Chapter 2

“Emma?”

Every time she's around, my heart races like it's running a marathon, and I can't help but feel a little flustered. When our eyes meet, it's like we're the only two people in the world. I break away from her gaze, and suddenly words escape me. I can't maintain that intense connection. What on earth is she up to? I mean, weren't we supposed to be on opposite sides?

“Emma..” I softly utter her name again, but still, she doesn't respond. She's just there, casting her gaze upon me. Without giving it much thought, I gently slide next to her and, surprisingly, I manage to make it to the door. That's the moment I decide to run. I find myself sprinting until I've left the school building far behind. I don't stop, I keep running, all the way home.

As soon as I reached home, I gently opened the door and carefully closed it behind me. I let out a deep sigh just before my mom appeared.

“Honey? Why are you out of breath, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine mom.. just tired,” Before taking another breath, I respond to her, then gently make my way to my room. I close the door behind me and let myself sink into the comfort of my bed. Reaching out, I softly pick up my pillow and press it against my face.

“Hon?” My mother parks herself on my bed beside me, liberating the pillow from my face. I haul myself into a sitting position and just stare at her. Not a single word would dare escape my lips, it was too mortifying.

“Ben, what happened? You seem a little.. frustrated?”

“I’m not frustrated mom, I’m blushing.” I cover my face and snatch the pillow back, squeezing it.

“Blushing? Wait wh- oh I see, is this about Emma? What did she do now to make you all.. flustered?”

“It’s not only what she does. it’s also what she says! I have no idea what’s going on anymore.” I stutter, covering my face. I can just feel my mom smirking. She slightly smiles, pats my shoulder, and leaves my room. That was very helpful.

For the rest of the day, I couldn’t get my mind straight. All I could think about was what happened in the classroom. CURSE HER BEAUTY.

Finally, it was night, I couldn’t even sleep. I start tossing and turning until I fell out of my bed. Then all of a sudden I hear someone laughing. I get up and I see her. Emma. What the actual fûck was she doing here?

“Emma? What the hell? How do you know where I- never mind. Why are you here?” I have no idea what to say right now.

“Don’t worry about that right now Ben.” She smiles at me, so bright, so.. soft. What in the world is going on? The way she’s looking at me, it makes me feel so nervous.. and that excites me. I’ve never felt like this before.

She slowly starts making her way towards me, but I back up just until I fall, sitting back down, on my bed. I have nowhere else to go. She cornered me. She leans in and touches my cheek with her soft and hold hand which gave me chills. She starts leaning in even closer, oh god. Are we- is this- is she going to kiss me? She grabs the back of my scalp and she starts spreading her fingers through my hair. It looked like she was about to kiss me but then she stopped and whispered in my ear.

“Wake up,” she said, in a very soft voice.

That’s when I knew. My alarm went off, and I nearly yelled. It was all a dream. I, Ben.. just had a dream about my enemy, Emma.

I change my clothes, I didn’t care about what I was wearing to school anymore. Now I just pick out the first thing I see in my closet. I wore a tight àss black shirt with sweatpants. I don’t care anymore. I rub my eyes as I walk down and grab my backpack.

“Ben? Where are you going?” My mom stopped me.

“School. I’ll get breakfast on the way, you don’t have to waste your time making it for me anymore. Go do something else, like go out. You never have fun any more mom. Why don’t you go out today? Enjoy yourself.” I leave and shut the door behind me. Shît, I forgot my glasses. Oh well, I’ll try to get through the day. I’ll ask Carmen if he has an extra pair. I have two pairs. I gave Carmen one of them just in case. Maybe he has it. Hopefully.

“Yo! What’s up Be- HOLY SHÎT DUDE..” Carmen squeezed my arm.

“Dude, don’t do that..”

“Woah! You look extra hot man! You aren’t even wearing your glasses!” He yelled.

“Are you hiding a spare in your secret stash, or are we playing hide and seek with them?”

“No chance, bro! I'm not handing it over. Miraculously, you're on the verge of escaping the singles' club! What stirred the winds of change? Weren't you the unofficial brand ambassador of plaid shirts and jeans combo?”

“Indeed, I've chosen to stop. I no longer concern myself with my attire. I simply select the first thing I see. Is there a problem with that?”

“Dude.. you have abs! And you’re wearing a TIGHT shirt! All the girls LOVE guys that wear tight shirts, especially when they have abs!” He starts grinning at me. Then he pushed me inside the school building. I could already feel everyone’s eyes locking on me. Everyone’s starring.

Isn't it true that some girls are drawn to guys who wear glasses? However, sometimes I wonder... I may not exactly be the type of guy that a girl would typically fall for. I see myself as rather ordinary, and it feels like I haven't experienced genuine fun yet. Perhaps I'm not designed to be the kind of guy a girl would fall for.

Stepping into the school structure, with a sense of skepticism, I make my way into the classroom at a brisk pace. As all gazes turned my way, I felt a sudden surge of discomfort. I was unsure if I should express my feelings or pretend to be unbothered by sitting down. Would speaking up make things better? Or would maintaining silence serve me well? Perhaps I'm just indulging in a bit of healthy paranoia.

Casting my eyes around the room, I tried to spot Emma. But it seemed she was nowhere to be found. Could it be that she didn't come in today?

The instructor gracefully steps in, gently urging everyone to find a seat and settle into quietness. This hush stirred within me a disquieting unease, mingling with a simmering irritation. Yet, she was still nowhere to be seen, where could she be?

In the middle of the lecture, my leg starts to quiver intensely before abruptly halting. I become motionless.

“Benjamin Velez, it appears you are receiving a phone call. Would you please consider stepping outside the classroom to attend to it?” Mr. Uttum phrases.

A phone call? Who on earth would be interested in calling me? Perhaps it's some sort of joke.

“Hello?” I nervously answer.

“Ben?” The whisper echoes through the phone. Instantly, I recognized precisely who it was.

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