I can't wait to talk to him.

It's today. I couldn't sleep last night because I kept visualizing how he'll look at me, if he'll ever smile at me again, and I kept wondering what he'll say, if he'll confess, if he'll apologize, if he'll forgive me...

I miss him so much.

But I'm too nervous. I hope I don't screw things up again. This is like my last chance.

I took a deep breath. You can do this Mira. Just listen to your guts.

The whole day went by like a millennium. An exaggeration, but that's how I felt. I just couldn't concentrate in any of my classes in anticipation of my long-awaited talk with Brandon.

But I didn't get it though, when he said he'll reveal himself tomorrow - I mean now - what did he mean? Will he meet me? Will he just text me? Did he get my hidden message?

I groaned in my thoughts. My hopes are rising again. I'm setting myself on fire again. But that's okay. I really think things are gonna go well this time.

Just stay positive Mira.

I didn't have class in our last period. The teacher allowed us to go home already because of some family emergency. I think I heard people say his wife was giving birth at the moment. Happy father's day to our dear teacher then.

So, when the rest of my classmates did go home, I didn't. I waited until Brandon's class was finished. I mean, I don't know why I did, he didn't actually say we'd talk at school but...

I don't know.

Nichole and Leo still had class too, so while I'm waiting for that potato, I'll be waiting for them too, since they're my ride home.

I waited near Leo's car in the parking lot. I had no where else to go. I saw Sam with his friends walk out of the school building looking as hyper as usual. Well duh, no class dude. Especially on a Friday. That was something to get hyped about.

He saw me sitting alone in the parking lot so he left his boys for a bit and jogged towards me.

"Waiting for them?" He asked. I nodded with a small smile. Okay, this was still a bit awkward. I mean, he did kiss me. And he still didn't give me a clear reason why he did it.

He looked over his shoulder to see if his friends were still there. They were. And they were looking at us like we were celebrities making a scandal.

As usual, my way of describing things is horrid. Just get the gist of it please.

Sam played with his hands a bit, something he did whenever he was nervous. I stood up from my sitting position. Something tells me this was important.

"Listen," he mumbled, avoiding my eyes. "I'm sorry again for kissing you. Turns out I still liked you after all, and after seeing you like that, I just couldn't help it."

I was about to say something but he kept going, not allowing me to interrupt.

"I know Brandon will have my head for that, that's why I'll apologize to him too. I just don't want to make things awkward between us. And yeah, I know I don't stand a chance so that's why this time for real, I'm stepping down. I won't do anything like that again. You're a great friend and you honestly made me really happy. So can you... like... I mean... Still be my friend? No funny business."

I sighed in relief while giving him a smile. He always makes things easier and he always takes the load off a lot of things. He was too pure this kid. I'm suddenly happy that there are still people like him in the world.

He deserves someone better. I hope he finds the best.

"Of course, you piece of gum," I said. He chuckled at his nickname and I did the same. He was a good piece of gum, always sticking around when I needed him. "Thank you."

He nodded. He was about to leave but then he turned around and gave me a quick hug. I patted his head. I felt a bit guilty that I couldn't return his feelings, but he was so mature about this, and he made everything easier. Well, for me. I hope he made it easier for himself too. "Thanks, Mira."

Sam left after that, giving me a small wave. Now that that's finally settled, I'll just have to deal with Brandon now.

After waiting for half an hour, I panicked.

Okay. Not the best time to panic. But it's almost time! Oh God. I should've fixed myself first. Is my hair a mess? Oh wait, it's easier to manage now since it's short. But I still want to look my best.

I look stupid sitting in the parking lot just waiting for my ride so I stood up and dusted my pants. I also fixed my shirt. I'm getting way too self-conscious for my own good.

Wait. Did my breath stink? I exhaled on my palm and smelled it. Nope. What about my pits? I raised my arms up and sniffed myself. Nope. All good.

I heard a chuckle nearby and saw three guys about to get in their car - not before they watched the awesome show I put on for them to see, of course.

Can I die now.

Luckily, they left after a bit, winking at me as they drove off. Ughh. But whatever. I don't care right now because I'm going to meet Brandon.

I felt my phone vibrate in my bag. I quickly opened it and took my phone out, expecting it to be from a particular potato.

I smiled all giddily to myself when the name flashed on my screen.

Potato Stalker

I opened the message calmly, or some attempt to be calm. I was too excited.

| I can't wait to see you. |

| Very stalker-ish of you. Nice. | I replied.

