"Then tell me Giana! Why the hell do you actually put up with my bullshit if you can't stand me!" He shouts furiously. His eyes were angry, furious even, nothing like his usual playful brown eyes that I'm so use to. The tension between us is so thick that it's enough to suffocate the two of us, Liam runs a nervous hand through his tousled hair and I feel as if I'm stuck in place watching him pace back and forth.
It's nine-thirty at night and this is the one road that we have to take that leads directly back to our side of town. It's pretty much desolate at this point, besides the few random cars that sporadically come rushing through the dark. The only source of light that is visible at this time of night is the bright shining street lamps above us. The fact that the car is broken down does not help this situation at all.
Liam's been trying to get it to start back up for a good half an hour but he can't seem to figure out why it won't work.
It's not like I'm actually scared to be out here all alone in the dark with Liam angry at me. I know that sounds scary and creepy but I trust him— I mean I've known the guy since preschool.
It's just that I hate arguing with him especially if I don't have another ride home other than him. My parents could be here probably in ten minutes if I called them, but I feel sorta bad to leave Liam here all alone, we might be mad at each other but I don't want to ditch him either at this time of night.
Emma stayed at the bonfire longer than intended and Liam and I decided to leave a tad earlier, but of course we ended up getting into a huge fight after our little encounter with Juliette.
Let's just say that little two timing jerk was about to kiss my boyfriend, my boyfriend, and he didn't even stop her!
But I guess that's because he can't tell the difference between us yet especially since she came darting towards him before he could even get a good glance.
But in my defense I did try to let it go! I didn't say one thing about it to him, but after ten minutes I catch her freaking flirting with him.
And now that everyone's caught up here we are!
Did I also mention that I might've, sorta, kinda exchanged some words that I didn't even mean all in the heat of the moment. . . I was jealous, alright?
My emotions seem to be all over the place at this exact moment because my chest won't stop rising with each sentence I speak. All I can focus on in this moment is how bright my cheeks are turning, how can they turn into such a deep shade of red?! Luckily it's night time so I don't have to worry about him noticing.
We unspokenly battle each other, the two of us fighting over who's right, and that's all happening with just one intense stare. Neither one of us are cracking and even though I wanted to yell at him so badly— it's like I can't stop my emotions from going crazy as if they were riding on some out of control rollercoaster ride.
He's the first to give in and simply rolls his eyes in disappointment, disappointment at how I can't find the right words to say to him after I was the one to cause all the commotion. He now stuffs his hands into the back pockets of his pants and turns on his heel to start walking back towards the direction of the car.
I've never seen Liam act like this before and I just know that it's all my fault.
He warned me in advance that this was a bad idea from the start, he knew that something like this would happen— that Juliette is a force we shouldn't reckon with. . . And now I'm here pointing fingers at him over my own jealousy.
But that doesn't seem to stop me from yapping on and on about how much 'I hate Liam Palazzesi.' Even though that is the most farthest thing from the truth.
"I hate your stupid cocky personality, I hate your stupid conceited jokes, I hate how you can just look at me and instantly know what I'm feeling, I hate how you always drag your feet across the floor when you're walking, I hate how you only choose to write in blue ink because you think the red one is lame, I even hate that you can't leave the house without that stupid favorite grey sweater of yours, I hate that I know things about you that I probably shouldn't— in fact I hate everything about you!"
His eyes are now dancing with a fire that I've never seen before, and as he now marches his way back over towards me, he grabs me by the waist and pulls me into him, making my eyes dash to his with the same amount of fierceness laced in them. "If you hate me so much then why do you care if Juliette is into me?"
Well, he definitely got me there.
"If you hate me as much as you say then look me in the eye and tell me you want me out of your life." He demands, and I instantly roll my eyes in annoyance as I place my steady hands against his hard chest, solely because I don't fall down to the floor. Why? Because let me tell you that my legs have gone full on jello mode by this point.
"No, I'm not saying that." I counter and he lightly shakes his head not wanting to believe that I truly hate him.
"Why not? Say it." He pushes.
"I'm not saying it!"
"Say it, Giana, say how much you hate me." And instead of being angry at me like I expected him to be— he sorta starts to beg? Whispers even, almost as if he went any louder it would break him completely.
His eyes are now glistening in the moonlight and I can't help but bite my lip to control my wild range of emotions.
"I can't say it. . ." I whisper back as my hand now falls from the cotton fabric of his warm grey T-shirt.
