The day after I told everyone the deal was completely different from the recent days I'd been through. No one gave me dirty looks. No one shouted nasty words at me. Everyone seemed to leave me alone, except for a few guys who shot me curious glances in English.
I stared at those boys, wondering what they would do. By now I knew my peers were unpredictable, so I wondered what the guys would do to get me to fall for them. I hoped I would be safe at very least.
"Good luck to them," Hannah said, snorting. "No one could possibly win your heart."
"What makes you say that?" I asked, curious.
"Because..." She frowned, seeming confused. "You're... You."
Even with that vague answer, I knew exactly what she meant. I was me. I was the girl who wouldn't date until university. The very girl who would wait at least a year to kiss her own boyfriend. That girl wasn't someone who could fall for anyone easily, so I understood Hannah's view. But still, I found my eyes wandering to an empty seat and thus turning disappointed.
"You know," Hannah said, bringing my attention back to her. "I think I'm over Axel."
"What?" My jaw dropped. "You're over Axel?"
"Yup."
I blinked. "The boy you claimed you loved? The one you wouldn't shut up about? What happened?"
"I see someone else in his future." She shrugged. "And I'm happy with that."
I stared at her, amazed. Hannah was the type to seek revenge if anyone "stole her man" and she liked to lash out at the guys who broke her heart. Seeing her so calm when talking about her old love and some supposed girl was amazing.
But before I could question it, someone said, "Hey, Zoey."
My head whipped to my right and I saw a boy, Xavier, staring at me. He looked nervous and I couldn't help but smile. Xavier was one of the shyer kids in our class and I was touched by the fact that he had approached me. Although, I knew why he did.
"Hey," I replied, staring at him.
"I heard about what you said yesterday," he said, twiddling his fingers nervously. "And I'm sorry to hear about how our peers treated you. It's horrible. But, I have a question."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Um." He blushed. "Would... Would you like to go out with me?"
I stared at him, surprised by his question. He was one of the kids who feared speaking up in class, so I was surprised by his sudden guts. Touched too by how shy he seemed, but yet I had to give him an answer he wouldn't like. All due to my morals.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But it's a no. I don't date."
"What do you mean you don't date?" he asked, frowning. "You said you were going to open your heart."
"Yeah, but-"
"She doesn't date geeks like you," a low voice cut in, bringing our attention to the owner. "She wants a man like me."
The owner was another guy in my class, Reed. He was one of the jocks of our school and as he grinned charmingly at me, I began to wish my fellow peers good luck. At this rate it seemed like no one would win my heart.
"No." I sighed lightly. "I don't date."
"What do you mean you don't date," Reed scoffed. "You literally said you'll open up and let someone win your heart."
"I know, but I don't go on dates. Not with guys I'm not into."
"So you want us to make you fall for you before we can even go on a date?" Xavier asked, confused.
"Exactly." I shrugged. "I believe you should only go on dates with someone you truly care for."
Reed shook his head. "You're too complicated."
Admittedly, that was true. I was complicated and hard to please, but I would try to keep my heart open. Even if some of my morals would be altered, I would try to keep everyone happy.
"And that is why she needs a guy like me," the voice of the boy who brought nerves to me said. "She needs someone with an equally complexed mind."
"You mean messed up mind," Reed snorted.
Axel began to glare at Reed who just shrugged, looking unnerved. During this I stared at Axel, unable to help it. I immediately noticed how tensed he looked and how his eyebrows knitted together, giving the impression that he was annoyed. Because I was so used to his easygoing smile, I was surprised by this. This wasn't the Axel I was used to.
"Someone is already defensive because they're going to lose," Axel said smoothly, smirking. "I'll have you know that her heart already belongs to me."
For some reason, my heart froze at that. Xavier looked uncomfortable and Reed simply stared at Axel. Axel held an arrogant aura and suddenly, I remembered why I once hated him.
"Alright then buddy," Reed said. "Sure."
"Do you want proof?" Axel asked. "Just look at her face. She's red because I'm around."
They all looked at me and blood rushed into my cheeks. I hadn't even realized I was blushing and now I hated myself for doing so.
"See." Axel grinned cockily. "No girl can resist me. I'll have the kiss soon."
Reed rolled his eyes and walked off. Xavier scurried off, looking even more uncomfortable, and Axel stood where he was. He was still grinning, looking smug, and I wanted to slap him. With my heart suddenly feeling heavy, I wanted to scream.
But trying to remain calm, I asked, "What was that about?"
Axel looked at me and his grin fell. That aura I hated suddenly vanished and he stared at me, like he did when we were alone, and I tried to forget about how cocky he was. Yet, I couldn't.
"What was what?" he asked innocently.
I shook my head and looked away. I didn't want to deal with this. Not when my heart felt so odd.
To my surprise, Axel suddenly turned around and sauntered off without another word. My eyes flew to him, unable to help it, and I watched as he went to his desk. He didn't look back at me once and my heart felt heavier.
I had thought I didn't hate Axel, but I hated this side of him. This arrogant and self absorbed side of him was something I hated and I couldn't believe he treated me like a trophy in front of the other guys. It was so infuriating and I wished I yelled at him. At least told him off, but for some reason I wasn't able to yell at him. That left me with pent up anger.
"You're right," Hannah commented. "Axel is a bit..."
"Arrogant," I filled in, sighing. "Self-absorbed."
"Yeah... I'm sorry."
I didn't say anything to that and thought about how confusing humans were. They had such sweet, kind sides, but yet they also had such infuriating and annoying sides to them. This was Axel and with my heart feeling so odd and my anger flaring, I decided that he wasn't worth stressing over. That was why, I decided to ignore him from now on.