Rejected 22 Times

Chapter 21

Okay, so after you read this chapter, I would love it if you all commented a song that you thought fit this story. It could be a song for this chapter or even a previous one. But I would appreciate it so much! I have a "Sophiam" playlist, and I would love to fill it up!

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Chapter 21

Being at school was dreadful. Sitting in my Literature class with Liam was the closest I had been with him in days, yet I still felt so far away from him. Avoiding him proved to be even more difficult than I had assumed. It had been a couple days since I last talked to him, and it was slowly killing me inside.

Word had spread like wildfire that Liam and I were dating, but as quickly as the fire was ignited, it had been put out.

Millie reattached herself to Liam, and Brooke was right there next to her. Why did he let them throw themselves at him like that? He didn't do anything to give them a hint that he wasn't interested. Maybe he was, or maybe he just liked the attention. Then again, it didn't seem like he was responding to their advances anyway. The sound of Millie's annoying voice just irritated me so much!

"So who are you taking to the dance next week?", she asked him. I immediately stiffened in my seat. I attempted to steal a glance at him, and I guess he did the same. For a moment, our eyes locked, and I thought he was going to say something.

Before he could, Mrs. Robertson began to discuss our next assignment, and I thanked her in my mind. Focusing my attention down at my desk, I tried to push all my thoughts of Liam to the back of my mind, but it was impossible. He was all I thought about.

"You will all be writing your own sonnet. There are no limitations on the topic or theme of your sonnet, but it is to be fourteen lines, and it is due next week", Mrs. Robertson explained.

She just seemed to drone on and on, and soon, all I heard was a quiet murmur. I guess I had zoned out completely because I didn't even notice the bell ring or other people leaving the classroom.

"Sophia?", I heard someone say as they tapped my shoulder. For some reason, I hoped that it would be Liam, but I was faced with disappointment when I looked up to see my Literature teacher standing near my desk. Her red lipstick really stood out on her pale skin, and her bright blonde hair framed her face in a short bob.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll be going now", I told her as I stood up and collected my belongings.

"Are you sure?", she asked before I walked out of the door. "You seem like you haven't really been contributing to this class lately."

"Oh.. uh.. I just.. I'm fine", I mumbled before I could make the mistake of foolishly spilling all of my problems to her.

"Alright, but you can talk to me if you need to you, Sophia", she informed me. I simply nodded my head and mumbled a "thank you" before I left the room.

The tears began to stream down my face once again as I ran straight for the girl's lavatory. The second bell rang, and I assumed that everyone else was in their next class by now. After wiping my tears and applying some concealer underneath my eyes, I had managed to compose myself at least a little.

I opened the door and stepped out of the lavatory to see Liam leaning against the wall across the hall. His arms were folded across his chest, and his head was drooped down as he faced the floor. He snapped his head up when he heard the door swing shut behind me.

"Soph, we need to talk", he tried to say, but I began to walk away.

"I can't do this right now, Liam", I responded but he grabbed my wrist, forcing me to turn around and face him.

"Why have you been ignoring me?", he asked as I struggled to avoid making eye contact with him. "Why won't you even look at me?", he almost whispered.

"Because I can't", I answered still staring at the ground.

"Why not?", he asked as placed his hand underneath my chin to tilt my head. I was forced to look into his captivating eyes that seemed to put a trance on me. He was doing this again; he knew that I was like putty in his hands when he did this.

I placed my hand over his and brought it back down to his side. "Liam..", I tried to explain, but I was on the verge of tears.

"Tell me", he demanded softly as he laced his fingers through mine and tightened his grip.

"Because.." My heart pounded against my chest, and I swear the place was starting to spin. "Every time I look into your eyes, it just kills me.. and I feel like I'm going to cry", I barely managed to get out before the tears began to flow down my cheek. Liam didn't hesitate to pull me into his chest as my tears stained his shirt. He began to rub circles on my back, and for a moment, I hoped that he wouldn't let go. But he would. He was going to let me go. He was going to leave.

"I'm crying all over your shirt", I sobbed as I tried to back away, but his grip around me was too tight.

"Shh.. it's okay... just let it all out", he tried to soothe me, and honestly, it felt good. It felt good to let out all of the pain and grief that I carried deep within my heart, especially when Liam was the one holding me. "It's okay Soph", he continued placing a gentle kiss on the temple of my head. He kept his lips there as he murmured, "It'll be okay."

"But it won't Liam. It won't. I feel so lost", I spoke, but it probably sounded all mumbled.

"You're not lost. I'm right here. I got you, and I'm not letting go." Forcing myself to meet his eyes once again, I tried to read his expression.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Wait. Why?", I asked, trying to wriggle out of his embrace.

"I'm not leaving you", he explained, allowing me to step out of grip, but he still kept his hands on my arms.

"But you have to. You have to follow your dreams."

"It's not worth it."

"It will be!"

"But if following my dreams hurts this much, then how is it worth it? If it pains me this much to leave you, then tell me, how is leaving the right thing to do?"

"If you love someone, let them go." If it wasn't for the tears that still blurred my vision, I would have sworn that a tear was falling down Liam's pure, innocent face.

"Letting go is a sign of weakness", Liam admitted.

"Sometimes, letting go seems to be the less courageous option. But other times, letting go can be the most difficult thing you could ever do, and that shows the greatest amount of strength that anyone could have."

"But I care about you so much."

"Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care; it just proves that you did."

"When did you get go inspirational?", Liam asked with a sort of nervous laugh, and it felt good to hear that laugh. He pulled me back closer to him, and I rested my head against his chest once more. "Oh Soph... I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'm going to miss you too", I admitted, even though it still pained me to think about him leaving, I felt almost at peace. As I tried to comfort Liam, in a way, he comforted me as well.

"Don't frown because it's over, smile because it happened", I told him as I pulled away so that I could see him flash one of his priceless grins. "Now that's better." He placed his lips on mine, still grinning into the kiss, and I suddenly remembered why I had fallen so head-over-heels for him. He was so perfectly flawless, and underneath those beautiful, pained eyes, was the most compassionate and loving person that ever existed.

And I just couldn't find flaw in him, not a single one.

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Thank you for reading! I would also appreciate it if you all read "He Said She Said" by @americanhipsters because I helped to co-write some of the chapters.

Thanks again! Love you all! :)

-Isabella

PS- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 100K!!! You guys are the best!