Smooth Mira, smooth.

| Haha! But really. I mean it. I want to see you. :) |

I winced, feeling my heart do a little flip. Oh, man.

| We're going to meet? | I asked innocently. Heh.

| If that's okay with you. Are you free? |

| Yup. Where? |

| Umm. How about you just stay where you are and I'll go to you after my class is over. Then we'll go somewhere. |

I considered his idea. But something got me curious, so I asked him.

| How do you know where I am? |

| Because I can see you. |

Okay, I admit I was a bit freaked out. But knowing this was Brandon I was talking to, kind of lowered the freakiness-level.

I looked left and right to see if he was somewhere hiding, but I was the only one in the parking lot at the moment. Did he see me over a window perhaps?

| You sound like a real stalker. I'm not even kidding. |

| Hahaha! XD |

His reply made me giggle. I sighed as I sent him another message.

| Okay, so what are you doing right now? |

| Risking my phone's life as I secretly text in Epstein's class. You? |

| Oh, don't do that. Nichole's phone got confiscated by him before. She wasn't even texting, it was just her alarm going off. |

It's true. Mr. Epstein was pretty strict.

| Doesn't matter. You're more important than my phone. :) |

Meh. Cheesy, but it made me smile. Ugh.

I can't believe we're texting so casually now. This was a good start.

As I typed my very sarcastic reply with a foolish grin on my face, I heard an abrupt knock followed by a sting on my arm.

After releasing a hiss, I looked down to see what hit me. A rock.

I glanced up this time, trying to find out where the heck it came from. A nerve popped in my head when I saw a group of guys a few feet away, wearing mischievous grins on their smug faces.

I noticed that they were heading my way, and one guy was kicking the rubble on the road, which explains why I was hit.

I picked up the damn rock and placed it in my palm, showing them the potential murder weapon with an irritated look on my face.

"Did you guys just throw a rock at me?"

The guy in front looked at his companions before they all snickered. I noticed that I didn't recognize them as students from my school. I mean, I know I'm not good with faces and names, but I had a feeling they really weren't from my school.

The one that was kicking the rubble just a few seconds ago approached me with his hands hidden inside his pockets. My self-awareness rose as I analyzed my current situation:

We were the only ones in the parking lot. There were five of them, all guys. I'm the only girl here. They looked like they were looking for trouble.

"Yup. My bad," he said, smirking at me.

The one in front held a hand to his chest, a mock gesture of class. He was tall and I could tell he was muscular under that loose shirt of his "I apologize for my friend here. His ways of getting a girl to notice him is terrible."

I stared intensely at the culprit. He was smiling at me, and not a very friendly one at that. They kept coming closer and closer. Who were they?

"What do you want?" I asked, keeping my voice steady. My knees were shaking a bit, but I kept a strong face. They seemed like none of the guys I faced before.

"Nothing, nothing. Don't let us scare you," he chuckled. As he advanced towards me, I took steps back. That went on until I felt Leo's car against my back. They surrounded me.

What the fuck was happening?

"I'm Nathan by the way, but you can call me Nate." The tall guy, which I assume was their leader, said. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Okay, Nate," I said, feeling a rush of confidence coming back to my system. I took a brave step forward, which caused them to take a step back. This was just a game of who intimidates who first. I know I'm at a disadvantage here but I'm not gonna show any signs of weakness. Never. "Would you please tell your boys to back off? And while you're at it, you might as well do the pleasure of doing the same."

They all chuckled again. I smiled at them menacingly. They thought I was joking? They just stared at me like freakin' psychos. I held my chin up as I folded my arms.

"You want a fight?" I challenged. That was so stupid. I'm gonna get myself killed for real. Again, I'm acting like the stupid girl in the movie.

Another guy stepped forward. He had this vicious grin on his face and I just didn't like the way his eyes raked my whole appearance. "Relax beautiful," he said.

He was about to touch my face or my hair or something but I acted on impulse and grabbed his hand. I twisted his wrist with a flick of my hand and grabbed his elbow, pushing it to the opposite side and then eventually carried his weight and threw him down.

Shit! What have I done?!

His companion was about to fight back when Nate extended his arm to block his way. The rest of them stared at him confused as that guy I just threw down recovered and got back to his feet.

Nate grinned at me before looking over his buddies. "Don't touch her. She's a girl." And then he looked at me again with a distrustful twinkle in his eye. "She's Brandon's girl."

I felt my whole body tense up at the mention of his name. These guys knew Brandon? What? What the - were they part of his enemies back at his potato gangster days?

Not good. Not good.

I panicked again. Did they want revenge or something? But how did they know me? And why does everyone just assume that I'm Brandon's girl'?

My phone kept vibrating in my hand, meaning I kept getting messages one after another. This was no time to text.

And yes, when I threw that guy down just a second ago, I still had my phone on my other hand.