"Why?" He winces at my touch almost as if he's in pain from every word that I say and every touch that I give. I'm not going to lie and say that it didn't break a piece of my heart when he did that because it definitely did.
Truth is, I don't hate Liam.
Not even in the slightest. Not even if I tried.
I hate myself— I hate myself for letting Juliette get to me as bad as she did.
"Because I'm in love with you, you idiot. More than I possibly could ever have imagined. I love you in ways that I didn't think I could ever love someone but I do. I definitely do, Liam, I love you." I confess anxiously, and as his face drops completely in shock I feel my nerves grow.
He's clearly taken back by everything because he doesn't utter a word and that's when the panic starts to kick in. My heart is literally running a marathon!
I just admitted that I'm in love with someone for the first time.
And I said it first.
I swallow down the lump that was forming in my throat hardly and squeeze my eyes shut in attempt to steady out my breathing.
Here I am, standing, your average high school girl, the girl who never thought in a million years she could fall for the guy with the mesmerizing dark brown eyes and dazzling smile. The guy who has flipped my world around and changed it completely, showing me a different side of life that I didn't even know existed. . . We hated each other for the longest time, and now here I am, asking the boy I despised for months to love her back.
Truth is I've always been scared to fall in love, scared that my expectations and hopes are too high for this modern day world. I build these walls up in attempt to protect myself because every guy I've met has been a jerk to me so far.
I've never experienced someone wanting me for just me. It's like this generation of guys just want a girl for a day, possibly a week if you're lucky. They'll say 'I love you' on the first date without even getting to know you, they'll ask for your Snapchat but then ignore you in person, and not to mention that they have such nerve sending us these disgusting messages before even having the decency to introduce themselves.
Every guy I've met even if it's not a ton, they've never really wanted to know me. They just want me as if I'm some sort of prize to add to their list of trophies.
But I don't want that.
I never did.
Since I was younger I always looked up to that old school love. The gentleman who will hold doors open for you, the one who shares the same morals and values as you, just the one.
The one that I know will have my heart forever.
I've wanted a crazy love story, one with adventure and mystery, one that's sarcastic and witty, one that makes me feel things I've never felt before. . .
I've been so afraid because I felt like there was no guys that existed that could possibly give me what I secretly hoped for.
But that was all before Liam.
"And I'm sorry for being jealous. I shouldn't have tested Juliette's patience and I'll own up to it and admit that this one is on me this time." I admitted honestly as I sheepishly looked down at the floor in embarrassment.
I mean could someone really blame me for being jealous though? She looks just like me for crying out loud! I was a little intimidated.
For me I've never been the one to get the guy. I've always been 'second best.' I've never been the one the guy chooses in the end. . . Their intentions are never pure and I close myself off from feeling anything at all so I don't get hurt when they actually cause damage.
But when I do fall, I fall so deep and that makes my walls immediately shoot up all over again because, I've realized I've let somebody in for the first time and that means there's an actual chance for me to get hurt.
He pushes a small strand of hair behind my ear as his hand falls down to meet mine, interlacing his fingers as his eyes continue to bore into mine. "Giana, do you trust me?"
My eyebrows buckle together before I answer his question. "Of course I do."
"Then trust me when I say that I love you, and that you don't ever need to be jealous of some other girl. . . And I apologize if I ever made you feel like that you've ever had to because in my eyes nobody compares to you. Nobody ever will."
I think my heart nearly stops beating for a slim second as those words sink into my brain. Liam Palazzesi actually loves me?
Liam. Loves. Me?
Oh. My. Gosh.
Liam loves me!
Before my brain could even get a chance to stop myself from squealing like a little girl and make a compete fool out of myself it's like words needed to escape my lips without my permission. "You love me too?" I whisper out, desperately searching his eyes for the answer I've been longing for.
"My heart belongs to you, Giana Russo, you can break it a million times if that means I can get even a slim of your love. . . because your love is the one thing that I'm truly selfish for."
I find myself staring deeply into his brown chocolate eyes and in this moment— right here, right now I know that this is the love that I will cherish for years to come.
Liam is my first love and I intend on him being my last. I searched for someone like him in all the wrong places and if I'm being honest— the way we came together was so unexpected but it was unexpected in the best possible of ways.
I don't know many things about life, but one thing I know for certain is that I love him, and I love him with my whole heart.
___________
"Giana!" Rebecca screams loudly, so loud that my eardrum nearly felt like it was about to burst. "Yes, Becca?" I hum quietly, making my way up the staircase of her house.
