I twirl my pencil around my finger, counting the minutes until the end of class. In the front, Ms. Ferguson is talking about something that I presume will end up being important in the near future. I don't bother listening, instead doodling inside of a torn up notebook that has had its share of bad days. 
Ms. Ferguson hands out sheets of paper and I smile up at her, closing my notebook so she won't see my doodling. She's a very nice teacher, aside from being, well, really boring. She tries though, and I can't dislike someone for something that's not really their fault.  
Emma passes me a note, and I smile down at the doodled heart before drawing a sad attempt at a cheerleader on the back. 
"The homework is due tomorrow. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask my TAs." Ms. Ferguson dismisses us, ignoring the bell, which had rung half a minute prior. 
I exit the classroom, falling into step next to Emma. 
"Ms. Ferguson keeps giving us so much homework," Emma rolls her eyes dramatically. 
"That's part of her job. You'd give me homework if you got paid for it too." I raise my eyebrows at her, as if challenging her to contradict me. 
"I know, but still!" Emma follows me into the locker room for cheerleading. A flurry of movement and noise greets us as we head inside, and I set down my backpack with a satisfying clunk before taking out my cheerleading uniform and some lip gloss. 
 Emma does the same, pulling her blond hair into a neat ponytail before applying a generous layer of mascara. Olivia joins us in front of the mirror, and I smile at the routine we've managed to establish in less than three weeks of school. 
We head out together, all of us complaining about the amount of homework our teachers have managed to give us in such a short time. 
– 
I look behind me at Emma, who's trying to zip up her backpack without crashing into anyone in the process. 
"Wait up!" She's not doing a very good job of the former, but Emma hasn't bumped into anyone yet, so I'd consider that an achievement. Coach kept us outside today for longer than usual, and Emma underestimated the time it'd take her to get dressed and ready. 
Of course, I'm the collateral damage in this lapse of judgement. 
"Hurry up!" I call back at her, speeding up as I do so. I look back again, making sure Emma is behind me as I continue walking. 
And bump into a wall. No, not a wall. A person. 
"Oh my gosh, I am so so sorry. Are you okay?" I look up at the boy in front of me, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. 
"Actually, I'm not okay. I'm Cameron." He smiles, and suddenly my cheeks are flushing for a completely different reason. 
His hair is a light brown that almost passes as blond, and he's a good foot taller than me. 
"Celia," The corners of my mouth turn up into a smile. 
Emma's now right behind me, and I realize with a creeping sense of mortification he probably wants to get to class. 
"Well, it was nice meeting you, and sorry again!" I squeak, flinching at my tone as I move around him. 
I hurry my steps, and Emma catches up to me, smirking. "He's cute." She says as if I hadn't noticed it. "You should ask him out." 
"I have no idea who he is!" I'm blushing again. 
"You know his name is Cameron." She smiles knowingly. I smile too, a second before elbowing her in the ribs. 
"Hey! What was that for?" Emma huffs. 
I blink at her, but neither of us last long before cracking smiles. 
"I need to get to class. I'll see you at lunch?" 
"See you at lunch." Emma waves at me before walking away. 
– 
"Hi," I've passed Cameron almost every day for the past few weeks in the halls. Saying hello has become routine, and the comfortable smiles he gives me when we pass each other have become one of the highlights of my day. 
"Hey," I smile back, slowing my pace. 
"How's cheer? I heard your first competition is coming up soon." Cameron seems genuinely curious. 
"It's going pretty well. I'm not sure we're ready for a competition yet though." I'm just thankful that nobody has torn anything so far, muscle wise. "How's basketball?" 
"It's going great. Coach has only yelled at us once this whole season." Cameron's smile widens, like it always does when he talks about basketball. We've been doing this routine for almost a month now, and these days, his smiles are one of the only things that can make me smile too. Usually, we'd keep walking after a short exchange, but just as I start moving away I hear Cameron call after me. 
"Can I ask you something?" Cameron sounds unsure of himself for the first time since we met. I turn back to see him fidgeting, and can't help but smile at how adorable he looks, even when embarrassed. 
"Yeah, of course." 
"Would you want to, um, maybe go out sometime afterschool?" His question catches me off guard. 
"Ok," I bite my lip, the edges turning up into a smile. I take a pen out of my pocket, writing my number quickly on the inside of his hand. "Text me." 
Long after class has started, the smile stays on my face. 
– 
Once upon a time, there was a girl. She was beautiful, with auburn hair that was just a shade too red to be brown and a smile that made her eyes crinkle at the edges. 
And once upon a time, there was a boy that noticed. He watched her from afar, until the fateful day that they collided. 
She had been rushing from cheerleading. He was going to basketball. And once they met, there was no going back. 
To him, she was the only star in a blackened sky. To her, he was a lifeline, a reason to keep smiling, to keep laughing and loving and taking one step after the next. 
They dated until they graduated high school. Until they completed their freshmen year in college. Until she was so bright and they were so happy, and he could no longer wait to make her not just his girlfriend but also his wife. 
And they lived their lives as one, the sun seemingly shining light onto the world just for them. That is, until the girl found out that they would bring light into the world too. And because the girl smiled, the boy smiled too. 
– 
The pregnancy test clatters onto the cheap brown table in our apartment, and I grin at Cameron as he looks up at me with wide eyes. 
"We're going to be parents!" I squeal, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Can you believe it?" 
Cameron smiles back, but the worry is evident in his eyes. 
"Don't worry, you'll be a great dad." I look up at him, still grinning. "I mean, only if you want to." I hesitate, my smile slipping just a bit. I hadn't considered the fact that Cameron might not want to be a parent, and the idea catches me off guard. 
"Of course I do." His face softens and he lifts me up. "I'll be with you every step of the way." 
– 
The next person I tell after Cameron is Emma. The phone dials for what feels like forever, and when she finally picks up I can hardly contain my excitement. "I'm pregnant!" I squeal into the phone, swinging my legs back and forth. 
"Oh." Emma responds weakly at me from the other end of the line. "Are you sure?" 
The doubt in her voice feels like a punch in the gut, and I blink back tears, my excitement dimming at her words. 
"I mean, congratulations!" Emma smiles, but the phoniness in her voice is all but obvious. "Just, are you sure you're ready for this?" 
"Yeah?" The answer comes out like a question, even though of course I am. "Why wouldn't I be?" 
– 
I end the call with Emma soon after, and I rush to the bathroom, tears threatening to fall. One slips just as I close the door, curling up against the wall. Emma's hesitation comes flooding back, and I bite my lip, trying to quiet my  now heart wrenching sobs. 
"Can I come in?" I hear Cameron's voice on the other side of the door, and I manage a yes between sniffles, wiping at my eyes. 
"Oh, honey, what's wrong?" He sits down next to me, worry creasing his face. 
"What if I'm not ready for this?" I look up at him. I feel like I'm falling, like maybe Emma is right. Maybe I'm not ready for this, maybe I never will be. 
"Of course you are." He presses a kiss to my forehead, wiping stray tears off my face. "And I'll be with you every step of the way."