Love Me Or Hate Me

Love Me Or Hate Me [17-I]

[Authors Note]: I know it's short, but I'm working on longer chapters so I can finish the book and start a new one. Hope you like :) 

All eyes were on me when I stormed out of the school, but so many thoughts were running through my mind that none of the people staring really mattered. I had been dumb enough to let myself fall for him all over again and now I was suffering for it—something I deserved, I guess. I knew from the start that falling for him wouldn't get me very far but I let myself do the unthinkable and do it anyway.

I'm such a fucking idiot.

I had been walking for a while, but after some time I broke out into a full sprint, and I couldn't help but let the tears on my face continue to fall. I didn't even know where I was running; blind rage had taken over. A few people had called out behind me before I actually made it out of the school, but it was probably to laugh at me and tell me that thinking James actually liking me was a fairy tale thought, and I already knew that. I didn't need the entire senior class telling me something that would only hurt me more than I already was.

So, I continued to run until I was out of breath, and I found myself near a highway that separated the condo from the school. Part of me was tempted to just continue the walk home so I could mope and stuff my face with ice cream, but that's what James wants; he wants me to be upset because of everything he said, and while I was, I wasn't going to let it show. He wanted to act like a dick, so I had no problem doing the same.

Of course, crossing this highway at this time was just asking to get hit, so I walked over to the small staircase that lead to an overhead bridge, and I had just about made it up when I heard someone scream my name. Slowly turning in the direction of the name, I saw Elliot running up to me and I couldn't help but want to run. He was Candy's brother, and while he wasn't anything like her, I didn't want to be around anyone. So, I continued walking until someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into their chest. I didn't know how to handle it, so I just awkwardly stood there until he decided to pull away—which took a while.

Finally, after about a total of sixty-two seconds, he pulled away and looked down at my face, wiping my tears away and letting out a sigh. “What he said back there-”

“-just drop it, Elliot. I'm not really in the mood to talk about it.”

That made him frown. “I ran after you to make sure you were OK, and-”

“-and as much as I appreciate it, I really don't want to be bothered with anyone right now.” I knew that being mean to him wouldn't solve anything, but I wasn't going to lie to him either. After what James said to me, a guy was the last thing I wanted to be around.

The only thing that confused me was why he ran over to me in the first place. Elliot and I weren't really best friends, just acquaintances that happened to know a few things about each other. We didn't really have this 'best friend' connection, so, why did he run after me? Why did he risk getting in trouble with the school, new rumors starting and probably a fight with James to come and rescue me? “Do you like me, Elliot?”

The question slipped, but I couldn't deny that I wanted to know his answer. His face flushed a bit, but he shook his head and looked down at his hands. “In a sister kind of way, yeah, but I'm not really into. . . Your kind.”

I raised a brow. “What do you mean my kind?”

He shrugged, “I don't like. . . Girls.”

And that's when it clicked in my mind. He didn't try to hit on me that day we were at Walmart, he didn't try anything when we played basketball a few days ago, and he came after me today when no one else did. He came after me not because he wanted to try and get with me, but because he actually cared about what happened to me, and he wanted to make sure I was safe. “You're gay?” He nodded, and I couldn't help but smile at him. “And you came after me because-”

“-because I care. I'm sure any other guy would have jumped at the opportunity to get with you now that you're 'single', but I just wanted to make sure you were OK.”

I stared at him for a while and when I finally decided that he was telling me the truth, I threw my arms around him and waited for him to hug me; something I didn't have to wait really long for because he instantly hugged me back and cried into my hair. I didn't know why he was crying, but I ended up laughing because of it. That made him pull away and give me an odd look. “Why are you laughing? Is something funny?”

I shook my head, still laughing a little. “You just came out to me, and now we're crying over a high way. That doesn't really seem normal to me—the highway part, I mean.”

Thinking about it, he looked around and began to laugh a little bit himself. “I guess you're right.” In one quick motion, he grabbed my hand and we began to walk across the bridge. “Well, I don't want the world to know that I'm coming out right now. Want to come with me to my house for a bit? We can watch bad movies and talk about shit.”

I thought about it for a second, and nodded. I was just going to my enemies house with a new friend who I recently found out was gay and we're going to watch movies until we possibly fall asleep. What's the worse that can happen?