The bell rang and I bolted out of class faster than usual. It was the end of the day and I had a ton of stuff to do. I had ordered cupcakes and other delicious treats from my friend to raise money for her choir trip, and they had finally arrived. I grabbed my books from my locker and headed down to the music wing where my friend was already waiting. I ran into the choir room, and was almost knocked over by someone leaving. I dropped my backpack and apologized quickly. "No problem madame." He replied. I looked up, startled by the response. And then I realized who it was. I straightened my back, standing tall. I glared at him, using the look that has terrified him for years. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked. "In private?" There was a hint of frustration in my voice. He nodded hesitantly, and followed me out into the hallway. "Ok. What's up?" I stepped closer. "Call me madame one more time-" He looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry it's just... I miss you. I miss calling you nicknames." He looked up at me, with his sad eyes. It was my turn to look down. "I..." I hesitated. "I would say that I miss you too, but I'd be lying. I guess I just miss being with someone. The feelings that come with being with..."I trailed off. He finished my thought. "Being with the one you love." I nodded slowly, not looking away from my shoes. He put his hand under my chin, lifting my head up. I looked up at him, his face inches from mine. Before I could think, our lips met. It was a short kiss, but full of love. True love. I pulled away, not looking at him. "I'm sorry. I had to have one last kiss. I never thought we would, but I needed to know for sure. Sorry." He said. "I'm sorry too." I replied. "For everything." He nodded. "It's alright. I forgive you. By the way, I love that outfit on you. It's my favorite one of yours." He said quietly. I blushed and looked down at what I was wearing. A button down white shirt and my red and black striped tie. I was wearing a tight black skirt and tights, finishing the outfit with my red combat boots. I was dressed like a kick-ass anime school girl. Of course he liked it. I blushed even more. "Thanks..." I managed to say. He moved closer and put his arm around my waist. He kissed the top of my head. "You know I can't do this." I leaned against him. "I know." He replied. I pulled away from him. "Then why try? We can never be together. I'm sorry but it's true." "Because... Because I love you. I know I can't have you but I wish every day that I could call you mine again. You're the only one I've ever felt comfortable around. You're the only one who understands. You're the only one who cares." I looked away. ""Of course I care... I just can't be with you. Not after everything that's happened. After all I've said... I... I can't..." He stepped closer again. "All that stuff you said, none of it matters. I know that deep down you didn't really mean it." I sighed. "I did mean it. Well, I thought I did, now I'm not so sure. But I swore that this would never happen again." I turned around, talking with my hands as well as my mouth. "I'm just tired of searching only to be crushed a few months later. It's frustrating." I turned back to him. "You know what I mean?" He smiled and looked at the floor. "i know exactly what you mean. Although it hasn't happened to me in a while." We both decided to sit on the floor against the wall. "You're lucky, in a way." I said. "It's been a rough few months to say the least." He nodded. "It hasn't been great for me either. I can't talk from experience, but there's this one girl who I see almost everyday. She's strong, but I can tell she's been hurt before. I've been watching her for a while actually. I've seen her with one guy after another, changing every few months." I looked away. "But she stays strong. She doesn't let it get to her, which is one of the things I love about her." I looked up again. "She's not strong, not at all. She looks it, but her real self is hidden. She fakes a smile and pretends everything is alright. She's hiding her pain because she has no one to tell it to." I trail off, suddenly not in the mood to talk. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer. "You're strong Fiona, stronger than you think. I know what you're like, and trust me, you'll be ok. Give it time." I leaned my head on his shoulder. We stayed like this for a few minutes, just sitting. After a while I remembered why I had come there in the first place. "I've got to get my cupcakes, I forgot about them." He nodded and offered his hand to help me up. I accepted and was brought to my feet. He gave me one last hug before turning around and walking down the long hallway without a word. I watched him go, the entire way down the hall. After he was gone, I composed myself and went inside, spotting my two friends in the corner of the room. I walked over, noticing their questioning looks. "We thought we heard you come in about twenty minutes ago. We looked but didn't see you. What happened?" I shook my head, smiling like an idiot. Without thinking, I blurted out one line that went against everything I had said during the past year. "I... I think I'm in love..." The rest, my darlings, is history. As the saying goes: 'If you let love go, and it finds you again, it's meant to be.' Don't be discouraged, dear reader. Love will find you. You may not know when, but it will, and in the way you least expect. It always does. ❤️
