Pieces [Wattpad's Editor's Choice]

1: sTeEl HeArT

"I'm sorry, I'm just...not that into you."

I stared hard at him, narrowing my eyes like it might help me see his hazel ones better. Was he lying? He had to be lying. There was absolutely no way Ethan Suede was not that into me.

"Ethan," I laughed, putting a hand to my forehead, pushing back my bangs. "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. We have that one party to go to, remember?"

I didn't like parties. In fact, I greatly despised them. I'd rather be at home binge-watching a new show on Netflix or reading a new book that lied to me about romance. Maybe I'd even be studying a new species of insect to pin up on my prized Entomology board hanging above my bed.

But Ethan Suede asked me to go to the Valentine's party with him tomorrow. He said he couldn't imagine going with anyone else. He said I would love it, and he'd make sure it was the best night of my life. I decided to cancel plans with my roommate-plans that involved binge-watching a new series on Netflix and stuffing our faces with Twizzlers and popcorn-for a party with Ethan Suede.

But here he stood in front of me with his stupid binocular-looking glasses that he thought made him look smarter, his stupid light-brown hair gelled back, his stupid but adorable apologetic smile, and his stupid raspy voice telling me that he was not that into me.

Here's the thing: I liked Ethan Suede. And I mean like-liked him. He was a chemistry geek like me, yet he couldn't remember the periodic table quite as well as I did. And where I actually liked math, he struggled counting out tips anytime we'd go out to a restaurant. But he was nice-or so I thought-and he studied hard and smelled like pastries all the time because his parents were bakers and he helped them part-time.

I wanted to kiss Ethan Suede sometimes. Maybe pull him aside in the middle of our classes of two-hundred and make-out hard-core in front of everyone because why the hell not?

But I didn't. Ethan and I kept our friendship steady the first month of the semester, studying innocently in the library late after classes and parting ways at night. I went to my dorm, he went to his, and sometimes we texted "it was cool studying with you" or "thanks for making the notecards this time" before bed, but that meant something, right?

It totally did.

We had something. But here Ethan was telling me he WASN'T INTO ME.

"I know," he said, his voice so smooth, it sounded more like he was delivering an endearing heartfelt message instead of ripping my heart out, "everyone's going and I thought it would be weird if you didn't. Everyone loves to party right?" He forced an awkward laugh. "Um...I'm assuming that because it's a Valentine's party I invited you to, you thought it meant something...?"

My soul shriveled up inside. What else was I supposed to think? That he invited me to a Valentine's party just because?

"Oh," I said. "No. I mean...no. I'm just-it didn't mean anything?" My voice went all high-pitched at that last part like I was squealing, but this wasn't from joy; I think my soul was trying to pry its way from my body to hide in the afterlife from utter embarrassment.

"It didn't. I'm sorry, I don't have feelings for you like that."

"When did that change?" I refrained from adding 'jerk' at the end. I wasn't that mean.

"I guess it didn't." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, it didn't change because I don't think I was ever into you."

My mouth fell open. Ethan Freaking Suede?! How dare he? "But you asked me to go to the party with you."

He shrugged. "Open invite. I figured you just study so hard all the time, you needed a break. Maybe there was chemistry between us..." He blushed and a small smile curled on his stupid lips like that pun was just so freaking hilarious. "But even the moment I asked you...nah."

"You told me you couldn't imagine going with anyone else..." My voice was a deflating balloon.

"Yeah, cuz I literally couldn't imagine it...I mean, anyone else I'd ask would think we're together. You're the only person who wouldn't make it weird."

Annnnd he just popped my balloon. Would someone just rip that stupid bow from Cupid's inaccurate little fingers and murder him with his own arrow?

"You're cool though," Ethan continued. "Just not my type."

"Okay," I said. He just needed to stop talking. "Well it was nice studying with you." I clutched my binder close to my chest like it might mend the hole in it, and turned to walk away.

"Wait, Frannie." He grabbed my arm to stop me like the movies and my heart hammered. Could Ethan still want me? Maybe he realized his mistake and he would pull me into a kiss. Maybe I'd drop my binders to close the distance and we'd make out here in the corridor between Stats and Anatomy, making room for some anatomy explorations of ourselves...

"Yes?" I breathed, turning to face him. Our lips were close. This could be it.

"Frannie," he said. "Before you go-"

"Yes?" Closer...

"I want to know-"

It was coming...

"Can I borrow the notecards for Stats? My quiz is in an hour and I figured you won't need them till later tonight, since our classes are at different times."

I stared up at his hazel eyes, more green than brown, and grinned widely. He had hair that I figured must've been soft if he didn't use so much hair gel. Today he smelled like chocolate cupcakes, which were my favorite. I always knew he had a few freckles that peaked just beneath his stupid old-fashioned glasses, but I never noticed how many before.

I memorized each beautiful detail of his stupid face, and then I looked down at my bag hanging off my shoulder. I knew I wouldn't be seeing him again. Not this close, anyway.

"Of course," I muttered, pulling the notecards out and passing them to him. "Don't worry about finding me later. You can keep them."

"You won't need them back? Isn't your quiz today too?"

I locked eyes with him for one last time. I wanted to see love there, maybe longing or desire, passion, maybe even bulging emoji heart-eyes. But he only looked dumb-founded. Or maybe just dumb.

I shook my head. "I won't need them back. I already memorized everything." Everything.

And that was it: the end of Ethan Suede and I.