As i got into my car i felt a tear rolling down my face, i really tried to stop these feelings i was having for him and in fact i don't even know where they came from. It was as if they bubbled up from some where underneath. I don't need a troubled boy i just don't. Then why couldn't i stop thinking about him?       

        I called Katlyn, she answered the phone on the third ring. "Hey girl what's up? Did you figure out if you like him?" She asked. I didn't say anything i just sniffled. "Oh no you do. You like him don't you?"  She asked sympathetically.

       "Yes, i don't even know why i like him so much." I said. "Because you like a challenge." "Yes but he pegged me. He said i hide behind studying so that i don't get hurt. And i let him in. I shouldn't have done that. I should have been studying instead of in his room almost kissing him." I said bitterly.

 "You almost..." Her voice rose. "Please be excited about that later I'm to hurt and so so embarrassed." I said. "Where do i go from here? I don' think i can just get over him and move on." I said. "Right well so what we need is a plan." She exclaimed. "What do you mean?" I asked.

        "Well you're embarrassed you like him and he doesn't like you right?" She asked. "Yea so?" I asked wanting her to clarify. "Well don't give him the satisfaction, find somebody else." She said matter of factly "And? I just said i couldn't just get over him." I said.

        "Duh, i mean... make him jealous, and if he doesn't like you then it just looks like you didn't like him either. You can save face." She said. "I don't like lying but i don't see any other way out of this. I'll do it." My phone beeped and it was him. "He's calling should i answer?" I asked. "Sure tell him your on the phone with a guy making a date and you need to get back to him." She said. "No i don't think i will, i think I'll just wait till Monday." I rolled my neck back and it popped.  "Okay then, I'll back up whatever story you want to spin." She said. "Ok thank you glad i have somebody in my corner." "Girl I'm always in your corner." She said. "Ok thanks I'll see you at school on Monday."

       Monday at school i was sitting next to Ryan. Ryan and i had been friends since ninth grade. But Tyler didn't know that. "So look I'm really sorry to ask you this." I said after i had explained my plan to him. "It's ok you want me to make some guy jealous i can do that." He smiled.

             I play swatted him. "Oh, here he comes." I said putting my arm around him. "Brooke can we talk?" Tyler asked. I snuggled up next to Ryan. "Sure have a seat." I said. "No I'll just stand." He said eyeing Ryan. "Look what happened the other night i wanted to tell you that i was sorry." He said scratching the back of his neck. 

         "Oh it's ok." I said. "You didn't have to leave." He said. I didn't have to leave? Why didn't you try to stop me then?? "I did though i had a date and i didn't want to be late." I said. "Oh really, and this is him?" He asked confused. "Yes Tyler this is Ryan. Ryan this is my study buddy." "Hm ok then." Katlyn walked up behind him. "Don't they make just the cutest couple?" She asked nudging him. "Yea sure." He said. "Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?" He asked. "Never came up." I shrugged. "But i literally asked you about your last boyfriend what do you mean it never came up?" He asked.  "I dunno, but it's not like anybody else was interested in me right? So why do you care?" I asked almost coldly. "Right, well that's it then." He said walking off.

       Katlyn took a seat next to me. "I think that worked." She said. "Yea I'm a good fake boyfriend." Said Ryan. "Yes you are, and how about you are you ok?" She asked me. "No not really i did this and I'm still hurt. How messed up is that?" I asked. "Maybe you should of just told him that." Said Ryan. 

       "But Katlyn said.." "Don't blame me i just suggested and you agreed." She said. "Look i don't mind being your fake boyfriend. You know me happy to help. But guys are dense. You might think he doesn't like you but i think he's just scared. You have to tell us that you like us cause sometimes we don't know it." He said.

       "Maybe you're right, what if i messed up my one chance at him? What if he wants to date another girl?" I asked. "Him? Yea right if he wanted to date he would. Plenty of girls are interested in him. Besides i think he'd wanna date you." "You would think right? But he doesn't. Maybe Ryan's right. Maybe i should just tell him." I said.

       "And if he doesn't return those feelings?" Kaitlyn asked. "Then at least i tried and i don't have to live with this lie." I said. Tyler walked back up to me. "Just to let you know I'm going to ask Ms. Vale for a different English partner things are just to weird." He said. 

       I excused myself and got up. "Woah what do you mean too weird? Because i got a boyfriend? I don't understand." I said. "Of course you don't." He said frowning. "You were letting me in! Don't kick me back out. Tell me what you mean!!" I said. "Sorry reservation only and you just lost yours." He said. "But how i didn't do anything. I thought we had something and clearly i was wrong. So if you don't like me why can't i try to move on? Isn't that what you've been telling me? Stop hiding? Let people in." 

       "That's part of why I'm mad if you really thought we had something why would you be moving on so quickly?" He asked. "I don't know. Why won't you either deny or return the feelings. It's like I'm playing volley ball with you sometimes I'm almost sure that you like me and other days i don't know what's going on. And that day at the mall. You couldn't even say one nice thing to me! All i got was not gross." " I told you i wasn't good at giving compliments." "Well I'm sorry I'm so hard to compliment!" I said. 

       "Fine, you want me to say you looked hot in that dress? Fine okay you looked hot in that dress." He said holding his hand out. "And when you drew me i thought you'd make me look ugly because it's how you saw me..." "I could never make you look ugly." He said quietly. 

