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As I stepped off the bus at Silver Falls high school, I immediately felt an arm being slung over my shoulder.
“I’ve been waiting out here for thirty minutes for you, babe.” Isaac exclaimed in my ear.
“You know when the bus arrives, dummy. And there is no reason for you to wait for me.” I protested.
“I always walk you to class.”
“Only when you’re not skipping, that is.” He rolled his eyes at me and I rolled mine right back. We walked into the building, in the direction of my first class of the day.
“Hi Isaac.” A girl called out. Isaac’s eyes followed her body as she passed, clearly checking her out.
“Hello Vanessa.” He purred. I lightly shoved his arm from my shoulder. I knew Isaac and I were nothing more than friends, but his constant flirting with anyone of the female sex did bother me. But I knew he’d never look at me that way and I had resigned myself to that fact by now.
He only noticed that I had already taken a seat in my English class, when he turned back around. “Hey, will I see you for lunch?” He yelled from the doorway. I shrugged my shoulders at him, then focused on the book in front of me.
“She can only meet you if you don’t get lunchtime detention being late to class, Mister Garcia.” My English teacher argued. Isaac saluted my teacher, glanced my way one final time and then left for what I hoped was his classroom, but was most likely a meeting with his ditching buddies.
After my first couple of classes for the day, I sat down next to Jackie and her friends.
“No Isaac today?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” She furrowed her brows at me.
“Is he skipping class?”
“Not that I know of, but he might be.”
“Aren’t you supposed to know those things?” Kiley asked.
“Look guys, I don’t know where he is and I don’t care.” The couple of people sitting at our table looked around at each other confused.
“Something happen? Do you want to talk about it?” Jackie pushed the topic.
“No, I do not want to talk about it.” I snapped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out that harsh.” I immediately apologized.
“Hey Garcia, you coming with us?” I heard from my left. I turned to face the person that voice belonged to. It was one of Isaac’s friends, Levi. He didn’t hang out with the best crowd and I stood up from my seat and stalked over to Isaac.
“Isaac, I don’t think it’s a smart idea for you to go with them.”
“Good thing I’m not asking for your opinion, then.” He barked. I took a step back at his harsh words and as much as I tried to stop it, tears were forming in the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I nodded my head at him, walked back to my table, grabbed my bag, then ran for the girls bathroom.
I wiped the tears as I looked in the mirror.
“Are you okay?” Erin asked me as she came into the bathroom. I sniffed, wiped my eyes once more and turned to face her.
“How obvious is it that I just cried?” I asked her. She took a step towards me and looked me in the eyes.
“Your eyes and nose are a bit red, but that should fade soon enough.”
“Thanks Erin.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” She inquired. I sighed. If anyone knew what I was going through, it was Erin.
“I just wish Isaac would see me like he does every other girl in this school.” Erin hmm’ed in answer.
“He does care about you, Y/N. I can see that.”
“He has a funny way of showing it.”
“Maybe it’s time to move on.” She said softly. I sighed.
“Maybe you’re right. He’s never going to pick me anyway.” Erin stepped closer to me.
“Do you want a hug?” She asked. I smiled a small smile at her then nodded. I walked into her embrace and she held me tight.
“Thanks again.” I said as I stepped back. “I needed that.”
“What are friends for?”
I didn’t talk to Isaac for days after our little argument. He didn’t meet me at the bus stop or walk me to my classes and I didn’t seek him out during the day. We avoided each other during lunch period and when I saw him join his bad influence friends I decided to ignore it.
It wasn’t until a week later, when I was hanging out with another guy that I gained his attention. Jonah was kind, caring and he made me laugh. But most of all, he didn’t ditch me for anybody else.
“So, is he your boyfriend now?” Isaac asked one day when I was rummaging through my locker.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Him. The one that won’t leave you alone.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, but I do like him.”
“Why? He seems boring.”
“He’s actually a great guy and first and foremost he doesn’t play with my feelings.”
“What do you mean by that?” He questioned.
“Figure it out, Isaac.” I slammed my locker closed and quickly walked to my next class.
“I don’t play with your feelings, Y/N.” Isaac uttered as he followed me. I swiftly turned around and pointed a finger at his chest.
“You put your arm around me, you call me nicknames, you walk me to my class, but then you also look at every female body on school grounds. What am I supposed to think of that?” I breathed out. “Oh and another thing, I am not your punching bag, I told you those guys weren’t good for you and you attacked me. Not cool.”
It seemed like realization set in right that moment, because his eyes turned softer and a smile started playing on his lips.
“What?” I wondered, annoyed.
“You like me.” He said matter-of-factly.
“That’s not too hard to figure out now is it.” He cupped my cheeks with both hands and leaned in. I stepped back out of his embrace.
“What?” He asked with a confused look on his face.
“You like anything that has a pair of tits attached to them, you’re a player and as much as I do like you, I’m not risking my heart for that.”
“I only ever cared about you, Y/N. Those other girls, they didn’t mean anything. I just knew I couldn’t have you, so I looked elsewhere for the love I didn’t receive.”
“You like me, too?”
“You have no idea.” He told me, before continuing, “Now can I kiss you or are you going to stop me again?” I shook my head no and he once again placed both hands on my cheeks and leant down to kiss me. His lips touched mine and he pushed me against a wall of lockers. My hands were gripping his shirt, trying to pull him as close as possible.
“All right, wrap it up, kids. This is not the time and place.” Our guidance counselor told us as she clapped her hands, trying to get us to separate. Isaac groaned as his lips left mine. “This isn’t over yet.” He told me, then kissed my forehead and pulled me along to my next class.