Why Do You Make Things So Complicated?

When my alarm clock started ringing, I immediately turned it off and jumped out of my bed so as to get ready quickly, even though I still had a lot of time. I didn't even complain about the fact that I had to wake up early and go to school.
I had a feeling that something good was going to happen today at school. And that made me really anxious and caused my heart to beat fiercely. I smiled to myself as I ran a hand through my hair and started wondering what to wear. Today was going to be a good day. Today I wouldn't let anyone ruin my good mood or make fun of me.
Today was the day that I would try to be friends with Neil...again. You probably think that I am really stupid for trying hard to make friends with an antisocial kid who is a jerk to me and doesn't want to meet me and talk to me. But that's what I want to do. I want to make friends with him. I am absolutely sure that he's not always behaving like an idiot and isn't rude to everyone. I think that if I get to know him better, which is something that I want so bad, I will find out who he really is.
He may think that he's a freak that nobody wants to hang out with, but I'm planning on making him realize that this is not true. Whoever told him that is an idiot, and he was stupid enough to believe in their words. There have been times that I think he is under the impression I am one of those people who make friends with other people and then they break their hearts and make fun of them. But I am not one of those people, and I want him to know that I wouldn't hurt him.
I sighed. I really wanted him to listen to what I had to say instead of ignoring me or walking away. I put on a pair of plain skinny jeans, a band T-shirt, my blood red Converse sneakers, applied carefully some black eyeliner and threw all the stuff that I needed in my bag. "Bye Mom," I said as I walked downstairs and then walked out of the house. I could see her waving at me.
I saw Taylor on my way to school. He waved and smiled at me. "How are you, Emily?"
I just smiled at him and shrugged as we continued making our way to school. "I'm fine, what about you?"
He didn't answer. He scratched the back of his head and turned around to look at me as we walked into the school building. He seemed to be really nervous, but I couldn't help him. I didn't know what was going on inside his head.
"Um...I wanted...I want to ask you something, Emily..." Taylor started, but trailed off.
I closed my locker door shut and turned around to look at him. At the same time, Isabella walked up to us. "Um...Emily," Taylor went on, "would you...like to go out with me...on a date..?"
I tried really hard not to stare at him with my mouth hanging open. I didn't want to look like an idiot, even though I knew that was exactly how I looked. I didn't know how I felt. My feelings were mixed up. I felt really surprised, but happy at the same time. I didn't expect that, yet his asking me out made me feel excited. I had never been asked out before, and when someone asks you out on a date, it means that they probably have feelings for you. Did he really like me more than a friend?
And how could you possibly like someone who you only met two weeks ago?
"Um..." I started, but didn't finish my sentence. What to say? If I said no, then I would break his heart. Just this thought is idiotic, I know, but I don't like breaking people's hearts, and he probably liked me. If I said yes...I would go on a date with the guy that has a crush on me...but, the question is, do I like him? Will I ever like him more than a friend?
Well...I still have to find that out.
"Yes, I would like to go out with you." I smiled at Taylor.
His worried expression was replaced by a happy, smiling one. "I can pick you up around eight...is that alright with you?" he asked me, still smiling at me.
I nodded. "Yes, it suits me fine."
The bell rang. "Then...I guess I will see you at eight," he smiled, kissed my cheek and walked away. Isabella was standing there staring at me with her mouth hanging open. "Oh my God!" she squealed loudly as Taylor was out of our sight. Her squeal earned us lots or weird stares, but I couldn't care less. "I can't believe it! One of the hottest guys I have ever met asked you out!" she screamed excitedly. Again, we earned ourselves some weird looks by students who were passing by, but I didn't care, and apparently, neither did Isabella. It was obvious, as she went on squealing and jumping up and down like a five year old kid.
"You like him!" she sang as we were making our way to our first class, which was Biology.
"I don't," I protested and shook my head. I probably don't like him more than a friend...or do I? Could I like him more than a friend and be unaware of it..?
"Aww, you do!" she smiled as I sat down on a desk at the back of the class, like I usually did. Due to the seating arrangement, she had to sit on the desk in front of me. "You do like him, you just haven't realized it! I am sure about it, Emily. The same thing had happened to me a year ago."
I looked at her. "What do you mean by that?"
She smiled. "I mean that," she trailed off and took her Biology book out of her bag, "about a year ago, I was friends with a guy from my Art class. He was really kind and sweet to me. He asked me out on a date, and only then did I realize I had a crush on him."
