"Oh. My. God!"

Sophie said, her voice nothing more than a whisper.

"Yes! That's the same words I've been using since yesterday." I yawned, walking.

Yesterday, after Jake dropped me off with a smug smile, I knew he understood my obvious 'oh my god' face. I went in, showered for maybe an hour or two, said goodnight to boys and rolled onto my bed.

But my eyes refused to close and my mind refused to stop thinking.

I kept on worrying and thinking about that stupid thing for hours until my mind caved in and drifted into sleep.

So, sleepy was an underrated term to use this morning. Because I was barely awake, walking like a zombie.

"I can't believe, Ivy!" She groaned.

I grimaced. She only called me Ivy either when she's so happy or so mad at me. I didn't know which one she was right now.

"Neither do I. How could I? This is insane. I shouldn't have a crush on him." I sighed.

"Your crush? Girl, I'm stuck at the fact that he likes you. Tyler likes you!"

I said nothing. Because I didn't have anything to say.

"And oh my! All this time I teased about you two, I never thought it'd happen! I mean I did, but I never thought you'd admit that. Because, you know, it's you and you'd keep it as an eternal secret or something." She said and I could clearly visualise her shrug.

I was silent again. Words weren't coming to me.

"Oh god! This is fun." She giggled.

She freaking giggled!

"I swear if you were here right now, I'd have smashed your face into this wall." I absentmindedly pointed at the wall beside me and a little girl, standing behind it, giggled.

"Come on," she laughed this time, "You were teasing me yesterday, now look how the tables have turned."

"I'm hanging up."

"Oh, you won't. Now come on, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I literally have no idea. I'm going to hide from him."

"That's what you kept doing in the past. You can't hide from him every day." She said and I knew it was true.

"Just go to Tyler and tell him."

"I'm not sure."

"Confession time!" She cheered and I sighed.

"This is crazy."

"Love is crazy, sweetheart."

"What? This isn't love! It's just a crush!" I protested.

"You said it wasn't, you said you like him."

Urgh! Why did I say everything to her?

"Both are different." I said through clenched teeth and she laughed.

"Yeah, it is. Now let my mind absorb these facts." She sighed and I bet she's smiling. "Reached college yet?"

"Two more steps."

"Good luck! Hey, did you tell Sasha about Tyler's love?" She asked. They were like virtual best friends with a common link. Me.

"No. It isn't love, you Idiot."

"Okay, fine. I'm going. Bye!" She laughed again before hanging up.

I sighed, clutching my bag tighter and walked straight to my locker, but turned quickly when I saw Tyler and his friends on the same floor.

Please don't let him see me.

"Hey!" I closed my eyes with a groan as I heard him shout.

I have to say this, now is better. I said to myself and turned to meet him.

"You didn't wait for me yesterday." The words rolled off his tongue as an accusation.

And before he could say anything else, I sighed and blurted out,

"This can't happen, Tyler."

"What can't?" He asked as if he said nothing yesterday.

I felt horrible. Was he playing with me? Now that I'm speaking, he's messing with me?

"The thing you said yesterday?" Oh god, was he high or something?

"What?" He frowned.

I'm officially doomed. And yeah, highly embarrassed too.

"You're not rejecting me, are you?" His frown went deeper and I sighed.

Phew. So he really did say it yesterday.

"Maybe. It's not like you can march up to me and ask me to be your girlfriend."

"I didn't ask you, I want you to be." He sighed.

What an arrogant jerk!

"I can't, I don't want to. You don't think you can bully me for a couple of years and then ask me to be your girlfriend, do you?" I gulped. I don't have any idea about what he'll do. Maybe he'll hit my head with something.

But I don't care. I'm not what he thinks.

"In fact, you haven't stopped bullying. You're still that bully who makes fun of others and do some pranks. You only stopped bothering me." I shrugged. "You're still doing it to others."

"So? What's your point?" He frowned again. "I didn't know I liked you and then I did, so I stopped annoying you and now I want you to be my girlfriend."

"That's it. This is not some bully romance novel, Tyler." I said, even though I knew he wouldn't know anything about novels or books.
"You're the same person who disrespected me and bothered me for a couple of years in high school. The same person who talked shit about me to my face."

"You can't reject me." He said and I sighed, shaking my head. "You have a thing for him, don't you?"

Him as in Zack.

"No. I don't have anything for him!" I sighed even though my mind screamed yes that's it! "I liked you as a person, Tyler. Because you were all good to me. But that doesn't mean-"

"What the hell is your problem, then?"

"I-"

"I know you will come to me." He said, walking back. "You know what? I'll wait a couple of weeks to let you think. I'm not that desperate either, there are a lot of chicks ready to hook up with me."

I clenched my teeth in anger. He literally asked me to be his girlfriend a minute ago and now he's boasting about getting girls! He just confessed that he'll be fooling around with another girl while I think about it.

I appreciate his honesty, but he's a jerk.

I turned and walked, more like stormed off to my next class.

Said no to Tyler. He said I'll go back to him once I think.

I texted Sophie, not even listening to the lecture. My mind protested that I'll have to study this harder later to take an exam. My head was completely tuned out.

Sophie : Thank god you messaged. Class is so boring!

I rolled my eyes at her text before the next one came.

Sophie : You said? That's good.         Mission 2 - confess to Zack about your crush.

I bit my lip reading her text.

Not gonna happen. I'm keeping it to myself.