I hid my phone behind my back as I glared at Nate as hard as I could. "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing," he said. Yeah right. "I just wanted to pay our dear old friend a visit. But lucky us, we get to meet his girl instead."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm not his girl."

They all howled in unison. Jerks.

"We'll see." He said. I was trying to figure out what he meant by that when one of his buddies snatched my phone behind my back.

I jumped to get it back but then two of them held my waist and arms to prevent me from doing that.

The guy gave my phone to Nate and then he chuckled as he opened my messages. I cursed under my breath, regretting the fact that I took down the passcode in my phone since it was a nuisance whenever I was in a hurry.

A huge grin broke in his face as he read something out loud. "Potato stalker? That's what you call him? Adorable."

I flushed with both anger and embarrassment, still struggling to break free. "You don't even know that's him."

He snorted. "Please. Most of his statuses in Facebook mention potatoes or something. It's so obvious."

I gasped in mock horror. "You stalker!"

"I just happened to come across them in my news feed. That doesn't necessarily mean I stalk his profile," he strongly defended.

YEAH RIGHT.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, well, stalled. I was planning on what to do to these two knuckleheads keeping me still. Punch them? Knee them? Bite them?

Nate shrugged his shoulders as he continued scrolling down my phone. "Bored. Hey, nice selfie you got here."

I know this wasn't the time, but I was curious which one he meant.

See how fucked up our generation is?

Suddenly, he took his phone out.

"What are you doing?" I asked again.

"Gonna send your pictures to my phone."

"What!" I yelled, 'accidentally' stepping on one of the guys' foot. He grunted. "You're sick!"

Damn it, these guys were strong. And that Nate guy is psycho.

"Don't you have any nudes here?" He said, not taking his eyes off the screens of the phones.

Is he kidding me right now?! And why is he talking so casually? Seriously so annoying!

"Why the hell would I take a picture of myself naked?!"

He looked at me like I was the crazy one. "To send to Brandon. Duh?"

My cheeks flamed inconveniently. What the hell is wrong with this guy?!

"Maybe it's in a private folder? Check her messenger." The guy beside him said.

"I checked. There's none. Maybe it's in Brandon's phone?" He replied.

The guys holding me chuckled. "Maybe she deleted it after she sent it. A girl like her wouldn't be caught dead with nudes in her phone."

My temper was rising. This was harassment and an invasion of privacy! I can sue them for this!

"Well," Nate said, stepping forward, eyeing me maliciously. "We'll just have to make her take new ones. Doesn't that sound fu - "

He didn't finish his sentence when I kicked him right on his jaw. Even I was surprised I could kick that high. I finally perfected the axe kick. The guys were keeping me hostage by holding my arms and waist, but they stupidly forgot that my legs were also very capable of attack and escape.

I took advantage of that moment of shock because I jumped high and hard enough so my head would hit the other guy's jaw above me. Then I kneed the other one so hard I was sure he won't be able to walk straight for days.

The two remaining tried to swing at me but I dodged just in time. I broke the nose of the first guy and gave the second guy a black eye.

This was all adrenaline. This was my first time fighting a group.

This is how you get yourself killed.

The thing about guys is that they're quick to recover in a fight. I was still focused on keeping one guy down that I didn't notice Nate creep behind me. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and pulled me away from one of his buddies.

"Let go of me" I yelled in exasperation upon kicking my legs in thin air. He just tightened his grip, carrying me over his side like I was weightless.

"Stop fucking moving around," he hissed. I did the complete opposite. "Now I see why you're Brandon's - "

"I'm not his girl!" I screamed, knowing what he was about to say. They make me sound like fucking property!

I don't know what he was about to do next. Maybe he was going to take me somewhere. Maybe he was gonna rape me then kill me. With that thought in mind, I struggled my hardest, panicking. I'm being kidnapped!

The next thing I knew, the world spun and my vision turned black. When I quickly regained my composure, I realized that both of us were already on the ground.

I opened my eyes after all that impact and saw Brandon grab Nate's collar, sending him a heated glare. I also heard a multitude of footsteps behind me. And then I saw Leo, Nichole, Emma and a few other students surrounding the guys I just beat up.

I was still on the ground, too surprised to process everything. When did they get here?

"Hi... Hi Brandon," Nate stuttered as he tried to pull Brandon's hand off his collar. It was a futile attempt.

I noticed that his left eye was swelling, so that meant Brandon already gave him a greeting.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing here Nathan?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Nothing!" He chuckled nervously. And then he gulped. Did he even realize the situation he was in right now? "I mean, we were just... I mean... We just wanted to meet your girlfriend. She's pretty famous in our school and all, and damn she really brings justice to the word badass - "

Before he finished that sentence, he attempted to punch Brandon but he failed because my potato caught it like he had anticipated that attack. Nate gulped again before Brandon gave him a hard left hook.

