"Oh, my mom's never mentioned a Niall before, I'll ask her about it later though." I said making a mental note to indeed ask her about it.
"Okay, I have a follow up question," Jake said.
We walked down the empty hallways without a care in the world. Like it was just us on the planet. We didn't care that first period had already started. We didn't care that we should have been in class. At that moment, it didn't matter to us. It just mattered that we were there, that we were together. Everything felt right, everything fit like a puzzle. It just all worked out; we worked out.
"And what would that be?" I asked, he took in a shaky breath and my heart felt like it would implode.
Jake stopped in his tracks, in the middle of the hallway, and looked me in the eyes, "Would you like to go on a date with me sometime? I mean not as like boyfriend and girlfriend, but just to hang out. I mean I think it's pretty obvious that I like you and I know you like me too. I think we should give this, give us, a try."
At first I was shocked, no guy has really even shown this much interest in me. Sure, I've had a boyfriend here and there but not many, plus they have never lasted long. I also never really thought that I was special to a guy, I never really was liked by guys.
"I think that's a grand idea," I said finally, probably as red as a tomato. He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair.
"You can come to my house after school if you want," He asked, "Oh, and you look really adorable when you blush."
That made me blush even more, "I would love too, and thank you."
"What are you kids doing in the hallway? Shouldn't you be in class?" We heard a voice yell from down the hallway. Sure enough, it was a teacher.
"Don't worry, I was just showing her to where her class was, she's a freshman, sir." Jake said to the teacher, winking at me. I nodded, hoping I wouldn't get asked for my school ID.
"Alright, young man, just get straight to class." Teachers were always sympathetic towards freshmen.
"Right away sir." Jake answered, watching the teacher walk back into a classroom, "You're welcome." He said after he was out of the hallway.
"Do I really look like a freshman?" I said playfully and Jake let out a tremendous laugh. I thought for sure another teacher was going to come out, but none came.
"No darling, I just didn't want us to get in trouble and that was the first thing that came to my mind."
"Alright, thank you, but I have to get to class otherwise my parents are going to kill me." I said not wanting to leave, but I knew I had too.
"Meet me right here after to school and we can walk together," Jake said as his hand touched mine and then ran down the hallway.
I bit my lip and remorsefully walked to my locker, I threw all my books in and pulled out the books I needed for my first class, Math. I always "lucked out" to have Math first, note the sarcasm. I was also in Advanced Math so I was in a class with all seniors that I didn't know. I wrote out a quick late pass to give to my teacher and signed it with my mother's name. I never really did that kind of stuff, but I was desperate.
With the note in my hand, I strolled into my Math class. I handed the note to my teacher and took my seat. Everyone was looking at me and whispering, the only junior in a senior class. I felt my cheeks burn and my stomach churn and my hands sweat. I hated when people talked about me. It always made me so insecure.
Shortly after, the bell rang and I swear I was the first one out of that room. I walked to my locker and grabbed my books for my next class, English. After English, I was blessed with a study hall, then Science, Lunch, Art, History, Philosophy and Creative Expression.
I am not very popular in school, I mean don't get me wrong I have really good friends and their nice but I most certainly am not Miss Popularity. I was invited to like one party in my life. I was never really anything special. Not pretty, not exceptionally brilliant, not hysterically funny, just nothing. I was really quiet in school, I never got in anyone's way.
I didn't understand why someone like Jake would be interested in me. I mean he was the total package, smart, funny, attractive, athletic, polite and so much more. I was just...me.
After English, Study Hall and Science, I was starving. I had seen some of my friends in the halls and some were in my classes, but none of them were in my lunch. Fantastic. I walked into the cafeteria late, but no one really cared. I took a deep breath and looked around the room. Pretty much all of the tables were full.
I felt an arm wrap around my waist, "Hey there stranger," Jake whispered. I smiled and bit my lip.
"Hey there Jake," I said giggling, wait, did I just giggle? Do people even do that anymore?
"Want to come sit with me?" More than anything, I thought to myself, but I didn't want to see pushy
"Are you sure?" I asked, silently hoping he would say yes.
"I am very sure, come on, my friends will love you." Jake said, taking my hand and slightly pulling me in the direction of his table.
At his table were two guys that played soccer with us, Josh and Andy, and two girls that I didn't know. Both were drop dead gorgeous and I felt kind of nervous with this situation. One had short, wavy blonde hair and the other had long wavy brown hair. Jake and I sat down and he put his hand on my knee, his fingers drumming a beat to a song I could not recognize.
"I'm Perrie, and this is Eleanor," the blonde one said as I sat down, I smiled politely. Jake, Eleanor and I sat on the same side of the table and Perrie, Josh and Andy sat on the other side.
"Guys, this is my friend," Friend? Ouch, "Cecilia," Jake replied with a big smile on his face. My smile faded when he said I was only his friend, I thought we were something more. Maybe we just weren't at the dating stage yet?
"Wait, you guys aren't dating?" Eleanor asked with a confused expression, and now this just got awkward. I just smiled a small smile and looked down. I was embarrassed, I didn't know what me and Jake were at this point. His hand left my knee, leaving a burning hole in its place.
"Well not really," Jake said, my head shot right back up, "It's complicated." Complicated? What about us is complicated? I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, "But yeah we aren't dating, just friends, that's all." Just friends? That's all? Is that all he thought about us? About me?
I felt so uncomfortable, so unwanted. I felt like fainting, I had to get out of there, "Oh sorry guys, I totally forgot I had band lessons right now, I'll catch up with you guys later." To be honest, I have not played an instrument since third grade, I just needed an excuse to leave.
I picked up my stuff and left. I had half the period to kill and I didn't know what I was feeling. I felt my heart swelling and sinking over and over and over and over again. Just hours ago he told me he liked me and how he wanted to see how this thing between us would go. That this plague of love infecting us would pan out. Was this going to work out? I guess not if I was just a friend to him.
"Cecilia?" I heard from behind me, the halls were empty and the classroom doors were closed. Jake must have followed me, "Eleanor's in band," Of course she is, "She said you weren't in band, how come you left?"
"I just want to know where we stand, you know? Like are we really just friends? Because that's fine I just wish you would have told me before I had this distorted wish of us actually being together in my head. If you never really liked me you could have told me instead of doing, well, this to me. I mean you texted me until midnight last night and you were being all flirty and then this morning you said you wanted to go on a date with me because you like me and before you tell them I'm just your friend and that's it, I just don't know where I stand with you." I said quickly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, I just didn't want them to say obnoxious stuff and like tease you because you are special to me. I do like you, a lot. Like a lot a lot. Please, come hang out with me after school. We can forget about this. I swear. I'm sorry." Jake said, taking my hand in his.
"Okay," was all I could manage to say. He was all I could manage to think about.
