LOVESICK

LOST IN LOVE

February 12

Anderson-

I wanted to look for Daniel, Leslie, and Riley so I could hang out with them before classes, but I didn't know where they hang out, so as I'm walking through the school, I see the guys in football class sitting at a bench outside by the cafeteria, and they begin calling me over, so I walk over to them since I couldn't find Daniel. I sit down next to Chad who looks very tired while the rest of the guys are talking. "What's up, man?" I ask Chad. He puts up his head. "Just really tired. I stayed up doing homework. What about you? How's your morning?" He asks me as he rubs his eyes. His hair still looks fine even after having his head down, he's probably wearing hairspray.
"I'm still trying to get around the school, everything else is fine." I lean my elbows on the table, trying to control my excitement and nervousness, waiting for the right moment to ask him. I think now is good. "Hey, I have a question." I say, whispering. Not that the other guys can hear anyway, they're busy yelling really loud. "What's up?" Chad asks, still sounding really tired.
"So. Yesterday in art class, I noticed you were looking over at Leslie a lot. Do you like her?" And now Chad wakes up completely, his eyes are huge. "You saw me doing that?" He asks. I nod my head yes.
"Well... yeah... I had a crush on her since middle school. I know it's lame, please don't tell her that." He sounds afraid. "No, it's cool... and, what if you found out she kind of likes you too?" I ask, and he looks like he's wondering if this is all real life. "No way." He says.
"Yup."
"Bro. If you're messing around stop it." He says, still skeptical.
"I'm not. You should try talking to her today in class so you can see for yourself." He looks dazed and confused. I think he actually thinks this is a dream. Before he can say anything, I hear someone else call me over- Jordan. "Hey Anderson, come over here." He says calling me over to the edge of the bench. I walk over to them, they're laughing when I get here. "Hey, bro, so you know the guy in physics class? The one you sit next to?" Jordan asks as he adjust his baseball cap. Of course I know who he's talking about.
"Daniel?" I ask.
"Yeah, him. Why do you sit next to him? You should go sit in the back with us." He offers me. I don't know what to say; I like sitting next to Daniel, but what will they think if I don't sit next to them? We need to be friends in order to be able to work together in football. But I like Daniel, he's cool, and he actually understands me. "Nah, I'm fine sitting where I-" Jordan cuts me off.
"Oh look, there he is!" He says as he points to Daniel, walking out of the cafeteria as he laughs next to Riley and Leslie. Daniel's smile starts to fade as he turns to us and sees the guys behind me laughing at him. He looks at me directly in the eyes with a disappointing look and hides in between Leslie and Riley who are looking at us angrily.
"He's always hanging around those girls. He's either dating both of them or he thinks he's a girl." Jordan says and the other three guys laugh. I look at Chad in the back who isn't paying any attention to them. He probably knows how awful they are and chooses not to intervene. I wish I knew before I decided to walk here.
"No but dude. He kept staring at me since middle school. He had a crush on me since middle school. He probably still does." Jordan goes on to say, talking to the other guys who are all having a conversation I'm no longer a part of. Luckily, the bell rings and I run off to algebra.
When I get here, I walk to my seat which is across from where Riley sits. I want to talk to her, I want to tell her how sorry I am about what the guys were saying, but when she walks in, she doesn't even look at me, I don't think walking over to her will do me any good. I'll try talking to Daniel himself in third period.

I run from English to physics class as fast as possible, I can't find Daniel on my way there or when I get to the class, so I sit in the seat I chose yesterday near the front of the class and I look to the door, waiting for Daniel to walk in, but none of the people walking in are him, instead, Jordan walks in, and just as he's about to walk to the back of the class, he walks over to me and sits on the seat where Daniel regularly sits. "Hey, don't worry. I'll save you from him." He says, thinking he's doing me a favour.
The bell rings and Daniel is the last one to walk into class. I stare at him, trying to get his attention, but he just rolls his eyes and walks to another empty seat. I want to yell at Jordan and tell him to stop but I can't, I don't want to cause a scene. I want to walk over to Daniel and tell him I'm sorry for what these guys are doing, but I can't. I'll try talking to Leslie next period.
I get lucky this time, there's no one to bother me, Leslie isn't happy to see me though. She sits in her seat and doesn't look my way. I'm about it talk to her when Chad comes from behind her and starts talking to her.
"Hey, Leslie I-" He says but Leslie cuts him off.
"Today is no good. Don't bother me." She says as she looks down at the table, her hair serving as curtains blocking Chad and me out. He looks over at me, confused as to what is happening. I nod my head at him and I mouth Jordan to him and he walks to his seat, still very tired.
"Leslie-"
"Don't." She cuts me off.
"I'm so sorry for what happened to Daniel-"
"What did I just say?" I feel like crying, Jordan ruined the only good friendship I had here. I grab a piece of paper from my backpack and I start writing down everything on it, even after the bell rings. Thankfully Mrs. Paisley doesn't see me writing, I guess she thinks I'm drawing, and just as I finish the letter, I start to think: why don't I just give it to Daniel next period, why don't I give it to the person who got hurt the most? I put the letter in my backpack and instead in another paper, I write down a shorter version of it and slide it to Leslie who is working on her sculpture. She doesn't look too happy while she's sculpting it, she isn't looking over at Chad and he seems to be doing it a lot more than yesterday.
I slide the note over to her and she doesn't look at it for a while, but eventually, I hear her start to crumple it up and put it aside. I knew that would happen, and I would feel the same way if someone were to hurt one of my friends, so I don't blame her.

