You'll Never Leave My Heart.

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the photography class with Aarica. “I don’t want to go to history,” she complained.

I shrugged. “I kind of like that class,” I told her.

“You’re only saying that because Asher is in that class,” she said, rolling her eyes. “nobody likes Mrs. A. Nobody.” I couldn’t argue with her there. It’s not like she was mean, she just had the most boring voice and all she did was talk and talk and talk. “So, are you and Asher official or?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s just a date,” I said.

“You seem really calm about it,” she said, looking at me weirdly, as we stopped at her locker.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.

She shrugged, opening her locker and putting a couple things in there. “I don’t know. I just remember when you and Cameron went on your first date, you were completely freaking out,” she explained.

“Please, I was fourteen years old and it was my first date, give me a break,” I said.

“I’m just saying, you guys already knew each other for three years beforehand, and yet you still freaked out,” she said. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I just remember you got all paranoid. ‘What if he doesn’t like me?’ ‘What if he finds someone prettier?’ ‘What if he’s secretly dating my mom and using me as a cover-up?’ I mean, come on, your mom?” She rolled her eyes.

“I’ve grown up since then.” But then I started to think about it. What if he realizes he doesn’t like me? What if he gets to know me more and I’m the complete opposite of what he thought I was? “Oh my God.”

“What?” she asked, closing her locker slowly. She stared at my face and realization took over; my wide eyes, slightly dropped jaw, barely breathing. “Anamae, no. Look, he likes you! He wouldn’t ask you out if he didn’t!”

“But what if it was a bet?” I asked. I was freaking out now. “What if everything he told me was a lie? And he’s just trying to get in my pants?”

“We’re not having this conversation,” she said, walking off toward our class. I followed her.

“What if he realizes he doesn’t like me?” I asked. “Oh my- what if he’s just using me to get to you?” She suddenly stopped, turning around to face me. I gave her a confused look as she went through her shoulder bag. “What?”

“Ah, here,” she said, pulling out a pencil. She grabbed my hand and gave it to me.

“What is this for?”

“Just stab me repeatedly as hard as you can until I’m no longer breathing. Please? Thanks.” I rolled my eyes, throwing the pencil behind me. “I needed that…”

I frowned. “I’m so glad I have your support for this,” I said.

Aarica sighed. “You have my support, you’re just being completely retarded,” she said. “Look, it obviously isn’t a bet. Everything he told you was obviously true. He’s obviously not just trying to get in your pants- but he’s obviously a guy, so he obviously won’t mind. He obviously likes you. He obviously isn’t trying to get with me. Seriously, we’ve talked like how many times? Twice, if that?”

“Is you word of the day obviously?” I asked.

“No, it’s I have a psychotically paranoid best friend.”

“That’s more than one word.”

“I don’t care.”



My eyes fluttered closed, as shootings and the most boring voice I’d ever heard floated through my ears. We were watching a movie in history class on the Civil War or something and I couldn’t focus for anything. I felt my head start to fall off of my hand, which made me shoot up. I felt my face heat up and I hoped nobody noticed.

“Are you alright?” His accent made my stomach tighten.

I turned my head slightly, so I could look at him from the corner of my eye. “Shut up,” I whispered.

He laughed quietly. “Excited for tonight?” he asked me.

I couldn’t help but smile. “Not at all,” I answered.

“Oh, I’m sure.” I could imagine the smirk on his face. “I’m sure you’d be more nervous.”

“You wish.”

“Oh, okay. So there’s absolutely no chance you’re scared I’m using you for your best friend?” I turned around and saw his smirk.

I was going to kill Aarica.