Shy (Hunter Hayes)

Chapter 2

"What is going on here?" I asked, interrupting Chris and Josie's little moment. Chris appeared extremely startled and jumped backward while Josie wiggled away from the wall she was previously pinned against. Both pairs of eyes grew wide. 

"J-Jana...We t-thought you were o-outside..." Chris stuttered.

"It's not what it looks like!" Josie argued. A puzzled look took over my face. "Okay, maybe it is. Chris and I are dating. We didn't want you to find out this way."

"How could you not tell me?" I whispered. I was happy for them, yet I was hurt and confused at the same time. They had known each other since kindergarten and had never shown any feelings towards one another. But why wouldn't they tell me they were dating?

"We were planning on it, but we thought you'd be freaked out," Josie confessed.

"Or mad," Chris added in a whisper. Josie slapped his stomach and his breath hitched. 

"I'm not freaked out or mad at you. I'm actually really happy for y'all. I just wish you told me before."

"I'm sorry Jan, I really am," Josie stated. 

"So am I," Chris added, wrapping his arm around Josie. 

"It's okay. So how long has this been going on?" I asked, cracking a smile. 

"'Bout a month," Chris announced. 

"Really?! You two kept a secret for a month?!" I responded, surprised. 

"Surprisingly, yes," Josie said. 

"I'm so happy for you two! I better get to class though. I'm already late," I said. 

"Okay, I'll walk with you," Chris agreed. "Bye baby," he told Josie. He kissed her lips one more time. 

"Bye."

"That is so weird," I said. 

Chris and I walked into math side by side. When we arrived at the door, the teacher greeted us with a smile. 

"Welcome Jana and Chris! Sit wherever you like, you'll be assigned seats shortly," our familiar teacher Mr. Briggs said. We smiled in response and sat at a table together. 

I looked around the room to see what familiar faces were in my class. Margaret from chemistry was there and so was Cady, my ex-best friend. Josh Manor sat in the next seat over from me. I had known him since 6th grade. He was gorgeous then and still gorgeous now. Josh had short, perfectly styled dirty blond hair and gorgeous gray eyes that scanned my body once he caught me staring at him. He flashed me a perfect smile and I blushed, feeling extremely self conscious all of a sudden. Once he looked away, I continued to look at his body and examine his flawless features. His muscles were bulging out of his shirt and perfectly toned. He was captain of the basketball team and I didn't know a girl in the whole grade who hadn't had a crush on him at some point. He was extremely popular but he was always nice. I had never seen him be mean to anyone. Plus, I had always had a mini crush on him. 

I continued searching the room to see who else was in my class. Grace from eighth grade sat towards the back. In the back corner sat a familiar figure that I hadn't known of for very long. His icy eyes stared back at me. Hunter Hayes was in my class. 

"Alright guys, we're not gonna be doing much math today. I'm gonna partner you all up. Once you've received your partner, you'll share your name, where you're from, and one thing you love. This will also be the person you'll sit next to for the rest of the year," Mr. Briggs announced. He proceeded to point at random people, giving them partners. Halfway through, he met my eyes. "Jana Turner and...Hunter Hayes."

I gulped, trying my best to get rid of the lump in my throat. I picked up my bag and began walking in Hunter's direction. "Bye dude," Chris said, slapping my leg. 

"Bye," I uttered.  

I placed my bag on the floor and sat down in the empty chair next to the mysterious boy. 

"Hello Jana Turner," he whispered, playing with his fingers. 

"Hello Hunter Hayes," I responded. He smiled and let out a soft chuckle. I smiled back.  

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happend earlier. I'm just not very good at talking about myself," Hunter said. The more he talked, he more I realized how beautiful his voice sounded, how heavenly. 

"That's fine. I understand," I replied. "So, do you want to go first?" I asked. 

"Sure. Well, you already know my name is Hunter Hayes. I'm from...Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. And one thing I love is making music. Writing, playing instruments, singing. All of it," Hunter shared. As he talked, I looked down at his arms. I noticed three scars on his left wrist. Two looked faded and old, but one looked new and fresh like it had just been made a few days ago. They were partially covered by his long sleeves, but still visible. I immediately felt concerned for Hunter. Had he gotten these on purpose or by accident? Had he done them to himself?

"That's awesome! What kind of music do you make?" I asked, pretending not to notice his scars. 

"Country, mainly," he replied bashfully. "Your turn." 

"You know my name is Jana Turner. I'm from here in Nashville, Tennessee, and I love writing. I've actually written a novel but it's obviously unpublished."

"That's amazing," he whispered. 

"Thanks," I whispered back. Part of me desired to reach out for his hand just to see if he'd take it. "You have gorgeous eyes," I said without thinking. My eyes grew wide as I realized what I just said.

"Thanks," he replied calmly. "I think you're beautiful," he added shyly. No guy had ever said that to me before, especially not the beautiful way he just did. 

"Thank you," I replied modestly.  

He sweetly smiled. "I mean it," he whispered. He carefully placed his hand on my knee. With this gesture, I felt extremely self conscious again. I put my hand on top of his arm. I wasn't sure what was going on between us, but I wouldn't mind if it never ended.