In Plain Sight

The Wrong Boy

When I walk into school on Monday, I'm stunned by the presence of Julian waiting by my locker. I stop dead in the middle of the hallway and gulp before approaching. He's leaning against it with another note. I'd left it in his locker on Friday afternoon for him to find this morning.

He looks so handsome in his jeans and hoodie as he smiles at the note in his hands. Julian peers up momentarily and spots me standing there.

"Come here," he waves me over with a grin.

I pull myself together and walk over to him. He moves out of the way so that I can get in my locker but he continues to lean against the one next to mine. He has this giddy expression on his face as he waves the note in front of me.

"Look! Another one," he beams. "I think I can finally narrow down who it's from."

My heart stops as I fear I've been unmasked as the writer. He holds the note close to his face and inspects it as he reads.

Your personality is kind and warm
A soul so gentle should be adored
You radiate positivity and light
Your presence alone makes everything right

"This girl says she likes how kind I am."

"Well, you are kind," I inform him.

"Yeah but don't you see. If she thinks I'm nice, I must've spoken to her before. Maybe she's someone I talked to or maybe she's someone I know. She mentioned my presence. Maybe a girl in one of my classes?"

I'm actually kind of proud of Julian for piecing this together himself. At the same time, I'd prefer if he remained oblivious and simply admired the notes. I kick myself internally for making it so obvious this time.

It's starting to scare me that he might find out it's me...

"Yeah, I suppose," I say. "Maybe trying to find this person isn't what they want. Don't you think that if they wanted you to know they like you, they would just tell you themself?"

Julian just shrugs with that smile and stares at the note.

"I don't care," he brushes my question off. "I'm gonna find out who it is. It's not like I'm going to be mean or anything. I'm kind, remember?"

He smirks and pushes himself up from against the lockers.

"I'll see you in Bio," Julian winks at me before walking away down the hallway.

My heart skips a beat when he does this.

Why does he have to be so handsome, so beautiful, so cute and so sexy all rolled into one?

I'm beginning to wonder if I should fess up.

Perhaps his reaction won't be as bad as I think it will be. Maybe he won't reject me. Maybe Julian will discover his deep, undiscovered feelings for me and want to be together.

Even if he does reject me, at least it would give me a boost to move on from him. Perhaps that's what I need...

To figure things out once and for all.

In the evening, before he comes over to study, I make sure I look better than he's ever seen me before. My hair is perfect and I pull it back into a neat, sleek ponytail with two face-framing pieces. I lift it off my shoulders to expose my skin. I wear a white cami with a plunging v-neck to accentuate my chest. Instead of loose pajama pants, I wear a pair of really short gray shorts that mimic the sweatpants Julian usually wears.

Mascara, lip gloss, concealer, and blush. I put it all on to make my face look more mature and feminine. He's never said anything when I wear my makeup but I've noticed he tends to look at my face more.