Reversing Roles

Chapter 10

"Bitch, where even are you?" Jade demanded, through the phone. Alyssa silently chewed on her lightly glossed lip.

"Um, mum forced me to go grocery shopping with her," she quickly lied, brushing a piece of dark, fallen hair back behind her ear.

"....If you say so," Jade answered, uncertainly, after a moment. Alyssa exhaled, her shoulders physically relaxing.

"I'll call once I'm done here."

"You better," she warned, ending the call immediately afterwards. Alyssa gulped. Even though her and Jade had been friends for over two months now, she still occasionally scared her. Not that she was going to admit that to anyone. Ever. She tucked her phone into the back pocket of her ripped, black jeans, and continued treading gracefully up the concrete stairs of the public library, anxiously clutching her Maths textbook and pencil-case. Her stomach seemed to be doing a whole gymnastics routine inside of her. One that involved doing many, many flips. She swallowed again, feeling her palms get clammy. She wasn't sure as to why she was nervous, though. The truth was, she was quite brilliant at Mathematics, but had a bag girl reputation to uphold at East High. Okay, okay. Deep down, she actually did know the reason behind her nervousness. Grayson.

She had been able to successfully avoid any interaction which him for a whole two months, ever since that afternoon in Paradise Park. Every afternoon, though, she'd sneakily pass by the park, on her way home from school, searching for Grayson, in hopes of finding him there again. She never did, but something always pulled her back there, like a magnet. As much as she wanted to bury it, Alyssa knew that she had feelings for Grayson. Just the teeny, tiniest ones. Let's just say, she caught feelings quickly. That's why she was willingly going to let herself kiss him on that magical day, even though she'd met him that day. Whenever he entered a room, or shot her a tight smile, or even just passed her in the hallways, she felt a light spark inside of her. Her heart would lightly flutter. Her breathing would quicken. She admired how he effortlessly looked calm and casual, walking down the halls, not caring what anyone thought.

But.... she didn't like it. She didn't like the idea of catching feelings for him. She couldn't let her guard down, or let anyone in, or let anyone know the real her. Her heart had been bruised and busted and broken before, and she wasn't about to let that happen again, just for some boy she'd only spoken to twice. Well, now was going to be a third time.

Alyssa pushed open the large, double-doors that led to the main section of the library, shaking her head to clear her mind. She was welcomed by the refreshing scent of elderflower and the cushiony carpeting beneath her old, beat-up Converse. Quiet, old 50's music wafted peacefully around the library. Alyssa turned her head to the left, then right, in search for Grayson. An elderly man with a hunched back and beige overalls stood near the science-fiction section, peering longingly at an old copy of The War of the Worlds. A young mother with her small daughter on her lap, sat comfortably on one of the red, plush couches, reading through a picture book together. A pair of pre-teenaged girls silently giggled as they wandered through a clump of bookshelves containing books for girls and boys who were close to, or already, hitting puberty.

Finally, she spotted Grayson, sitting alone, in the far corner of the library at one of the study tables, hidden behind a tall bookshelf stuffed with murder mysteries. She paused for a moment, examining him. He sat leaning against the back of the chair, doodling on his page and tapping his fingers on the wooden desk in front of him. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was. Alyssa lifted her chin up, and confidentially strode towards him. As she approached him, Grayson rapidly sat up properly, his eyes fixed on his page.

"H-hey," he mumbled, his brown eyes not meeting hers. She gulped again.

"Hi," she greeted, slowly, planting herself in the seat opposite him and placing her equipment on the table. "So.... where do we start first?" Grayson flipped open his own textbook, turning to a page filled with algebra. Alyssa frowned. She hated algebra, but she was good at it.