Rejected 22 Times

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

(Sophia's POV)

The school year was ending and summer was slowly approaching. I longed to escape this prison cell that people call school. I just wanted to get away from it all. Well... not all of it.

Liam hasn't really talked to me lately. It seems though that every time I see him, he wants to tell me something. I wish that I could read his mind and know what he was thinking. Was it awkward for him to be around me? Did he just want me to disappear?

I didn't know any of the answers, and I probably never would. But anyway, this summer I am promising to make a resolution: to move on. I can't let a relationship, that never really was a relationship because we never even really dated, ruin my summer.

When it came time to sign each other's yearbooks on the last day of class, I was wondering if I should ask Liam to sign mine. Or would that be awkward? I spotted him across the classroom as he talked to another classmate, and I didn't want to interupt. Instead, I looked through the yearbook. I saw my picture, and I'll admit that it didn't look that bad.

I skimmed through all of the last names, until I came across the P's. I was looking through the S's when I realized that I missed his name. I went through all of the names again, and then at the bottom of the page I saw written in fine print, "Not photographed: Liam Payne". Why didn't they include him? I forgot that he never took a photo at the beginning of the year, but still. They could have taken a photo and edited it in there.

When his friends walked away, I casually strolled over there and waited until he noticed my presence. 

He hesitated for a second before acknowledging me, probably to make sure I was actually here to talk to him. "Hey Soph. Good to see you", he spoke. His words were welcoming, but his eyes were unsure.

I didn't know how to respond, so I just responded with an orthodox answer, "Yah, you too." This was feeling awkward, and I didn't want it to be this way. I racked my brain for something to say so that I could lighten up the conservation a bit. "Got any plans this summer?".

"Uh.. I'm actually going to visit my family for the whole summer", he answered.

"Wow. That sounds like fun. When do you leave?", I asked wanting to further continue the coversation.

"Actually, I leave today."

"Oh, so you'll be gone the whole summer?"

"Yah, I guess." I must have shown a look of disappointment on my face because he asked, "Why? Did you want to see me over the summer?"

I was suprised by his question. "What? No. I was just asking."

"C'mon.. I know you can't resist all of this..." he teased as he skimmed his hands over his torso. I couldn't help but blush, and for a moment it felt like everything was normal again.

He took a step forward and brushed his fingers on my hand. I didn't realize that I was holding my breath, so I took I exhaled deeply. The scent of the cologne that he was wearing overtook my senses, and I thought that I was going to start hyperventilating. He began to close the gap between our lips, and I finally realized what was happening. It seemed like he almost still had feelings for me. Did he still like me?

"Liam...", I said quietly as I put my hand on his chest in an attempt to push myself away. "I need to ask you something.."

"What?", he asked not changing his position.

He still remained close to me and his breath lingered in the air around me. I couldn't ask him. "Will you sign my yearbook?", I asked completely changing the subject and ruining the moment. He seemed suprised by the abrupt mood change but replied wih a mumbled "sure" as he searched for a pen. He handed me his yearbook as I handed him mine. I sat down at a nearby desk and opened the book to the signature page. I chose a very girly, pink pen and wrote "Dear Liam," at the top of the page.

I found it difficult to figure out what to say because I couldn't think of any good memories. Sure there were the times that we laughed and had fun, but our relationship, if you can call it that, was so complicated. I decided to just use a cliché and wrote "Have a nice summer! Hope to see you next year!". I debated on whether or not sign it with "love" or not, so I decided to end it with "Your mate, Sophia". I drew a smile next to my name, closed the book, and handed it back to Liam. He was still finishing mine up, when Alexis walked over and asked to sign my yearbook.

I told her that Liam had it and to sign when he was done. In the meantime, I signed hers. When Liam finished he handed my book over to Alexis and began to walk away. "Bye Liam", I said to him as he turned around. "I'll see you around."

He paused for a second before giving me cheeky smile. "Have a nice summer Sophia", he said. With that he walked out of the classroom.

After Alexis signed my yearbook, a few more people signed it, and then I went home. I thought about my last conversation with Liam. Why did I say "see you around"? He was going to be gone the entire summer, so obviously I wouldn't see him around. And what was that smirk that he had on his face when he said "have a nice summer"? I also realized that he called me by my whole name, which he never did. He seemed... mischevious.

When I got home, no one was around, so I decided to lay in the hammock underneath the trees. I took out my yearbook and read some of the comments that people wrote. I scanned through all of the "have a nice summer"'s and all of the "see you next year"'s until I came around to Liam's comment.

I read over his message, "Dear Soph, I am so glad that I met you. You really helped me with my first year at a new school. I know it was rough at first and that things always seemed difficult, but I never regretted meeting you. In fact, meeting you was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I didn't expect to find a person that I could tell anything to and be able to trust with all of my secrets. I appreciate everything that you did for me, and just know that I will always be here for you like you were for me. Even though you may not feel the same, I hope you realize that I never stopped liking you. I might have even fallen in love with you. I hope you have a nice summer. Love, Liam."

Well so much for moving on.