Despite It All

Chapter Five

"Where are we going?" I finally asked, realizing we were no longer in the lunch room, and I had no lunch.

"Student Council room, you said you would have lunch with me." And there he was, flashing those pearly whites at me.

I was quiet the rest of the walk, standing back as he unlocked the door. I'd never been in this room, but funny enough, it kind of looked like the Oval Office, but with a few more desks and file cabinets. I laughed softly as I took a step in, just looking at everything as he made his way over the desk that took up the most space, of course that one was his.

There were about three paper bags on his desk and I watched him open it, eating at a waffle fry.

"How in the hell do you get Chik-fila and we have to eat gross school lunch?" It wasn't gross, but I was trying to make a point.

"There's two points I'd like to make," he said, dusting his hands off. "One, you aren't eating school lunch, you're eating with me. And two, when you're SC President and teachers really like you, they do you favors." He said with a small shrug.

I rolled my eyes, plopping down in the chair in front of desk, grabbing one of the bags. I hit the jackpot because I found the chicken nuggets. I hummed to myself as I opened the box. And they were still hot too. After I found some sauce, I dipped ready to take a bite when I noticed Tyler sitting there chuckling at me.

"What?" I said with a sneer.

"Nothing, you're cute." I furrowed my brow, feeling my face heat up again. I slumped in my seat as I munched on the nuggets.

"I am not cute."

"Yeah, you are." He said, unbuttoning the wrists of his shirt, rolling them up. I didn't say a word, just looking at the ink he revealed on his skin. That's why he wore those damned long sleeves. It wasn't like he would get in trouble, but I guessed good boys wanted to look like good boys to everyone else. I wondered if it went up his arms, and probably across his chest too. I was sitting there, trying to swallow the fact that was imaging Tyler shirtless right here and now, when I heard him laugh again.

"Am I really that interesting?" He asked with an arched brow. My face heated up and I cursed under my breath. Discreet, that's what I was supposed to be, but I was oogling him.

"You're really not." I replied back with a shrug of my shoulder. He gasped, offended, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"If I'm not interesting, give me my food back." He said, holding his hand out.

"Fuck that." I said, popping another nugget in my mouth.

"This has to be worth like eight points."

"More like four." I scoffed.

"I called you cute." I said, arching his brow.

"One point." I said dismissively, though honestly, I enjoyed playing along.

"Let me see, we texted like all weekend. That has to count for something."

"One and a half." I said with a small shrug, looking up at him from under my lashes. He had his head tilted as he watched me, curiosity fillng his eyes.

"You know what that means."

"What?"

"I made it to ten and a half."

"So?" I said as I watched him raise from his chair behind the desk to stand over me. For some reason, despite his soft expression, he still looked menacing.

"So, I made it to ten, I can get my prize." I sucked in a tight breath when he leaned forward, our faces barely an inch apart. And the slowly but surely, he closed to gap between us, pressing his lips softly to mine.

It was gentle, almost shy, in the way he kissed me, which was a surprise since nothing about Tyler was shy.

But I was proved wrong when we finally pulled back from each other and his face was beet red, just staring at me. And just when I thought he might explode right then and there, he blurted out.

"I've wanted to do that since I was in the ninth grade." The words rushed together so quickly, I had to repeat them to myself a few times before I understood, my eyes widening at him. Call me oblivious, but Tyler started going to our school last semester in the tenth grade from what I know. That's when I first saw him and thought he was so cute.

But I couldn't think about how cute he used to be when he was so cute right now. He was fiddling with his fingers, staring down at them. So this was the part of Tyler people didn't get to see everyday. It was refreshing and heart warming.

"You're so fucking adorable." I thought outloud, leaning on my hand, just looking at him.

"I am not, this is just a big deal for me." He looked up at me with those baby blues, looking as fragile as a china plate.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"Lets be real. You didn't even know I existed, Nicole. And when you did, I came off like a complete ass because I wanted you to take me seriously. I wanted a guy you can seriously see yourself with." His voice went quiet and I was stunned. Guys didn't say things like this, the didn't confess their adoration to a girl simply because it looked uncool. But he was standing in front of me, fumbling on his words, trying to get his feelings across. How can you not like someone who does that?

"So you saw me with you?" I asked, unable to keep the smile off my face, though he didn't see, still staring at his hands.

"I told you, since I saw you in ninth grade." I scoffed at that. Even I had to admit I was a little on the ugly side in the ninth grade, or maybe I hadn't gotten used to being in my own skin yet.

"I don't remember you in the ninth grade." I said softly, rubbing my neck awkwardly. He let out a small laugh, finally lifting his head to look at me.

"See what I'm saying? We only had one class together anyway. And my hair was long and ugly--" When he said those words, I stood up abruptly, pointing at him.

"Oh my God, you were that weird kid in the back of the class! Your hair was longer, and didn't you have like a lip ring or something?" The memory made me laugh, not knowing that the strangest boy I went to school with had been him. He didn't share the same feelings, looking down at his feet again.

"Uh yeah, apparently my dad had enough of the 'phase' I was going through and made me take it out. And basically shaved my head." He said with an awkward laugh.

I had to take a step back and really just take him in. He was completely different, but still the same. Just like in the ninth grade he was shy and barely looked me in the eyes, and if he hadn't told me I would have assumed this was his first time acting like this.

"Well damn, puberty did you good. I'm jealous." I said with a small smile, folding my arms across my chest. He finally looked up at me, actually laughing this time. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing if he felt bad, it was my fault. "And if it makes you feel better, I've liked you since the tenth grade." And just like that, I was sure I was feeling justg how he felt, awkward.

"Seriously?" He asked with a small arch of his brow.

"I swear, you can ask Jessica if you don't believe me. My friends should be tired of hearing about you by now." I said quietly, hoping he wouldn't hear the last part. Of course he did, laughing out loud. I blushed, trying to cough up any confidence, though it didn't feel like I had any left.

He stepped close to me, closer, then closer until he was standing right in front of me. I finally looked up at him, his face holding an expression I can't really explain, but to know I was the reason behind it made butterflies run amock in my stomach.

"Well I love knowing when you're on my mind, I'm on yours." And without another word, he held my chin in his grip, lifting my head to kiss me again.

Don't think I could get tired of that to be completely honest.