Steal my Heart.

25

Dedicated to Sumo for reading with so much of interest.

•••

I was sitting in Maths class on Monday when I zoned out and started doodling in my textbook. I blankly gazed out of the classroom. No one was there. At the back of my mind, a voice told me that I should stop looking for him all the time.

I feel pathetic that I like him. I'm not supposed to. All this works out in books and movies, and sadly, this is real life. There's no denying that Alastair is good looking and confident, along with being extremely popular. Why will he ever like me? It's not like he lacks female attention. He is sweet to me, because he is like that to everyone. It's his kindness that I like him for, and that is exactly the reason why he will never like me. I'm like some adventure in his life maybe, he'll spend time with me and then leave me for better options.

Knowing about this makes me feel like shit. Making someone your everything and being well aware that you mean next to nothing to them. I rotate my pencil on it's point as I stare at the words in front of me. He'll never like me, even though his eyes and actions say the opposite at times. The thought is so depressing.

"Gracie," Mr. Pitt's voice booms through the classroom. "Are you mentally and physically present in the class?"
I stand up sheepishly as the rest of the students turn back to look at me.

"I'm sorry sir." I mutter petutantly and he orders me to sit down and pay attention.
Sassy, who is in the same class, turns and snickers at me, glossy lips set into a smirk.
I avert my gaze away from her and concentrate for the rest of the class. Alastair Kerr and cute thoughts about him can wait for later.

•••

Since only around eight days are left for the festival, we have finally started the on ground preparations. I hold my hand over my head to shield my face from the sun as I walk up to the stage which has been set specifically for the five days.

My duty is to allote the Drama kids their positions and supervise all the props for today. I see John speaking to the marketing sponsors and Sassy flirting with some guys from the other group. Alastair is in talks on the phone with the participants.

I think of waving to him but then let the idea be. I have to get over him. I turn back to the Drama kids and start to allocate the places to them.

Someone taps my right shoulder and when I turn to the right side, no one is there. I take a 360 degree turn and see Alastair walking away, pretending like he did nothing. He turns with a playful grin on his face and I keep my hands on my hips as I raise an eyebrow at him.

"I was just saying hi." He winks and I grin, shaking my head.
I turn back to the Drama kids who are all looking at me, their expressions a mix of amusement, annoyance and curiousity.

I clap my hands together, clearing my throat.
"Back to work."

•••

I sit on the bench with a chicken roll in my hand. Work for today is done and apart from the organizing students, everyone else has gone home. I watch Alastair as I sit idly.

I've grown to watching him. Everytime I look at him, it's like the first time. His body language. The way his biceps pulse when he applies pressure or the vein on his neck twitches when he is under stress. How the brown of his hair is of several shades, each strand of hair a different tone. How he massages his jaw, hands running over the rough stubble. His Adam's apple. His tall, lean, mean body build and his smile. It's the best smile I've ever seen. Watching him has become a past time. I hope it doesn't become a necessity over time. Though falling in love with him will be a dream, I don't want to. Dreams get over way too fast.

"You like him." A female voice next to me perks up and I snap my head to look at the girl.
Ivy Brown. Short dark brown hair, green eyes and a fireball of energy.
"I don't." I defy her as I take another bite of my food. I offer the roll to her and much to my surprise, she takes a generous bite of it before handing it back to me.

"Come on. Don't even deny it. I observe the way you look at each other." She dismisses with a wave of my hand and I open my mouth to say something when she cuts me off again.
"Chill Grace, I'm not telling this to anyone, not even to the idiot you're crushing on." She says with a twinkle in her eye and I let it be.

Ivy is not my best friend, but she's no stranger either. We've had a few conversations that paved the way to our friendship. We don't really hang out together much because she has her own friend circle and I have my own people, two worlds that don't match.

"Still in love with the same guy?" I ask her and she gives me a sad smile, filled with longing and angst.
"What should I do man? So close, yet so far." She says and I smile at her.

I had seen Ivy crying at last year's field trip. It was her weak moment and she had blurted out everything to me. That's when we became buddies.

Stuart was Ivy's best friend, and she was hopelessly in love with him. And Stuart, being the playboy he is, never noticed her feelings. She was the closest girl to him, but he never considered her for the girlfriend status. He's a bit of an ass, but I'm not telling that to Ivy, she doesn't like hearing anything against Stuart. Imagine falling in love with your best friend, you have to listen to them talking about their crushes and partners, and smile through it all. You are next to each other all the time, but not really with each other. It sucks.

At the end of the day, we were just two girls falling helplessly for someone with our hearts at stake. And sometimes, your heart is the worst thing you could lose.

Stuart called out for Ivy and she went skipping to him, not before giving me a tight hug and telling me to take care of myself.

After she left, Alastair came and sat next to me.
"You free tomorrow?"
"Yes, why?"
"Come to my football game against St. Matthews after school."
"Why?"
"To cheer me up." He grins shyly.
"I will." I smile.

Because Alastair Kerr is very important.