The Boss Crush

Because everyone, all the kids on the field, all the kids in the bleachers, they’re all laughing at me. I feel so small right now. So alone. So embarrassed.

Gathering my stuff, I take off down the bleachers and across the field, making my way toward the school. I’m done. I can’t stay here and be made fun of like this.

Shut up! Leave me alone! The words stay in my head, captured behind a wall of teenage silence. I should stand up for myself, but how do you stand up to the most popular girl in school?

“Dalia, wait!” Kira calls out to me, but I ignore her.

I don’t stop. I pick up the pace and start to jog. I just want to be away from here, and away from Sandy. My eyes are on the bright, red double doors, when out of nowhere, the ground is gone from under my feet, and I’m looking at the ground, quickly coming up to me.

Stumbling over my own feet, I lose my balance, face planting into the dirt. I lay there for a second, because now everyone is laughing even harder. I don’t even want to get up. I can feel my skin turn red, and the tears I’m trying so hard to hold in are starting to fall. Dirt is sticking to my face, getting sucked into my nose as I try to breathe.

“Oh my God, I was right!” Sandy blurts out from above me, her laughter bordering on hysterical. “Wow, you really are such a loser.”

Lifting my head, I see my sketchpad splayed open on the ground, pages of my book spilling across the grass. And right on top, right there for everyone to see, are the doodles of mine and Lyle’s names together in hearts, complete with arrows and lips, and all kinds of little loving designs.

No, no, no. This can’t be happening.

“You all right?” There’s a hand in front of my face, open, with wiggling fingers. “Let me help you up.”

My eyes move up the arm, and I see the one person I really didn’t expect, and really didn’t want to see. Lyle Vox. His eyes are soft, his smile sultry and smooth. The knot in my gut twists hard and fast, making me feel like I’m going to throw up.

Nodding awkwardly, I take his hand. He pulls me to my feet easily, his eyes moving up and down my body. “You got some good scrapes.” Jerking his head, his eyes keep moving down my legs, and to the pile of papers at his feet.

Kill me, just kill me now.

Lyle bends over, scooping up my sketchpad and grabbing loose papers. I know he sees the one with our names, the stupid one I let myself draw while daydreaming.

Why? Why did I do that?

I’m such an idiot!

Closing my eyes, I bite my tongue. I feel like a damn fool, a stupid girl for letting my feelings get etched into paper in little bubble hearts with our names.

“Wow, I’m impressed. These are pretty good, I’d love to see more some time,” he says, holding out the book with a smile. But it’s not a teasing smile or a condescending smile. He appears genuine, like he’s actually curious.

Snatching my notebook from his hand, I attempt to grab all the papers, but some fly out and tumble across the grass. I’m not chasing them down, all I want to do is leave.

Hanging my head, I start to walk away. I can’t look back at him or I may actually throw up all over the ground. He knows how I feel now, and that in itself is scary as hell.

Holding my stuff close to my chest, I just keep walking.

Kira runs up beside me and grabs me by the shoulders. “You okay?” she asks, her voice concerned. I sniffle and half nod, keeping my eyes on the ground. “Come on, let’s get you to the nurse, and get those cuts cleaned up.” She wraps an arm around my shoulder and walks with me.

I’m sitting on the bench in the nurse’s office, holding my head in my hands. “I want to die, Kira. Seriously, this is awful. I’m never going to be able to show my face in school again.”

“Are you kidding me?” she asks, jumping up onto the bench beside me. “Do you even realize what happened?”

“Uh, yeah. I made a complete fool of myself, and I’ll never live it down. I’m going to be the laughingstock of the entire school.”

“No, dummy, that’s not it at all. Lyle literally ran across the entire football field to come help you off the ground. He didn’t have to do that, but he did. So, what does that tell you?”

“It tells me he’s not as much of an asshole as his sister.”

“No, it says he cares. He cares enough about you that he ran fifty yards just to see if you were okay. Lyle was at your side before I was. Tell me that’s not a little curious.”