Sometimes We Fall In Love

Chapter Three

Nick was staring at me expectantly. Waiting for an answer.

"Well, to be completely honest with you, I don't know if I like you." The words sounded so much more confident than I had anticipated them to.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dammit. I didn't mean to rile him up.

"Well, I don't really know you. All I know of you is how I see you around school. I like how amazingly smart you are and how genuine you seem at times. But then at lunch I see you walking around like this big shot and you change completely and you're so cocky and that's what I don't like about you." I'd been twiddling my thumbs as I said it and as I glanced over at Nick I could see a puzzled look sweeping his face.

"So you like how I am when I'm serious and in lessons?"

"Yes."

He smiled a little before saying, "Wow. Nobody's ever said that to me before. All my friends think I'm weird when I act like that. All the other girls prefer me when I'm acting cocky."

"Well, Nick, I'm not like all the other girls. I don't look for dickheads. I look for genuine guys who actually care about something. And you do care about your academics. I mean why else would you ask me, the school's most unpopular girl, to tutor you in English?"

"Okay can I be 100% honest with you right now?" He blushed a little, he was either nervous or embarrassed.

"Sure, go for it, I was honest with you." I shrugged my shoulders and started doodling in my notebook.

"Okay, so I'm not failing English Lit. I lied." I looked at him and stared out of confusion.

"Well then why did you ask me to tutor you?"

"Because up until two weeks ago, I didn't know you existed - no offence though-" He put his hands up in defence. "-and then I started hearing your voice in English Lit and you'd say the most beautiful things and you'd analyse things so wonderfully and I starting seeing you for the first time. I saw this intelligent girl who was sat by herself.  This smart and beautiful girl who ate her lunch in the library, and I couldn't think for the life of me why you were always alone. I knew I had to get to know you. I had to. You're everything the other girls aren't. And what you said a few minutes ago has proved that. You see past the exterior and see the things I'm passionate about. Please don't be mad I lied to you."

"How could I be mad after everything you just said?" I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

"Oh my god, you're crying, why are you crying, please don't cry." I started laughing at his panic.

"I wasn't crying you idiot. It was a happy cry. Because in the last two years, nobody has said even one word to me and you just said the most meaningful words I've ever heard in my life."

"Wait, so you haven't hung out with anyone in two years?"

"No. Tonight was the first social thing I've done since we started high school."

"Okay well then, how would you like to hang out more often?"

"You really want to?" I looked at him intently and saw his eyes glint a little.

"Yeah. I meant what I said about wanting to get to know you. You're so different to all the other girls. I'm curious about you Lena."

I felt my entire system shut down. Nobody had ever said anything like this to me before. I was so shocked I couldn't even speak. I was a nobody. He was a somebody. What was a somebody like him doing being curious about a nobody like me? There's nothing special about me. I'm not pretty. I don't have popular friends. Heck I don't even have friends. I love classic novels and old movies. I have a deep love for Audrey Hepburn. I will never stop crushing on James Dean even though he's dead and would be at least in his 90's by now.

I don't play sports. I'm not on the mock trial team. I'm not artistic. I can't sing or play any instruments. I'm just a simple girl who stays up late and reads way too many books. I reblog things related to Harry Potter, Pretty Little Liars and Desperate Housewives. I've seen every Friends episode at least five hundred times.

Why in all that is holy, is Nick Porter curious about me? There's nothing to be curious about.

It's times like this I longed for a best friend. Someone I could tell everything to and ask for advice. Someone I can decode signals from people with. Someone I can watch movies with and have 'boy talks' with. Instead I have my mom (who I love very dearly) and occasionally Mrs Jefferson but she'd judge me endlessly if I told her I even invited Nick to my house. She really doesn't like him.

***

After Nick left I settled down in my room with my Netflix account keeping me company and watched a little more Desperate Housewives. I'd restarted the entire show, starting from the very first episode again.

Just as it was getting good (Paul and Zach were fighting again) I heard a light tap on my bedroom door. In walked my Mom. She perched herself on the end of my gloriously made bed, also known as my pride and joy.

"So who came over tonight?" I knew she'd ask. I just hope she didn't fall into a coma after she heard what I was about to say.

"Nick Porter." I say, keeping my eyes fixed on Desperate Housewives so as not to make it seem like a big deal.

"Nick Porter? As in the stud of your school?" I looked at her and frowned at what came out of her mouth.

"Mom nobody says 'stud' anymore. But yes it was Nick, no big deal."

"So what did you do?"

"We went over the significance of key themes and ideas from the first two chapters of Lord Of The Flies and then we talked."

"You talked? What about?" I paused Desperate Housewives and was slightly annoyed that she'd interrupted to pursue an interrogation.

"School, him, me, he said he wants to hang out again sometime." Before she left she had to add on a whole speech about how I've been a loner since forever.

"Oh honey, that's great. It'll be nice for you to finally leave the house. You're always up here watching some TV series on that bloody computer of yours. It's about time you started experiencing the world and your teen years. And I'm also glad it's with Nick. He seems like a very nice boy."

Yes, mother, yes he does.