Danielle

15

"Bananas and Jellybeans"

When you walk upstairs, your stomach tightens anyway.
You know that he is waiting for you; he always does.
But you grip the banister firmly,
to provide the stability your jelly knees cannot.

You breathe in the warm honey heat,
viscous fluid that is smoothed in layers on your skin
..............that sticks to your t-shirt
..............that sits in your stomach
..............that lines your throat.
It’s a heavy saccharine kiss, a moist sting, and a gentle burn.

You can see him from the top of the stairs,
with his back against the locker that is next to yours.
You keep your eyes on your toes, and don’t meet his gaze
until you are standing next to him.

He has a long, thick eyelash stuck to his cheek
and a bead of sweat behind his left earlobe,
now
..rolling
....its
......way
........down
..........his jawbone.

“Do you want to go to the park?”
he asks.
“I packed bananas and jellybeans.”

You nod and smile and the two of you walk
....down the school’s un-air-conditioned hallways,
....down eight flights of un-air-conditioned stairs,
......out the door, and to the park.

You sit down under the shade of a Japanese Maple tree.
You cross your legs and
he stretches his out so that
the white and sky blue plaid fabric of his shorts brushes your knee.

He peels his banana from the bottom
and eats his jellybeans two at a time.
You peel your banana from the top
and bite each jellybean in half
so you can see how the colored sugar coating hugs and crumbles around the chewy, translucent center.

You love him and he likes you.