Unrequited Love

Chapter 2 - The Contest

The next day, I tied my hair into pigtails. I wore a floral dress and black leggings with a pair of boots. After the same morning routine, I drove to school.

Throughout the day, I would get compliments about my clothes and hair. Students were able to skip three periods because of the contest, and it was a good opportunity to ask the boys. I sat alone on a bench and looked around. I felt lonely on the empty campus.

Who should I ask? I put a lot of effort into getting ready today.

Across the way, I saw Nathaniel using his laptop. I turned around to see Ashton and John walking towards me, so I smiled and stood up.

"Did you ask anyone?" Ashton asks.

"No. I'm looking for Lucas," I said.

"Well, John is going to be my partner. When you find Lucas, come to the gym! They're holding the content in there," she said.

"Sure, but have you seen him?"

Ashton and John shook their head. The contest was about to begin, and I had no partner. I had no other option, so I paced towards Nathaniel.

I smiled and said, "Hello."

He kept quiet and continued to type on his laptop.

"I don't mean to bother you, but will you be my partner for the contest? If you don't want to, I understand. We just met, but this would be a great opportunity to get to know each other!" I said.

He put away his laptop, stood up, and stared at me.

"Fine," he responded.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed.

I gleamed with joy. He nodded and followed me to the gymnasium.

A stage had been moved inside, so it was easier to see the participants. We signed our names on a clipboard and walked to the front of the crowd. Each time I glanced at Nathaniel, I flashed him a smile. In response, he would look the other way.

Did I push him too much? He hasn't said anything. I feel like I made a mistake. He didn't really put much thought into his decision.

After a while, I saw Lucas and a beautiful girl holding hands; they looked like a real couple, too. I didn't feel any jealousy, but my heart sank.

"Lucas Carmillo and Melody Martinez, it is your turn to come up to the stage," an announcer called out.

Melody Martinez and I never got along. Her hate began when she found out Lucas had feelings for me. I had no problems with her, but she's gotten on my nerves before.

I was in no position to be angry, so I just smiled and clapped. It was almost our turn to go up on stage.

As I was making my way up the steps, Nathaniel suddenly grabbed my arm. I looked at him, but continued walking. He let go and quickly stood behind me.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"It's all right," I responded.

His face was turning red and he was trying to hide it. I giggled.

Is he nervous? How cute, I thought.

A teacher began to explain the activities we were going to do. Once he finished, we were all told to go to the track field.

We changed into our gym clothes and made our way to the bleachers. Nathaniel was sitting down, so I jogged towards Ashton and John.

"I can't believe you got Nathaniel Kougami as your partner!" Ashton exclaimed.

"What's the big deal?" I wondered.

"He's, like, the hottest person in school!"

"It's only the second day. How can he immediately be the hottest?"

"Well, all the girls have been talking about him. He's popular."

I looked at Nathaniel.

Yes, he is attractive. I'm sure he can get any girl with his looks.

John poked my stomach and said, "You better be careful when you're around him. He could hurt your feelings, you know?"

"You don't need to be so protective, John. Besides, Nathaniel would never fall in love with a girl like me," I said.

A whistle was blown and we were called for the first activity. We had to run five laps around the football field, but the boys had to carry the girls on their backs. I nervously walked over to Nathaniel.

"If you don't want to participate in the race, we can back out," I said, looking down at my shoes.

Nathaniel smirked and asked, "Why? Do you think you're too heavy?"

Is that what you're going to say at a time like this? What a jerk!

I looked away and pouted.

"T-That's not what I meant!" I said.

He laughed and pinched my left cheek. I frowned at him, but he was smiling. He released his grip and crouched down, his back facing me.

"Hey, Pouty. Get on," he ordered.

"Pouty?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's a nickname I thought of for you."

"Um, why?" I questioned.

"You looked cute when you pouted. Can you get on?"

I hesitantly got on his back. He stood up and held my legs.

"Don't choke me," he said, smiling mischievously.

"I won't. Are you sure this is all right with you?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," he answered.

My cheeks became flushed, and all I could do was hang on. Nathaniel paced towards our lane; the teacher blew the whistle and we were off. Surprisingly, we were ahead of everyone else!

He's so fast. He must be so much quicker without me on him, though.

The other teams were far behind. As Nathaniel was running, I remained silent. I heard his heavy breathing, and I started to feel bad. In minutes, we only had three laps to go. When I turned to look at the pairs behind us, I spotted Lucas and Melody, but they couldn't catch up to Nathaniel and me.

When we crossed the finish line, I immediately jumped off of him.

"You did great, Nathaniel!"

He joked and said, "You're so heavy, Pouty! When are you going to lose some weight?"

I couldn't be angry with him, so I just laughed. We went on to participate in the other activities and challenges.

Nathaniel and I were taking a break on the bleachers. While we were resting, a student came up to me asking for help. I agreed and followed her.

She needed help putting a banner up, so I climbed the ladder and taped it. When I was trying to get down, I lost my balance! I screamed and closed my eyes.

This is going to be so embarrassing, I thought. Everyone's going to laugh at me!

THUD!