Rebecca's house is a literal maze.
The amount of twists and turns is ridiculous! Her house is so gigantic that you could fit another house inside of it.
"Who do you think is hotter Alex or Enzo?"
I laugh with a shake of my head as I entered her bedroom and plopped myself down on her bed where Jessy and Emma are currently sitting as well.
"May I ask why?" I prop a curious brow up and she whines that I'm not straight to the point like she is. "Just answer the question first." She childishly pouts.
It takes me a second to think about it and then I finally come to a conclusion. "Enzo hands down. Alex's personality fricken sucks."
A gigantic smile grew on her face and a finger was pointed at Jessy. "Ha! I told you. Nobody likes Alex except Alex." She says smugly.
"Not if you include, Ariana." Emma interjects.
Jessy and I laugh in agreement and Rebecca dramatically sighs dramatically like she always does. "Is it bad to miss her?"
"I think we all do." Jessy pipes up, finally admitting her true feelings that we've all been trying to suppress for a while.
It's true. . . We're all sitting here together, but something keeps gnawing at us and constantly reminding us that something- someone is missing from our circle.
"She hasn't even reached out!" Emma huffs in frustration.
"Are we suppose to reach out to her?" Jessy suggests in curiosity.
"Does she even want us to? She sorta made it clear that she wants nothing to do with us." I state and Rebecca nods in agreement.
"This is so confusing. I just wish things could go slow down and go back to normal." Emma admits.
"You and I both."
___________
My legs feel like they weigh a ton as I jog around the track field, beads of sweat dripping from my forehead and straight down my neck, clutching the cold plastic water bottle in my hand in attempt to cool my palms.
Stupid gym class.
"Pick up the pace, Russo!" Coach shouts.
He somehow is managing to keep an eye on not only the girls gym class, but the boys football team as well, which they are currently practicing only a few feet away from us on the football field.
I roll my eyes at the loud whistle he blows and do my best to catch up to Emma, who is easily surpassing everybody with her long, toned legs.
How am I suppose to run a mile in this sweltering heat? The only good thing about this is that I get to watch Liam practice.
My eyes search for the brown-eyed boy and once they land on him, they don't leave. A laugh threatens to escape my lips as I see him blow out a deep yet frustrated groan at the short strands of hair falling into his eyes.
He runs his hands through his tousled hair as his tight, grey football T-shirt continues to soak up and cling onto the sweat on his chest.
My feet continue to run as my eyes continue to burn holes into him, and I think he somehow is able to sense my gaze even from across the field, because his longing stare meet mine.
A smirk tugs at the corner of his lips and I bite my lip trying my best not to grin.
He casually lifts his shirt up and wipes the soft, cotton material across his face, my saliva choking me in the progress as I see his tan abs glisten underneath the sunlight.
Jerk. He's clearly doing that on purpose solely for his pure amusement and it's not working on me— damnit, I think I'm starting to loose air.
My mind goes completely blank at the sight, and on top of the fact that I'm choking my brains out from not being able to breathe, it's like my feet can't control themselves — don't trip, don't trip, you better redeem yourself before you tri— and there goes gravity.
I let out a squeal in shock, but instantly try to catch myself, knowing that the inevitable was coming sooner or later.
My palms come in contact with the green grass below me as my kneecaps collide and scrape right into the ground.
"Oh shit." I hear Liam curse under his breath.
I groan in agony as I hear my classmates laugh at my embarrassing encounter with the ground. My cheeks flood red as people start to stare, I ignore the fact that my hands and knees are aching me, and turn over so I can sit down instead of trying to hold myself up.
"I'm okay, everyone!" I remark sarcastically as I see everyone starting to go back and do what they were doing previously before my fall.
Liam immediately jogs his way over to me, not caring that he might get in trouble or not for ditching his practice.
"Palazzesi, where the hell do you think your going?" Coach yells, more frustrated than usual.
Someone has his panties in a twist.
Knowing my boyfriend's actions all too well, I can just tell that he's holding back an eye roll, solely to respect his coach and his team.
He stops until he's right in front of me, his hand going out so I can grab it and lift myself up. "You're an idiot."
"What did I do?" He laughs innocently and I give him a sarcastic smile before letting it fall. "You did that on purpose and you know it." I accuse.
"Hm, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." He teases with a charming smirk, his hand still out waiting for me to grab it.
