A Sleepover

It was a lovely summer day for Mackenzie as she made the short walk over to her friend's house. The afternoon heat was still beating down on the redhead, but it was far from sweltering, and the occasional breeze helped keep things from getting unbearable. Knowing it would be hot, Mackenzie had opted for a tank top and jean shorts that day. But the nice weather did little to improve the redhead's mood.

She and her boyfriend, Ryan, had recently broken up. And, despite Mackenzie agreeing with him that it was likely the right decision to make, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken over it. In the rapidly upcoming days, they would both be heading off to their own respective colleges, which weren't even in the same state as each other. Rather than struggle to make a long-distance relationship work, only seeing each other on holiday breaks, both Mackenzie and Ryan had agreed that it was best to simply part on good terms and enter their freshmen year unattached. They had both seen and heard of countless tales of high-school romances that inevitably crumbled and ended by the time Thanksgiving break rolled around, and figured they would just skip the slow and painful process. Still though, part of Mackenzie wondered if it wouldn't have been worth it to at least try to keep the relationship alive. She really did love Ryan, after all. Which only made the breakup that much harder to get through.

Startled out of her thoughts, Mackenzie realized she had arrived on Jess's doorstep. She'd made the trip so many times that her autopilot easily took her there while she'd been reminiscing about her ex-boyfriend. Mackenzie sighed and opened the front door. She and Jess never really knocked when coming over to each other's houses.

Mackenzie had headed over to Jess's place for a sleepover with her friends. The four of them were splitting up to attend different colleges as well, and since this would be the last time they all got to hang out together for a while, they had all decided on having a sleepover together, like they so often did while growing up. Another bittersweet feeling washed over Mackenzie. She truly was looking forward to getting a fresh start at college (probably moreso than most), but she knew she was really going to miss her friends.

Once again, Mackenzie was snapped out of her thoughts as she found Jess sitting in her room, staring wistfully at a small box beside her.

"Hey Jess," she said, trying not to let her mood seep into her words.

"Oh!" the dark haired girl jumped slightly. "Hey Kenz. I didn't hear you come in."

"Whatcha looking at?" Mackenzie asked, setting her bag and sleeping bag down before sitting beside Jess on the carpet.

"Um, I was going through some of my stored things to get ready to pack," Jess explained, causing Mackenzie to once again be reminded that she would soon be off on her own. She quickly snapped herself out of that thinking, though. She'd spent plenty of time wallowing the past few days. Now it was time to enjoy what little time she had left with her friends!

Jess continued, "And I found this box of old toys from when we were growing up. Remember this?"

Mackenzie and Jess had been friends since their early days of elementary school and grew up playing together constantly. So as the two girls began going through the box together, they fondly reminisced on toy after toy, each one sparking pleasant memories. Then, Jess pulled out a bright multicolored plastic wand with a large orb on the end containing a multicolored star. Mackenzie gasped in recognition at the specific toy.

"Oh my god!" the redhead said, "Our princess spinner wand! I can't believe you still have this!"

In their very early days of playing together, back when they had both been obsessed with anything pink and/or princess themed, the girls' favorite toy had been that very one. They took turns using it, always pretending it gave them magical powers when they activated it.

Jess pressed the button on the wand and it began humming softly. The star began to very slowly rotate inside the orb, and emitted only the feeblest of light for a few moments. Then the motion, light, and sound all stopped.

"Guess it might need new batteries after sitting in the back of my closet for like 12 years," Jess chuckled. Mackenzie laughed as well. Then the two girls settled into a comfortable silence, sitting side by side. Jess glanced up and made eye contact, and for a moment Mackenzie got the distinct impression that Jess wanted to say something to her. Based on the tender moment, the redhead assumed it was going to be something about how much Jess would miss her while away. Mackenzie, though, didn't want to think about their inevitably approaching tearful goodbye. That night, she just wanted to have a good time together. She quickly asked the first thing that came into her mind.

"Is Josh home tonight?" Mackenzie casually asked as she stood up, ending the moment quite effectively.

Jess's twin brother Josh had been another childhood friend of Mackenzie's. Naturally, they had all played together quite a bit back then. But as they had grown up and entered teenage-hood, Mackenzie began spending time with Josh less and less. It wasn't on purpose, and more often than not it seemed like Josh was the one who was avoiding her. Despite Mackenzie's attempts to remain somewhat close, the friendship had faded, and she now felt a bit awkward every time she ran into him. The only time they ever really interacted at that point was if they were in a larger group of people. Mackenzie genuinely wasn't sure what she had done to make her old friend pull away from her like that, if there was a reason at all.

"Oh, uh, no," Jess said, as if her train of thought had been interrupted. "He's sleeping over at a friend's house tonight. And my mom and dad are away at a wedding reception with a hotel booked for afterward. So it'll just be us girls here tonight!"

"Perfect," Mackenzie smiled, and meant it. Some quality time alone, just the four of them was exactly what she'd been hoping for.

Jess got to her feet as well, and seemed about to say something again when the doorbell rang. The two friends looked at each other for a moment, before in unison saying, "...Lily." They giggled together at that. No matter how many times they told Lily that she could just come on in, that girl still insisted on ringing the doorbell every single time.

"I'll go let her in," Jess said before heading towards the front door. Mentally, however, the girl was kicking herself. Because, while Mackenzie's goal was just to spend some quality time with her friends that night, Jess had an entirely different goal in mind.

After many many hours of self-reflection and introspection, Jess had arrived at an inescapable conclusion. She had feelings for Mackenzie. And they were strong feelings. On some level, Jess felt like she had known for a while. But somehow it still taken her by surprise when she had admitted it aloud to herself. And it had taken her an even longer amount of time to reach a decision about what to do with that information! After writing up more than a dozen pro/con lists, imagining every hypothetical scenario she could think of, and even asking others for advice online, Jess had decided. She was going to tell Mackenzie how she felt.

She knew Mackenzie wasn't into girls. She knew Mackenzie had just gotten out of a serious relationship. And she knew that they were going to be seeing far less of each other soon. She wasn't expecting anything to... happen. But Jess had realized she simply wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she never at least told her best friend how she felt. And so, Jess had resolved that before Mackenzie left her house the next morning, she would confess to her. She only hoped that it wouldn't ruin their friendship.

Jess politely greeted Lily at the door, ushering her inside while still mentally berating herself for not seizing her chance when she'd been alone with Mackenzie. She decided that the next chance she got alone with Mackenzie, she was going to take the plunge. No matter what.

Amy arrived not long after, and the four girls got ready for a fun evening together.