never assume

That is the cardinal rule.

When I was in senior year of high school, one of my guy friends suddenly pulled me over and started talking to me about this girl he had a crush on. I didn't like him, not romantically, but for some reason, my heart skipped the moment he started talking about that, about how great she was, how fantastic she was, how he knew there was no one else for him but her. Vanity. Maybe even pride. Those probably explain my heart-thumping moment then.

He talked about how he would go to the place where I ate lunch just to see her. He talked about how beautiful her voice was, how bright her personality was. And silly me - silly stupid me - I thought I knew what he was talking about. I thought that was his prelude.

And then he said he had nursed a crush on her since freshman year. And I thought, we didn't know each other in freshman year. I turned to look at him, heat creeping up my neck out of embarrassment, probably even anger. But he was staring off, that proverbial faraway look in his eyes. I had just been the confidante after all. She had bested me again.