We Found Love in a Hopeless Place

“I think I like someone.”

“My best friend, Aubrey, stared at me, a french fry hanging out of her mouth. “Sorry, what?”

“I don't wanna say it again.” I hissed.

“Leigh Gallengar like someone.” She swallowed her french fry, without a single chew. “Who!?”

“I...” My face began to heat up. “I don't wanna say.”

“No! No! You already mentioned it! Now you gotta tell me.”

“Okay fine!” I started fumbling with my fork. “Um...you know who Riley is right?”

“McDonough!?” Aubrey screamed and in a split second, my hand was slapped against her mouth.

“Ssh!” I extended it to a loud whisper. “Not so loud!”

“Yhu lggh hmp!” She cried through my fingers. I removed my hand and she leaned in to whisper, “That guy who's in a band!?”

“Band?”

“Yeah! They're called Before You Exit!”

“Never heard of them.”

“You're crazy!” She shrieked, getting louder by the minute. “They went on tour with this famous band, All Time Low!”

“I think I might have heard of something like that, now that I think about it.” I shrugged, now tapping my fork against my cheek.

“When did you start liking him!?”

“Um three days ago? Saturday? We kinda ran into eah other at the mall and hung out. That's it.”

“That's it!? That's it!?” She echoed. “You fell for him after one day!?”

“Is that normal?”

“No.” Her voice suddenly grew quiet. “At least, I don't think so.”

“Wait, why? Why is it bad!?” My back straightened and I felt a sort of anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach. My brows furrowed, causing creasing lines on my forehead.

“Leigh, I think you fall in love too fast.”

“Love? What love?”

“Leigh, it's not good to fall for a guy, just because they're being nice to you.”

“But – But - I can't stop thinking about him.”

“That doesn't mean anything, Leigh.”

“But every time I think of him, my head starts to hurt and I get all nervous.” Aubrey studied me, while I gripped my fork a little too tightly, feeling a crack from my palm. “He called me cute...I um...I'll be right back.”

The fork snapped and I ran, pushing past the cafeteria doors and into the hallway. I must have been running that fast to which I had tripped over my feet. I closed my eyes, bracing for the hard ground below, but instead fell into someone's arms.

“You're lucky, I saw you!” A familiar voice told me. “You could've had a concussion.” Riley looked at me and I looked at him.

I wonder if you can sense the rhythm of my heartbeats in your head?

“Are you all right?”

“I'm fine, thanks.” I scrambled to my feet and backed up against the lockers, to keep my composure.
We both kind of stared at each other, before I randomly said, “So...did you finish your Christmas shopping?”

“Yeah. And you?”

“Kinda.”

“Better get it done, it's almost Christmas.”

“I will.”

We both continued to stare at each other, or at least I thought Riley was too. I swear his brown eyes were looking directly into mine.

I opened my mouth again, “Aren't you gonna eat lunch?”

“Already did in the classroom.”

“Then, why are you still...?”

“You're standing in front of my locker. I was staring at it, hopefully you would gain the hint.”

“Oh!” I cried, feeling like an idiot. “Sorry.”

“No problem.” I stood aside and he went over to his locker.

So he wasn't looking at me? I swear he was.

“Is it possible to fall for someone after spending one day with them!?” I blurted out, without knowing it.

“Whoa. Where did that come from?”

“Sorry, it's just that um...people were asking me all day and I wanna know your opinion.”

“It sounds silly and impossible, like love at first sight.” I sighed, going “oh”, mentally in my head. “But I think it could happen. If you like someone, you have no control over it.” He let out a laugh. “It's like cupid got our back, huh?”

“Yeah.” I gave him a smile. “Weird huh?”

“Do you like anyone?” Riley asked out of nowhere, slamming his locker shut.

“D-Do you?”

“I asked you first.”

“I um....” What was I honestly supposed to say? That it was him?

“That's alright. You don't have to tell me, but I can tell there's someone special on your mind. He must be very lucky.”

Very lucky? What does he mean by, “very lucky”?

“Now it's your turn to answer the question Riley,” I grabbed his jacket sleeve before he could walk away. “Who do you like?”

He turned to me and sort of had a sad smile on his lips. His eyes showed no expression. “Let's just say, whenever I run into her, I smile more.”

He motioned his head back to the cafeteria and I silently followed him, cursing the girl he was talking about under my breath. Was it normal to feel jealous around someone I apparently fell for because “he was being nice to me?” Riley stopped suddenly and I almost ran into him.

“Hey! What are you - “ I stopped and saw Riley staring up.

There was a mistletoe, poorly taped, above us.

“Is that a-a-” I couldn't say it. I knew that particular plant. I knew what kids did under it.

And this time, it was Riley and I.

“Mistletoe?” Riley finished the sentence for me. “Yeah.”

“Did the school did this?”

“Ridiculous, the school doesn't even allow public displays of affections. Judging by the way it's taped, someone did it as a joke.”

“So we don't have to....do it....do we?”

“It was never a law to kiss under a mistletoe.” His eyes narrowed towards mine. “Unless, you want to?”

“Me? But I - !”

“Have you ever had a mistletoe kiss?”

“No, but - !”

“Neither have I.” He shrugged. “It doesn't hurt to try.”

“Riley, but - “ My eyes widened when he was already started to lean in. “You're not serious, are you!?”
I didn't get an answer, because his face was coming closer and closer to mine, his lips literally a few inches away.

I closed my eyes shut and just waited, no point in protesting anymore.

In a split second, I felt his lips touched, not my lips, but my cheek.

I opened my eyes and saw Riley trying to hold in a laugh.

“Sorry,” he chuckled. “Did you think I was gonna kiss you on the lips?”

“Yes you idiot! That's what mistletoe kisses are!” I smacked his shoulder, an instinct I seemed to have.

“You seem to know a lot about mistletoe kisses, even though you haven't had one until now!”

“Riley!” I whined. “You're making me feel stupid!”

“I'm joking.” He did the most surprising thing and pulled me into a hug. “I'm joking, don't cry alright?”

“I'm not crying!”

He let me go and immediately I wanted those arms back around me. “You have someone you like right? I wouldn't wanna ruin the kiss you're saving for him.”

It's you!! I wanted to scream out. THAT WOULD BE YOU!

Instead I said, “Um...so you wanna um...help me find my remaining Christmas presents...at the mall? We could go on Saturday or....”

“I'm sorry Leigh, I really am. But I've been told I've got to stay home for the past week. My family and I are packing up for a two-week vacation and we gotta clean the house..We have so much things that still has to be done.”

“No that's okay.” I murmured feeling a frown on my lips. “It's your family, so.”

Riley sighed, with an equally hurt expression on his face. “Maybe we can hang out when I get back?”

“Yeah.” I was pretty disappointed that I would have to wait that long, but it couldn't be helped. “Sounds great.”

“Cool.” He turned to walk back to the cafeteria, but stopped and opened his backpack, rummaging through the pockets before an “ah” escaped his lips. “Oh here.” He threw something at me.

I caught it perfectly and opened my palm, revealing a tiny Hershey's Kiss.

“What's this for?”

“In case you get hungry,” I smiled. “And it's for being under the mistletoe with a guy like me.”

I stared at the Kiss and back at Riley who was halfway in the cafeteria already, the doors flapping away for a second after being made contact with.

“I see what you did there!” I called out, waving the Kiss in the air, directly under the mistletoe.

“I was hoping you would!” He called back with a laugh.