The Bookworm | ✔️

Chapter Ten - You Could Actually Feel The Awkward

Ugh, this is ridiculous ... I thought to myself, lightly shaking my head. Crossing my arms, I wiped my face clean and spotless of emotion and stared at Shane dead on. He needed to feel the awkward. I wanted him to be able to touch it with his fingertips.

"Why?" I finally asked him after watching him fidget a few more seconds. Oh, I must admit, watching the most poised and kept together guy in school squirm because of me made me snicker a little. I mean, really?

I tried to keep myself from smiling as he replied. "I just ... didn't want you to think weirdly of me," he finally choked out, his eyes widening as he realized how weird he just sounded.

Shane cleared his throat a bit before continuing, "I just wanted to make sure we were cool. I mean, what if we weren't compatible together and it came out in the middle of us dating or something? It would be really weird. So I figured I would create Oliver and see how you liked him first."

Shane's eyes darted around the hallway and for some reason I actually felt bad for the guy. Letting out a sigh, I hitched the strap of my bag higher. My eyes still burned from the tears I shed earlier and that started to annoy the crap out of me. "Shane, this is ridiculous. You...you lied and faked and ... you are so different from the boy in letters and ... how can I know it's actually you?" I wondered, not really expecting an answer.

Shaking his head, Shane ran a hand through his hair again. "What are you going to quiz me now? Make sure I'm actually the guy you like? I didn't know that Oliver was so well known around school that everyone knew about him," he sighed exasperatedly.

As I bit my lip, I knew Shane was right. No one else really know about Oliver. So, naturally, when he comes forward and reveals his identity as a popular soccer player with reading as his night job, that had to be the truth.

No matter how freaking crazy it was.

"This is insane, you understand that, correct?" I reiterated, brushing my long bangs out of my face. My mind whirled a thousand beats per second, confused and mildly annoyed now. Shaking my head, I backed away from Shane. "Okay, we're taking five here and I'm going to class. I suggest you do the same and while I'm pulling my hair out thinking about what just happened here, try to learn something."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked down the hall, calling over my shoulder, "I'll let you know when I've figured this all out."

Which, if my extremely fried brain was anything to go by, would be a while. Now, more than ever, I really needed to get to my free period.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As expected, I spent my free period, not sleeping, but thinking. I had picked out a book and intended to read it, but my mind kept drifting off to the situation with Oliver. Something didn't fit. Something felt very, very off about it being Shane.

Shane wasn't shy. At all. If anything, he was the most extemporaneous, outlandish and quite loud individual I knew in the school. Aside from Shelby, of course. So, why in the world did the letters state he was painfully shy and had no way to talk to me?

It's impossible for me to really understand what was happening here. Shane is not the type of guy to act one way on front of his friends and another in front of me. It's just not possible.

The entire period my head felt like it would burst from the concentration if I did anymore thinking. With a shake of the head, I plowed through the large crowd of teenagers that littered the halls, weaving in and out of the people around me.

My English class came into view and I ducked inside, heading to my table. Plopping down at my seat, I ducked my head down, pulling my hood over my head. I really needed my alone time at this point. My mind replayed the last twenty minutes and groaned; very loudly.