I slid into a corner seat by the window, nursing my coffee, and found myself unable to look away from the bright, insistent conversation at the next table. They didn’t know I was listening, but the tremors of youth are hard to ignore. And so I took notes, assigned names, and this one act play unfolded:

(Nora, sitting opposite Olivia, reads a text conversation that had occurred between herself and their mutual friend, Charlotte) 

Charlotte: It’s okay if you like Jack. I know it’s hard not to like him, but please don’t take him. 

Nora: I don’t like him and I never could.

Charlotte: I know, but I got some invisible message saying how you and him hang out behind my back, and how I better watch out. 

Nora: Lol! I Don’t Like Him! 

Charlotte: You know it’s okay if you never get a boyfriend before the end of high school. I know that they are very hard to find for you, and if you can’t find true love now, it doesn’t mean you won’t ever. I mean, you might not graduate with a boyfriend. 

Nora: Stop! I’m done talking to you. (Nora places her phone face down on the table indicating the end of texting with Charlotte. She stares at Olivia). And then I deleted her. That’s how it went down. And if that wasn’t enough. Later, Jack texted me that we should just be friends, and I agreed. But then, in French class, he started playing footsie with me. Haha. Anyways, I pulled my leg away. And when I looked back, he winked. Errr!

Olivia: Maybe Jack is bored. I mean, you’re much prettier than Charlotte. 

(Nora’s ringtone, a slowed and reverbed version of Birds of a Feather, sounds).

Nora: It’s Jack. I’ll put him on speaker. Hey Jack, I’m here with Olivia. What’s up?

Jack: I went to a party last night with Charlotte and her new boyfriend, and things happened. At one point, we all piled into the chair-and-a-half, and she kept trying to kiss me even though she claims that she’s over me. And her boyfriend was like right there! I was pissed. 

Nora: You should be flattered.

Jack: Whatever, I’m just not speaking to that crowd anymore.

Olivia: Oh yeah. Don’t talk to them anymore. That sounds like a marvelous plan to me. 

The call ended, and a half-hearted laugh was shared between Nora and Olivia, but it hardly covered what could not be resolved, that the world would not bend to their hearts. They left, and I lingered, letting the echoes of their conversation settle in my mind. And as I listened, I found myself drifting back to my own teenage years: the intensity, the awkward triumphs, the small humiliations I had once thought unbearable. I remembered the nights spent lying awake, imagining the conversations that might have been, the glances that might have mattered. In that moment, I realized that the confusions and longings of youth are fleeting, yet they leave a quiet, indelible mark – like a faint melody you recognize years later, still capable of surprising you.

RAMONA JAN is the Founder and Director of Yarnslingers, a storytelling group that tells tales both fantastic and true. She is also the roving historian for Callicoon, NY and is often seen giving tours around town. You can email her at callicoonwalkingtours@gmail.com.