It was a total knock out.

He left Nate on the ground without a care and then quickly went to my side. This isn't how I expected our first meeting in weeks would be.

He was so focused checking my face for some injuries while I just stared at him the whole time. He looked so worried.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he finally met my eyes. His hands were cupping my cheeks gently.

I shook my head slowly. He's really here. He's really talking to me.

I'm so happy.

Uncle Ray came about a minute later, saying he'll handle those guys himself and call their school. Leo came and gave me back my phone.

"Thank God you didn't get hurt," he told me, squeezing my shoulder.

It wasn't a huge issue, so they didn't involve the police. I knew my uncle was more than capable of handling five delinquents by himself.

"Yeah," I mumbled, secretly glancing at Brandon. He was talking to our principal about something. Maybe he wants to take the blame? Knowing him, he'd probably do that so I won't get in trouble.

"We'll leave you two alone. Okay?" Nichole said, giving me a small smile. I nodded, wondering if Brandon would give me a ride home instead. But... I mean. Was that too much to ask for? Am I getting way ahead of myself again?

When they left, I swallowed hard once again. It's been a while since I've felt like this. Brandon kept glancing at me from time to time as he talked to my uncle, and I could tell he wasn't happy.

Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna get scolded again?

After the guys were taken away, the crowd of students dispersed. Only Brandon and I were left. And I was still sitting on the ground like a duck.

I wanted to say something but what? He wasn't looking at me.

I felt like I was having an anxiety attack. What was going to happen next? Is he disappointed in me again?

When he finally turned around, to my direction, I held back a gasp. I'm too nervous for my own good.

He walked towards me and I tried my best to keep my eyes open. I was fighting back a wince because I was seriously terrified.

While looking at me with those familiar dull eyes, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up without a word.

He wasn't forceful. He was careful the way he led me to his car. He treated me like a baby, carrying my weight up to the front seat, buckling my seat belt and closing the door before he went to the driver's seat.

I was freaking out. He wasn't saying anything.

We arrived at our apartment a couple minutes later. Nichole was out so I guess this was planned or something. Well, part of the plan. I don't think getting harassed by his old enemies was part of the plan.

We were both quiet as we entered my room. My heart was being so loud and I couldn't breathe properly.

I sat on the edge of my bed and braced myself.

"Brandon?" I asked, with all caution in my tone. He just closed the door, but was still not facing me. I took a deep breath. "Please talk to me."

He didn't move for a few seconds. Again, I panicked.

"Please," I whispered. It wasn't on purpose. I lost my voice. I can't breathe. Please, please talk to me please."

At that exact moment, he turned around and finally looked at me. Some unexplainable expression on his face. I bit my lip. No. Tears, don't you dare come back when I don't want you to.

He treaded towards me and I breathed heavily as well as blinking fast so I could stop the tears from pooling my eyes.

When he was right in front of me, I saw a montage of expressions cross his face. Anger, hurt, disappointment, fear, relief, hopelessnes.

Don't cry, Mira you damn weakling. He hasn't even said anything yet.

"What were..." he raised his voice, making me wince. He noticed and repeated what he said, but softening his tone this time. "What were you thinking?"

I looked down. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to go this way.

Things were supposed to work out this time.

I didn't say anything.

He looked like he had a lot to say, but he didn't say anything. He walked back and forth in front me, in an impatient manner at that. I just kept lowering my head.

When he finally stopped pacing, he stood still in front of me, waiting for me to look at him. And with all my strength, I did.

The look in his eyes were intense. I was sure he was going to yell at me. But after just looking at each other for a moment, his expression changed. His eyes softened.

"Mira..." He mumbled weakly, slowly sinking to the floor, his hands covering his face. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to cry. Why did he look like he gave up? Did he give up? I don't know. I don't know.

His next words came out in muffles because his face was currently buried in his hands. I just sat there on the bed waiting for what he was about to say. "Stop doing this to me."

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

A/N: I present to you, the worst cliffy ever! *dodges and catches potatoes getting thrown* Yum.

Trivia: I went to the bathroom this morning to wash my face. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, there was this huge spider crawling closer and closer to the door. I was like nope, then went out in a rush. I'll wash my face in the bathroom upstairs. Then this afternoon, my mom went to that cursed bathroom. Seconds later, she came out like she was going through a seizure attack while screaming for someone to kill it. I just snorted to myself thinking, "yup, she met my pervy little friend."

I realize now that I should just accept my fate as a wonderful attraction to spiders and insects of all kinds.

*insert crying emoji here*