Smile

Chapter 1: Logan

"Chloe."

I watched as Logan picked at his food and listened to his friends talk.

"Chloe."

He faked a smile at one of his friends, Will.

"Chloe!"

I missed his real smile. The one you just knew wasn't fake because one simply could not fake such a genuine stretch of the lips. I even missed the smirk that used to get on my nerves. Like -

"CHLOE!"

"WHAT?!" I snapped back at Amanda, one of my best friends.

"We've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes," Kelsey informed me before popping a baby carrot into her mouth.

"Oh," I mumbled, looking down at my suddenly very interresting sandwich, hoping no one had caught the direction of my stare. No one in my group of friends knew about my... interrest in Logan. I didn't even think they knew I was aware of his existence.

"What were you looking at, anyway?" asked Noah.

"Nothing," I responded, looking up at my friends. "Just lost in thoughts."

Amanda shrugged. "Alright. Anyway, we were talking about the show I'm doing this Saturday. Everyone agreed on going, but you obviously haven't been listening to a word of what was said in the last few minutes. So, you're in?"

Amanda was a hip-hop dancer. She danced in a group called Electrified. I'd say they were pretty good.

I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"I wouldn't go, but my parents are forcing me," Thomas grumbled. He and Amanda were twins, but you couldn't tell from their appearance; Amanda's blond hair was long and straight, while Thomas's was short, brown and curly. He had bright green eyes, but his sister's were blue. Even though they seemed different, their arguments were usually results of their ressembling personalities.

"Hey, I go to your basketball games without complaining. The least you could do is try doing the same for my shows," Amanda scolded her brother, and Kelsey and I shared a look. We both knew Amanda didn't mind going to her brother's games because our friend (and Amanda's crush) Noah was also on the team.

As the argument between the two siblings continued, my eyes landed on Logan's table once again. It was the same routine every day; making plans, arguing, me continuously being brought back to reality...

And Logan never smiling.

-/-\-

"Chloe?"

"Yes?" I answered, my eyes only leaving my math homework for a second.

"What's wrong?"

I frowned and looked up at Thomas, who was sitting at my desk, his eyes already set on me. Amanda had gone to get us Chinese food, so it was just the two of us. The twins often came over to my house and sometimes even spent the night because their parents were two very busy people, their mother being a nurse and their father a police officer.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, confused. I was perfectly fine.

"I don't know..." He nibbled on his bottom lip, fiddling with a pen as he observed me. "It just feels like something's bothering you."

I hesitated. What would Thomas think of me if I told him I'd been worrying about some random guy because he'd stopped genuinely smiling? He'd probably think I was crazy.

"You don't have to tell me," Thomas broke the silence. "I just thought you should know that you can trust me with whatever's on your mind."

"Trust you?" I scoffed. "Thomas, we've been friends since the seventh grade. I think that's long enough for me to know that I can trust you."

"Then what is it?" he asked, bending down to pick up the pencil he'd just dropped.

I sighed. "Look, Tom... This isn't about trust. It's just some silly thing I'm worrying over."

"If it's worrying you, then it's not silly," he insisted.

"But it is," I argued, then turned back to my homework. "Look, can we not talk about this right now? It's nothing, I promise."

His shoulders slumped, making me aware of his surrender. "Fine. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here. You know that, right?"

I nodded. "I do. Thanks, Tom."

Thomas wouldn't think of me as crazy, because I wouldn't tell him about Logan. At least that much was clear in my head.

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Hello! If you have made it this far, I can (hopefully) officially welcome you to my new story! *Cue cheers* If you already know me from Fanfiction, then I thank you for being so loyal and trustful towards me. It's really a good feeling to know some people appreciate my writing so much that they have decided to trust me with my own characters. If you are a new reader of mine, then I WELCOME YOU TO MY WORLD! I hope you enjoy your stay ;)

If I'm being completely honest, the beginnings of my stories are never actually good (according to my standards). So, if you're having doubts, I can assure you that it does get better (and I am sure of this because I have finished writing this story. I'm publishing a chapter per week because I'm currently writing the even better sequel).

So, yeah... Time for the awkward outro...

See ya on the next chapter!

-ProfessionalDork