At the end of the year, my high school became the setting for a zombie movie or natural disaster thriller. I walked the crowded halls as students from all walks of life ripped everything out of their lockers and tossed them in randomly placed trashcans that the faculty set up, but plenty of students ignored and I was walking over crumbled up love notes, failed essays, and half-used notebooks.

A horde of bros hollered and ran through the halls, barking and howling on their way out of the doors towards freedom. I stepped to the side to avoid being trampled, but my intrusive thoughts tempted me that a trip to the hospital could get me out of the last days of high school.

Last days of high school. Ever.

The thought contorted my stomach into a failed origami crane.

For the last four years, I knew what my days were going to be like. School had scheduled my life. My friends were all in one place. The summers off. Two weeks off for Christmas. Exams were always at the same time. A springtime musical. Homecoming in October.

Now, nothing lied ahead of me.

The warning bell rang, and I went to the lunchroom. Technically, I had a half day, but if I stayed for a little extra credit in my physics class, I might squeeze out enough points to raise my C to a B. Plus, I literally had nothing else to do, so I might as well stay here and watch a documentary or take a nap during it.

My pile of friends were sequestered to the back, in front of the floor to ceiling windows that looked out into the scenic parking lot, where other seniors were lining up to go start their new lives. I glanced vaguely around to see if my brother Jacob was here, but no luck. His loss. I had the van today and was prepared to take him home. Then again, his friends could do it and he'd prefer it.

Walking up to my table, I crossed my arms and spoke up in a dignified manner to show my presence, "Well, well, well, if it isn't my most favorite person in the world." I walked directly behind Sarah. I'm convinced she's an elderly woman trapped in the body of an eighteen-year-old with her flare for thick, wire-rimmed glasses and expansive cardigan collection. No matter the season, Sarah bundled herself in a sweater or shawl when indoors.

All smiles, I patted Sarah on the back. "I'd like to thank you for all of gay kind. I might have my first serious girlfriend."

Sarah's face dropped into a grimace. "What the fuck are you talking about? Why are you making this up?" I retracted my hand like she burst into flames. Her hostile energy pushed me a step back, and I raised my hands in surrender. Sarah snapped, "I know you didn't go on a date with Kate last night, so what are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?" I shot back. The world flipped upside down. If today was Opposite Day, I never got the memo. Quickly, I ran around the table to sit opposite her. "I absolutely went on a date with Kate. Kate kissed me. It was awesome."

Sarah's face twisted tighter and tighter as I spoke, like a noxious gas leaked out of my mouth. She asked, "Did you hit your head and now you have temporary amnesia? Or a concussion? Or are you really just lying to me?"

"I'm being so serious."

"Because you know what? Lots of people go their whole lives without ever being stood up on a date, but now my friend Kate can't say that. Eighteen years old and she's been stood up at least once in her life by you and because of me, because I vouched for you. She's rightfully pissed."

"Dude, I would be too, but I went on a date with Kate."

Our eyes locked up in a battle of wits, but neither of us were sweating. On rare occasions, I really was telling the truth, so I couldn't back down. Sarah flinched first. Brows knitting together, she asked, "You're being serious, aren't you? Say it again. You don't have a tell when you're lying."

Rolling my shoulders back, I raised three fingers for scout's honor and declared, "Last night, I went on a date with a blonde girl named Kate."

"Kate," Sarah echoed. "Kate Fields?"

"I don't know!" I threw my hands up. "We didn't go over last names! What's her Instagram? Show me a picture."

Her groans closer to growling, Sarah pulled out her phone, tapping away as we waited endlessly for the school Wi-Fi to cooperate, leaving me to defend myself in a staring contest with the Wonwoo selca on the back of her phone.

"Here," she said and flipped her phone to reveal a pretty blonde girl. "This is Kate."

My brow scrunched as I leaned in, studying the picture. This girl's hair was long, but maybe it was an old picture. Still. I had spent hours looking at that face and I knew this wasn't my Kate. "Okay, well, I didn't go on a date with that girl."

Silently, we blinked at each other, with her phone still lingering between us.

"So, you stood her up?"

"I mean, I guess! But I went on a date and my date said she was Kate, and she acted like she knew you. You can ask my aunt Lindsay! She saw the beautiful fake Kate kiss me."

Sarah went back to her crutch, grimacing at me. "Why was your aunt watching you kiss a girl?"

"She had to pick me up! But that's not the point. Who did I go on a date with last night, if it wasn't your Kate?" I touched my shoulders, asking her as if by magic she suddenly knew the answer. "Who's my Kate?"

"What did she look like? You never seen her before?"

"No, I think I would remember her. Beautiful, if I haven't said that already, I will say it again. Truly gorgeous, like uncanny, real. Sharp blonde bob, tall, brown eyes, and she looked fancy."

"I get it. She's a bombshell."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tyler asked from one seat away. An exclusive lunchtime and school friend, Tyler, was friendly and never rude, like some of the other guys that I tolerated in our lunch group. The most I knew about him was he took all the AP classes I never attended, was a proud member of the chess team, and had poor eyesight, which he combatted with the thickest pair of wire-rimmed glasses a teen could buy. He scooted next to Sarah, and I really felt like I was in the hot-seat.

