I CAN'T [ BROCK BOESER ]

- five -

"When is he back?" Alicia asks as we file out of the classroom after our lesson. I turn to her and raise an eyebrow, who is she talking about?

"Who?" I wonder holding my laptop close to my chest.

"You know who." Jessica pipes up into our conversation, I look to my left and see her walking beside us. How did she find us? She didn't have the same class as us. I am just waiting for Dayla to appear out of nowhere to join in as well, they all seem to pop up whenever Brock comes up into our conversations.

"I'm pretty sure you know who is dead, considering that Harry killed him in the final battle in 1997 over twenty years ago." I mutter and Alicia groans at what I said, Jessica chuckles when she gets the reference.

"Brock, silly." Alicia says as she pushes open a door to lead us outside. I slow in my steps when Alicia says Brock's name. He's been away for about a week playing hockey in America, and how do I know this? He hasn't stopped messaging me while he's been on his trip. I thought that with him gone, I could re-evaluate my thoughts and feelings about him, and what I'm doing with Brock. I haven't had the chance to think about anything other than him because I'm either responding to his many texts or I'm studying for tests. I just know that I'm starting to like Brock even when I wish I wasn't.

"Yesterday." I reply with a sigh.

"And you haven't seen him?!" Alicia gasps coming to a dead stop beside me.

"Why should I see him?" I ask as Alicia spins me around to face her.

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe because your friends and you two went on a date." She shrugs and looks at me with a dumb look.

"Whoa, we did not go on a date!" I protest with a violent shake of my head. We didn't go on a date! We had coffee together as two people do when they get introduced to one another, that's all. And plus, I don't want anything to happen between Brock and I, I don't think my heart can take another shot at love.

"Keep believing that." Jessica whispers into my ear. I roll my eyes at my two friends; don't they know I don't want to be with anyone right now? I just want to mind my broken heart and never date any guy again, I swear I will become that cat lady if it means staying away from men.

"We didn't! We had like a thirty minute meet up and had coffee together and that was it." I tell and they both laugh loudly at me.

"You two hung out together alone and were in public at a coffee shop, that's a date." Alicia sings at me. Before I can protest my case any further, the sound of my phone ringing interrupts us. I pull it out of my pocket and see Brock's name flash across my screen, what does he want?

"Speaking of you know who, he's calling you." Jessica points out. I continue to stare at my phone with Brock's name still flashing across my screen, why haven't I answered it? Maybe because my idiot friends will make a big deal out of this. For all I know he could have butt dialled me, nobody ever calls me these days it is all over text message.

"Why aren't you answering it?" Alicia asks as nobody says nothing. Everyone's attention is on my phone as it continues to ring.

"Who calls these days?" I say with a shrug of my shoulders. My heart is thumping hard in my chest when Brock's name disappears, hopefully he butt dialled me or something and never really meant to call me.