Love Is a Losing Game // Joel Pimentel

36 | Every Girl

Chapter Thirty-Six

Joel's POV

The next time I see Blu is after everything is said and done—after she knows the thing I've been hiding from even myself.

The night the words left my lips, she had just nodded as I shook my head. I assured her of one thing, "You don't have to say it back. I'm not pressuring you or anything, it's just how I feel. You deserve to know."

She had smiled then sucked on her teeth, "Wait, how is your favorite food not buffalo wings?" After that the awkward tension disappeared and everything went back to normal.

Today, however, it seemed like she was doing everything in her power to avoid me. Every time I saw her she would either pretend she didn't see me, or act like she had somewhere to go.

I sigh and shake my head as I see her look at me, then turn on her heel in the other direction. What's up with her?

I feel Yoandri's smirk before I see it and choose to turn the other cheek to avoid getting in trouble.

Whatever.

***

"Hey, what's up with Blu?" I ask Joaquín as I see her enter our english class with a troubled expression on her face. He looks over to her than to me, "She said you told her something and she ended up blurting it to Yoandri who told her that, and I quote, 'He tells that to every girl then breaks their heart.'"

I groan loudly, bang my head against the locker next to me and rub my eyes. "You've got to be kidding me," I mumble under my breath before I say, "Thank you for telling me."

I zoom into my english class behind the one girl that thought I was taking advantage of her and begin to rehearse what I would say to her in order to change her mind. 

"Hey, woah. Where are you going in such a rush," Yoandri smirks. His hand touches my shoulder just as I am about to cross the threshold of the classroom and I immediately flip my body around, angry as well as frustrated at his stupid actions.

I throw my backpack on the floor and push him back before smacking him into a wall of lockers, "Are you serious right now? You told her a lie?"

His smirk doesn't falter for a second, "I mean she believed it so I guess?"

"You are a coward for feeding lies to the person you claim to care for. She deserves better than some stupid guy who's too scared to own up to the fact that he won't be enough for her," I say in a dangerously calm voice.

He stares at me for a second before I push him off of me and into the lockers, "Do not fucking hurt her, I swear." We look at each other hard and I finish my thought, "I will make you feel that very pain tenfold if you do."

My shoulder smacks into his and I walk into class just as the bell rings. For the entire period, I try to get Blu's attention and despite my actions, my attempts end up being futile.

"I wouldn't lie to you about my emotions, Blu," I say with a heavy feeling in my chest that only kept pushing down against my chest instead of leaving altogether. Her green eyes move over to meet my brown ones and she shakes her head, "I know your history too well to not protect myself from whatever it is that you plan on doing to me."

I groan and Yoandri comes up to her, smiling. "You ready to go?" he asks as he places a kiss on her cheek. She nods before glancing at me one more time to mumble, "Don't forget practice tomorrow. The presentation is in two days."

Once they leave, I take a breath and pick up my bag before going to my locker to drop some things off. I get there just as I hear a person jogging up to where I am.

"Hey, buttercup!" Payton grins at me. I jump at the enthusiasm in her voice, slightly afraid of her happiness even though I know her tone has never changed.

"Hey, what's up?" I reply.

She smiles and shakes her head, "Nothing just wanted to tell you that I found the rest of the outfit for winter ball." Her eyes gleam, "It's gonna be so much fun! I can't wait to spend it with you."

I smile at her words and look down at, "Yeah." My eyes wander to where Blu is collecting her things and say, "It sure is."

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a/n

i'm almost a whole adult ew.