Because I'm a Girl

Chapter 22

     I was at my locker, putting my books away. School had ended and I had stayed back to talk to my teacher, so I was one of the few people left in the school. I enjoyed how peaceful the area was for once.

    "Sarah."

    I turned around and saw Aaron standing in front of me. He looked nervous and I had to fight off the urge to groan. Ever since I rejected him, he had become persistent on getting me to hang out with him. He thought if we got closer I would fall for him, but that wasn't the case. I wasn't interested in Aaron and nothing would change that.

     "Hey," I said. "What's up?"

     "Are you free right now?" Aaron asked.

     I didn't reply immediately, unsure of what to say. I didn't have any plans and I was planning on going home, but I didn't want to tell Aaron that. So far I always had an excuse to avoid him, but finally I had none.

    "Do you want to hang out?" Aaron asked when I didn't reply.

    "No," I confessed, my heart sinking when I saw Aaron deflate.

    "Why?" he asked, frowning.

    Once again, I was left speechless. I never wanted to hurt Aaron, but it was unavoidable with his persistence. Staring at him, I wondered what I could say to cause the least damage.

     But before I could say anything, I jumped when I heard Josh say, "It's because we have plans."

     My head whipped to my right and I saw Josh walking towards us. He had his hands shoved into his winter jacket and he was staring at Aaron, his eyes unreadable. I stared at him, growing relieved because he saved me from an awkward situation.

    "You and Sarah?" Aaron asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

    "Yes," Josh said, surprising me by putting an arm around my shoulders.

    I tensed from the touch, caught off guard by it. My eyes flew up to Josh, but he was staring at Aaron who looked confused. Flushing, I wondered what he was doing.

    "Wait... is this why you won't go out with me?" Aaron asked, surprised. "Because you're dating Josh?"

    I opened my mouth to deny it, but Josh said, "That's none of your business."

    Aaron's eyes hardened at Josh's words and he looked at me. When our eyes met, I became surprised when I saw the disappointment in them. He seemed unable to believe me, which left me stunned.

    "I thought you were different, but you're just like any other girl," Aaron said, shaking his head. "You're going for the emotionless jerk rather than the nice guy."

     I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Aaron shook his head again. Slowly, I shut my mouth, knowing this was for the best. For Aaron to realize he had to move on, it was best if he thought I was dating Josh.

     Aaron then turned around and walked off, leaving Josh and I to stand alone in the hallway. When the coast was clear, I moved away from Josh and turned to face him. My eyes narrowed at him because although I shouldn't care about what others thought, I didn't like how disappointed Aaron was because I chose a guy like Josh rather than him.

    "We shouldn't have given him the impression that we're dating," I said.

    "Who cares, it worked," Josh said. "And dating isn't a big deal. Everyone has been in a relationship at on point in high school."

     His words surprised me and I had to look away because I couldn't agree. Dating was a big deal to me. It was serious and that was why I never dated before. I was waiting for someone special - someone who would show me why romance was sang about in every song and written about in every story.