"Are you still together?" I asked her.
Isabella frowned and shook her head. "No, he turned out to be a jerk. We were together for five months, though. So, when he asked me out, I realized that I liked him more than a friend. But, in the end, I realized I didn't really like him. I was just excited because he liked me, and I was under the impression that I liked him too." She looked at me in the eyes. "My point is, Taylor seems like a really cool guy. Just don't do the same mistake as me...I can tell that you're going to like him even more, though..." she winked at me. "I have to use the restroom. If the teacher comes on time, tell her that I am there." With that, she walked away. The teacher was going to be late, as always. I sighed and took my Biology book and a notebook out of my bag. Did I like him...or didn't I..?
I sighed again. Boys are weird. They become even weirder when they ask you out and you're at a loss of words and unaware of your feelings.
"Hey there, loser!" someone laughed and sat down next to me. The whole class started laughing with her, as if what she said was a really funny joke. By the irritating, high pitched voice, I could tell that it was one of those fake, annoying girls. I turned around to face her. It turned out that it was Gabriella.
"Oh, it's you again! What the hell do you want from me?!" I yelled at her. Oh, yelling at your enemies feels so nice...
Gabriella's laughter was replaced by a frown and an expression full of anger. "Hey, who gave you the right to talk shit like that to me?!" she screamed. Annoying her was really amusing.
Everyone was staring at us, probably waiting until either me or Gabriella picked up a fight. I never understood why people enjoy seeing other people fighting and beating each other so much. It's just stupid.
Gabriella slapped me so hard that I was sure my cheek was red. Oh, that's what you do if your remarks aren't good enough to irritate other people who you hate for no reason. "I repeat, how dare you talk to me like that, you freak?!" she exclaimed. "I will destroy you! I will make your misery life a living hell!" she went on yelling and talking sheer nonsense. That girl was officially crazy. I would even pay someone to send her away to the mental hospital.
"My life is probably misery because an ugly girl named Gabriella, who's really fake and doesn't know how to tell people off is sitting right next to me now." I retorted. Not the best remark, but it worked. It pissed her off more than I had thought that it would.
"Did you just call me ugly?!" she shouted at me.
I smirked. "It's about time someone told the truth about you." I shrugged. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"
I could see someone's pale hands keeping her away from me. "You stay away from her!" the kid shouted. From the voice, I could tell that it was a guy. "You have no right to hurt her and treat her like that!" he went on yelling and started cursing at Gabriella. I started laughing. That guy reminded me of Neil. He's the only one who would start cursing ceaselessly at everyone who would get his nerves.
Oh wait. The guy who's cursing at Gabriella right now is Neil. Awesome. A popular is getting on my nerves and makes fun of me, causing the entire class to laugh at me, and then the guy who dislikes me that much comes here to my rescue.
Gabriella turned around to face Neil. She shot him a death glare before screaming at him. "Do you think that you can tell me what to do? I am not being ordered by anyone, especially by depressed persons like you!" she yelled and tried to punch him, but he held her hands so as not to hit anyone, and she couldn't do anything.
Wait. Did she just called him a depressant?
"How dare you treat me like that, you freak?!" Gabriella went on shouting. "No one treats me like that!" she screamed, emphasizing the word 'me'. What a conceited person.
Neil smirked. "Of course I dare. I never treated people like you in a kind way, because you don't deserve it."
"To my surprise, Gabriella didn't yell at him. "People like me?"
Neil shrugged. "Yeah, people like you. Fake people. People who only care about their social status and the clothes they are going to wear so as to impress jocks. People who think that they're perfect and superior to everyone else. People like you, who treat people like Emily badly, just because they're jealous of them. You," he pointed an accusing finger at Gabriella, "you are fake. You are sad, you are not yourself. But, of course, you won't admit it."
The entire class was staring at Gabriella and Neil. They seemed to be amazed by the speech he gave, or whatever that was. What he said was true, though.
Gabriella's mouth dropped open. I tried my best to keep a straight face. "Go to hell!" she yelled. "Go away from me! I don't want to hear any more of your lies! How dare you call me," she pointed at herself as if she was the most beautiful girl in the world, "ugly?! I am not ugly! You are ugly, and you look like a freak!" She pointed a finger at Neil and went on talking. "Look at you! You are dressed in black, and you wear make up! Eww!" she laughed at him.
