“You need to tell him!” Jessica slammed her hands on her desk. 
We were in our high school class room. First period of the day. We sat in the back of the class, but not all the way in the back. Not at the round table beside the teacher's desk. There were rows of desks and we were in the second to last row far away from the teacher's desk at the back of the room. Far away from the podium at the front of the room. 
“Tell who what?” I sat in my desk beside hers. She did not need to be so loud about this topic. Of course, I knew who she was talking about, but I wanted to avoid the topic until we were in a classroom that he wasn’t in. I didn’t care if he wasn’t in here right this moment, he could walk in at any second. 
“Damien, you know perfectly well who I'm talking about!” 
I give her a confused look. 
She sighed, “Liam.” 
I rolled my eyes. Like I mentioned I already knew she was talking about Liam. I certainly was not going to tell him that. 
“I’m not telling him Jessica.” 
“You have to!” 
“I don’t have to do anything!” 
“But Damien, just listen!” She pulled out her phone and started typing something in. 
“Jessica, I don’t want to talk about-”  
“Look!” she shoved her phone in my face. 
Liam. 
She was on his social media. His fluffy, neat, brown hair hanging over one of his eyes.  
Eyes. Those piercing, green eyes, they hit me like a knife every time I see him. 
It was his best picture. He was standing beside a tree in a gray hoodie, with a green scarf wrapped around his neck, black bootcut jeans, a black beanie on his head, and brown snow boots. He had a wide smile on his face like the joke the camera man was saying was actually funny. He had his hands in his hoodie pockets and was doubled over about to fall in the snow. This picture was my favorite. It showed he could laugh, it showed his smile, it showed he didn’t care how he looked. It was probably an accidental photo he didn’t know was being taken, but he decided it looked good so he posted it. Cole probably took the photo. He’s good at that stuff. As I was looking at the picture Jessica began talking. 
“He could be yours if you told him. You could say ‘He’s my Boyfriend!’” 
I cut her off, “But could, it’s a could be thing not a will be.” 
“But it’s better than a won’t be.” 
She has a point. “Maybe I will tell him." 
“That's the spirit!”  
We heard laughing in front of us.  
“He thinks Liam would date him. Yeesh, guess we have to break it to him Kayla. A popular guy like Liam being gay? No way!” 
“What a fool!” 
More laughing. It was Maddie and Kayla. Their a huge pain. They think everybody loves them. They think their perfect. They think they aren’t mean. They think they are nice all the time. I hate them.  
“What do you want Maddie?” Jessica barked. 
“Me? I don’t want anything! I’m just trying to explain to Damien that Liam wouldn’t date him. I don’t want Damien to get his feelings hurt. That’s all!” Maddie gasped offended. 
“How rude of you to assume!” Kayla quipped. 
I rolled my eyes. “What proof do you have that Liam won’t like me?” 
“I have no proof, but think if you did confess, he probably wouldn’t even talk to you again.” 
“Honestly surprised he talked to you in the first place.” Kayla sighed. 
“He probably felt bad for him.” Maddie pointed out. 
“Your probably right Maddie. Damien, it would probably be better for you if you just ignored him.” 
Jessica wasn’t having it.  
“And what if Damien did ignore Liam by any chance?” She stood up and slammed her hands on the desk pushing her chair back, "What good would it do him? Huh?” She spoke a little too loudly. 
“Jessica.” I mumbled tugging on her shirt. 
“Oh! Sorry Damien.” she quietly sat back down. 
I love Jessica, she’s a great friend. My best friend in fact, but she really needs to be quiet. But Maddie and Kayla have a point. I looked down at my hands in my lap, my black bangs falling in my face. I didn’t realize I was twiddling with my thumbs till now. 
I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked over. It was Jessica giving me a sympathetic look. 
“Don’t give up Idiot.” She mouthed then flicked my forehead. 
It’s just the way she cheers me up. I smile at her and nod. 
“Thank you Jess, I’m fine now.” I mouth back and give her a reassuring smile. A fake one of course What Maddie and Kayla said really got to me. 
“OW!” 
Jessica kicked me in my shin. I look at her like ‘what was that for?’ She gives me a stern look and nods her head towards Maddie and Kayla. 
We turn to look at them and they give us a weird look. 
“That right there is also why Liam would never date you.” Kayla gave a disgusted look. 
“Face it Damien, If you confess your bound to get hurt. I’m sorry, but that’s just how it is.” Maddie put her head in her hands. 
“Sorry Damien.” Kayla added and they both turned back around. 
I let my head fall and covered my face, tears threating to fall. I’ve had enough for today and it just began. Can I please just go home? 
“JUST SHUT UP! LIKE YOU KNOW LIAM! YOU JUST CHASE HIM AROUND ALL DAY HOPING HE’LL GIVE YOU HIS NUMBER!” Jessica snapped and nearly flipped her desk. 
