Chapter 3: To Make a Move

Sydni sat at the gang's food court table with Caitlin and Jonesy, still in the process of writing the preface to what now became their book.

She typed on Jonesy's laptop, taking note of the ideas he and Caitlin exchanged. They'd already conversed about situationships, dating a friend, being friends with benefits, having an open relationship, and maintaining a long-distance relationship. Now, it was onto having a fling.

She already knew both Caitlin and Jonesy had their fair share of those, but both of them were into different kinds of flings. Caitlin romanticized short-term love affairs, wherein a guy would spoil her with gifts, kisses, and fun dates. She adored the romance and thrill of being with a guy who wasn't going to be in her future, who was only going to be her "right now." The superficial, surface attraction was fun for her.

Jonesy, on the other hand, indulged in the carnal side of having a fling. Getting to second base with girls at parties and getting head from hockey-team groupies were only some of the perks of a fling for him.

"I see what you're saying," Caitlin said to Jonesy after he explained himself, "but I just love letting a boy sweep me off my feet. I just feel like a fling helps me ease my mind no matter what's going on."

"You've got that right. Whenever shit isn't going right or you just wanna have fun, hooking up with someone is the move."

That was the commonality between their dramatically different ideas of a fling: they were meant for destressing, not for adding more stress on one's life.

Sydni pondered her predicament. She'd been scared to pursue something with Alejandro out of fear that it was too soon to move onto somebody else while getting over a heartbreak. Her mind had pressed fast-forward, thinking of being involved with him in terms of an actual committed relationship rather than something simpler: a fling. She didn't want anything serious, not after what she'd been through. But, if she kept thinking about him, maybe she just wanted something.

Her best friends have all had flings before, especially Michaela. (Technically, she only had flings; no guy could coax her into commitment.)

Flings weren't supposed to be complicated or riddled with inevitable heartbreak. A summer love affair was whatever two people were willing to make it.

"Maybe I want that—a summer fling… with Alejandro," she confessed to the two of them. Saying it out loud made her feel more assured.

Caitlin squealed for joy. "Ohmygosh, I'm so glad you still wanna be with him!"

"Attagirl," Jonesy said. "Gotta ride somebody new until you forget who did you dirty."

"Jonesy," she chastised.

"What? Just being honest, princess."

Sydni gaped at him. His words were vulgar yet reminiscent of something Michaela would actually say to her. If she knew of this handsome guy—Sydni made a mental note to fill her and Danielle in on the details—then she would tell Sydni to pursue him without hesitation.

Even when Alejandro wasn't in the picture and she still lived in Baltimore and Jake had just shattered her heart, Michaela told her something similar.

"You're gonna find someone who's gonna treat you right, Bambi. Or maybe they'll find you. Maybe you'll find each other or whatever—shit, I don't know. But what I do know is that if you find someone who gives you a good feeling in your gut and your chocha, go after them. You deserve to forget and feel good, sis."

Minus the talk about using her "chocha" to guide her, that sounded reasonable enough: forgetting and feeling good.

"He's right," Sydni admitted. Before Jonesy could appear too smug, she clarified, "Not about riding somebody into oblivion, but about the concept of another person making the one who broke your heart into an afterthought."

"Wow, that's way more poetic than how I interpreted it," Caitlin said.

He stroked the very sparse hairs around his chin. "Hmm, maybe I really am a dating guru."

Ignoring him, Caitlin told Sydni, "I'm so glad you feel inspired to put yourself out there again! This is gonna be so great! We have to fix you two up ASAP."

Caitlin's enthusiasm, while infectious, also frightened her. Sydni stumbled over her words. "Actually, I really need some time to think over my approach. Plus, I don't want to be the one to initiate things with him. I— I'd rather him see me and make a move."

Jonesy cleared his throat, drawing their attention towards him. "This feels like the perfect time to start the chapter on making the first move, don't ya think?"

Sydni sent him a tiny smile. "Maybe."

Caitlin clapped her hands together, ready to dive in to the next part of the guide. "Ooh, I can do the girls' perspective on making a move and you can do the guys' perspective. That way, we can both help Sydni with some pointers!"

"Sweet," he said.

And so, for a couple hours, Sydni listened to them as they shared advice on how to approach Alejandro.

Meanwhile, Nikki decided to take Jen's advice.

