I Thought You Loved Me

What Now?

A few weeks went by and Lia still refused to speak to Derek. She didn't know what to think. How was she supposed to trust him?

Derek finally couldn't stand it any longer; he had to talk to her.
"Uhh, hey, Lia."
She looked up at him blankly, conflicting emotions evident on her face. What was she going to do?

"Hey," she tentatively replied. "What do you want?"

Derek shifted his weight and twiddled his thumbs nervously."I was just,uh, wondering if you maybe wanted to go to the movies with me or something?" His voice became small as he avoided looking her in eye.

Meanwhile, Jay was watching from the corner of the lockers. He had gone to talk to Lia, but found Derek talking to her instead. He didn't know why, but the sight made him angry and uncomfortable. Before he could walk over, he heard Derek ask her to the movies. No! She couldn't.

He stopped in his tracks, watching Lia with a mixture of fear and hope in his eyes. Would she say yes? Oh, how he hoped not. He couldn't understand, but he did not want her with him. Maybe it was because of the pain he caused her. Or maybe it was because of something deeper that he didn't understand yet.

Lia's head swam with the torrent of thoughts running through it. She had to give him a chance, though, didn't she? Maybe he just made a mistake. Her mind made up, she replied to the nervous Derek.

"Sure. "

He wasn't expecting her to say yes,so he stared at her with an expression of shock. She simply walked away, and she was as surprised as he was at her answer. Jay walked backward a few steps before turning around completely and waking quickly to his next class. He didn't pay attention, however, because he had discovered something about himself. Something big. He had feelings for Lia.

Lia didn't see Jay for the next few days. Had she done something to make him angry at her? Why was he avoiding her?

She finally texted him.

LIA: Hey?

No reply.

LIA: are you mad at me or something??

JAY: meet me at the East Dragon Cafe. Now.

LIA: okay?

Worriedly, Lia made her way to the cafe. When she got there, she saw Jay. Except, he wasn't the same Jay she was best friends with; there were bags under his eyes they didn't have that playful sparkle in them. Instead, they were full of worry and tiredness. She walked in and the bells on the door chimed, causing him to look up.

His fingers were crossed in front of him and he was running his thumbs together nervously, but he smiled when he saw her. She smiled back, but she was quite anxious inside.

She slid gracefully into the booth in front of him and cut right to the chase.

"So, what is it?"

After taking a deep breath, Jay finally replied.
"Lia, you're my best friend. I know that sounds crazy because we haven't known each other long, but I.. I love you, Lia."

Lia's eyes opened wide. What had he just said?

"I remember when we were little and you used to wear your hair in those little buns and you would always sneak and steal my snack at lunch. You thought I never noticed, but I left them for you. I liked that mischief that you had. And ever since then I have watched you. I know that sounds incredibly weird and creepy, but I couldn't help it. There's just something about you that I can't resist. Then when I saw you at the dance, I couldn't hold back anymore. I had to talk to you. Now we're here."

Lia didn't say anything for a while as Jay looked hopefully at her, every second that she didn't speak seeming like agonizing hours to him. Finally, she broke the silence.

"I... I," but she stood up and ran out of the cafe and into the dark. Before Jay could catch up to her, she grabbed her bike and began to ride home. All she could think about was Jay and Derek. Tears streaming down her face, she debated on what to do.

When had life become so confusing? Just a few months ago, she had been just another girl with absolutely no guy-problems. She hadn't even really dated anyone, and now she was caught in the middle of a love triangle.

Why did it hurt so badly, anyway? It was just a few guys! But she liked them both, she supposed, and she had to choose. That was what hurt: the fact that both of them loved her, and she was going to have to hurt one of them. Lia couldn't do that. No, she was going find a way to tell both of them that she couldn't. She couldn't choose one and hurt the other. She would rather have the heartache of denying herself love than see one of them with that same pain all because of her.

She began to cry, but as she looked up, she saw a pair of headlights in front of her that were way too close. She had been so caught up her her pain that she didn't hear the car coming around the corner.

The last thing she saw was a bright flash before her world went dark.