If I were Neil, I don't know how I would react. I'd probably lock myself in one of the bathroom stalls and cry myself dry. His reaction caused me to burst out in hysterical laughter. He smiled at her, then flipped her off.
Gabriella scoffed as she grabbed her stuff and stood up. "I was tired of you anyways," she said and walked away from us. Neil was about to walk away too. "Where are you going?" I asked.
"To take a seat."
"Want to sit with me?" I offered. "I think that the chair next to me is the only one that's empty."
He ignored me and continued looking around the class, but there weren't any empty seats except for the one next to me. He looked at me. "Can I sit here?"
I nodded and made some space for him. He sat down next to me, but we didn't talk or anything. Unlike Isabella, who passed me notes and was so hyperactive that she couldn't stop talking or laughing, he was really quiet. At a point, I had even wondered if he was alive. His quietness scared me.
The teacher didn't come. Isabella didn't come back either. I was bored. As the bell finally rang, I grabbed my stuff and walked out of my classroom, only to bump into a girl who turned out to be Maria. "Is that rumor true?" she asked me.
"Which rumor?"
"Some people in my class were talking about Gabriella," Maria started and went on explaining to me what had happened. "It was said that she was going to sit next to you just to annoy you, and then a boy, who they obviously consider a freak, made her go away and you sat next to him." she finished and looked at me in the eyes, waiting for my answer.
I shrugged, not really caring about the rumors that the populars spread and the things that they said about people. "Yeah, that's what happened." I said.
Maria squealed. "Oh, I bet that this guy is awesome!" she exclaimed. "He sounds really nice!"
"That guy is Neil." I said.
"What about him?" asked Isabella as she walked up to us. I just shrugged and smiled. Maria started squealing again and explained what happened earlier. When she finished, Isabella let out an excited scream and a loud squeal. It was so loud that the students in the hall turned around to look at us. Oh nice. I can't help making a good exhibition of myself when Isabella is around and squeals like a primary school girl with a massive crush.
"See? I told you he likes you!" she smiled at me as we sat down on a table. "He really likes you!"
I sighed. It was lunch time and time was passing by so slowly. I just couldn't wait to go home. "Whatever."
"Don't whatever me," Isabella laughed. "I am sure about it."
I just shrugged. That guy seemed to hate me so much that I would have been dead by now, if his looks could kill people. Why would Maria and Isabella exclaim that he has a crush on me? And why would he help me out of a difficult situation again, since he loathes me?
Oh, him having a crush on me is just a figment of their imagination, I guess.
"Did he talk to you?" Maria asked.
I was about to speak, but instead, I let out a loud scream. A loud, crashing noise which seemed to be coming from the lockers scared me. What was going on, I didn't know. But I was going to find that out soon.
"Hey, where's that loud, annoying noise coming from?" Isabella wondered.
I shrugged as I stood up. "I think it's coming from the lockers, I'm going there to see what's the matter. Are you coming with me or not?"
The girls decided to come with me to see what was going on. As we were closer to the lockers, I could see some jocks gathered around a locker a few feet away from mine. Some of them were laughing and pointing at something or someone that caused them to laugh, and the others were yelling and cursing at someone. Only when I caught a glimpse of the tall, skinny boy laying on the dirty floor did I realize that the jocks were bullying someone again. I mean, for God's sake, can't a day pass by without them bullying a kid?
When they got bored of bullying the poor kid, they walked away from him laughing. I frowned and flipped them off. That kid didn't deserve to be treated like that. The sight of him laying there and having no one to help him made me want to pour poison down their throats. I ran to the boy, wanting nothing more than to help him. I felt really guilty. I was just standing there while the jocks were beating him, and I didn't do anything about that. I looked beside me and saw Taylor, who was standing next to Maria. He took a look at the beaten boy and frowned. He seemed to dislike that guy. The reason why is something I didn't know.
"Here," I said, fished some tissues out of my bag and placed it on his bleeding nose, "let me help you."
The boy let out a scream when I did so. Watching him laying on the floor in pain was something that I didn't like. I don't like it when people are in pain. And I sure as hell dislike people who cause pain to others without having a reason to. "Thank you," he said. His soft voice was low. It was familiar to me.
"You're welcome." I smiled at the guy. "Can you stand up? Do you need any help?" I offered.
