She Wasn't You

Chapter 12

1999

I tried my best to keep up being angry and distant from you when we returned to school for the new academic year. I won't lie to you, it was very difficult. Seeing you again daily was just as perfect as I remembered.

Everytime we passed each other in the corridors, in between classes we would exchange that familiar look between us, the look that only we knew and recognised. Your eyes meeting mine between hundreds of other people, almost like we were the only two people in the entire world. I could feel the love between us at those moments, could you?

But our special moments were always ruined wasn't they? The majority of the time by Ricky walking behind you and throwing his arm around your shoulder, almost claiming you each and every time. Maybe I was wrong, maybe he could sense our exchange of looks in the corridors and made it his job to knowingly crush my insides.

Enough was enough, I couldn't take being the only one to pretend to be happy with someone else. It was my turn to play the game and maybe, just maybe break your heart, like you and Ricky had done to mine.

I remember it like it was yesterday as fate dealt me my own hand, the decision to pursue another avenue for a relationship and to attempt to get over you was made for me during one of our German lessons. I watched Tanya and her friends up at the front of the class, giggling and chatting amongst themselves, occasionally looking back to Danny and I in the back of the room and quickly turning away and giggling once more as we made eye contact with them.

"Tom, there's a note going around, look." He whispered and nodded towards the front of the class.

We both watched as this folded piece of paper made its way through the class and toward us, I could hear the girl two rows away leaning back in her chair and whispering to the boys in front of us. "Give this to Tommy."

It was for me! How exciting.

Thinking back, before social media. Life was so much more straight forward and people seemed so much more honest than they do nowadays. This note had made its way back through six or seven rows of people, yet nobody dared open it before it made its way to the recipient.

Do notes still go around classes? Or do the kids just text in this day and age?

Whatever they do now, there was something wholesome about communication back in our school days, I wouldn't change it for anything.

Saying that, the moment I took the note in my hand, the whole class did turn around and it felt like they were all holding their breath in anticipation of my reaction and curiosity of what was written for me.

I met Tanya's gaze as she looked back in pure panic, again turning away as I found her eyes.

I was excited, I felt important. Much more important than you were making me feel at that moment in time, Katie.

I opened the letter underneath my desk, keeping it out of sight from the teacher. The last thing we all needed now was a class detention and Tanya to be embarrassed in front of everyone should Miss read the note out loud for everyone to hear.

The first thing I noticed were some colourful love hearts dotted around the page. Cute. It wasn't until I opened the A4 paper fully that I understood what was going on.

'Tommy,
I really, really like you! Much more than a friend. Will you go out with me?
Love, Tanya ❤️'

Looking up to see Tanya and her friends, who were in fact my friends too full attention now on me. Whatever German was being taught at that moment in time, I'm almost certain nobody was taking in.

I smiled towards her and nodded my head in answer to her note. Thinking back now, I should have written her a note in return, shouldn't I?

Who am I kidding, I was a teenage boy. The moment you received any type of attention, we could never play it cool. We thought with our other brains in situations like this but it would have been cute for her to receive my response in the same fashion that I received her question. Never mind, far too late now. Anyway, if I had, we could have been caught by the teacher on the return, so my quick response probably saved the whole class from an after school detention.

Always thinking about other people!

Aren't I just so thoughtful, Katie?

That was it.

Tanya and I were officially going out. I had my revenge and would serve it as fresh and as in your face as I possibly could. In all honesty though, it wasn't a revenge mission, I genuinely did like Tanya and by the looks of it, she really liked me too so it would be unfair to say I was using her to bait you because I think she would actually make me happy again.

What a twisted web we had weaved.

Auf Wiedersehen, Katie.

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