I sat waiting patiently by the fountain for Harry. He had texted me earlier telling me to wait for him after school in our usual spot, that we'd walk home together.
So I did. Fifteen minutes passed after the bell rang, and still no sign of him. I figured he just got held back extra for class or something. I decided that I'd read a little more of The Scarlett Letter which we were reading for class since I had 25 pages assigned to read over the weekend.
I searched my bag for the book and found no sign of it. I sighed and heaved myself from the bench I was seated on. I walked back up to the school building and inside. The halls were empty except for a janitor passing by every now and again. I found my locker and entered the combination retrieving my book from its place.
After closing my locker, I started back down the hallway when suddenly a door opened not too far ahead of me. Harry walked out of it and headed for the exit. Just as I was about to call for him, none other than Lyla Jones walked around the corner. I slowed down a bit as I was quite far behind them. I stepped off to the side and observed.
I know I sounded like a stalker, but I was curious.
"Hey Harry!" Lyla beamed. I couldn't see Harry's face from where I was, but I knew it lit up like a star.
"Hey Lyla. Whats up?" he asked.
"Getting ready to head to dance practice. How are you?" she questioned. This small talk continued to go on for a few moments. She would ask about his band and he would ask about school or something.
They said their goodbyes but when Lyla turned around, Harry grabbed her arm.
"Lyla?" he asked. She looked at him questionably. I don't exactly know why, but my heart began to speed up.
"Would you maybe like to go out with me sometime? Maybe catch a film and grab a bite to eat?" he pleaded.
"Yeah sure! That'd be great!" she bellowed. I felt my heart break more than what it already has. Not wanting to hear or see any more, I turned back around to head out the other door.
Walking out, I felt a lump form in my throat but swallowed it back. Tears were trying to form, but I fought them back. I just wanted to crawl into my bed and sleep.
I was halfway across the parking lot when I heard my name being called.
"Annabel! Wait up!" the familiar voice called. I turned around to see Harry prancing toward me. Although my throat felt dry, I put on a smile and acted as if everything was perfectly fine.
He caught up with me, his breath a little uneasy. "Sorry I got held up." he said.
I forced a laugh. "Oh. I thought you forgot about me."
"Never." he grinned. He looked so happy. So full of life. And the reason why absolutely killed me. We continued to walk together.
"I have good news!" he said excitedly.
"Oh yeah?" I asked. He nodded his head eagerly.
"Guess who has a date with Lyla next Friday?" he jumped with joy. "Me!" he clapped, a smile never leaving his face. I smiled for him, but it disappeared when I realized that the date was next Friday.
"That's great Harry. I'm really happy for you." I forced a smile once again looking ahead.
"Annabel, what's wrong?" he asked, his gaze on me.
"Oh it's nothing. You're just going to miss my piano recital. But it's okay. You should go." I grinned.
"Aw shit. I totally forgot Annabel. I'm sorry, I'll tell her some other time." Harry's face faded. I knew what I had to do, and it hurt knowing I was actually going to do it.