"Palazzesi, I already took away your name of being team captain from you, and you still didn't learn your lesson! Do you really want me to come over there and have another talk with you?" Our angry coach fumes from afar and I feel my eyes widen at the sudden news.
Liam isn't team captain anymore? Another talk?How many talks have there been?
"What is he talking about, Liam?" I question seriously, now accepting his offer to get my butt off the ground, gripping onto his hand while he easily helps me up, and I don't even have to try to lift myself up.
Liam nervously licks his bottom lip as we stand face to face, my hand still clutched into his. "It's nothing, Giana." He promises, his eyes boring into mine, making my heart skip a few beats.
"You're saying that but I know that's from the truth." I say lowly for just us to hear.
He rolls his eyes as his confident shoulders slump down. "And how do you know that?"
"Because I love you and I know that you're lying to me." I defend, not understanding why he won't just tell me what's going on.
"Liam!" Coach shouts again, clearly not taking crap from anyone today.
"I'm coming, Coach!" Liam yells back but doesn't move from where we're standing.
"I love you, Giana, and I promise it's nothing for you to worry about." He swears, drawing circles on the back of my hand soothingly and I let out a tiny sigh, wanting to believe him but my mind simply won't let me.
"You loosing your spot as team captain is important— it's important to you — and when you're ready to open up to me about it, I'm here to not only listen but help you with whatever you need to get your spot back." I admit truthfully and that earns a boyish grin out of the imbecile I adore.
He places a soft kiss on my cheek and my heart skips with joy at the gesture.
I don't get why he's been hiding the fact that he's no longer team captain from me, but clearly there's a reason behind it, and I just want to know what it is. But I'm not going to start a fight with him, not here, not now, so when he's ready to talk, I'm ready to listen.
___________
When I got home I threw myself on the bed and acted as if I was a starfish.
This week has been the most exhausting week of my entire life.
My parents just told me that tomorrow we're having Liam and his parents over for dinner to catch up a bit and that's definitely going to be interesting to say the least.
We all haven't been in one giant room together since before Liam and I could tolerate each other's presence.
Isn't it strange how the world works? Liam has always been the popular guy, the one with the reputation to uphold, and I honestly didn't like him very much because of his cocky personality.
Skip to a few months later and now we're dating each other!
I reach for my phone and dial the familiar number. Within the first ring he picks up and says 'hello' probably not looking at the caller ID before answering.
"Hey,"
"Hey baby, what are you up to?" His tired voice pipes up, sounding more raspy and huskier than usual on the other end of the phone. I bet he just woke up from one of his really, really late afternoon naps, he's mentioned this happening after being in practice for too long.
Today, he had to stay back to prep for his next football game, not to mention the fact that it's extremely hot out, so I don't blame him for wanting some extra sleep, I'm tired just thinking about it.
"Not much," I shrug, holding the phone closely to my ear as if that would make me feel any less lonely.
"I honestly just wanted to hear your voice." I admit sheepishly, my cheeks flaring the brightest shade of red.
He lets out a low chuckle that sends goosebumps down my entire body, I close my eyes just wanting to listen to it all night, and imagining his smile that is most likely playing on his lips right about now.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Anything." He says firmly without any hesitation.
"You're so different," I remark bluntly, fiddling with the hem of my shirt, and trying to hold back a laugh as I hear him chewing on something like an apple.
"Different how?" He muses.
"Different good. Don't get me wrong you're still the same sarcastic, big ego guy that I've always known. . . But different nevertheless." I laugh lightly, my fingers now darting out to play with the necklace around me, the same one that he gave me for my birthday.
"If being different is what allows me to call you mine than that doesn't seem too bad." He professes, making my cheeks turn electric red at his sweet words. He probably has no idea why I would call him just to tell him something so stupid, but he never makes me feel like I'm crazy for it.
"You bring out a side to me that I thought I lost a long time ago." He admits, making me grin from ear to ear like a little kid who heard her crush likes her back for the first time.
"Promise me that this is forever?" I whisper. The words leaving my lips before I could even stop them from escaping, and I'm sorta, beyond terrified to know how he's going to react to this.
We've never talked about our future before and what would happen after high school.
All I know is that I don't want this to end.
I don't want us to to go our separate ways.
Because if this was forever, I wouldn't be complaining.
"Promise."
(A/n- That wraps up chapter twenty-eight! What are your thoughts on this chapter? I really hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Please don't forget to comment and share because it means the absolute world to me when you guys do. Thank you so much for reading. Until next time!)