       Ryan came up and glared at Tyler. "Hey man you need to back up and not hurt my girl." I elbowed him in the ribs and he groaned. "Fine." Said Tyler walking off. "Dang it Ryan he was about to tell me if he liked me or not why did you do that?" I asked. "Because some guy was hurting my girl?" He asked. "I'm not really your girl." "I know that but you didn't tell me to stop, sorry." He said apologetically.  

       "It's fine I'll be right back." I ran over to Tyler. "Can i talk to you? I wasn't quite done." I said. "Look I'd rather not i don't have much to say to you and you clearly don't have much to say to me why don't you go and find your boyfriend maybe he'd like to talk." He said.

        "Don't be like this. Please." I said. "You started it. I am going to get a different partner like i said. And when i come over to study don't talk to me, don't look at me just think of me as a paper weight ok?" He asked. "But why? Can't we at lest be friends?" I asked. "No butts just do that for me ok?" He said.

         "Fine if that's really want you want." I said wiping my eyes as tears streamed down my face. "It's what i want." He said stalking off. "Great." I walked back over to Katlyn and Ryan. "Well Ryan looks like we can break up now." I said. "But we were just getting started." He joked. "Yea funny." I said sarcastically. "What did he say?" Asked Kaitlyn curious. 

       "That he didn't want to talk to me or even see me for that matter but he has the mentor thing,  so when he comes over he asked me not to even talk to him how can one person be so mean?" I asked. "I don't know i thought he liked you but maybe he doesn't." She said thoughtfully. "What? Why do you say that?" I asked. "Well i just figure if he liked you he'd try harder. He just got mad and gave up. But maybe he was mad because he liked you? I don't know guys are so confusing." Said Kaitlyn. "Yes they are, but now too not even want to talk to me and why all because i got a fake boyfriend?" I asked. "Maybe you did hurt him?" She asked. "I don't think that's even possible he went through some stuff and it seems...i don't know like this didn't even phase him." I said shaking my head wearily. "I'm sure on the outside he seems like this big tough guy but on the inside he's a sweetie don't worry dear he can't ignore you forever." She said.

       You'd be surprised how easy him 'not ignoring' me was. He came over Thursday to study for a test. We rode in my car he didn't say a word. So i didn't either. When we got inside i asked him if he was thirsty. He didn't say anything so if he was thirsty he'd die of thirst before he asked me for something to drink.

        I tried again asking if he needed any help with anything. He ignored me. So if he did, which i doubt he did he was going to fail. I tried again asking when he wanted to start with sat prep. He ignored me a third time by this point i was getting pretty mad. I took the book out and slammed it on the table  "Test's are in a month here take this and study you jerk!" He picked the book up and with out so much as a thank you put it in his bag.

       Then when it was time to go home i tried for a forth time. "Do you want a ride home? If you can't answer me i can't take you home." I said. He got his stuff together and walked outside when i got out there he was sitting in my car. I guess he can. I drove him home. When we got there i looked at him. "Are you ever going to talk to me again?" He just glared at me, opened the car door and got out. Well that answers that.       When i got to school the next day i opened my locker and a ton of papers fell out. I bent down and picked them up. When i started to look through them i saw they were pictures of me. I noticed the signature was the same as the one that Tyler had drawn of me the other day. There were tons of pictures. All drawn perfectly from memory. How had he studied my features enough to get them so perfect?  And they were all good. I had to find him. 

       When i did i slammed them down on the floor by where he was sitting. "Do you want to tell me the meaning of this? You don't talk to and pretty much ignore me, you're rude and mean to me and then you go and do this? How can i ever get over you if you won't let me." I asked. "Won't Ryan help you with that?" 

       "I thought i was a terrible liar? Ryan and i were never dating i was embarrassed when you didn't kiss me when we were tickling you really hurt my feelings and i chalked it up to you didn't like me back." I said. "Well then maybe your not as smart as i thought." He said. "What does that mean? I try to kiss you and you pretty much reject me what was i supposed to think?" I asked.                   "That maybe i wasn't ready to kiss you, look i had a girlfriend who i loved but when my mom died i just cut her out. I don't want something else to happen and then me just give you the boot i wanted to make sure i really liked you before i just jumped in. I mean the way me and you fought so much in the begging i was thinking wow this chick has issues." He said. "Well so i thought you had issues too." I retorted. "I'm sure." He said. "Why didn't you just tell me that? I'm not a mind reader. If you needed time that's fine i wouldn't have gotten hurt if you had just told me that." I said. "Okay i guess you're right. I'm sorry." He said. 

       "Now what?" I asked. "I need some time and i hope you're not mad?" He said. "Of course not if you'll stop being so confusing. Look i just wanted to know if you liked me. I'm not asking for a commitment. I just don't want to want somebody i can't have. It's agonizing" I said. He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
       "What's not to like you're crazy beautiful and so smart and funny and sexy." He said. "Awe thanks, you're getting better at that complimenting thing." I said." "Of course, I'm sorry if i hurt you." He said standing up and walking to his locker. He smiled at me as he got some books out of his locker. "Come on we have to get to English. 

       A girl walked up to him. "Hi I'm Katie, you're Tyler right?" She asked him, smiling and giggling. "Yea i am." She grabbed his arm. "Wow you are so strong, come on walk me to class." He just said we had to get to English he's not going to walk her there. He turned to me. "I'll see you there?" He asked. "Yea sure." I said. If he wanted time, he'd get time. I turned and walked to class by myself. Tyler finally showed up about thirty seconds before the bell rang. Boys were so confusing. He blows his top because i have a fake boyfriend. He tells me I'm crazy beautiful then he walks some other girl to class? I mean what!? Guys were REALLY confusing. I'm not even sure they were even worth all the trouble some days.