If I wanted to talk to Karter I needed to corner him, force my friendship on him when he least expected. But I needed resources to do that. What better intel then from his own flesh and blood?

I hunted down Madeline after classes only to find her talking to one of her friends. They both stopped upon seeing me. I could see why Jared was so crazy about her. She was beautiful, maybe even sexy. I knew I had nothing on her despite how confident I was about my looks.

"Hey Madeline, do you have a second?" I asked.

Her friend turned to her before leaving. "I'll see you later."

When we were alone, Madeline looked at me curiously. "What's up? Did Jared--"

"No, no! This is about me, sort of. It's just that I was paired up with Karter for a project and I don't know how to reach him. Do you know how I'd be able to talk to him?" I said feeling my hands starting to sweat. I hated lying! Will she catch me in my lie? My parents always caught me lying. Well, there was always the fact that they were lawyers so it would not have been a surprise if they did catch me but still.

I held my breath waiting for her answer.

"His phone broke the other day, he should have it fixed this week," she said apologetically.

Darn it!

"Do you know where I could find him? Maybe I could just meet with him instead?"

Wow, that was a good one! Smart thinking Livia!

Face to face interactions were better if we going to make this friendship work.

Madeline looked weary. "You could visit him at work. He's at Momo's today."

He worked at a diner?

Madeline spotted something behind my shoulder as a small smile crept on her lips. She looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry but I need to go, can I help you with anything else?"

"Not at the moment, thank you for your time," I smiled kindly. She returned the smile before walking away. I watched her leave only to find she had met with my brother. Jared looked at her with twinkling eyes. It sort of wasn't fair that Karter wouldn't let anyone date his sister. It was her choice to be with whoever she wanted. This was also the first time Jared had been desperate about a girl like this. He had always gotten what he wanted, I guess this was the first time he didn't. He was so close to finish line, but yet so so far.

So, my next target: Momo's.

I texted Jared that I wasn't going home with him today. Instead, I walked down to Momo's, a fifteen-minute walk away from our school. Manny wanted to join me but I did not want to be embarrassed by Karter in front of anyone. The less witnesses the better.

My stomach grumbled reminding me of the lunch I didn't eat because of Karter. I ordered a cheeseburger and some fries with something to wash it down. I took a seat in one of the booths looking around patiently for Karter. He appeared suddenly wiping a table and putting the dirty plates in a bucket. I noticed that he wasn't in his usual tattered black sweater. Instead, he was in a well fitted black t-shirt showing off his well-toned arms. I knew there was a nice body somewhere behind that sweater. Those wide shoulders were there for a reason. His dark hair was tied back in a man bun showing off his face for the first time. From this angle, all I could see was how he had a very strong jaw line and pretty attractive neck. Was it weird that I was attracted to his neck?

Okay, what was I supposed to do now? Maybe I should just wait for him to notice me. Maybe he'll attempt conversation if I was lucky. I ate my meal with no luck of having Karter even look my way. He would just alternate between wiping down the tables and picking up plates before disappearing into the kitchen for a while. I decided to give up and do something productive like my homework.

After twenty minutes of torture, I stared at my math homework trying to understand what I did to deserve math in my life.

Tapping the pencil on my chin, I thought out loud. "If Y is 14 then X is..."

"3.5 if you round it."

I yelped in shock at the voice, my pencil flying somewhere under the table. Karter stood beside me balancing a grey bucket on his hip. His eyes were shooting daggers.

"Holy shit Karter!" I held a hand to my chest feeling it's heavy heart beat. He scared the life out of me! "What are you doing here?"

"I work here. The better question is what are you doing here?" he asked. From this angle, I could see his face perfectly clear. Despite his angry expression, Karter was very attractive. I was right about the Pierce genes. His face was strongly structured, all hard lines but yet with a touch of softness. It made breathing a lot more harder. Why didn't he wear his hair up all the time or even cut it? The world has been denied his face for too long. I knew Manny would be going on about his looks with me if he was here. "Are you following me now Murphy?"

"N-no! I'm home-eating! I mean I'm doing my homework and eating," I rambled like an idiot. Home-eating? I could just die! I've come to realize that Karter was an expert at catching me at my most embarrassing moments.

He gave me a look like he didn't believe me. I was actually telling the truth... sort of. My father taught me the best way to lie is to tell a perfectly edited truth. Lawyers were creepily good at fabricating them.

"You work here?" I tried to keep the conversation going and take the attention off my being here.

"I just said that," he gave me a pointed look. Right. He did. Reason why this is going to fail #42763.