She stood outside Once Upon a Time, taking a deep breath while staring into the store. She saw Tristan at the register, helping a customer purchase their books. She decided to make her move as the customer exited the store.

Tristan's eyes lit up with recognition before dimming as Nikki approached the register.

She could sense disappointment in Tristan's demeanor; Nikki appeared remorseful. "Hey, Tristan."

Tristan avoided looking at her. "Nikki… I wasn't sure I'd ever hear from you again."

She sighed. "You're pissed at me, aren't you?"

"I'm not pissed, just… hurt. You hadn't texted me or called me or stopped by in a week, so I assumed that our friendship just went to shit."

"I'm sorry for leaving you in the dark like that. I was confused and trying make up for lost time with my boyfriend and realized I sent you mixed signals when we started hanging out." In hindsight, Nikki found that she gave Tristan the go-ahead to kiss her. The way Nikki laughed a little too hard at her jokes and hung out with her constantly and told her that she really liked her must have given Tristan the courage to kiss her. "I should've talked to you about it sooner."

"Maybe it's my fault for interpreting your actions as being flirtatious."

"It's not your fault, Tristan. But I didn't come to argue about who was in the wrong. I came to tell you that I still want to be friends with you."

"Really? I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me after the kiss."

She shook her head. "I still do. Besides, you kissing me helped me figure out that I'm actually bisexual—that I've always been bisexual. I just needed something to help me realize it."

Tristan's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, wow."

"Yeah. So I was hoping we could put this behind us and still be friends… But only if you want to."

Tristan looked down, considering it. Her lips upturned when she met Nikki's eyes. "I'd love to still be your friend, Nik."

"Great."

"Just don't go ghost on me again. That shit really got me in my feelings."

Nikki chuckled. "It won't happen again, Tris."

An hour later, Nikki sent Jonesy a text asking him to meet her by the fountain.

Since closing time was in an hour, the area was tranquil. No kids running around. No busy shoppers scurrying past each other. No angry patrols from Ron the Rent-a-Cop. Just a place where the two of them could talk with minimal distractions.

She placed her phone face-down beside her on the bench. Instead of thinking the absolute worst, she allowed the fountain's running water to soothe her. Given how well her effort to reconcile with Tristan went, she hoped coming out to Jonesy would be as effortless.

Like Jen had said, he wouldn't look at her any differently. He wouldn't treat her any differently. He wouldn't feel for her any differently. (At least, that's what the miniscule portion of her brain that wasn't cynical believed.)

"Busy thinking 'bout me?" a voice called out to her.

She looked up to see her tall, smug-ass boyfriend standing in front of her. "I was, actually."

After she moved her phone aside, he took a seat beside her. "How's your day been?"

"A little better now that you're here."

"That's what I like to hear." He kissed her cheek. "So, you wanted to talk about something?"

"Yeah." She let out an uneasy laugh, feeling herself tense up. "You know I care about you a lot, right?"

"I do." He quirked an eyebrow. "Is something wrong, Nikki?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just… need to be honest with you about something."

"What is it?"

She gulped. Now or never. "Tristan kissed me a week ago."

"Wait, what?"

"The last time we'd hung out, she misread some of the signals I was sending her and so she kissed me."

"Oh… wow," he said, processing this new information. "Did… Did you like it?"

She sighed. "That's why I wanted to tell you about it."

His jaw dropped. "Whoa, so you did like it?!"

"I did—but I swear I'm not into Tristan. We're just friends. I was just so confused after it happened, but it helped me realize that, you know… I'm bisexual."

"So you're into dudes and chicks now?"

She nodded. "And maybe that's why I gravitated towards Jean and Tristan. I just didn't know it at the time." Before he could say anything else, she said, "I really want to be with you, but I just wanted to come clean about my sexuality."

A half-hearted laugh escaped his lips. "Hey, at least if another chick takes you from me, I won't be completely blindsided."

She heard an undercurrent of sadness in his tone. "What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Nikki—when you met Jean you forgot about me, and when you met Tristan you forgot about me. What if another girl you like comes into your life and you actually wanna be with her? Third time's the charm, isn't it?" He found it ironic that he went from feeling like a love expert to someone who couldn't even hold onto his girlfriend. It wounded his ego.

This was as hard as she anticipated it to be before talking to Jen. Then again, Jen said it would be okay, but she never said it would be easy.

