part0020

I was almost to the dorms when I heard the grind and roll of wheels against the sidewalk. My heart skipped a beat at the sound.

Yes, of course it was Ty. There weren’t many other skaters around.

It was too late to run away, unless I wanted to be completely rude.

“There you are. I was looking for you.” He walked up to me and smiled. “I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”

“No, not at all, just busy.” I continued toward the dorms.

“Busy with what? There’s no art club this afternoon.” He matched his pace with mine.

I clenched my teeth and tried to resist saying another word.

Ty stepped in front of me. “Apple?”

“Ty.” I took a step back.

“Stop.” He caught my elbow with a gentle grasp. “If we’re going to make this work, you’ve got to stop doing that.”

“Doing what?” My heart pounded as his fingers continued to clutch my elbow.

“Hiding. Taking off on me.” He shook his head. “I thought we were making some real progress at the museum. I thought…” He paused, then released my elbow. “I don’t know what I thought.”

“Look, I’m awkward. I’m always going to be awkward. There’s not much I can do about that.” I shrugged. “It’s just how I am.”

“It’s not just that.” He caught my hand again as I turned away. “What’s this?” He turned my hand in his own. “Blue paint?”

“Yes, that’s what it is.” I bit into my bottom lip as I recalled painting his face, not once, but twice on the wall. What if he found out about that? He’d probably think I was some kind of stalker. I already thought I might be turning into one.

“Have you been painting?” He tapped his fingertip against some of the paint. “Oh, yup, fresh.”

“Yes, I was painting.”

He looked past me in the direction I’d come from. “Where?”

“Just around. I have to go. See you later.” I turned and walked away.

This time, he didn’t stop me. I had to admit I was a little disappointed, but also relieved to make an official escape. If I could avoid him for the entire weekend, I wouldn’t have to see him until Monday. Surely in that amount of time I would be able to shake him from my mind.

I knew it bothered him that I didn’t want to speak with him, but it was something that he would just have to endure for the moment. I needed my head clear, and if that meant steering clear of him, then that was what I would do.

Friday night was easy. He had a football game and I had zero interest in attending. Instead, I focused on some studies I had slipped behind in.

I worked hard to keep my grades up. I didn’t want to be a student who only attended because their parents forked over enough money. Yes, my parents had more than enough money for the tuition, but I wanted to take advantage of the education that afforded me.

Unfortunately, I just wasn’t great with academics. The amount of time I put into my homework and studying for tests was at least twice the time that Candy spent and she still scored higher on tests. No matter what I did, my mind tended to be a blur.

That night, it was even worse, thanks to Ty. He played a huge role in distracting me from anything academic.

In my imagination, he came up to me, threw his arms around me, and pulled me close for a kiss. In my imagination, he declared his love for me and told me that he wanted no one but me. In my imagination, I loved every minute of it.

But in reality, I knew the story would be much different. Even though I’d finally admitted to having a crush on him—at least to myself—that didn’t mean he had feelings for me.

He’d made enough comments about me to surmise that he thought of me as a spoiled rich girl without much that held his attention. His attempts at friendship—I knew—came from a place of self-preservation. I could see the two of us being friends, but even that would be awkward, because I didn’t think being friends would be enough for me.

I’d never felt this way about anyone before, and at this point, I hoped that I would never feel this way again. It made me uneasy and frustrated and more than a little sad.

By Saturday morning, I’d given up on trying to catch up on homework. Instead, I decided to take a walk while the weather was nice. Going outside was risky, but I planned to stay away from the courtyard and the football field. I assumed that would keep me safe.

When I stepped out of the common room, I nearly walked right into Ty.

“Hi there.” He smiled at me as he crossed his arms.

“Hi.” I froze where I stood.

“Nice day, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” I stared at him.

“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you to come out.”

“Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously. You’re not answering my texts, so I thought maybe this would be the best way to reach you. And it worked.” He stepped aside. “Can we take a walk?”

“Uh, sure.” I managed a quick smile. If I said no, it would make things worse. Wouldn’t it?

“Great.” He began to walk toward the football field.

“Where are we going exactly?” I matched his pace.

“Somewhere away from everyone else so I can prove a point.” He glanced at me.

“What point is that?” I followed him onto the empty football field.

“That your problem is not with everyone, it’s just with me.” He caught my hand and turned me around to face him. “So, here we are. Alone. Together.”

“Ty, I don’t know what this is all about.” I frowned.

“I think you were going to hide out all weekend just to avoid me.” He stared into my eyes. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“What does it matter?”

“It matters because I want to know what the problem is. Is it because I’m on scholarship?” He narrowed his eyes.

“Are you kidding me?” I glared back at him. “Of course not. It has nothing to do with that.”

“So, you admit that there is an it .” He nodded. “Now, let’s figure out what it is.”

“I don’t have to stand here and listen to this.” I turned away from him and started toward the edge of the football field.

“No.” He stepped in front of me to block my way. “We’re going to figure this out if it takes all day.”

“I said no.” I glared at him. “Do you really want to argue with me again?”

“If that’s what it takes.” He crossed his arms. “I want to know what your problem with me is. If you’re not brave enough to tell me, then I’ll keep asking until you do.”

“Stop it. You’re being crazy.” I tried to step around him again.

“No.” He stepped in front of me but held up his hands. “Sorry, I’m not going to let this go any longer. It’s too important to me to just keep ignoring it.”

“Important to you? Why should it matter to you at all?” I took a step closer to him. “You’re not going to stop me from going where I want to go.”

“I will.” He put his hands on my shoulders and held them there firmly as he stared into my eyes. “It’s important to me, because you’re important to me.”

Those words stunned me. In all this time, I hadn’t really considered that I might be important to him. “Why?”

“Just tell me, Apple. Just tell me what I’ve done to upset you.” He let his hands fall away. “Then I’ll let you go and you never have to see me again.”

“That’s just it.” I took a deep breath as I looked at him. My cheeks grew hot. My stomach fluttered. “You haven’t done anything to upset me. I just can’t be around you. I can’t think straight, I can’t concentrate. It’s not your fault. It’s me. I’ve got this...” I paused, then closed my eyes. “Silly crush on you.” I rushed the words out, then held my breath.

Then I felt his fingertips stroke the curve of my cheek. I heard him whisper just beside my ear. “Breathe, Apple. I’ve got a silly crush too.”

I opened my eyes to see his bright blue eyes staring at me intently. His cheeks were red. His voice trembled as he spoke.