How to Get Rid of Your Ex Girlfriend

The day after the kiss was…bad.

If you’ve ever had a fight with a best friend, you know the feeling of being distanced from them. It feels so lonely, even if your other friends are treating you normally. Now combine that with the awkwardness you feel when you’re around someone you like a lot, that sort of awkwardness where you can’t look at them without feeling embarrassed.

That’s how it felt after the kiss.

Not that Tyler and I actually had a fight, though we pretended we did so we’d have a reason to ignore each other. And I don’t actually like Tyler, I may be pretending to be gay, but I’m pretty sure I’m straight…

I got all this from second period, my first class with him that day. I kept leaning over and opening my mouth to whisper comments in his ear during the lesson, which was extensively boring, but no words would come out. Something in my throat seemed to choke me every time I looked at him. I’d keep remembering the feeling of kissing him. I was pretty sure that was the reason he wouldn’t meet my eyes either.

During third period, World History, Tyler and I aren’t allowed to sit near each other, something I’d resented the teacher for until now. Fourth period, lunch, passed without event as well. Tyler left to do homework in the library, so I ate with Sam and Vickie. Sophie was still stoutly ignoring me, and Lena was with Green again.

Fifth period English? Not so good. Tyler and I were paired up to do a scene from Romeo and Juliet.

The balcony scene.

If you’ve read Romeo and Juliet, then you know that the balcony scene is the one where Romeo and Juliet proclaim their love for each other. I bet you can guess how that went over.

I don’t think Ms. Fallon knew about our “relationship”, which just made it funnier for the rest of the class. However, I’m thankful they found it so amusing. Amid all the laughter caused by her choice of actors, I’m pretty sure my cursing went unnoticed. And the fact that everyone was turning it into some sort of joke made it a little less awkward. It was the people “awww”-ing making me angry.

It was only by the end of class when I truly understood the meaning of “saved by the bell”.

I was in such a bad mood that I skipped Dance – I didn’t think I could deal with Dumas, or Green – and went to go lie down in the nurse’s office, saying I had a bad headache. I wasn’t sure she bought it, but she seemed to know something was wrong and let me stay.

Seventh period came and went. I had a free, and spent it in the library drowning my sorrows with coffee. It did nothing but make my anxiety levels rise to a frightening height.

Eighth period. I stormed into Chemistry and threw my bag down at my usual seat, the one next to Tyler. I didn’t look at him. I didn’t say anything, anything but “here” when Mr. Keller took attendance. I sat there like some sort of statue, staring straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge that there was someone in the seat next to me.

“Fischer...FISCHER!”

I jumped at the sudden noise, my head snapping around to stare at Tyler.

“I’ve been prodding you for like five minutes,” he said crossly. “We’ve got to get to work. Come on.”

It hit me that he was my lab partner, and we had to finish a big chem lab that day.

I was actually glad I'd forgotten about that. I probably would have spent the whole day dreading it, though hopefully it wouldn’t be as bad as English...

“Sorry, drifted off. Hard to stay awake in Keller’s lessons, you know,” I joked, trying to prevent another awkward silence from worming its way between us.

We laughed together for a moment. This was a bad idea, because it made me notice his mouth and him notice mine, causing us to both stop suddenly and avert our eyes.

“Come on,” Tyler said finally, staring obstinately at the far wall, “we have to finish the lab.”

In silence, we washed a set of test tubes and made our way to a lab table. The glossy black surface reminded me of Tyler’s hair. Angry with myself for noticing this, I turned my attention immediately to the lab. Pulling out data tables, we started to combine chemicals and scribble down observations. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so quickly and efficiently.

Noting the last bit of my observations for the second combination, I reached for the barium chloride. Someone’s hand was already on it.

Tyler turned his bright hazel eyes to me. It was the first time he’d really looked at me that day. “What? Did you need it, or…?” Swiftly, he removed his hand from under mine. I found myself flushing, either from embarrassment or anger at myself for trying to blindly grab the damn bottle.

“No, I-” I jerked my hand away too, but held his gaze. Three seconds already. Wow, that’s a record.

“You take it.”

“Nah, you had it first.” I pushed the bottle across the table and turned quickly back to my data table. “I, um…I think I need to write more about that first one.”

Neither of us mentioned that we’d already mixed it with something else.

And I was saved by the bell again.