ILY

I like you (part 2)

Avery felt total embarrassment. She begged the ground to open up and eat her whole. But to her dismay, she was still on the hot pavement with nothing to say. Her face was flushed red and every cell in her trembling body wanted to disintegrate into ash.

Damien on the other hand, kept his composure. He stared at the poor victim in amusement. It has been a long time since he saw something this funny. The thoughtful guy waited for a reaction, but Avery just looked at his hand, refusing to meet his gaze. Luckily for her, Damien was patient and continued to reach out a hand.

"Take a picture. It will last longer," he remarked with a mischievous smirk. Avery's face grew even bighter after this. And for some unknown reason, Avery didn't comment. Mortification would be an understatement to what she looked like. A deer in the headlights would be the greatest description for her. After few more seconds of basically nothing, people were starting to laugh at her expression, while a dozen snickered.

"Um...are you out of film?" Damien joked. It was at this moment that Avery figured out why people would throw their lives away through suicide. The feeling she had was deadly. One more word from Damien could cause Avery to explode. Even Avery's misfortune can defy the laws of physics.

"I think she went catatonic. You paralyzed her with your looks, man! Impressive!" Evan said out of nowhere. He was twirling the car keys in his fingers, and went to Damien's side. Evan pushed Damien's hand, and he gladly retreated. Expertly, Evan held Avery by the shoulders and carried her to a standing position.

"Thanks Evan...I have to go," Avery said before she turned around to face the school's entrance. But, before she could twist an ankle to run away from this terrible scene, a strong hand grabbed her firmly by the arm. Although Avery wanted to look at the person, who destroyed her chances of escaping, there was a magnetic pull that made her face the other way.

"I don't think I am getting enough recognition. Am I too bright that you can't look at me straight in the eye?" the deep, masculine voice said from the back. Any ordinary person can figure this puzzle out, you don't have to be a child genius who has a higher IQ than Einstein to crack this code, and you certainly don't need a calculator to solve this problem. The source of that voice was no other than, Damien.

"A little cocky, aren't we? Generally, Av is shy. Don't let her rejection pop your ego," Evan said in a tone of pity. Ego popping or self-esteem smashing are the things Damien hate the most. There was a time in his childhood where kids would pick on him. Helpless as he can be, he just stood still in every bullying session. You can say Damien was weak, but in his perspective, he didn't have a choice.

"Can you give the girl the opportunity to open her mouth. She could barely turn her head 90 degrees to see my god-like face, and you are here, interrupting her. Move will you?" He said in frustration. People were still watching the not-so-intense occurrence. They weren't there to view the drama. They were there to strike. Most of the Teenage population is like a group of vultures. This common specie lurks around crowded pathways, waiting for an unlucky outcast to fall weakly into cracks of agonizing mockery. A student's misfortune was sort of like viand for their misguided souls.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to waste your precious time. I'm in a hurry...catch you later Evan," Avery said while waving her best friend a good-bye. She raced towards the corridors of the entrance, but stumbled a few times, which caused a few weird stares along the way.

"You have a quirky friend there. A bit on the crazy side, but she has potential," Damien suddenly said as they followed Avery's uncoordinated pattern of walking. If Avery was in a bar, the bartender would surely refuse on giving her her first shot of vodka. The girl walked like she was wearing heels made out of spikes, while walking on shattered glass with flaming gasoline. No doubt, she has a busted foot.