Crushed

Chapter 2

Alex has been my crush ever since I met him at the beginning of this school year, grade seven. The first time I met him, I remember, he was wearing a blue sweater with 'NYC' on the front in white. The first time we made eye contact, he smiled and quickly looked away. I still remember the moment I knew. I haven't been the same around him since. It's hard not to stare, his blond hair always in the perfect place, and his striking blue eyes, always deep in thought. So deep in fact, you can always tell when he's thinking about something interesting. "Bella!" My train of thought suddenly came to a clambering stop. It was my best friend Julie. "Don't tell me you were thinking about it again" I was shocked that I was being that obvious, how could I be so careless? "Um... maybe..." "Really Bella, do you want Anne to find out? We all know what happens when she gets gossip to spread." Julie reminded me. It really is true, Anne is one of those girls who you should never share your personal life with, unless you want it all over the entire school, and the fact that I really like Alex is not something I would like spread.

The day after the basketball incident I was eager to see what had happened to Alex. I was terrified when he didn't show up until noon. When he finally arrived, he was on crutches, with a tensor bandage peeking out of his shoe. I couldn't help but feel a glistening of hope, thinking that it could have been me he was talking about when I asked him. I raised my head to look at him but I felt every one's eyes burning holes into the back of my head, so I decided it best to look back down at my hands. I leaned further over my desk, taking careful precaution when moving my head. I was already an introvert, and having the entire population of the school judging me for what I had done, didn't help. Everyone knew It was me, after all, Anne was there when it happened. For the next two weeks, I was subject to a lot of dirty looks from people I didn't even know. I was forever known as 'that girl who tripped Alex' and I didn't appreciate it. I used to be completely under the radar, only the people who knew me previously, or were in my class, knew me. I was just another nameless face in a sea of stress, sleep deprivation, and hormones. If only I could go back to being that girl who nobody knew. I could slip easily through the halls unnoticed, barely dodging rogue elbows, and out stretched arms, but I couldn't relax until I got to my next class.