When I am Done with You

                                                                                         Chapter 1

Out of the blue, Asher appears in his expensive bicycle, jumping the curb. As he suddenly breaks beside me with a squeaking, both me and Tina jump to our feet and scream. After all we are two teenagers – feisty and dramatic. After a quick moment of bewilderment, I step forward holding the hand of my bestie, ignoring him. He curves the front of the bicycle before us to block us. Trapped between the tufted hair grasses that borders Mrs Clair's driveway and his bicycle, I stand still, looking downward, and let out a deep sigh, indicating my frustration.

'What you want?' I ask stonily.

'I need to talk to you,' he says, folding his arms across his chest and balancing the bicycle with his feet.

'Go ahead,' I give permission while looking away.

'In private,' he says, shifting his gaze between me and Tina.

'Tina is my best friend. I keep no secret from her. She is not going anywhere,' I say, still averting my gaze.

He thinks for a quick moment, running his hands through his silky brunette hair. 'I want to ask you,' he pauses, clearing his throat. 'Will you be my dance partner for prom?'

I laughed out loud as if he cracked a joke. After all these years! Finally! 'Will you be my partner?' The one question I always wanted to hear; while participating in dance or drama, while doing lab work or while working on a project. I would have said yes in the blink of an eye. Until yesterday. But now? I can't. I can't disappoint Nate. He did so much hard work to win my heart. I can't let him down.

'I am going to dance with Nate,' I say, fixing my gaze on my nails while fidgeting with my fingers. I am afraid if I look at his twinkling blue eyes and soft pink lips, I may change my mind.

'Oh! Nate! That is what you call him!' he says, his voice filled with jealousy.

I don't reply. 'Let me go. I have other things to do,' I say as if I am least interested in this conversation.

'I cancelled my practice today only to meet you......and you don't even care!' he says, sounding amused and vexed at the same time.

'I didn't ask you to,' I retort.

'Well, what happened to you overnight? You were drooling all over me two days ago. Indeed, you were stalking me for the past five years. Now you changed all of sudden to an extent not even wanting to look at me!' he says, bewildered.

'I never stalked you,' I defend myself.

'Your eyes did,' he says. 'Was it all fake?'

Asher knew! He knew how much I loved him. He knew how much I wanted him. Still, he waited to ask me out until I said yes to Nate, to my first official boyfriend – though me and Asher never dated each other I secretly considered him as my first boyfriend. He dated many girls over the years. Just in front of my eyes! For what? To make me jealous! He never asked me out though he knew how much I longed for it. All of sudden he wants me. Just because he don't want to see me getting along with Nate.

'So, you knew I liked you?' I ask

'It was obvious.'

'You never asked me out!'

'I never realized how important you were to me,' he pauses reluctantly, 'until you were taken by Nate.'

'I am sorry, it is not my problem anymore. I am done with whatever feelings I had for you,' I say, hoping that he doesn't realize the tinge of apprehension in my voice. 'I am happy with Nate now and please let it be the way it is.' I turn around, grabbing Tina's arm, and make my way around his bicycle. I walk away with a victorious smile, while crushing inside, leaving behind a startled Asher.

Asher sits there on his bicycle, frozen. It never happened to him. No one ever said no to him. He was the most popular boy in his school; tall and handsome, honor student, best soccer player and rich. Most of the girls in his school has or had a crush on him. He had many girlfriends in senior high school, more than what he can count on his fingers. Emily was never the type of his girl though she was pretty in her own way. She had the features - radiant green eyes, fuller cheeks and defined jawline, but she never cared to polish them. Her naturally blonde hair is always tied up in a messy ponytail as if she never brushed them. Her face is beautiful and a light make up would have enhanced her beauty, but she never tried any . Her nails are cut short, unlike her friend's polished long nails, and eyebrows are overgrown. She doesn't even choose dresses that appreciate her curvaceous body. Those loose sweatpants and hanging T shirts take away half of her beauty and the other half her clumsiness. Though she was an honor student and kept her unwavering love towards Asher alive for the last five years, unlike the other girls who got tired of trying after a few weeks, she failed to impress him. At least until Nate came into the picture.

                                                                   **************

It all started when I was in 7th grade. I was walking back to the classroom from the faculty lounge, holding a bundle of workbooks and bumped into the most popular boy in the school.

'May I?' he asked, picking up a few books from that top until he could see my full face. 'Here you go,' he said, smiling. 'Don't hide this beautiful face with these books.' He affectionately patted my cheek with his soft fingers and I felt, I don't know why, miserable. I was all of a sudden sweaty and nauseous, my whole body was trembling and my heart was bouncing. I didn't know how to respond.

'If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask. Help with anything,' he winked his right eye and said, while arranging the books on the teacher's desk in our classroom. I was caught up in the moment, but managed to thank him, whilst the girls in my grade enviously looked at me and whispered in each other's ears.

I and Asher were in the same grade and my eyes followed him constantly from day one, but I never witnessed this soft side of him. Though charming, he was egocentric and was popular for his inconsiderate behaviour. 

'Good God! He is attracted to you! I have never seen him like this before. Helping someone is not there in his dictionary!' said Tina, her large eyes further widening.

'Shut up,' I said, failing to cover the redness creeping up my face. I was tingling with excitement and, obviously, I wanted to hear more, but Mrs Jones was already in the classroom, instructing us to stay silent.

In the following days whenever my eyes met Asher's, which frequently happened and which I was uncertain if intentional or unintentional, my heart skipped a beat and I forgot the surroundings. Asher always had a spark in his eyes, but when he sat ahead of me and turned back to look at me while fixing his hairs, his look tendered and  I helplessly flushed. 

'He can't take his eyes off you,' said Tina, pinching my thigh.

I was certain that Asher was in love with me and was going to ask me to be his girlfriend. As I was living in my dream, grateful for my luck to have the opportunity to make everyone's heartthrob my own, that news reached me. As always, I was the one who got to know about the news last. As always Tina was the one who broke the news to me. We were sitting in the class, waiting for Mrs Jane's to show up and complete the story that she abruptly ended yesterday, without letting us know if little Johny safely made it back home after being lost in the woods with his dog  Barker. 'Have you heard about Asher and Sarah?' asked Tina in a much less enthusiastic voice than usual - whenever she talked about Asher. She knew how much I liked him.

'Asher and Sarah? What about them?' I asked innocently.

'They are seeing each other. Don't worry. Two self-centered people. Won't last long,' Tina consoled me, holding my arms in her tight grip. I didn't know what she meant. Maybe she was telling me to not to worry because he was a self-centred person and I could be better off without him. Maybe she was telling me to not to worry because Sarah was a self-centered person just like him and their relationship would end soon, giving me another chance. Whatever she meant, it didn't matter. I was half dead inside. I wished the earth would break open under my feet and swallow me alive.