Love Lies

Chapter Three: Khalid

'Dear, Normani,
You kind of don't know this... But I'm in love with you. It may be a shocker to you, but I've been in love with you since elementary school.'

"Nope. Not gonna work," I mumbled to myself in first hour.

"Whatcha doing there buddy?" Zendaya asked behind me, causing me to jump. I covered the paper with my hands.

"Ooo a declaration of love," Zendaya joked, but with a slight scowl on her face, and a chilly undertone. She then grabbed the paper and read it. "Ooo you love her huh?"

"Give it back you're being loud," I muttered.

"Oh, my bad," she said looking in one of the girls on the cheer team, Ariana's, direction. "Do you hear this? He's so stuck on a girl that doesn't want him."

Ariana smirked. "Damn, sucks to be him."

By then, the whole class had stopped to listen to what was beginning to unfold in the back corner of the classroom. I covered my head.

"What's wrong homie?" Ariana asked. "Who's the girl?"

"None of your business," I said before grabbing the paper from Zendaya and throwing it in the trash. "Can we forget about it now?"

"Oh," Zendaya said once noticing my annoyance. "Yeah, sure."

"Thank you," and when the bell rang, I didn't wait for my best friend like I normally would, I left and walked to Calculus by myself.

"So did you hear about Normani's secret admirer?" Ally asked me and Zendaya, trying to start a conversation. We were both really quiet. Her because she probably felt bad for what she had done, and me because of what she had done.

"No," I lied. "How'd you find out?"

"Dinah showed me, whoever it was seemed really sweet to write her that letter. I just wish she would have seen it but you saw what just happened five minutes ago."

Yeah I saw. Dinah had the letter that I threw away just before first hour, after what had happened between Zendaya and I.

The bell rang after thirty more minutes of silence, and then I went to my third hour class, English. I liked this class because there weren't any girls that made me feel things in my groin area, and made my heart rate speed up. And there weren't any girls that for in my business. There were only people that I didn't know, and didn't talk to. Except Ally, but she just talked to me. I never talked much to her, or anyone.

"Hi, Khalid," Ally sat next to me for the first time in this class.

"Hi, Ally." I smiled at her. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Can't I sit next to my friend?" She emphasized the word friend, but lightly placed her hand on my thigh.

"Of course," I said, scooting a little further away from her.

Things were quiet for a while until she broke the silence. "Look, Khalid. I like you. Like a lot? I've been feeling this for a while so I was win if we could go out to Shawn's party."

"Oh uh," and the next thing I said came out so fast, I didn't know why. "I'm gay."

She smiled. "I can change that," her hand slid up my leg.

"No I'm okay," I said in a high pitched voice.

"Oh," she said in a soft voice, then started crying. "Why doesn't anyone ever like me?"

"Uhh.." was all I could manage to say before she opened her heart to me.

"Everyone thinks I'm fat and ugly and my ex literally left me for a man and you're pretending to be gay."

"Ally... Sweetie you're beautiful, and you're far from fat. And anyone who dates you should consider themselves Lucky because you're drop dead sexy. I'm just... I'm in love with someone that isn't even acknowledging my existence."

She wiped her tears away. "You really think so?"

"I wouldn't tell you if I thought otherwise, babygirl."

"You're really sweet, Khalid. I hope the girl you like ends up liking you back."

My heart ached for this girl. "Thanks. I hope you find a good man for you."

After school, I rushed home to write Normani's letter. I needed to tell her how I felt, even though she didn't know me. So I sat at my computer desk and began to write.

'Normani,

If some day you become a star...'

No.

'My beloved..'

Hell no.

'Dear, Normani,

Did you know that I fell in love with you in elementary school?..."

No. No. No!

It took me ten minutes of trying to find the perfect lovely intro, when I couldn't find any, I settled on something simple.

'Hi there, beautiful. Text me.' with my number attached. I know it wasn't romantic, but I just needed her to talk to me.
___________

The next day, I left for school and got there early enough for me to beat her, and then slipped the note in her locker. After that I went to my locker where Zendaya stood, tall and guarded.

"Can we talk?" She asked.

"I'm busy right now," I grumbled.

"It's important."

"Five minutes."

She lead me to an empty classroom, and closed the door. "One, I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened yesterday." She sat down on top of the desk closest to me. "Two,  I wanted to do this." Before I could register what she meant, she pulled me close and attached her lips to mine.

I pushed her back quickly. "Zendaya what the hell?"

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, resting her hands on her knees. "I know that you don't like me like that but... I'm sorry?"

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Get some help," I muttered before walking to first hour.

By the middle of second hour, everyone was buzzing about Normani's secret admirer, while I waited for her to actually text me.

"I don't think she's going to text him or her," Ally whispered to me, clearly disappointed with her best friend's decision.

"Why's that?" Zendaya asked her, not looking at me for a second.

"Because if she does, Dinah is going to make sure that her mom knows she's talking to a stranger who could be a potential axe murderer."

It kind of hurt me, knowing that Normani wasn't going to text me since she was afraid of Dinah's threats.

"Excuse me," I said, beginning to get up but then I was stopped by Mr. Sheeran.

"It's time for presentations," he exclaimed.

I sat back down begrudgingly, as Normani's group got up and sang their math song. Normani's voice sounded like an angel's. They were perfect. I couldn't get them out of my head even once I came home. She was truly art.

By the time it was almost midnight, I had began to believe that she was indeed afraid of Dinah's threats and wouldn't text me. Until my phone vibrated.

'Hi. It's Normani' it read.

I felt my heart rate speed up. She texted me. She really texted me.

'Hey there, beautiful,' I replied.

'Do I get to know your name now?'

'I'll tell you when the time is right. As of now, call me Mason.'

I'm going to make you fall for me.