Sarah explained, "This girl Marnie went on a date with some random girl by accident. Marnie got her confused with a friend of mine."

"I wasn't confused. She hoodwinked me," I argued.

Tyler raised his hand. "I have a hunch."

Sarah and I leaned in, drawn into his speech. He also took out his phone and said, "There's really only one girl in this town like this, but there's no way you went on a date with her. I've seen her around my work." Once again, an Instagram was revealed and there she was.

My Kate.

Sitting at a random café outside, looking off to the side with her little white sunglasses slid down her nose. Another lavender matcha in her manicured hand. Lots of dainty gold jewelry. And a Prada bag on the table that could only hold her phone and a lip gloss tube.

I nodded. "Oh yeah, that's her." Looking up, I asked, "who is she?"

"I don't know, but she comes to my work with a couple of her friends after school. They hang out at the Barnes and Noble café to do homework. She goes to that private school, Saint Mary's, with the uniform and everything."

"Can I borrow your phone?" I asked. "You can come with me."

"Sounds fun," he said, and we all gathered our stuff.

Taking his phone, I led the charge out of the lunchroom to the courtyard, another option to waste your time at lunch. I knew Gretchen Price always came here to exchange spit with her boyfriend behind one of the brick pillars. Gretchen Price was the richest person I knew. Not only did she buy ballgowns for both proms, but she also threw such large parties that everyone was invited, and she constantly wore designer clothing. This girl actually got a car on her sixteenth birthday but couldn't drive it until she was seventeen. That was the kind of wealth I could only dream about.

"Hey, Gretchen," I said, and Gretchen removed her tongue out of her nameless boyfriend's mouth. His eyes sort of glazed over from boredom, telepathically asking why I'm wasting his time by talking to his girlfriend.

Presenting Tyler's phone screen to her, I asked, "Gretchen, who is this?"

Gretchen leaned in without unhooking from her boyfriend's arms. She was teen Barbie, complete with the pink velvet track suit, blonde hair, and manicure. Her face brightened in recognition and a little relief fluttered through me that Gretchen smiled. "Oh, that's Hunter. Do you know Hunter?"

Hunter, I rewrote her name in my brain. It was something new to hold on to and I couldn't quite grasp it, but I guess no one got to choose their name. If someone gave us names that actually suited us, she'd be Lavender or Angel, and I'd be Big Mouth or Embarrassment.

Handing Tyler back his phone, I said, "I've met her, but I wanted to get a vibe check from somebody who knows her better than me."

"Yeah," Gretchen spoke fondly of the girl I met in the café. "We took the same swim lessons when we were kids. Every time I see her, she seems to remember me. The bar is low, but I've always liked her. She's super nice, but pretty quiet. I don't know if you two would get along on paper."

I frowned. "Are you saying that because she's nice or because she's quiet?"

"Both." Gretchen grinned, happy to have successfully yanked my chain. "I'm kidding." She shrugged and tossed her arm around her boyfriend and absentmindedly played with his hair. "I guess I thought she was more well known around town. She was a child actress. Do you remember those glitter bracelets we all had as kids?"

"Vaguely," I said, thinking about the bracelets we used to trade during recess. The kits included glittering charms, and buying an extra kit let you make your own. An absolute money hole and the fad was gone that same year when summer came.

"On it," Tyler whispered, typing into his phone.

"Yeah, she was in the commercial. Then the same brand did a glitter lip gloss with her, but I don't think she did anything after that."

Without warning, Tyler shoved an old Youtube video in my face of a group of preteen girls showing off their glittering bracelets while having a slumber party in the glitteriest room possible. They even made the drinks and pizza out of glitter. Out of the group, I recognized a pint-sized Kate/Hunter. The copyright music was unfortunately just as loud as Kate/Hunter's lines, but she put on a performance of a lifetime.

Gretchen added, "She's a senior like us, but she goes to Saint Mary's now."

And with that, with a couple of nuggets of truth, it felt like I hit gold.

Lowering the phone out of my face, I motioned for the couple to continue playing tonsil hockey and said, "Thank you so much. You've been a big help."

Instantly, I spun around and ran for the doors. Sarah lassoed me back, calling after me, "Marnie!" I skittered to a stop, holding the courtyard door open. By accident, I became the seniors' doorman as kids filtered in and out.

Sarah waved her hand, "Marnie! Where are you going? I thought you were going to stay and do the extra credit for physics?"

Raising to my tippy toes, I shouted over the other students' heads quickly, "No, I don't really need to do that! I've got like a b, so I'm passing!" With a shrug, I jumped up so Sarah could see it and then made a mad dash for the parking lot. Climbing into the family van, I pulled out my phone and looked up the directions for Hunter's school.

I have to go meet my blind date.

For real, this time. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Happy Fri-gay, y'all! I hope you enjoyed the new update~ So, it's been revealed! Marnie went on a date with the wrong girl by accident. Did you suspect something was off? Or is "Hunter" a good liar like Marnie? How would you react if you were in the same position? 

If you like this story, don't forget to vote and leave a comment. All comments are read, appreciated, and printed out to go on my fridge. And if you're interested in supporting me--an asexual biromantic gay--please pre-order my sapphic romcom THE TRIAL PERIOD, out w/ Wattpad books on Feb. 4th :))

See you next week!