Chapter 6
I looked up. They stood in front of my desk, faces twisted, as if accusing me of heartless.
Sophie sat a little way off, head bowed, shoulders shaking as if she were crying.
Damn, she got the act down.
I looked away and went back to my book.
"Lily." Chloe raised her voice. "Why are you acting like this? We're trying to talk to you."
"What did I even say?" I kept my head down, not bothering to look up.
"You..." Chloe stammered.
"Forget it." Sophie suddenly stood up and walked over, grabbing Chloe's arm. "Stop it, it's all my fault. Lily, don't be mad. I'll apologize to you on Ethan's behalf. He's always messing around..."
As she spoke, her eyes were red and watery, tears hanging on the edge.
She was really pretty.
Even when she cried, she still looked good.
"It's fine," I said.
"You're really not mad at me, are you?" Sophie looked at me, her eyes sparkling. "So... we're still friends, right?"
I didn't say anything.
She bit her lip, then bent down and leaned in close to me.
She whispered, so quietly that only I could hear.
"Lily, you looked gorgeous kneeling on the floor yesterday."
She smiled, her eyes crinkling sweetly.
"Too bad I didn't snap a pic. Next time you kneel, give me a heads-up. I'll make sure to catch it from the best angle," she teased.
I stared at her, not saying a word.
She straightened up, switching back to her innocent act. "Take care, Lily. We're heading out now."
With that, she hooked arms with Chloe and the girls and walked away.
The girl sitting next to me was so mad her face turned bright red. "What did she say? What did she tell you?"
"Nothing," I replied.
"Don't lie to me. She definitely didn't say anything nice."
"Really, it's nothing," I said.
I opened my book and kept reading.
But my knuckles were turning white as I gripped the pages.
For the next few days, I did my best to avoid Ethan.
It wasn't hard.
He sat in the back, and I sat up front.
He liked to hang out in the hallway during breaks, so I'd stay put in the classroom.
He always left right after school, so I'd wait until the last possible moment to leave.
As long as I didn't turn around, it was like he wasn't even there.
I thought that was all it took.
But I couldn't dodge him forever.
*****
Wednesday afternoon, we had gym class.
I was sitting on the steps by the field, while Coco went off to grab some water.
The sun was so warm that I started to feel sleepy.
Someone called out, "Lily."
I looked up.
Ethan was standing in front of me, holding a bottle of lemonade.
He handed it to me. "Got this for you."
I didn't take it.
He frowned, then shoved it right into my hand. "Take it. Quit sulking like the whole world owes you."
The bottle was icy cold, beads of water glistening on the surface.
I stared at the bottle, and suddenly, I remembered all the times I'd run to the campus shop to get him one of these.
"Thanks," I said. "I'm not thirsty."
I put the bottle back in his hand.
He looked taken aback.
"Lily."
"Huh?"
"Seriously, what's up with you?"
I looked up at him.
He stood there in the sunlight. It was the same old face, same old eyes, still the guy I've had a crush on for three years.
"Nothing," I said. "I don't really want it anymore."
His frown deepened. "So you're acting like this because I was joking around?"
I didn't say anything.
Ethan stepped closer. "I already apologized. What more do you want from me?"
I looked into his eyes.
He was genuinely sincere.
He was honestly asking me, "What more do you want?"
I even got down on my knees. What else did he want from me?
He made me look like a fool in front of everyone. What else did he want?
It was a joke. What else did he want?
"Ethan," I said, "do you really think that because you snap your fingers, I'll drop everything and orbit around you like I used to?"
He didn't say a word.
"Do you honestly believe that no matter how you treat me, I'll still be crazy about you?" I pressed.
His expression changed.
"Do you really think you're the only one for me in this life?" I asked.
He opened his mouth, about to say something.
I stood up and patted the dust off my skirt.
"I was before," I said, "but not anymore."