"Yeah, you too."
Noah watched Harper's retreating figure, wishing he could come up with more to say to her. He sighed as he turned back to the coffee shop line, deep in his thoughts of remorse. He wished that day freshmen year never happened. He could still remember the devastation on her face. He wished he could take it all back and change that day. If he did what he wanted to do, they would have kissed and started dating, and maybe still be together now. Instead, he can't get her to hold a conversation for more than a couple minutes.
Noah ordered his coffee and sat down in a booth. He recalled the angry lecture his mom gave him and the trip to the principal's office the next morning. His teammate was forced by his mother to eventually take the video down, but not before it was shared and viewed by over 500,000 people. They all faced a week of detention for what they did, and Noah knew he deserved every last second of it. Noah went to Harper's house to apologize for all of it, but Connie wouldn't allow him inside. He tried to talk to Harper at school, but she was already getting made fun of so horribly and he could tell that she didn't want to be anywhere near him. When the teasing died down a bit, he tried to corner Harper and make her listen to his apology, but that definitely did not go well.
Noah looked out the window as he remembered having waited for her to sit at a bench on the furthest side of the high school, where she always sat ever since the incident. She had quit the cheer team soon after that and along with it all her brightness had gone away. No longer was she wearing bright pink shirts and colorful converse, but instead replaced it with black everything: black hoodie, black jeans, black shoes, even a black shirt that was rarely seen except when she got too hot. She even started to wear her makeup dark, if she wore it at all.
Noah knew that he had about a five minute window to talk to her before Damon came, so he took advantage the moment she sat down. Noah quickly sat down next to her and began speaking, making Harper jump in the process.
"Harper, I know you don't want to talk to me, but I just need-" Noah started his apology but was interrupted by Harper getting up to walk away. He grabbed her arm and kept her from leaving. "I just need to say that I'm sorry about all of that! I didn't know that-"
"What?! You didn't know that they were going to pour slime on me? Is that what you were going to say?!" Harper yelled, her voice going up a few octaves.
"Well... I..." Noah stammered. He did know that they were going to do that, but he didn't know that they lied to him about the whole cheerleader ritual thing or that they would record it. "Okay," Noah continued. "Yes, I knew about that part, but I was lied to! They said you were gonna prank me and to turn it around on you as a joke!"
"I don't care Noah! I don't care what lie they spun to make you agree to it!" Harper continued to yell and pulled her arm away from Noah's grasp. She pointed her finger in Noah's face, all her anger bursting and making her voice go raw from emotion. "You and I have known each other for years! We were friends! You should have known me well enough to know that doesn't sound like me!"
"I know! I know, and I'm sorry!" Noah pleaded, though it fell on deaf ears.
"It is one thing to reject me and say you're not interested, but it is another to lead me on and make me think you feel the same and then humiliate me and ruin my life!" Harper's anger gave way to pain and she started sobbing. Noah started to speak, but he was grabbed from behind and thrown down on the floor.
"Come near her again and I will make you feel sorry for it!" Damon yelled, coming to Harper's rescue. Damon stared down at Noah, hoping Noah would give him reason enough to beat him to a pulp, but Noah knew better. After a moment, Damon wrapped his arm around Harper and escorted her away.
Noah sighed as he looked back down at his coffee and took a sip. Had Damon come two seconds later, he might have been able to fix things. He was about to say that he did feel the same way about Harper, but he missed his chance. With time and persistence, Noah has been able to get Harper to somewhat forgive him. She still never wants to be near him or talk to him for more than a few seconds, though. It's been three years, Noah thought to himself. There has to be a way to get her to like me again, or at least be in the same room as me.
Noah felt pain in his chest as he contemplated his situation. In love with a girl who's only one step short of hating him. Suddenly, he came up with a plan. He got up from the booth and started to walk outside, pulling out his phone to call his mom and set his plan in motion.
