My Enemy's In Love With Me

4: Um...

Ok, so I was wrong. Yesterday wasn't weird. Nowhere near as weird as today was. The weirdest, strangest, most horrifying thing happened towards luch.

Again, Percy wasn't bothering me, or Jakob, or anyone for that matter. That was strange all by itself.

So I just mustered up all my courage, and asked him.

"Why are you not being a jerk today? Better yet, why not these past few days? What is going on?" I asked in the hallway.

Percy smirks. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I glare at him. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He suddenly looks nervous. He swallows hard, looking at the wall out of the corner of his eyes. "N-no reason. Just...not feeling like myself."

"I swear, Clark, you better tell me right now. Why aren't you pissing me off?!" I yell. Other classmates turn our way as they file into the cafeteria.

"Shhh!" Percy shushes me. "Fine, I'll talk. But not here." He grabs my arm and pulls me into an empty hallway.

"Alright, spill it." I said.

He frowns. "Why are you so upset I haven't been taunting you?" He asks.

"Hey, one question at a time." I said because the truth was I didn't know why I cared so much about him not being his usual self.

"Ok, you want the truth?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh my god--just tell me!"

"Ok, the truth is...I'm in love with you."

I think it was about ten years before I said anything.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but you complete me." He smiles.

"Oh, shut up, Jerry Maguire." I said. He's yanking my chain. What a jackass.

"I had you at hello?"

"Hell no! I hate you." I said, a bit too loud.

"Aw, you're so sweet."

"I'm serious. Go to hell."

"You've got a nasty mouth. That's ok, I can get past that." He chuckles.

"Can you get past the fact that we're never going to happen?" I cross my arms and lean against the wall.

"You're shooting me down so quickly. You can at least get to know me before you do that." Percy smiled.

"I know you well enough. I know you're mean, arrogant, ignorant, self-centered. Shall I continue?"

"Don't you know that if someone's mean to you, they like you? Either that, or their jealous. And I am definitely not jealous of you."

"You see? You just supported everything I said in my earlier statement." I say.

"Please, Lexi. What do I have to do to win you over?" Percy pleaded.

I shake my head. "Nothing. It'll never happen." I begin to walk away.

"What did I ever do to you that made you hate me?" he asks.

I turn back around. "You wanna know? Do you have five hours I could use to tell you everything?"

He frowns. "I haven't been that bad..."

"Percy, I have hated your guts since the fifth grade." I admit bluntly.

"Really? That's when I realized I liked you." He looks to the ground, clearly upset.

I felt a twinge of guilt. He's liked me for seven years? "Well...you told the entire school that I still wet my pants until I was fifteen."

He holds in a laugh. "C'mon, who really believed that?"

"Gerrard Mack did. My crush since I was in the seventh grade."

He looked to the ground. "Oh." Is all he said.

"Let's see, what else? Ah, yes. You said I was a lesbian."

"Ok, but surely now you understand why I did that, right?"

"I don't think I ever will." I said back.

"Because I didn't want any other guy pining after you." He says, blushing immediately afterwards.

I find myself blushing now, too. "It wasn't just things you've said. You've also tripped me multiple times. You've thrown dodge balls straight at my head. Kicked soccer balls at my stomach."

"Sometimes it's hard to direct where those balls go. Those were just accidents."

"Every time?" He nodded sincerely. "How about the times you've made fun of me, huh? Like what I wear, watch, read, listen to, say. You're very judgemental."

He gasps. "I am not!"

I nod. "You are. I don't think you actually like me. No one hurts a person this much just because they like them."

"So you think I'm making this up? This wouldn't be worth my time if I really didn't like you."

I roll my eyes. "Goodbye, Percy."

"No, wait! The card, it was from me." He confessed.

I frowned. "My day depends on your smile?" I repeat what the card said.

He looked to the ground. "Um, yeah...cheesy. It was...stupid..."

"Maybe you're forgetting something very important. I'm kinda in a relationship already. You know, Aaron?"

His brows come together. "Yeah, I know."

"You made him upset." I say, and realize something at the same time.

Jakob had said whoever left the letter was probably afraid of Aaron... It made sense. And when I said it was probably Percy messing with me, he got extra upset.

"Does Aaron know?" I asked.

Percy sighs. "I hope not."

Before I could respond, a bigger thought came to mind.

"I'm the reason you turned Bree down when she asked you to Homecoming." I stated. I remembered that desperate glance he gave me.

He nods slowly.

"You know I'm going with Aaron." I said.

He sighed and groaned at the same time. "Why are you with Aaron? He's not so great."

"What? Aaron is wonderful."

"Oh c'mon, I would treat you so much better." Percy says.

"Aaron treats me like a princess."

"Then I'd treat you like a queen." He looks deep into my eyes. The way he said that...

I got goosebumps.

"Just think about that." He says, then leaves.