Sophie : you shouldn't! It's time you enjoy. Theo isn't a baby anymore and anyway you both spent time together. So what?

I started shaking my head at the text, but then stopped immediately as I was in class.

It's not about that anymore. He HAS  a CRUSH on someone else, Soph!

Sophie : sorry. Forgot. I have an idea!

I knew it would be some stupid idea before the next text came,

Sophie : text one of those handsome hunkies, maybe Seth or Justin. Ask them to kill her. If they deny, I'll go rip her head off.

You psycho! Why do you go for murder all the time?

Sophie : that's the only plan.

I have another plan.

Sophie : I know. Pretend like you don't like him and act like friends.

I smiled at that. She knew exactly what I'd think. And the moment bell rang, I called her.

"First of all, I don't need to act like he's my friend. Because he is. Secondly, it's better if I don't tell him."

"But you can just say what's in your mind." She said and I sighed.

"Nope. Not gonna happen."

"You're an idiot. Wanna tell Sasha?"

"That I like her brother who likes someone else? No thanks." I sighed.

"Fine, then."

I waited for a few more seconds for her to say something. But she didn't. And that means,

"I know you're plotting something. Don't."

"Okay, okay. I'm not." She chuckled. "Now go tell Sasha how you kicked Tyler's ass."

"I didn't kick his ass."

"Mentally you did. I bet that never in his life he thought someone would deny his girlfriend position. A handsome, hot, strong boyfriend."

"Character plays a role, Sophie." I said and she sighed, snickering.

"I know that. Now go tell our best friend about it."

"Fine."
.
.
.

"Tyler said what?!" Sasha almost shrieked and I shushed her.
"Oh my god!"

Okay, that's the official reaction to this information then.

"I never thought..." She shook her head. "Flirt with you? Yeah, maybe. Deep down, I knew he'll ask you out someday. But going straight to girlfriend? Holy cow, I never saw that coming."

I nodded in agreement. Me neither.

"What did you say?" She looked at me expectantly, almost nervously and I sighed.

"A solid no."

She sighed, smiling. Then chuckled, then went on laughing.

"I wanted to see his face when you said that. Shit, I missed it."

I rolled my eyes. His face? It was surprised at first, realisation at second and then, it was scary.

That guy has got some anger issues.

For a moment I thought he'll shout at me. I think he dumped that idea because we were in the hallway and didn't want others to know what happened.

"I really thought you said yes." She said. "For a moment."

"You ask for him sometimes and then you both were in good terms. And I don't know, I thought you had a soft corner for him." She added.

"Soft corner? Maybe. When he was good with me, I liked him. Not that way." I said quickly. "But he's the same to everyone else. He needs to change more."

"And then you'd say yes to him?" She asked, "After he changes?"

"No."  Because I like someone else.
But I didn't say that to her. "I said he must change to be a good person. I don't like him that way."

"Good." She smiled widely. "Who else knows?"

"No one."

Well, I've to tell Jake.

.
.
.

"I knew it!" Jake said punching the air.

That was the only reaction that differed.

He smirked when I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I told you he was flirting with you. And I knew this was about to happen."

"How come I never saw it coming?" I sighed and he chuckled.

"Two reasons." He said. "One, you are stupid. Two, you're stupid."

I threw my bag right at his head and he groaned.

"Will he come here today?" He asked casually, but it made me still.

Well, that slipped my mind.

I shot him a nervous look and he chuckled. "Why that look? He's not gonna eat you."

I sighed again. I think it's the hundredth one today.

He's saying the truth. Why am I nervous? There's no need to be. The worst that could happen is him going back to his old self, dumping food and drinks on me.

I can manage that. I did manage that.

I smiled at him. "Yeah, right. Now work."

"Who are you to order me, you little git."

I chuckled, kicking him as I sat at the counter.

Zack said nothing about it while dropping me at the cafe. We talked about the usual things, but he didn't bring up anything about it and neither did I.

I guess Sasha hasn't informed him yet.

And then I sat there at the counter, thinking about it.

I had a crush on him. I had a crush on Zack!

Maybe has instead of had.

But it was insane as hell. I like him, he like her. Like a freaking love triangle.
Good lord! I'm in a world of clichés.

Help me.

But the real problem was she liked him back.

Whatever.

I'm not gonna think about that. Zack's my friend. I'm his friend. That's it.

I shook my mind off the topic and looked straight to see Tyler sitting at the table right opposite to me, staring at me. More like, glaring at me?

I ignored him for almost the whole shift. And then, finally, he marched up to me, straight to the counter.

"Hello, good evening." I heard Jake's voice behind me, appeared out of nowhere and Tyler stopped, rolling his eyes and left.

"I'm so powerful that a single good evening from me can chase the evil out." He smirked, proud of himself and sat back.

I love him so much! I could hug him right now. I didn't know what the hell Tyler was going to say and I didn't know what I'd say either. I know Jake came here so that he'll get pissed off and leave.

So as decided earlier, I hugged him tight as he dropped me off.

"Yuck, you smell." He said, hugging me back and I punched him right in his chest.

"So do you." I smirked as he growled in pain and said a good night.

Of course, a good night!

*******************

Thank you, my lovely people, for taking your time to read this 😍😍
Forgive me if it was boring 😌

Stay safe and enjoy🥳  (cuz I can't since online classes are bugging me. But I'm kinda used to it, so I don't wanna go back and write those stupid pending exams🥴)