Kayla and Maddie turned to her and gasped. 
“YEAH I KNOW I’M NOT DEAF I HAVE TO WATCH OVER THIS IDIOT AND MAKE SURE YOU IDIOTS DON’T HURT HIM!” She threw her hands in the air. 
“SHUT UP JESSICA!” I stood up and she looked at me with wide eyes. “I LOVE YOU, BUT I DON’T ALL WAYS NEED YOU TO HELP ME!” 
The room went quiet, and I realized I was crying. 
 “I JUST WON’T SAY ANYTHING TO LIAM. MADDIE AND KAYLA ARE RIGHT THERES NO WAY HE’D LIKE SOMEONE LIKE ME” I went off. 
I looked around the room and everyone was staring at me. Oh no. Please say Liam isn’t here. I quickly scanned around not seeing him. Thank God. I need to get out of here. Just for a while. 
I ran out the classroom door tears staining my face. I accidently ran in to somebody, but I didn’t open my eyes to see who it was. 
“I’m Sorry!” I pushed past them and ran towards the boy’s bathroom. 
I pushed myself past anybody else in the bathroom and got to a stall. I locked the door before I sat down. I heard feet quickly shuffling out of the bathroom to let me be alone. I sighed thankful and sat down and continued crying. 
I wish I wasn’t here. 
I shouldn’t have done that. 
I should have just kept my mouth shut. 
I should have just let Maddie and Kayla talk some sense into me. 
Liam. I tugged at my black hair. He’s so nice. I don’t deserve him. 
There’s no way a guy like him would like me. 
I heard footsteps walk into the bathroom. 
Go away please. I need to be alone. 
“Damien? Are you in here?” 
Liam. 
What’s he doing here? 
“Liam?” I managed to croak out his name 
“Damien!” he sounded relieved, “Can you please come out and talk to me?” 
How can I say no to Liam? I slowly unlocked the door and opened it.  
“Thank You.” he had a pleased look on his face. 
I stepped out of the stall and sat on the floor my back against the wall. 
“What do you want?” I asked. 
“You bumped into me a little bit ago.” He mumbled, avoiding my question. 
“That was you?! Oh no, I'm so sorry Liam.” 
“It’s okay, you were upset.” he looked away from me. 
Please don’t tell me he knows what happened. 
“Well?” 
“Hm?” 
“You haven’t answered my question.” 
“Oh, that. Yeah, after you bumped into me, I walked into the classroom and everyone was staring at me. So, I asked what happened, and Cole told me what happened.” 
Cole. Of Course. One of Liam’s best friends. He would tell Liam. Why didn’t I think to check if he was in there? I glanced right over him. I was more focused on Liam. I felt my face flush in embarrassment. 
“And?” I encouraged for him to keep going even though I was pretty sure I knew what happened. 
“He said that Jessica started yelling at Maddie and Kayla about you and then you stood up and told her to shut up and that I,” he paused and gulped, “would never like someone like you.” 
Yep. 
I knew it. 
Of course Cole would tell him. 
How could I expect him not to tell his best friend what happened? 
I put my head in my knees and continued to cry. 
I felt him slide down the wall and sit next to me. 
“Damien, it’s okay.” 
“What about this is okay?” I looked at him. 
“That the guy you like is sitting beside you?” he gave a small smile, trying to cheer me up. 
“Not funny.” I put my head back in my knees. “Do you even know what exactly was said?” 
“You mean what Kayla and Maddie said?” 
“No, I meant what Me and Jessica said. Do you, know what Maddie and Kayla said?” I said unsure. 
“Oh Yeah, I know what you, Jessica, Maddie, and Kayla said. Cole was listening the entire time.” 
“Why?” 
“He gets bored fast when I'm not there, so he tries to get the tea on everybody.” 
“I bet that’s some pretty good tea he got.” I mumbled going back to my knees. 
“Damien, I am not popular so don’t listen to Maddie and Kayla.” 
Yeah right. I rolled my eyes; I see what Jessica means when she says he’s oblivious now. 
“But I don’t like you.” 
Of course. I should have known he wasn’t gay. 
“But I do like a guy.”  
I looked up and his face was red. Okay Maybe he is gay. 
“But I’m not telling you who until we become closer friends. So, how about we get over this and just be friends okay?” 
I thought it over than nodded. Being friends was better than being rejected and being apart. 
“So how about you go clean up your tears and go back to class, or else we’ll be late.” 
I nodded and walked over to the bathroom mirrors. My face was stained with tears. I wiped my blue eyes, that were now red, with a paper towel, and dried my face. 
“All right.” I sighed. “Lets go.” I smiled at him. 
He smiled back and my heart fluttered. 
It would take a while to get over him, but at least we can become close and maybe he’ll like me back at some point if I still like him. Together we walked out of the bathroom and back to class.