Till It Happens To You | q. grimes

005

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FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD ANJALI stood between Magdalena and Samiya as the trio waited in the concessions line at a movie theater in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The lobby behind and around the group was crowded and covered in red light from the concessions' marquee.

Anjali rocked back and forth in her navy-colored Toms in an attempt to use the plush carpet as an excuse not to join her friends' conversation.

"So after the game, me and Alan went beneath the bleachers and-." Magdalena had started when Samiya snorted, "Alan? Did you make out with Alan Mitchell? A wonderbread boy?"

"He's not a wonderbread boy." Magdalena shot back with a glare.

"He's blond with creepy blue eyes. He's a wonderbread boy." Samiya shook her head and returned to skimming the concessions stand board.

"Okay even if he is, he is an amazing kisser. Like I've never... Wow." Magdalena continued in a breathless tone.

"He has no lips. How?" Samiya chuckled, "You know who's a good kisser? David Ramirez."

Anjali began to rock back and forth a little faster.

"Wait. D.J.? As in Dick Joke David from the football team? Miya, what the fuck?" Magdalena snickered, "Every three seconds is a joke about his-."

"No, it's not. He talks about way more than his-." Samiya began to argue.

"Oh, please," Anjali interjected lowly, "Please stop."

"What? Anji, did you say something?" Magdalena turned to her, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Um..." Anjali trailed off, "Can we talk about something else?"

"Add in a name first," Magdalena replied absentmindedly.

Anjali blinked, "What?"

"Add in a name. A good kisser from school, go." Magdalena continued.

"Um..." Anjali gaped a little, "I don't know... I.." She glanced at Samiya in a silent plea for help but Samiya was too busy flickering her eyes between sour gummies and the popcorn machine.

Magdalena's eyes narrowed, "Have you... You've kissed someone right?"

"Um, yeah," Anjali responded as the trio shuffled closer to the register.

Um, no.

Magdalena's eyes grew humourous and Samiya threw an arm around Anjali's shoulders, "It's okay. Some people are late bloomers. She doesn't want to kiss someone who's not her jeevansathi."

"Thank you," Anjali exclaimed.

"Jeeva-. Jeevan-." Magdalena tried to say, "What is that?"

"Jeevansathi. A soulmate." Anjali narrowed her eyes at Samiya's tone, "You're making fun of me. You little asshole," She translated the last sentence to Tamil.