"If you think about it he's okay looking," I said to my friend.
"Yeah, if you turn your head upside down and squint," she replied.
"I think he looks perfectly fine right side up," I said.
"What have you been smoking?" she asked.
"Nothing," I said. I guess, Tiffany, wasn't going to help me with my boy problem any time soon. I did actually find him quite attractive but she didn't. She was hung up on his sweater vest and glasses. It's not like he wore the vest every day. Just sometimes. Tiffany didn't see the way his dark hair fell perfectly above his eyebrows. She didn't see the way his mouth quirked up when he thought something was amusing. She didn't get lost in his blue eyes. She didn't hear how he laughed or talked in that soothing voice. She'd never talked to him. She never would. Me, I wanted to so badly. But I was afraid. What if he didn't like me? What if he didn't think I was pretty? What if he had a girlfriend?! That thought was almost too scary to think about. I sighed and leaned against the lockers.
"Sophie?" Tiffany asked. "What're you sighing about?"
I shook my head. Can't tell Tiff about my crush, I thought. "It's that science project due next week," I lied. "I have no idea what to do it on."
Tiffany smiled. "I can help you."
For a second I wondered if she was talking about my boy issues then realized she was talking about the project. "Thanks," I muttered.
She blinked. "That isn't what's got you down is it?" she asked.
I shook my head again and cast my eyes back over to Dylan, the boy my heart seemed to be set on. Stupid heart. Why can't you like someone else?!
"Did you just secretly tell me you like him??" Tiffany asked a little shocked.
I nodded slightly.
"Oh...then I take back what I said about him." I thought that was meant to cheer me but it didn't, not in the slightest. Tiffany put her hand on my shoulder and pushed me forward. "Sighing over boys wins no one," she said beginning to push me along.
"What?! Tiff, no! I can't go talk to him!" I dug my heels into the ground but she was stronger than me.
"Hey Dylan," she called.
Dylan looked up from the book in his hand. The look on his face made me want to run away crying. It was a mixture of horror and irritation. He was probably thinking that these two girls had the audacity to interrupt him as he read his favorite book. I know for a fact it was his favorite. He'd read it ten times already.
He forced a polite smile. "Morning ladies," he said his voice as soothing as ever, he almost seemed to purr the words. "Can I help you with anything?"
Tiffany smiled. "You could actually. You see Sophie here needs a study partner. That science project due next week, she hasn't even started. I thought maybe you could help seeing as you passed the class with over 100%."
Dylan looked thoughtful. "When are you free?" he asked. I wanted to crawl into a hole because I thought he was going to say he was busy with his girlfriend but instead he said, "I hang out at the local animal shelter a lot and need to tell them when I won't be coming around."
"That's so sweet," I said dumbly.
His mouth quirked and he raised an eyebrow. "It is very sweet, isn't it? You should come around sometime," he said.
I nodded. "That'd be fun," I said.
So Dylan and I set up study times and stuff. And let's just say I got an A+ on dating and a science project.