” Jason yelled at him from next to me in the back seat.

“I’m trying!” Aaron replied, trying to steer the car away from the truck. But the road was on a slant, in favor of the truck, and it slid even farther towards Aaron’s car.

Adrenaline was coursing through my veins. We’re going to hit the truck. We’re going to hit the truck. The truck’s going to hit us. We’re gonna get hit!

As much as I wished Aaron’s car could move just that little bit out of the way, it didn’t, and my vision instantly snapped to black as the truck collided right into Jason’s side of the car.

--

I groggily awoke to the sight of pure white light.

HOLY SHIT, I’M DEAD!

…was the first thought to run through my mind.

But you can’t think a word like ‘shit’ in heaven, can you?

Can you?

I blinked a few times, and the light in front of me came into focus. It turned out to be a tiled ceiling and fluorescent lighting.

Thank god, I’m just in a hospital.

Wait, I’m in a hospital?!

I sat up and looked around. My eyes immediately met those of Aaron’s, who was looking down at me from a seat to my left.

“Aaron, what happened?” I asked desperately.

“I…got us into a car crash…” Aaron said quietly, his face solemn.

Flashes of the crash immediately came back to me.

The rain was pouring down in sheets.

The truck was slowly sliding down the slanted road.

Jason had yelled at Aaron.

Jason had been right in the truck’s line of fire…

Jason…

“Where’s Jason?” I asked.

Aaron didn’t say anything, just pressed a hand to his face as he tried to hold back tears.

I covered my mouth with both of my hands, and whispered, “Aaron?”

Aaron shook his head, before putting his arms on the side of my bed and burying his face into them. His body shook with sobs.

As I realized, I wrapped my arms around Aaron’s neck and cried with him.

--

I spent the rest of the week with Aaron at his house, and we didn’t go to school. It wasn’t the same without Jason.

Of course, Aaron was grieving much more than I was; I’d only known Jason for a couple of days, but Aaron had known him for god knows how long.

On Saturday, Aaron told me his parents were due back tomorrow. I was sad, because it was nice just being alone with Aaron, but I could tell he needed parental comfort.

I was sitting on the couch, with Aaron’s head in my lap as he slept. I stroked his hair solemnly. Just as my legs started to go numb, Aaron stirred. He looked up at me with his big, sad eyes.

“It hurts so much,” he whispered hoarsely.

“I know,” I replied quietly as Aaron sat up. He clung to me, his face buried in my chest.

“I miss him so much,” he said almost inaudibly. “We’d know each other…for so long…”

I just continued running my fingers through his hair, that wasn’t tied up for once. I couldn’t think of any consoling words.

--

Aaron’s parents came back on Sunday. They seemed really nice. Shortly after they arrived, I told Aaron I should get going. I figured he would want to be alone with his parents.

“No,” Aaron looked at me pleadingly. “Please just stay until tomorrow.”

I was happy to oblige; I hadn’t really wanted to leave him in the first place.

Aaron told his parents about what happened to Jason, and we were barraged with the typical, ‘I’m so sorry!’s, ‘We understand how you feel’s, ‘you’ll move on soon’s.

It was all bullshit.

So after a handful of that, Aaron and I retreated to his room. As I closed the door, he sat down on his bed, sighing.

“They never really liked Jason, since he was openly gay,” Aaron said solemnly. “They don’t…think that I am…”

“Well, I’m openly gay, and they seemed pretty nice to me…” I said, confused. They had seemed really sympathetic towards me, even though they’d just met me, and I was wearing a skirt.

“They think you’re a girl,” Aaron replied. “I’m sure they’re happy because they think I’ve finally found a girlfriend.”

Oh yeah. The skirt can throw people off.

“Oh, right…” I sat down next to Aaron, and held out my arms to him. He immediately fell into them, resting his head and a hand on my chest.

“Thank you,” Aaron said quietly. “So much. For everything…and for putting up with me for the past few days…”

“I wasn’t putting up with you,” I reassured. “It was a pleasure to be with you. It always is.”

Aaron lifted his head and looked at me. He wasn’t crying, just very sad. He didn’t say anything, he just closed his eyes, and leaned forward, before pressing his lips against mine.

I was surprised at first, but I quickly recovered. I kissed back, figuring both of us needed a little release from all of the misery.

And besides, I soon became addicted to that little warm feeling kissing Aaron gave me.

Maybe…we can start over…and it’ll be just the two of us.