Never Fall For You

-Jason-

I was anxious. Tyler was over at Kat’s being “tutored”, and who knows what else he talked her into doing. It was ridiculous, really. I shouldn’t have given a damn about what Tyler was doing with Kat. They’re seventeen, old enough to make their own decisions. And I hated Kat. But, see, that’s the problem. I don’t think I hate Kat anymore. Maybe I never hated her.

I shook my head, as if I could just shake the thoughts I was having right out of my mind. My bed was suddenly uncomfortable, and I stood up and stretched.

“Ugh, man, I was this close!”

Tyler had finally come home, and burst through my bedroom door. He was standing in front of me, looking frustrated as ever, and I raised my eyebrows.

“’This close’ to what?” I asked, too quickly. But he didn’t even notice.

He sighed, and plopped down on my bed, sighing. “We were sitting in her room, and our lips were literally a centimeter apart.” I was staring down at him, my heart sinking into my stomach a little bit at a time. “And then her stupid sister walked in, and ruined the whole damn thing.” I let out a silent sigh of relief upon hearing that he hadn’t been able to kiss her. “Anyways” he said, bringing me out of my thoughts suddenly. “I’m telling you, she was gonna kiss me. I give it a couple of more days alone, and I’ll have her, just like the rest.”

I clenched my teeth at the thought, then practically ran to the dining room when Mom thankfully called us to dinner.

I couldn’t sleep that night, and I silently cursed Kat for that. I don’t know what changed. One minute I couldn’t stand her, and the next she was making my heart flutter, and my stomach turn.

Or maybe I was just getting sick. That was more likely.

The next day, I sat next to Hunter, who, as my best friend, could already tell something was up.

“And” he added at the end. “You keep staring at Kat. What’s going on with you two?”

I sighed, rubbing my head. “I don’t know, man” I answered. “Things have been… weird.”

Hunter raised his eyebrows, tilting his head as he looked at me.

“Well… You know Tyler’s been trying to…” I almost couldn’t say the words. “Sleep with her.” I paused, and I could tell Hunter was getting antsy as he waited for the rest. “But it’s like, ever since we made that bet, I’ve been having… feelings.”

Hunter stared at me blankly for a long moment, before finally saying “Feelings? What do you mean, feelings? What kind of feelings?”

I sighed, annoyed. I didn’t want to say it out loud. Especially to my best friend, who I had made fun of for years for being in love with Phee.

“I think-” I paused. “I think I like Kat.”

Hunter’s eyes got huge, before a smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth, and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re in love with her.”

“What? No! That’s a big jump.”

Hunter shook his head. “No, no” he said, grinning. “It makes perfect sense. The way you’ve been staring at her, the way you say her name…”

I groaned. “It just doesn’t make sense” I said, letting my head fall into my heads. “I hated her. Or I thought I did. And it’s like now, all of a sudden-”

“-you realize what you might be losing if Tyler gets her first” Hunter finished. And it clicked. That was exactly it.

“So what do I do?” I finally asked.

Hunter grinned, looking from me, to Kat, and then back at me again.

“Well” he said, finally “you make a play for her too.”

“Mr. Miller! Mr. Hughes! Something you’d like to share with the class?”

We both shut up, and then looked up, as Mr. Roland stared down at us, eyes narrowed. Hunter and I shook our heads vigorously, and he rolled his eyes before turning back to the lesson at hand.

And I resorted to staring down at my textbook, so that I wouldn’t have to see Kat staring at me in disapproval with those big beautiful eyes.