Her palm rested against his thigh in an effort to reassure him. "I'm not going to leave you for another girl, Jonesy."

He crossed his arms. "How do you know that?"

"Because no matter who walks into my life, you're the one who's always there for me at the end of the day. Look, I know I fucked up when I got caught up with Tristan and Jean and left you in the dark, but you waited for me instead of walking away from me. And that says a lot about you." Though she didn't stray from him often, he had a way of reeling her back in. He had a way of reminding her about their bond. "It… makes me appreciate what I have with you. It makes me not want to take you for granted. And it makes me feel like shit when I hurt you, because it's apparent how much you care about me and I care about you just as much and—"

He silenced her with a kiss, cupping her face with his palms. His lips were slow and gentle against hers. His lips were forgiving.

When they parted, he offered her a soft smile. "You were rambling, babe. You never ramble."

"I know." Her expression mirrored his. "I needed you to know how much I only want you."

"I appreciate that, and I want you just as much. You're my girl, Nik."

Her cheeks flushed with color. "So we're okay now?"

"Yep." Accepting both her apology and her sexuality, he teased, "I guess I shouldn't give a damn who you like as long as you love me."

She laughed. "Guess that's the big takeaway, huh?"

"My baby just can't get enough of the Jonesmeister," he gloated, flashing her a smug smile. "She always comes running back."

She gave him a look of annoyance. "Alright, Jonesy, knock it off."

"Fine."

Sydni rested her back against her headboard. Her laptop sat in her lap, warm against her bare legs. She scrolled through her social media while she awaited a video call from her best friends. Though she'd been texting them and snapchatting them and DMing them since she moved to Toronto, she and her friends from home hadn't found the chance to sit down and chat like old times. She wanted to tell them about her new friends, about her new job, about her blog, about Alejandro.

Unlike her friends, both old and new, Sydni didn't have many experiences with boys. She'd only talked to one boy prior to Jake, going on a couple dates with him that didn't amount to anything. On the other hand, her first real relationship was with Jake, and—judging by her ongoing inner monologue—it was evident that they had fallen apart.

She was out of practice when it came to dating, so Jonesy and Caitlin's guidance was more than necessary.

Right in the middle of her musings about her dating inexperience, a notification filled the top-right corner of her laptop.

Incoming video call from Danielle Cooper.

Butterflies fluttered around her stomach when she answered the call. Texts and Instagram selfies paled in comparison to interacting with her best friend on a video call. (Of course, seeing her in real life eclipsed all three of those things.)

A storm of black curls filled the screen.

"Dani," Sydni said with a giggle, "your hair's all up in the camera."

After angling the camera towards her face, she said, "Shit, my bad. My phone fell over. Anyways, hey, sis!"

"Hey, Dani! I'm so glad to see you." She had no idea how much that statement rung true. Danielle's unruly-yet-perfect black curls and light skin with a hint of brown reminded her of home. "I have so much to tell you and Mickey when she shows up."

"And I wanna hear every detail. You better not leave anything out… Wait, where the hell is Mickey? Weren't we all supposed to be on the call at the same time?"

"I have no clue where she is, to be honest. I'm sure she'll be—"

Incoming video call from Michaela Rodriguez.

"There she is," Sydni said. Choosing to merge the video calls, Michaela's face filled the other half of Sydni's screen.

Before she could say anything, Michaela shouted, "Bitch, I ain't seen you in forever!"

"That's funny," Danielle interjected with sarcasm in her tone. "I'm pretty sure we hung out yesterday."

"Not you, bitch! I'm talking about Sydni! It's like these hoes in Toronto have been holding her hostage or something."

Sydni laughed. Michaela was as profane as ever—something Sydni totally missed. She also missed seeing her pastel-pink ponytail shake with her head movements. She missed her mischievous brown eyes and her equally mischievous smile. "No one's holding me hostage. I've just been busy trying to come into my own, I guess."

"Yeah," Danielle said, "I see you've been writing again."

Sydni smiled. Danielle had always been reading her work, even when they were in elementary school and Sydni thought her lame short stories were the shit. "Yeah. I think I'm writing just for the sake of it right now, though. Between my album reviews and posts about my day, I think my blog is kind of a hot mess."

(Maybe adding Jonesy and Caitlin's dating guide would do her blog some justice after all.)

