What Can I Do

Chapter 19 ~You like me? That's the best joke I've heard all week

"Brian!" A voice called from down the hall, startling Brian out of his reverie.

The voice was a soft female one, not the one Brian wanted to hear. He quickened his footsteps, not wanting to converse with anyone this early in the morning.

"Brian! Please, wait up!" The voice called again, a little more desperate this time.

Brian stopped in his steps, and turned around to face the voice.

"What do you want?" He grumbled, roughly, glaring down at Haru's pretty face.

He wide eyes blinked slowly before remembering why she was calling him.

"Oh! Could I maybe speak to you after school today?" She asked nervously.

"Why?" He questioned. He only put up with Haru because she was Jae's best friend, and if he was hoenst he had nothing against the girl.

He did think she was pretty and her hair was shiny and maybe she would be his ideal type if he even had one. But she was also best friends with Jae and if Brian was being honest with himself again, he was just jealous of her. Jealous that she knew Jae longer than he had, that they were best friends, that sometimes people around the school gossiped that they were a couple.

She looked up at him again and blushed before stating confidently, "I have something to tell you, in private."

Brian was suspicious but nodded anyway, intrigued.

"I'll be in the art classroom, just find me." He said before walking away.

Haru grinned broadly before walking away, full of nervous anticipation.

~~

"Make it quick, I have places to be." Brian said, leaning against the sink in the art room.

Those places were actually just at home, in bed, by himself. But she didn't have to know that.

Haru's breath hitched at how striking Brian looked without even trying, casually leaning against the sink with his hair falling in front of his eyes.

Her heart raced at the thought about what she was about to do, trying to gather the courage to confess.

She had been thinking long and hard about her feelings when she realized she liked Brian. She liked the way his hair moved when he was playing basketball. How his smile changed his entire face and became light and pleasant. How he defended her from those girls who didn't know what they were talking about. Brian seemed scary and unapproachable but she had seen the way he lit up whenever Jae was near and she wanted to be the reason he smiled like that every day.

Realizing her feelings made her eager to confess, deciding she would do it the next time she saw him, her opportunity at her party wasted when she couldn't find him after he disappeared with Jae.

"Hello?" He asked her again, moving to stand in front of her. "Are you going to tell me anything? Or can I just go?"

Haru steeled herself, quickly saying, "I like you."

Brian froze like a statue.

"You like me?" He echoed, disbelieving.

She nodded, nervously shifting but standing her ground.

He stared at her again before laughing incredulously. Never would he have though Haru would confess to him, but he looked again and she was still blushing.

"What is this? Who dared you to do this?" He asked again.

Haru was confused as to why Brian was laughing, did he not believe her?

"No one. I like you." She repeated.

Brian scoffed. "Oh you do, do you? And what exactly about me is it that you like?" he questioned sarcastically.

"Is it that I'm the school's resident bad boy? Is that it? Do you like that I scare people away –or let me guess; you're going to say that you can make me a better person and you don't believe all those stupid rumours about me. You're going to change me. Well guess what, I don't need any of that, thanks."

Brian let the words spew from his mouth, uncaring. She didn't really care about him. No one did. Everyone left, no one stayed. Why should he think she's any different, that she actually likes him?

Haru's eyes filled with tears and slight anger. How dare he accuse her of all that.

Where was the boy who laughed until he couldn't breathe when Jae tripped and fell in the hallways to class? Where was the boy she say smiling huge and wide when they won the school basketball tournament? Where was the boy who gripped her hand tightly because he was afraid of height, pretending he wasn't scared? How come that boy only came out sometimes and yet this cold one always greeted her when she tried to talk to him. She was in love with a version of him that he never showed to her.

"Must you act like a jerk all the time." Haru whispered. "You could have just told me you don't like me back."

He laughed mockingly. "Yeah, okay. I don't like you back. Sorry, but what did you expect? A grand confession in return about how I have been in love with you this entire time? You don't care about me. No one does." He finished bitterly.

Haru balled her fists, her confession being made into a joke.

There was a pain in her heart from being rejected, but really what had she expected. It was certainly not this, nor what Brian described. She thought he would at least take her seriously and turn her down gently. Not what he was doing now. She knew this wasn't who he was. It made her feelings conflicted.

But right now, she was upset and wanted to get out of his mocking voice, so she grabbed her bag and hurried out of the room.

She dialed Jae's number as she left the school, wiping her face as he picked up instantly.

"Ayooo wassup!"

"Jae," she sniffed. "Can I come over?"

Jae immediately sobered hearing her voice, "Yeah, of course." He replied softly.

~~