Valentine's Day

Chapter Eleven

This is what happens when there is E-learning. You get stressed out, and then you start writing;)

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

  "Oh my gosh, guess what?" Sophie was practically bouncing on her seat when I entered the class.

  Unfortunately, we both did Biology together, which means I get to listent to ALL her boy troubles, and ALL her newest dates and ALL her fashion tips. Not to forget, her constant pestering of me getting a boyfriend.

  I should just get one and prove it to them that it wouldn't last.

  But no, I won't do that. Not a chance.

  Anyway, back to Sophie hyperventilating.

  'What?" I asked, sliding down onto my seat rather warily.

  If you ask me, there is no more dangerous girl than a hyperventilating girl, because then, you never know what she might do to you.

  "Jacob asked me out to the dance!" The last word came off as a squeal, you know, the type guinea pigs make.

  "Oh, the Valentine's Day dance?" I asked.

  "Of course! What other dances are there?" She brushed my question off easily. "Oh, why must it be in two weeks? I want it to come now!" She said excitedly.

  "Well, the two weeks are for you to choose the perfect dress and the perfect hairstyle." I said matter-of-factly.

  Alright, fine, I was pretty unenthusiastic here but I'm sorry! I just found out that the one guy I thought was decent was actually a player. I don't why it was affecting me so badly, and I don't want to care. It was so not worth it.

  And, as if to emphasize my awesome point, Thomas strolled into class, laughing with another girl. 

  I studied them closely, just to give that small voice at the back of my head some faint hope that Thomas might just be one of those overly-friendly guys that don't know better.

  Apparently not.

  My mind had immediately started its old routine of analyzing and trust me, I wanted to bang my head against the wall for not doing this earlier. How could I have missed out all his antics? How many times have I not told myself that looks can be deceiving?

  I'm not being overly-suspicious or bent on disapproving on every guy I meet, but this is what I saw. 

  When people tell you something that doesn't interest you, you automatically tune off and if you're trying to be a nice person, you will make an effort to listen but your body will do something else, like you'll start tapping your leg. Thomas had the look of one of absolute interest in what that girl was saying but he was tapping his leg, and fidgeting once in a while. Very hard to catch, but it was there. Also, the extra brillance in his smile, the way he leaned towards her...it was so obvious thathe was a player.

  I must have tripped over myself so many times, I have damaged my optical nerves and have become blind. 

  "Oh, someone's jealous?" Sophie poked me to get me out of my trance.

  I realized that I have been staring at him for too long a time span.

  "I am not. Did you even realize that he's a total flirt?" I asked her. 

  "You're thinking too much, Juliet. He looks too sweet to be a flirt." Sophie said, though her eyes flashed to him and the girl.

  "Oh, you'll see. I was never wrong before." I warned darkly.

  Now this, she listened. I was right. I was never wrong before. Especially not this time.

  I shot a dark glare in Thomas' direction and his eyes met mine. They were confused for only a fraction of a second before they cleared up. Then, his lips lifted into a trace of a cocky smile. So, he was admitting. I lifted my head and and returned his smile smugly, an indication of a challenge. His eyes widened and gave me that disbelieving look, as if he was mocking me. Well, I thought. Bring it on.

  By lunch time, I was getting worried. No, not about Thomas. About Wes. Somehow, even though we don't hang out much during school hours because of obvious reasons, I would catch a glimspe of him now and then. But today, there was no sign of him at all. Which was weird, because this morning, I did see him leave the house and I saw his car at school. And Wes wasn't the type that would skip school because of some trival thing, because he was a total geek at heart, minus his really good looks.

  And with what he told me yesterday, it wasn't a good sign.

  This worrying-anxious-unable to concentrate thing dragged on until after a school. I even took a trip down to the carpark, but his car wasn't there. Strange, I thought. It was definitely here this morning. I walked down the path home, thinking hard. Just where could he be? In fact, I got so caught up with thinking that I didn't look out for any undesirable people I so didn't want to meet.

  "You really smart. Did anyone tell you that?" His voice made me jump, causing a minor heart attack and an increase in blood pressure.

  "Well, and you're a pretty good liar too. I bet no one told you that." I retorted, feeling my skin crawl with instinctive repulse.

  Thomas nodded, agreeing with me.

  "That, you're right."

  Can anyone be more thick-skinned and disgusting than him?

  I thought it impossible.

  "You had me going there." I said sarcastically. "I didn't know that you were such a guy."

  "But of course. No one was supposed to know that." He shrugged and started walking. 

  Somehow, I felt really angry. It wasn't my first encounter with a player-usually, I just piss them off and make them never want to talk to me again-but this guy was...just plain infuriating. 

  "Can I ask you something?" I caught up with him.

  Thomas' eyes brightened with interest.

  Gross.

  "Ask."

  "Why do guys like to play with girls like that?" I asked sardonically.

  Thomas' mouth lifted in a corner, a smug smile which I really didn't like. It was the smile of a hunter who knew that he had his prey in his grasp, and that it could never escape.

  "I'll tell you if you agree to go out with me." He said. 

  I rolled my eyes.

  "Is there some manual about flirting that you guys have? This is so cliched. You get the girl out, then tell her some sob story, then break her heart." I said.

  Thomas stopped, his smug smile still in place.

  "No, there isn't one. And no, I wasn't planning to ask you out anyway. I just wanted to see your reaction-whether its as cliched as the girls I used to ask." He raised an eyebrow.

  "Well, too bad. I'm unlike them. I'll never fall for a guy like you." I spat.

  "Then you've got a newsflash." He leaned forward, looking pleasant and innocent like I thought he was two days ago. "I'm unlike them too."

  And just like that, he walked off.

  I wanted a car to run him over. 

  Like now.

  Please? Any car?

  Fine.

  I turned away and stalked back to my house.

  I couldn't care less about him. 

  Just before I closed the door, I saw a shadow shift in the tree house. Wes was in there? Then I remembered.

  Oh no.