Rejected 22 Times

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As the week went on, I got to know him. I got to know the humourous Liam, the adventurous Liam, the childish Liam, and most of all, the melancholy Liam. He had a rough childhood and had many issues with his kidneys. Hearing all of this made me feel even worse about the way I treated him.

"I was bullied everyday back at my old school, verbally and physically", Liam explained.

"Why?", I asked wondering what he could have done to deserve that.

"People make themselves feel better by bringing others down. They think that if everyone around them is miserable, then they can be happy."

"I know some people like that."

"It's a messed-up world we live in, but we were placed in this world for a reason."

I stood there silently as he continued to explain. "Sometimes we feel like we don't belong in this world, that we don't fit in. Every person is just a piece in a gigantic puzzle, and if one piece is missing, then it isn't complete. I believe that that we all were born for a reason. Some people were ment to change the world, some just to be the other half of a heart. I can say that I believe in all of this, which I do, but sometimes it's too hard. It's too hard to go on when you think that everyone else doesn't even care. I really am my own worst enemy."

"You sound like the inspirational quote you find inside of a fortune cookie."

He let the corners of his lips turn into a smile, but it quickly faded. He looked down at the ground as if the words he wanted to say were written there. "I'm not good at making friends. I feel like no one really understands me...", his voice trailed off as a tear rolled down his face. I felt nothing but sympathy for him, so I put my arms around him to comfort him.

He hugged me back, and I quickly pulled away before he thought this would turn into something. I looked at this poor, scrawny kid who was the nicest person in the world, but was treated like a waste of space.

The more I got to know him, the more I started to fall for him. And the more I realized that it wasn't a good idea to date him. I was doing just fine blending in along with the rest of the crowd. Why did he have to go and ruin that? Why did that sweet, innocent smile of his make my heart pound?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of his lips getting closer to mine. At first, I was mesmerized, and I remained frozen. His lips came as close as a centimeter away when I realized the situation and backed away. "Would you look at the time? I have to go!", I shouted checking the invisible watch on my wrist. He seemed startled. I could definitely hear my heart pounding, and I wondered if he could hear it too. I felt my cheeks burning up, and they were probably a lovely shade of lobster right now. I quickly rushed away, and I didn't dare to look back.

"Wait!", he shouted as he grabbed my arm.

"I'm sorry, Liam. I can't do this", I said breaking free of his grip.

"I don't have many friends. I can't lose you."

"Friends don't try to kiss friends!"

"Please don't go", he begged.

I couldn't walk away from him. Not again. "Fine, but you can't do things like that."

"I know..."

"Let's just pretend that didn't happen. Come on, let's get something to eat."

As we walked to the nearest restaurant in silence, I thought about what had just happened. I realized that I couldn't forget it. I couldn't forget how he had almost kissed me, and how I almost let him. This was going to be embedded in my memory. But, I don't care. I don't care that we almost kissed because I don't care about him.

Why am I lying to myself? No one else is listening to my thoughts. I do like him. My brain was telling me that this was wrong, but my heart said otherwise. Liam was right. We really are our own worst enemy.

"Sophia...", he began as we stood in the parking lot of the restaurant. I turned to face him, not directly looking him in the eyes. "Why are you pushing me away?", he asked.

I hesitated. "It's complicated", I replied.

"What's so complicated about it?"

"Nothing, Liam. It's in the past, and I don't want to deal with it."

"I've spent all week pouring my heart out to you, and I just realized that I don't know anything about you."

"Why do you want to know so bad?", I asked abruptly.

"Because I want to know you!", he responded loudly.

"Fine! You want to know me? You want to know how I came home crying everyday because I was made fun of? You want to know how I hated myself because I thought I was worthless?", I barely managed to get out without sobbing.

He didn't say anything at all. He just put his arms around, and let me cry into his shoulder. Now, he was the one comforting me. I couldn't tell if it was Liam or just the fact that someone was trying to comfort me, but I felt safe. I felt like everything Liam said earlier was true.

I eventually pulled away. "My parents let me transfer schools, so I came here because I knew Mia went here. I wanted to start over, get a fresh start. I sort of felt like I was getting a redo on life", I explained. He still remained silent.

"Well... now you know my deepest, darkest secret", I exclaimed.

"I'm glad that you shared that with me", he stated. I felt embarrassed now. "Do you want to know my deepest, darkest secret?", he asked. I looked at him questionably, scared to know the answer. "I auditioned for the X-Factor", he whispered.

"What? I don't believe you."

"No, it's true."

"How far did you make it?"

"All the way to the judges' house."

"Wow. I never really watched that show, but you must have been pretty good."

"Simon Cowell even told me to come back when I turned sixteen."

"That's incredible. I didn't even know you sang."

"Yah. I really like singing. I feel like a different person when I sing. Someone who can have goals and dreams. Someone who is worth it."

"Sing something."

"I'm not going to sing in the middle of the parking lot."

"Come on! I wanna hear you sing!"

"Another time."

"Okay, but that is really cool. That shouldn't be a secret. It should be an accomplisment."

"It's not very cool to be a math nerd, especially one who sings", he protested using the word 'cool' loosely.

"Well, I think we've shared enough secrets for one day. Let's go in", I said.

Before, we walked in, he paused. "Thank you", he said.

"For what?", I asked.

"For being my friend. I'm glad to have a friend like you."

"Me too."