In history class, there's no one to stand in my way from sitting with Daniel, and since he's the last one to walk in, he has no choice but to sit next to me. He puts his backpack on the floor like usual and when he isn't looking, I slide my note into the pocket on the side of his backpack, hoping for him to see it and open it later.

Nothing happens for the rest of the day; I don't see any of them, not even during lunch, I walked around the entire school looking for them but I couldn't find them. I just hope Daniel looked at the letter.
During football, I explain what happened to Chad, I told him about Jordan saying rude things to Daniel and it's the reason Leslie wasn't happy and he understands, even wants to try to apologise to Leslie himself as well.
When I get home, I go straight to bed. There was no homework tonight, so I can stay in bed and just wake up tomorrow to hopefully some good news. Hopefully Daniel read my letter and understands that I didn't do anything wrong. That I would never say anything like what Jordan said.

Daniel-

Please listen the note begins. I found a piece of paper in the side of my backpack- or- Leslie did, and just before she was about to throw it away, I tell her to hand it to me. We're at the café eating a pizza while Riley is working. She's a waitress here, so once in a while she walks by us and talks. Leslie reads me the whole letter and I start to cry; not because I'm upset but because I'm sorry for judging Anderson too quickly. I honestly thought he was saying something rude about me to Jordan. Leslie on the other hand is still not too sure about Anderson, but as she continues to read the letter out loud to me, she starts to have a different opinion. Anderson is very descriptive in his letter, he doesn't leave anything out. I feel bad for having judged him so badly, he probably feels terrible! And here I was thinking that I would never judge someone too quickly. Anderson really wanted to be our friends, and we pushed him away because we were jumping to conclusions. This is not the person I wanted to be. I need to go talk to him, but I can't today, I have to go to work in a little while at a restaurant, but tomorrow I will look for him.
"Leslie. Can you please go to his house and see how he is?" I ask her. She nods her head, I think she feels like crying. "Yeah, yeah I will." I hug her and we finish up our pizza before I go to work.

Leslie-

I walk home alone after walking Daniel to work. My palms are sweating, it's going to feel really awkward going to Andersons all alone especially since I don't know him that well.
The sun is starting to go down by the time I get here. I knock on Andersons door and his mom opens up.
"Hello! Is Anderson here?" I ask. "I had a question about the history homework.
"Oh, well he's asleep right now, come on in. We'll wake him up. He told me there wasn't any homework for him tonight." I feel kind of bad for lying.
"Andy." His mom whispers as she turns the light on in his room. He's curled up in the corner of the mattress like a worm, and when his mom turns the light on, he grunts. "Leslie is here. She had a question about the history homework you should be doing." She walks away downstairs and I thank her for letting me in, I close the door behind me and stand in front of Andersons bed. He's still not completely awake, he's rubbing his eyes a lot. I think he's been crying. "Leslie, I'm so sorr-" I cut him off.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, well, minus the sketch you drew of Daniel. It should've been me." He chuckles a little bit at that.
"Where's Daniel?" He asks.
"He's at work. He told me to come over and check on you. We read your letter. I'm sorry I was rude to you, it's just that he's my friends and-" Anderson cuts me off. "No no, I completely understand. I would have reacted the same way if someone treated my friend the way the guys did... Chad understands also." He smiles and I blush as soon as I hear his name, and I'm angry at Anderson for bringing up his name but I also feel good for him bringing it up. "Thank you for that also. And sorry for ruining it." I say.
"He really likes you. And he also thinks what Jordan and the other guys did and do is wrong." I'm glad Chad doesn't act as childish as Jordan. "And what about you?" I ask Anderson. "You've been helping Daniel and I around trying to be safe, what about you? Who do you care about?" I ask, trying to understand where Anderson is coming from more. But he stays silent. "I'd rather not say. Not now." He says. And I decide not to force him to say anything. "Well, that was it. I'll... see you tomorrow. Thanks for helping me with my history homework!" I say on my way downstairs. "Goodnight!" I say as I wave to Andersons mom and dad who are organising boxes in the kitchen.