"I don't need anyone's help. I can do it on my own. I am not someone for whom you should feel sorry!" the boy snapped and looked at me. The expression that he wore expressed no emotion at all. When he looked at me, though, it changed into an angry one. He glared at me with those breathtaking light gray eyes of his before standing up and walking away.
I sighed as I looked at him. I didn't know Neil at all, I guess, but a thing I knew about him was that he always claimed he didn't need anyone's help when someone offered to help him and he really did needed help. And right now, he needed help, whether or not it was mine. He was walking towards the boys' restroom, but I doubted he'd make it to the restroom. He was in pain, and all I wanted was to help him, and lessen the pain, if possible. But, of course, he had to snap and yell, and in the end, he walked away, as always.
But still, I wanted to be friends with him and get to know him better.
I sighed. There was nothing I could do...Wait. Apart from waiting for him so as to talk to him, there was nothing else I could no. Talking to him wasn't such a good idea, but, hey! I was going to do this anyways. It's about time I knocked some sense into him and made him realize how much of a stubborn and rude kid he is.
I started running towards him, and grabbed him by the hand. That caused him even more pain, but, at that moment, I didn't care so much about that. All I wanted was to talk to him, or better, all I wanted to do was to yell at him, and I'd do it no matter what. Everytime I was kind to him, he either took his anger out on me or walked away. That's fine. War is the answer. I'm going to do the same. It's about time I treated him just like he does. "You know what," I started, but didn't finish my sentence. He cut me off.
"No! Just leave me alone! You-"
"-no, I won't leave you alone unless you-"
"-there is no way I'm going to listen to what you have to say!" he screamed at me.
I ignored his screams and went on talking. "You," I yelled and pointed an accusing finger at him, "you are going to listen to what I have to say to you, because you-"
"What if I don't want to listen to you?" he questioned. He wasn't yelling anymore. He was calm, and his voice was soft and barely audible, as usually. "Please, leave me alone." he begged me. "You don't want to get to know me better." With that, he let go of my hand and walked into the boys' restroom.
Ha. That was fine with me. I was going to wait right here for him.
Ten minutes had passed by, and he finally walked out of the restroom. He was about to walk away when I stopped him. "Where are you going? I want to have a word with you."
He sighed, but didn't turn around to look at me. "What?!"
"What?!" I mocked him. "Don't act as if you don't know why I am waiting for you!"
He turned around and looked at me into the eyes. If I wasn't so angry at him, I would have started daydreaming of him. To my surprise, he wasn't angry. He just seemed...sad. "I am sorry!" he screamed at me. "Okay? I am so fucking sorry for everything!"
I tried not to stare at him with my mouth hanging open. Wow. The annoying, rude, yet beautiful kid who never apologized and never needed anyone's help apologized to me.
"What?"
"I said I am sorry!" he repeated.
"Let me hear you saying it again." I smirked.
My words infuriated him. "What do you want from me?!" he shouted. A few students were staring at us, but I didn't care at all.
I looked at him. "I want you to tell me why you are sorry."
"You know what," he started and let out a sigh, "you are right! You were right all along! I am annoying, and I am an idiot!" he yelled. "I didn't treat you the way you deserve to be treated, but do you know why? No, you don't! Do you think that I want to get to know you, trust you, and then get hurt? How am I supposed to know if you will betray me in the future? Do you think that I want to get hurt again?"
Again?
"But I was wrong, okay? I was wrong! I was under the impression that you're one of those people who make friends with people and then betray them and break their hearts and hurt them, because the majority of people who wanted to make friends with me turned out to be like those people! I'm sorry for thinking you were one of them I had no idea you are one of the few people who wanted to be friends with me and I wanted to get to know to meet you better but I was afraid that you'd betray me like everyone would do but you're different from them and when I figured that out I realized I was mean to you and now I know that you're not like them." He looked away pointed a finger at some popular kids, then looked back at me. "That's why I am sorry."
"Does it mean that you want to hang out with me?" I asked.
He looked away again. "You don't even like me. I am horrible."
"Look at me." I said. He reluctantly did as I said so. "If I thought that you were a terrible person, would I be there right now?"
He didn't answer.
"If I thought that you were horrible," I went on talking, "would I want to hang out with you?"
He smiled at me. Apart from bright and beautiful, his smile was contagious as well. I smiled back at him, and, to my surprise, he pulled me into a big, tight hug.
By far, that was the best school day ever.