Never Fall For You

21

*Kat's P.O.V.*

Yes, I was ignoring Jason. Well actually, I was all-out avoiding him. I don’t know, maybe it seems childish, in retrospect. But I still wasn’t sure about my feelings for him.

Oh listen to me. Just a few months ago I could proudly state that the only ‘feelings’ I had for Jason Hughes were the ones that absolutely loathed him. Now I was entraining thoughts that I may be completely in love with him. I mean, why else would I have gotten light-headed and tingly when he kissed me?

So I avoided him. The rest of the school year, I dodged corners, and ran from class to class to make sure there was no way of running into him. Because I wasn’t sure. And I didn’t want to hurt him if it turned out that I was wrong about my feelings.

Plus, a very small part of me didn’t want to admit that I was starting to fall for the one person I had hated for the better part of my life.

I think, towards the end of the year, Jason was finally starting to take the hint, though. Tyler, however, was persistent as all hell. And if there was one thing that I had figured out in all of this, it was that I definitely did not have feelings for Tyler.

Sure, it was nice, to begin with, to have someone trying to win me over, and being nice to me all the time. But, I think with everything that happened with Aaron, I had become more calloused, and hard-hearted. If that’s even possible.

Not to mention, the feeling I got when Jason kissed was completely different than when Tyler kissed me.

It was a beautiful spring day, that made even Monday seem less terrible, when Tyler came strutting up to me, grinning like he’d just one the lottery. It was the last Monday of the school year, and I was cleaning out my locker - as I did every year. I didn’t even acknowledge him when he walked up. Just kept my eyes forward, focusing on my locker.

“Hey, beautiful” he said, leaning against the locker next to mine.

I grunted in response, though, as usual, he took that as no hint.

“Well, listen” he continued, and I sighed, rolling my eyes. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out and do something this Friday.”

I glanced up at him. He was still flashing that damn smile at me. I sighed again, then straightened up, running my hand through my long hair.

“Tyler, listen” I began, and he focused all his attention on me. “You’re a sweet guy, and all. But… you’re just not my type.”

Normally, I wouldn’t have been this blunt, but I literally knew no other way of conveying the message to him. He didn’t take hints, or beating around the bush.

I saw his jaw visibly flex has he clenched his teeth, and I was waiting for some kind of horribly mean retaliation. However, he let out a dramatic sigh, and said “That’s a shame” before stalking off.

I let out the breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding, then continued to clean out my locker.

Lydia got home a little while later, and as soon as we got inside Mom shooed us upstairs.

“Go freshen up, girls!” she said, as I dropped my book bag by the door. “Ginny and Robert are coming over! And I don’t want to hear any excuses as to why you can’t be here.” She pointed at me specifically, and I rolled my eyes.

I’d done a damn good job of weaseling my way out of past family dinners with the Hughes. Then again, I’d had more time to come up with a believable alibi. Which I guessed was Mom’s whole purpose of not telling us until the last minute this time. She’d been bugging me about missing the dinners, and now I had no time to come up with a reason as to why I couldn’t make it. I mean, I was already home.