I wasn't Special Then. What Makes me Now?

I was looking up in my bunk. It was pretty late and as far as I know, everyone went to sleep except Zacky. How I know this? Well, his bed is above mine. Yeah I ain't a stalker, so ha! I heard footsteps come towards the bunks. The footstpes stopped and a silhouette formed on the curtains of my bunk. Slowly it opened. I looked to see Zacky in a pair of boxers and a plain t- shirt. His hair was a bit damp. "Zachary?" I whispered softly. He nodded.

"Um I have something to tell you," he said nervously. I patted to a spot next to me on the bed. "I really like you and remember when you asked me about the meanest thing I did to someone?" I nodded ," Well, I lied," he took a deep breath, " There was this girl I kind of was well in love with. Her name was Jessica Smith," I stopped breathing. Wait, love? " Thinking about it now, it's kinda funny as to how you both have the same name. Anyways, that was off the subject. So I liked her a lot but she was a bit chubby. To me, it didn't matter if she was like that because she was so beautiful. Inside and out. I knew most people would've wanted to know what I saw in her but it's just--"

"'Love is blind and Lovers cannot see?'" I interrupted, quoting Shakespeare. He nodded.

" Yet, I didn't bother with my feelings and more thought of my image at highschool. I was pretty popular, girls hanging off my arms and everything so if people knew I even liked her, they would make fun of me. So, I convinced my self to hate her, to riducule her--,"

"Were you proud of that?" I asked, cutting him off. He shook his head.

"Not at all. I got a reality check when she punched me, breaking my nose," he paused to chuckle, " I despised who I was, what popularity led me to become. By the time, I thought 'hey? who gives a fuck what sluts think about me?' and wanted to try to get Jessica to forgive me, she left," he finished. I let out a shaky breath.

"I--" I began.

"I completely understand if you hate me now. I mean, I would hate me too, if I found out about my behaviour in highschool," he said sadly.

"Why would I hate you? I mean, that was in highschool. I'm pretty sure that you're 100% sweetie pie," I smiled. As I said these words, I begun to realise that I believed it. That I knew it was true. Zacky has changed.

"Well, I really wanted you to know about that. You see, Jessica I really like you and I would be honoured if you agreed to go on a date with me when we stay in DC," he said.

"I--"