Love Me Or Hate Me

Love Me Or Hate Me [15-I]

I had been sitting in the bathtub for well over half an hour before I felt myself relaxing. Of course, the moment I leaned back into the glass door, I felt myself tense up again and I couldn't help but blow out a sigh. I confessed. . . I freaking confessed! How stupid can I be?!

It had been three years since I first discovered that I had feelings for James, and after the incident with Candy, I made sure that I'd never have feelings for him again. But when he put me on spot in front of our parents and I had a minute to think about what I was going to say, I couldn't help but blurt out the truth.

I was falling for him all over again.

Of course, he probably thought that what I said back there had been nothing more but a ploy to get rid of our parents, and judging by the way he confronted me, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. At least, not yet anyway. James wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but he wasn't dumb either; if something was up, he'd figure it out, and me sitting here for as long as I had might mean something to him.

Still, I couldn't find myself standing up to get out of the shower. Instead, I leaned further against the wall with the water trailing down my back as I thought back to freshmen year.

*|*|*|*

“Look, Is, here he comes.” Looking up at the sound of Candy's familiar voice, I hitched a breath and looked up at the familiar blonde who was now making his way over to us. I could see the hint of a smile playing on his lips, and I couldn't ignore the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. “Don't you think he looks amazing today? Total hottie.”

“I'll say. . .” Since I knew he wasn't coming over in this direction for me, I sighed and turned on my heal. “I'm going to get to lunch, OK, Candy?”

She simply nodded before walking off in James' direction. We weren't the best of friends—Candy and I—but we hung out here and there. We both had interest in James, which is what really got us hanging out, but I wouldn't call her my best friend. She was just someone who I occasionally confided in and gushed about how much I liked James. It was pathetic really, but what could you do when no one else was willing to be your friend?

I will admit, having someone with a rep like hers, I didn't expect Candy to ever want to be my friend, but she's nice to me, so what did I have to lose? It was nice to talk to someone instead of secluding myself away from people all of the time.

So, as I continued my walk down the hallway to the cafeteria, I found myself being stared at by a large number of students, and I had no idea why. If I stopped walking and looked around, people would only find me more odd than they already did, but I had a right to be confused! There were almost forty students staring at me for no reason!

'Just ignore them, Is, they stare all the time anyway. . .'

Reassuring myself, I continued walking until I found someone standing in front of me. When I looked up, my brown eyes met a pair of blue ones through my glasses and I had to fight the urge to keep my mouth from falling open. Standing right in front of me in all of his glorious beauty was none other than James Smith himself.

And I had no idea why.

I must have been staring at him for a while though because he chuckled to himself and shook his head. “Is there any particular reason you're staring at me the way you are?”

Not knowing how to answer, I simply shook my head and maneuvered my way around him, causing a few people to begin whispering, and even some to gasp! I didn't know what the big deal was, but clearly James did because he continued walking next to me and even wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I tensed up and watched as he stopped and pushed me up against the lockers. I swallowed the lump that was beginning to form inside my throat, and I looked up at him in shock. “What are you d-doing?”