skin deep ; liam payne au

three

After my initial run-in with Sunglasses Guy I didn't think of him much. To be honest, I hardly thought of him at all. He was just another person I had met at another day of work; someone seemingly miniscule in the grand scheme of My Life. Within the next hour, Steven and I were already discussing another cute boy, a dark-haired businessman, and had forgotten all about the blind boy who had sat tapping away on his computer. It wasn't unusual to dismiss the sexually-frustrated whispers and thoughts about men in Starbucks as they dismissed themselves through the door. Steven said once, "We have so many men to look at! So many options! We don't have time to dwell on a single one." And I agreed.

This was a good tactic to keep in mind every day. If I didn't get hung up on someone, I would avoid heartbreak and whatever else seems to come along with relationships. Each day, as someone new, or even regulars, walked in I allowed myself a few whispers and comments to Steven but I never let myself think too deeply about one person. If I did, I might subject myself to midnight thoughts or daydreams that would never become an actuality. In my mind, I was protecting myself.

And let's be honest... if I was ever truly interested in someone it would only ever be one sided. Boys that I were atrracted to would never date someone Ugly.

Let's take junior year for example. There was a new guy at school whose name was Bishop. Bishop was from out of state and completely lost in the twisting, turning, maze-like halls. I remembered watching him walk down the science hall with a confused expression until he finally stopped to ask someone which direction he should actually be going in. That someone was me, and as I looked at his schedule and tried not to think about how nice he smelled or how close he was standing I found that we had the next class of English together. I told him this and he replied, "Perfect! You can be my guide." Bishop flashed me a smile that belonged in a Colgate commercial and I could hardly believe that for once in my life a brilliant smile like his was directed towards me. I blushed like a madman.

Bishop was hot, without a doubt. His chin had a bit of stubble and his eyes were a light green that I was beyond envious of. I knew right off the bat he was about a trillion miles out of my league, but I couldn't stop thinking about how he smiled at me, like he was genuinely happy I would walk to class with him. It got even worse when he followed me to my seat and sat in the one right next to me. I almost lost my ability to breathe when he sat his books down and said, "This isn't anyone's seat, right?" I shook my head no, even though a scrawny boy named Gene usually sat there. I told myself he wouldn't protest Bishop's seating choices, considering Bishop had muscles that I assumed could only have been achieved by multiple days a week in the gym.

Every day I anticipated that English class and every day Bishop chose to sit in the seat next to mine, despite the looks and invites he got from other girls in the class. I had no idea why he would even want to sit next to me, but what I did know was that I wasn't going to question it because this was the most male attention I had gotten since a creepy hobo hit on me the previous summer. Since I knew I would be seeing Bishop every day for the remainder of the year, I even went as far as putting actual effort into doing my hair and makeup, which I hadn't worn since my freshman homecoming, and I stopped wearing sweatpants to school. I answered questions in class, so he would think I was intelligent and I frequently passed him my homework so he could check over his answers. How could I say no to that smile and those damn green eyes I wished I could stare at forever?

Looking back now, I was most likely the most naive girl in the world. I should have seen the signs from the very beginning. From the glances he gave my paper during tests that I pretended not to notice to the way he'd smile when he asked if he could copy my homework I should have known exactly what he was doing.

But, I was completely handicapped with infatuation and the whole Bishop situation got even better than I would have thought. Everyone in the class had to pair up for a book report, which I usually dreaded because I always seemed to end up being the only person without a partner. I looked down at my paper when the teacher announced the report, avoiding anyone's looks and making sure I wouldn't see all the couples pairing up and get upset. But that day, Bishop turned to me and said, "We could pair up, if ya want." I almost keeled over on the spot. Of course I said sure, as nonchalantly as I possibly could and we exchanged numbers. I was giddy. I had a guy's number! Who the hell cared that it was for a school project! The slip of paper that I folded up neatly and placed into the pocket of my backpack gave me hope. It signified something to me, like I could possibly make someone from the other side of Pretty take an interest in me. (I was so, so wrong.)

So, during the following days Bishop and I spent an hour or two after school in the library. Sure, he usually skipped out a half hour early or arrived later than our agreed time, but in the moment I was just happy he showed up at all. I typed the paper and gathered all the books and resources; I even made the powerpoint, which was a feat for me considering I was not tech savvy in any way. The whole time, Bishop said yes to any suggestions I had and encouraged me to keep writing, since we were so close to being finished and he was doing so well. I didn't even get upset or protest when he just sat there and ate his potato chips, occasionally sending me a smile. I didn't realize it then but, Bishop was using me. He had used me for my homework, for test answers, and he used me for a good grade on the report.

Bishop and I were supposed to go to the print shop a few miles from school the day before the due date, and he was supposed to drive us because at that point I had no car. I waited in the student parking lot after the final bell of school. I waited for fifteen minutes before I even thought about texting him to ask where he was. My eyes scanned the parking lot as I attempted to spot his car out of the crowd. I texted him "Hey, where are you?" and had to waited another fifteen minutes before I actually got a reply.

got caught up with some friends. don't think I can drive over there. To that, I sat with a mouth gaping in belief as it all began to sink in.

I replied, we have to turn this in tomorrow, how will I get it printed?

A few minutes later my phone buzzed. sorry avery. you'll figure it out, you're good at this kind of stuff. I'll make it up to you ;)

To say I was angry was an understatement. He was putting both of our grades in jeopardy and plus he ditched me with some lame excuse! And being the good student that I was I couldn't get a bad grade on something I had worked on so hard. Without many other choices, considering my mom was as unreliable as Bishop had proved to be, I walked a mile to the closest public bus stop in the cold and sulked in anger.

I was angry with him for obvious reasons, but I was also mad at myself when I really realized what had happened -- I let a guy walk all over me just because he had a brilliant smile and charismatic boyish charm.

As it turns out I did get the project printed. I also went straight to my English teacher the next day and informed her of what had happened, just out of spite with Bishop. The next day I moved to a different seat and ignored all of Bishop's worried looks. Most likely he was only worried about the fact that he would no longer be able to half-ass his work and get the rest of the answers from me, but then again, it wasn't very hard for him to pull the same trick on another vulnerable girl in the class.

That all being said, I haven't allowed myself to trust a single, solitary guy since then, except for Steven which hardly counted anyways... for obvious reasons. Despite this principle of man-hating I tried to uphold, Sunglasses Guy found a way to gain my complete and utter trust -- something that shocked not only myself, but everyone else as well.

-

a/n: I'm not sure if anyone has this story saved in their library but if you do please first let me apologize for waiting so long to update, I am so embarrassed with myself. But it is the beginning of a new year now and one of my resolutions is to start writing more often and I thought this story would be the perfect first battle to conquer. thanks so much for reading and please (i'm begging) please comment your thoughts. have a great 2015 <3

xoxo, skylar