"I meant how long have you been working here?" I tried again. Please work, please--

"Why do you care?" He narrowed his eyes at me trying to decipher my motives.

"I'm just being nice," I frowned. Why was he so against conversation?

"Whatever," he mumbled before he turned to walk away.

"Wait!" I called after him. Karter stopped in his track, his broad shoulders tensing up.

He turned around with a look of impatience on his face. "What?"

Quick! Say something!

"Uh, you're good at math," I said pathetically. How did he get the answer right just by looking at it? He had to be good at math, right?

"And?"

Quick, think of something!

I blurted the first thing that popped into my head. "Tutor me?"

Yes!

His lips set in a straight line. "No."

No?

Why was he so difficult to deal with?!

"Why not? I'll- I'll pay you!" I offered. The mortified expression that took over his face had me regretting what I had just said. Note to self: do not offer Karter money, ever.

Karter slammed the grey bucket on the table in front of me. "I'm not a charity case. I don't need your parent's money and I don't need your friendship. I don't know what you want from me, but whatever it is, stop it."

Anger boiled in me as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

"Why are you such an ass? You know, maybe that's why you don't have any friends! If a person is nice to you, you drive them away with your bad attitude!" I yelled back.

"Maybe I want to drive people away, ever thought of that princess?" He said with venom dripping from his every words.

"I haven't done anything bad to you! Why are you so hostile with me?" I asked realizing an angry tear fell down my cheek. I wiped it quickly embarrassed it managed to escape. I cried when I was really angry, and I hated letting people see me cry. See my dilemma?

A look of regret flashed in Karter's eyes before he replaced it with his usual hard demeanour. Without a word he walked away. Maybe I should give up. I've gotten nowhere with him. In fact, I think being strangers was a closer relationship we had then this hatred thing we have going on now.

I gave up. I couldn't do this with him anymore. I hated being unwanted, why would I subject myself to it? It hurt.

I started stuffing my stuff in my bag ready to leave before a waitress in her early forties came and placed a piece of chocolate cake in front of me.

"Sorry, I didn't order this," I said looking confused at the plate.

She gave me a wink and a smile. "It's someone's way of saying sorry."

Someone... Sorry...

She was about to walk away but I stopped her.

"W-wait... Was it Karter?" I asked. I couldn't imagine him apologizing for anything, at all. It was like the grinch handing out flowers to strangers.

"Yeah, give him another chance. He seems tough, but he's a good kid," said the waitress before making her way back to the kitchen.

I waited patiently for Karter to come back out. He didn't. It was starting to get dark and I needed to get home before Jared went crazy on me. Whenever my parents were out of town or stayed late in their firm, Jared would take the role of a parent even though there was only a few minutes between Jared and I. He had claimed responsibility and I couldn't be more grateful even though he could be very annoying at times.

I walked up to the waitress who gave me the cake earlier who was now behind the counter.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know where Karter is?" I asked hopefully.

"He's on dishwashing duty. His shift ends soon," she said before looking down at her wrist watch. "Ten minutes."

I ordered a tea and sat on one of the stools drinking it slowly. Fifteen minutes passed and he still wasn't out yet. It wasn't until another fifteen minutes that Karter was walking out with his usual black sweater. Before I could even get off the stool, he had already made it out the store. Darn his long legs!

Picking up my bag, I ran after him calling his name. "Karter!"

He turned around and looked at me in surprise.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked narrowing his eyes at me trying to figure me out.

"I wanted to say thank you, for the cake," I said shyly. There was enough light out that I could see a small blush appear on his cheeks.

He rubbed the back of his neck looking away from me. "Yeah whatever."

"I was serious before," I said.

"About what?" He asked looking back at me.

"Tutoring me, you're good. I remember seeing your name on the honour role board every year," I said. Always one of the top twenty students in our grade. I was always slightly envious.

"Can't," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Why not?" I frowned.

"I'm busy," he replied without a second thought.

"But we didn't even choose a day!" I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"I'm busy," he repeated.

He couldn't possibly be busy every day!

"B-but--"

Karter sighed while shaking his head. "Listen Murphy, I only gave you the cake because I didn't intend on making you cry. It was not a gesture of friendship. So just leave me alone, okay?"

Before I could tell him that it was definitely not okay, his long legs had already teleported him.

I stood there stunned and confused on the events that had just happened. When I thought a friendship was possible. Karter shut me down. I needed to try this again, but how do you befriend a person that does not want you to with every fibre in their bones?

Maybe I could do some research. I am sure there is a book out there on unrequited friendships. Tomorrow, I hit the library!

------------------------------

So Karter does have a heart.... sort of.

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