Nobody Knew

Chapter 8

*Ben's POV*
{Authors Note: Suprise!}

I watch Holly as she wanders around the book store.  Her eyes are focused on the books in front of her.  Her posture slouched from time to time so she can be eye level with some of the books. 

Occasionally she picks up a book, reads the back cover and then replaces it onto the table.

Her eyes. My brain thinks.  They're so pretty.  She's so pretty.

Stop it.

I tell myself.  You can't afford to think like that.  You remember the rules.  To love is to destroy.  It's just hard to stick to the rule when it's Holly.

I can see how much she takes at school.  How hard it must be.  I know the words Nicole told her are spinning around in her head still.  I know she is hurt.

You can see it in her eyes.  They don't have there usual spark of hope and happiness in them.  They're just a dull, almost gray, color.  Normally they're a blue color with a spark.

"Dude why do you keep staring at my sister?"  

I snap my head over to where the noise came from.   I look to my right and see that Nick sat down next to me.

"Um... I wasn't?"  I say.

He just laughs at me.

"Was that a question?"  He asks me.

"No?"  I say.

He just laughs at me again.

"Then what are you staring at?"

I just sigh and turn my chair so I'm facing him.

"Fine you caught me." I say.

"Knew it." I think I herd him say under his breath.  I just sigh again and turn to look at Holly again.

She's still looking at the books.  But this time she has found a part of her spark in her eyes.  I don't know what is so interesting about her.  She's just something... I want to get to know her even tho my insides say get away, don't get too attached or you'll get hurt like last time.

What is so different about her?  Why am I compelled to forget about everything else? 

Suddenly she turns on her heel and I look in the other direction so it doesn't look like I've been watching her.  She marches towards us with a book clutched in hands.  Her friends are following her and they all seem to be having a conversation.  Whatever they're talking about it's making her cheeks turn pink.  She looks so cute.

Stop thinking like that.

But the problem with that is that I don't want to.

When they get to where Nick and I are sitting Holly looks at me and then at Nick.  

"Do you still have my ice cream?"  She asks.

Nick gives a small laugh and hands her the small bowl of the ice cream and she walks away.

I look over at him with one eyebrow raised, he sees me and laughs again.

"She knows the owners of the store so they let her read in the back room with her friends.  I've never been back there though."  He says with a shrug.

I nod my head okay.  But that's not what I'm thinking.  I want to know where she likes to read and what she was talking about that made her blush so much.

But instead I go get some ice cream and wait for her to be done.

*******

Holly's POV:

(Authors Note: Sorry for the POV change...)

The Next Day

I'm still confused about what happened yesterday at the book store, well that and the party, but mostly the bookstore.  He kept looking at me.  I can't get my friends words out of my head.

"He's looking at you again." Alec says.

"I think he likes you." Cat says.

I rolled my eyes at that.

"Ya and I'm a magical ginger kitty."  I say sarcastically.

"He's doing it again." Mary says.  "He definitely likes you."

Does he?  Is that even possible?  Nicole says it isn't.  

Apparently I've slipped too far into my thoughts because next thing I know someone is tackling me onto my bed.

I look up to see Nick.

"What you thinking about squirt?"  He asks.

"Not much.  Now get off of me."  I say and shove him off of me.  

He chuckles and smirks at me.

"Sure you're not thinking about Ben, that's not why you're blushing and have a far off look in your eyes or why I called your name five times.  Cause you're so not thinking about him."

I smack him and then pull my blanket up over my head and curl into a ball.

Do I like him?

Or is this going to end poorly for me?

Should I risk it all for one person?

I'm not sure.  I'm not sure if I want to find out.

*******

Nicks POV

(Last POV change, I promise)

Later that day:

I feel it again.  The hopelessness.

I'm glad that Holly is not being bullied anymore.  

Although I feel so bad that I didn't know about it.  I hate it that I didn't know.

It should have been me.  Not her.  What did she ever do to Nicole.  

I look down at my sleeve that I have rolled up and I see what I have done that no one knows about.  

What no one will ever know about.

______________

Authors Note:

Sorry for the late update and for all the POV changes.

Love you guys!