"It's not a hot mess, Syd," she said, her hazel eyes shining bright (even through laggy video quality). "You said it yourself: you're just trying write for the hell of it. Keep doing it and you'll find your flow. Shit, if you and Mickey didn't let me do all those photoshoots with you in middle school, my photography skills would still be trash."

"And if I didn't practice my moves everyday, I wouldn't be good at dancing," Michaela added. "But, let's be real, as long as Beyoncé's alive, I'll never be that good at it."

"That's true—not about the Beyoncé thing. I meant the point about practicing," Sydni said. That's the thing she loved the most about her best friends: whenever she cast doubt upon herself, they were quick to build her back up. They encouraged her to grow with them. They reminded her that she was great even when she felt ridiculous for her efforts.

"I'm glad you're back on your writing shit, Bambi. It really seems like you're doing better," Michaela said.

"Yeah, you seem like you're in a better place right now," Danielle added.

Compared to how Sydni was months ago—sullen, reclusive, quiet—they were right. She had more progress to make when it came to her self-esteem, but she was moving forward. In a few months, she'd gotten better. Not where she needed to be, but slowly approaching it.

Sydni toyed with a lock of her hair. "It means a lot to hear you two say that."

Before Sydni could say anything else, Dani squinted, recognizing something on her wrist. "Syd… is that the bracelet Jake gave you?" she asked, knowing damn well it was. She knew that dainty silver chain when she saw it.

Sydni felt disappointed in herself for allowing something as small as a bracelet to hinder her progress. But it was a birthday gift from him—the gift that turned their friendship into a relationship. "It's the one thing I couldn't get rid of, okay? It still means too much to me."

Michaela crossed her arms. "I'd prefer if you didn't wear anything from a cheating hijo de puta like him, but I know how much he meant to you, so it's whatever."

"Please tell me you'll stop wearing that one day," Dani urged.

"I will," Sydni said, hoping they would believe her. One day she would. One day she wouldn't need a reminder of their relationship on her wrist. "I'll get rid of it before the end of summer, okay?"

Dani nodded. "I'll accept that."

"So," Michaela said, "are there any hotties in Toronto? You find your Drake yet, or nah?"

"She doesn't need a Drake. A sensitive light-skin who's gonna shame her for having fun with her girls in the club? No thank you," Danielle said, suddenly reminding Sydni of the lyrics to "Hotline Bling."

Michaela side-eyed her. "You're really saying this like you're not his complexion your damn self."

"Hey, I may be his complexion, but I'm not nearly as in my feelings as he is. And I'm the one light-skin that texts back. Anyways, Syd, get you one of those dudes that looks like Bryson Tiller but acts like Daniel Caesar. That's somebody worth keeping."

"Well, actually…" Sydni trailed off, wanting to interject about the guy who wouldn't leave her head.

Her friends leaned in, eager to hear more.

"This guy I'm into isn't like any of those other guys, but he's crazy handsome."

"Oooh!" Mickey shouted. "You gotta tell me his name!"

Her lips curled at the very thought of him (and at the very thought of Michaela's reaction). "His name is Alejandro."

Michaela's brown eyes widened. "Alejandro, huh? You know if he's boricua?"

"I'm not really sure, to be honest. I just know he's tall, tan, charming and won't leave my mind."

"You know if he's into you?" Danielle asked.

Though Sydni's brown skin never revealed whether she was blushing or not, she could feel heat pooling in her cheeks. "I think so. He's flirted with me a few times and we even danced together."

"What are you waiting for, Bambi?! Get those digits, girl!"

"I am," Sydni said, finally filled with hope about the situation. "I am."

A/N: Okay, so Sydni and her best friends from Baltimore are so much freaking fun to write. Like, I'm always in my element when it comes to writing the 6teen characters, but all my OCs that are a part of Sydni's life are so much fun because—f you can't tell—I'm writing from experience here. I'm drawing inspiration from the way me and my homegirls cut up when we hang out, lmfao. Anyways, the black (and brown) girl magic is real in the last scene of this story.

If you need any reference as to how to picture Michaela, just google pictures of Kali Uchis and Cardi B, tbh. In regards to Danielle, just picture the singer Tinashe, but with curly hair.

I'm going to edit/revise this story more eventually, but i just wanted this to be finally published. It feels like a weight off my shoulders to be continuing this series.