Going the Distance ✔️

Chapter forty two.

February.

I didn't want to be one of those love sick guys who chased girls around. That wasn't me; I was the guy the girls chased around instead. So, I hated the fact that I wanted to chase Louisa and I hated the way I was acting and thinking. I knew I would have zero chance with Lou, mostly because she was leaving and I knew it was a long shot, but I was hoping she would stay longer.

"I see you've been studying." Xanthe interrupted my ongoing thoughts as we were sitting next to each other in our biology class. "I never thought I'd see the day."

I looked down at my test that we just got back, not feeling like giving her a smart remark back. Trust me, I had many in mind.  "Yeah, Louisa has been helping me a lot over the time she has been here."

She smiled, her blond hair tied up in a ponytail. "Can you believe that she leaves at the end of this month? I feel like I'm going to lose a best friend all over again." She said sadly and it made me think of the fact that Lou would be leaving very soon and that scared me.

"I'm sure you won't lose her," I said, "there's social media. You can keep in contact."

Or maybe you won't have to. Maybe she'll end up moving to America, move in with me and then marry me and we'll grow old together. Wait, did I just say marry? Oh, Gosh. I thought that kind of stuff freaked me out. It certainly did when Olivia mentioned it. I must be losing my mind and skipping ten years of my life.

I stopped my thoughts as Xanthe sighed. "I guess so, but I'll miss her."

I nodded, completely agreeing with my sister, which didn't happen very often. "Me too."

Once our class had finished, Xanthe and I went our separate ways and I had the sudden urge to look for Lou. I didn't want to be like this and I hated myself for it, but I couldn't help it. I was certain she was the love of my life and all I wanted to do was find her, kiss her and tell her how I felt. I never wanted to be clingy and I definitely didn't want to be needy, that wasn't who I was. I guess Lou brung this new Liam Gilbert into the light.

It was then that my mind stopped when my eyes landed on Louisa through a small window on the gym's door. I wondered why I found her there as she didn't take P.E or any sport for the matter. I hadn't seen her today and it was already break. I looked through the small window and noticed the way her brown hair flowed naturally down her shoulders with her black, rimmed glasses that reflected the light coming down from another window above her.

I opened the door and noticed the way she held her textbooks to her chest, giggling and flirting with some guy. Matt Jones. He was the captain of the basketball team, the valedictorian and some other over achiever crap that I couldn't be bothered to remember. I knew he got good grades, the best in his class and he had the best attendance record in the school's history. I was nothing compared to Matt Jones, who was wealthy and good looking and he was exactly the kind of guy Louisa would be looking for.

My anger got the better of me and I wished I had just walked away and let Lou be. I stormed over to the benches where they were talking and laughing and flirting like they were the only people who could repopulate the earth. I got angered by that. She shouldn't be talking to Matt, some guy she barely knew. She should've been talking me; someone she knew all too well.

I turned Lou around by her shoulder and she frowned before looking up and me and smiling, realising it was just me. "Oh, hey." She faintly smiled, looking from me to Matt who was genuinely smiling. "What's up?"

His smile made me cringe.

"Can I speak to you for a second?" I didn't exactly ask her, it may have sounded like I was telling her instead. I didn't intend to sound the way I did, I was just angry at the fact that she was talking to Matt and not me.