It had been very difficult to look him in the eye. She tried to smile at him once, but he simply turned his head, ignoring her attempts at piecing back together their relationship.

She had him for five out of six classes. He didn't say happy birthday to her once that day.

And it hurt like hell. His brother, who she rarely spoke to, said a quick happy birthday and they exchanged a light smile and laugh. It stung. She knew he obviously remembered — she had been carrying around a handful of balloons and posters made by her friends — but he chose to look over the fact that the girl who was once so hung up over him was celebrating her sweet 16.

She tried not to cry that day. She had been looking forward to it, after all. Sometimes she needed a reminder that she was loved.

Her homecoming dance was the week before. She didn't have a date, as usual, but she accompanied her friend who had just gotten her heart broken three days before the dance.

It was the first time she felt single and happy. She was all for not needing a man and all of that, but there are certain times when she wanted someone to share all of her feelings with. This dance made her feel the happiest she had ever been in months. She danced in the most embarrassing ways and sang like she wasn't tone deaf. She didn't feel ashamed. She didn't care if he was watching or the fact that he danced with someone else during the slow songs. She had her group of friends, a gorgeous dress, and herself.

The aftermath hurt more. He had blatantly talked about his newfound crush in front of her, and was practically beaming as he divulged on what it was like to dance with her. She hated him. God, she wanted him to stop talking.

She knew he had a type. He loved to chase after the gorgeous girls. He didn't know a damn thing about them, but he chose their looks over personality. She felt so rude saying it, but she liked it when he discovered that they weren't all he cracked up to be. They usually never had similar interests with him and didn't understand his humor.

She did. But because she wasn't blessed with a natural, stereotypical 'beautiful' face, he looked over her.

So she decided to let him come to this realization alone. She wanted nothing to do with him anymore. He was scum to her, and he treated her like she was nothing. And he made her feel like she was nothing.

But she knew that wasn't the case. She's SOMETHING. Something that someone is going to love someday. Just because one guy couldn't realize that wasn't her problem. She came to the conclusion that she didn't need to change herself or her appearance. She was perfect the way she was, but she just wasn't perfect for him.

For a couple of days, she kept to her own. She focused on her grades, which definitely needed major improvement (in her eyes, anyway. most people said they would die to have the grades she did), and her family.

So she sat in her least favorite class, Trigonometry Honors, and bit her lip, waiting for class to start. She heard a small voice speak to her and she turned her head.

His eyes sparkled as they stared at her, and one corner of his mouth lifted upwards into a small smile.

"Happy birthday."

It was the calm before the storm.