That summer, the cicadas' incessant chirping was maddening, and the sun made the schoolyard scorchingly hot.
I sat in the back row of the classroom, secretly watching the girl in front of me.
From sixth grade through middle school, then from middle school through high school, I watched her laugh and play, and watched other people come and go by her side.
I kept my feelings hidden for seven whole years.
I didn't finally say those words,
