You+Me

Chapter 3

For once in my life, I actually dreaded going to the library. There was this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was like I was awaiting my doom. Like how a person would feel right before they were hanged.

Okay. Maybe that was a tad dramatic. But still.

My doom was Nate Marks. I knew he was in there already because I saw his father drag him into the library.

That's right. I was spying on the whole scene from afar.

Nate sat in a blue backed plastic chair. He wore the same leather jacket as yesterday only this time there was a hoodie underneath it. By eyeing him from a distance I could see that he was trying to amuse himself. I watched as he dug the clicker of a pen into the table and watched as it sprung up before crashing back down.

He sat at a table where there were six other chairs, one empty five occupied. There was 'Computer-Guy' who was always on his computer doing who knows what, hence the name. There was 'Emo Chick' who wore all black and had tattoos and piercings all over her body. Then "Pinky" who always had on insanely loud music playing in her headphones and had pink hair. "Foreign" was a boy who talked on his phone constantly in a language I could never understand or tell what it was. And lastly, there was "Aqua" who carried three bottles of water on her at all times and read books about mermaids.

I turned my attention back to Nate. His hair was still in that perfect disarray without the aid of any hair spray or gel. I could tell, my mom was a hairdresser.

My heart beat wildly in my chest when I thought about his hand over mine.

Relax Aria.

I practiced a breathing exercise that my counselor taught me. Five counts in, hold, five out. Almost instantly, I felt relaxed.

"Aria!"

I jumped and whirled around, scared.

Simone was right in front of me and grinned as she watched the whole scene play out.

"Who were you watching?" Her eyes lit up, "Was it that boy you told me about?"

I worried my bottom lip, "No."

She raised a brow, "You know I can always tell when your lying right?"

She leaned to the left to see behind me. She pointed a finger and loudly said, "That's him isn't it?"

I lunged and grabbed her arm at lightning speed before pushing it down, "Simone! Don't point at him!"

She smiled knowingly, "AHA so it was about him."

I blushed, "It's not what you think okay-"

"Really? Because I think someone's got a crush!"

My cheeks furiously turned red, "I do not!"

She smiled again, "Then prove it. I dare you to go over there and talk to him."

I stared at her as if she'd just told me she was an alien.

Simone put her hands on my shoulders and turned me around, in Nate's direction, before she gave me a slight shove, "Come on. Go talk to him."

"Simone I really can't-" I protested.

"You can. Don't let your anxiety control you," She shoved me again, harder this time, "Now go."

                            ~°°°°°~

Before I knew what was happening I was standing beside him. My heart thudded against my ribcage so hard I was afraid that he could hear it. But course, that was ridiculous.