I make it a point to avoid Chase for the rest of the day after talking such big talk that I know I wouldn't be able to walk. Without a doubt, he's going to want to try something funny and I am not going to let that happen. I may be a girl and I may be attracted to men but Chase Matthews is a line I will never cross.
I push myself through the door of the anatomy classroom with a huff of air before running directly into a tall mass of absolute handsome.
"Sorry!" I announce embarrassingly loud as I rub away the pain in my nose.
"Oh, Michelle; just the girl I'm looking for," Miles croons with a smooth grin. His daunting eyes stare me down, making me feel good small. Like he could hold my face with just one hand and devour me whole in a casual hug. Like his body could completely bury me in bed with ease-
"Michelle, you good?"
Oh my God, I am such a perv.
"Yeah! Yeah, sorry, I'm just," I struggle to speak normally as his eyes bore powerfully into my head, "Anatomy just kicked my ass, I guess."
He lets out a small chuckle. "Yeah, no kidding."
His brown eyes are so charming, it's almost impossible to not get lost in them.
"So, listen," he started again, "Remember when I asked if you could help me study for my calculus test? I really do need your help."
"Yeah, yeah!" I automatically agree. I mean, it's Miles. Who wouldn't agree? "Why me, though?"
"Well, because... you know," he avoids eye contact. "You're really smart. And the company would be nice. Especially if it was company from someone as beautiful as you."
Did Miles just call me beautiful again?
I am on cloud nine.
No, forget cloud nine. I'm on cloud ten.
"But, I mean... it's fine if you don't wanna-"
"No!" I grab his shoulder. "I'll help!"
"Really?" he asks, earning a nod from me. "Thanks, Michelle, I knew I could count on you."
"Yeah, don't worry about it." I peel my hand off his shoulder reluctantly as I push it into my pocket. "I need a break from Chase anyway."
"Oh?" His tone reads intrigued as he tilts his head at me. "Why is that?"
"Well, see, we had a fight," I lie, catching a cue from Miles to start walking towards another classroom.
"What about?"
"He's just kind of pushy, you know?" I say, trying to watch my words.
"Oh, I know all about it," he says. "In fact, I think you should break up with him."
"Wait, what? Why?" I ask, now stopping in the middle of the hallway.
"Well, I know Chase. Or at least I did. He's a really flirtatious guy, Michelle. He could have any girl's heart and then just rip it to shreds."
"What do you mean?" I'm not actually concerned, but I think I'm starting to learn about what happened between those two.
"We used to be close. He told me everything," Miles starts to explain some more. "Especially his new hook-ups. Chase is a player. He doesn't care about girls' feelings. He just gets what he wants from them and then leaves."
I can't help but snicker. I can only imagine. "You think so?"
Is that why they're so upset with each other, though? That doesn't really make any sense; I mean, why would Chase being a player affect Miles so badly that they have this unbridled resentment towards each other?
Shit, did they have some kind of romantic history? There's no way, right? Is Chase even into guys? Is Miles into guys?
"Look, I'm not trying to break you guys up or anything," he says, though I swear I just heard him say exactly that.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt." He caresses my cheek smoothly, rubbing away at my confused expression. "You're too precious to be heartbroken by that guy."
"I am?" I ask, surprised that I'm not speechless.
"Of course," he smiles. And then he glances down at my lips.
No way.
He leans closer. And closer. And holy shit Miles Cook is about to kiss me.
At first, I want to let it happen. Miles is my dream guy–the guy I've had a crush on for, like, eight years. This is probably the only chance I'll ever get to kiss him.
But I know what's right.
I instantly push him off of me, backing away with only the slightest bit of regret. "Miles, you can worry about me all you want, but that's not the case with me and Chase."
"You sound so sure about that." He crosses his arms.
"Oh, I am very sure about that," I copy his crossed arms. If only he could know why I'm so sure. "And I'm also very sure that I can't just kiss another guy because we had one little fight."
"But he's not right for you."
"Oh, and you are?" I ask, rolling my eyes at my own idiocy. Of course he is.
"Yes, Michelle." His voice lowers. "I am."
I glance up at him, more than stunned by his words. Did he actually say that, or have I officially lost my mind? I know he's right for me; I've always known that. But I always assumed I was nowhere near his league, so just hearing him say that makes it hard to even breathe.
"You," my voice shakes as I struggle to speak again, "You're messing with me. Aren't you dating Serena?"
His brown eyes roll in the opposite direction as a pitiful smile stretches across his cheeks. "We broke up so long ago, Michelle. I want you."
Jesus Christ, talk about worst timing ever.
But then the bell rings and suddenly the timing is perfect.
"Gotta go, Miles." I take the chance as soon as it appears and dart off down the hall to my last class of the day.
Two horrible things just happened. One, the guy I'm down ridiculously bad for just tried to kiss me, and I turned him down. Two, the same guy just admitted that he wanted to be with me and I ran away. If there was ever a word I would use to describe myself at this moment, it would be stupid.
But at least I can look on the bright side:
I don't think I have to worry about any romance between Chase and Miles.
I quickly slide into my seat as soon as I get to Spanish class, eager to jump into my studies and get all of this boy drama out of my head. And just as I'm pulling my notebook out, my phone goes off with a text message from Isaac.
A few heads turn in my direction and Señor Vasquez says something to me in complete Spanish. The only word I understand is teléfono, so I can only assume he's asking me to silence it.
I do as he says before placing it back on my desk to grab the rest of the things. Then the screen brightens again.
isaac: mich i'm sorry about everything. there's something i need to tell you. can i call you soon?
My initial reaction to getting a real apology from Isaac Mendez, of all people, is pure shock. And then the heartwarming bit kicks in and I can't help but want to be there for my best friend.
I'll call you after school, okay?
He sends back a smiling emoji and suddenly my mood is so bright that the entirety of Spanish class goes by in no time.
I try to find Miles when class ends, hoping I didn't scare him off with the whole fake I'm with Chase I don't want to date you thing that happened. Though after searching for fifteen minutes too long, I decide to ditch the entire idea and head for the exit.
But then I walk through the doors of the school and make direct eye contact with Chase, who is sitting patiently on the steps.
His energy is dark, which is rare considering how charming he likes to think he is. I can practically feel the tension surrounding him as I try to sneak past without being noticed. But of course, I can't ever win with that guy.
"Michelle," he snaps.
I turn back around as slowly as possible, taking every second to enjoy the little time I have before having to listen to his voice. "Yes?"
"Where were you?"