Lips Of An Angel (West Saga)

Wes had a reaction to my words that was so similar to mine that I felt a strange urge to laugh. Seriously, I thought, now is NOT the time to laugh!! He's going to think you're nuts!
Just then, Wes took a breath. Had he been holding his breath this whole time? He leaned in towards me and I all of a sudden felt more nervous than I ever had in my entire life. Was he going to kiss me? Well, what else could he be doing?
I was completely wrong. Wes leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Was that your way of telling me sorry?" He chuckled.
I couldn't breathe. He was so close to me, yet I felt like if I tried making a move he would pull away. So I just settled on quietly answering him. "Yeah, I guess."
He pulled away, and I released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Wes smiled, and stood up. "I'm glad we're on the same page again."
"Yeah." Oh my god, where is this going? It feels like the first day we met again! C'mon Tia, do SOMETHING!
"Well...." Wes said awkwardly.
"Well." I replied just as awkwardly.
There was an uncomfortable silence between us, the first we'd ever had really. I was so confused as to what had just happened. Hadn't he just said he wanted me in his life? Hadn't he basically just confessed his love for me? Hadn't I just confessed my love for him? What in the world was going on? We should be doing all that cheesy romantic crap that always happens in movies when two people find out they're in love. But instead, we're just sitting here in his dorm on his futon looking away at the plain wood and cinder block walls. I so badly wanted to reach out and touch him, but for the first time since I'd known him, I didn't know how he would react. No matter if he was exactly like me, he was still his own person, and he wasn't necessarily going to react the way I would have. I didn't know if his heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that he couldn't hear anything but that. I didn't know if his hands were shaking so badly he had to hide them so the other couldn't see. I didn't know if a million thoughts were running through his head so quickly he couldn't catch a glimpse of a single one. I had no clue. And it was infuriating.
Finally, Wes turned to me once again and sat back down next to me on the black futon. He took both of my hands in his and breathed in deeply once, then released his breath. Wes turned his eyes to mine, and we just sat for a minute, gazing into each others eyes. My shallow breathing was all the noise in the room, and the air was still, as if anticipating his next move.
"Tia." He finally said after a few minutes of silence. "I.... I honestly don't know where to go from here. I know you're probably confused, wondering why I'm not acting all like the people do in romantic comedies when they find out they're in love." He stopped, looking at me pleadingly.
"Wes.... I don't know what you're saying. You're going to have to explain yourself for once to me." I said, confused by his words.
"Okay.... Well. Tia I really really like you. But I've never been in love before, and it's too soon to tell. I don't want to say it if I don't know if I feel it."
My shoulders fell. "So I say it to you, and I don't get it back?"
"I'm sorry...."
"No, Wes. It's fine. Say it when you're ready, or never say it if you aren't."
"Tia I know you too well. You're not fine. I can see it in your eyes."
I let go of his hands and stood up. "Well Wes. I think I need some time to think. This has been really emotional for me. I understand if you can't say I love you to me. You aren't ready, and that's fine. But give me some time to think, okay? You know where to find me." And with that, I left the boy of my dreams sitting on a lonely black futon.

Soliel-Roi (chapter 2)

Nell Johnson was not your average girl. She had everything. An extravagant home, lively parents, and an awesome life. People said she was pretty, and she knew it. Her hair was a perfectly tended to mess of sandy gold curls framing a small, well-proportioned face. Her eyes were a deep shade of bluish-grey, depending on the day. She was small, but it never seemed to bother her. She enjoyed being shorter, she said it gave her a different perspective than everyone else. She never had to wear makeup, since she knew she didn't need it. And she was always dressed in the latest fashions. Never once had Nell felt like just your average high school girl.

But that all changed her sophomore year of high school. Nell moved away from her hometown in New Jersey to a small town in Ohio. Nell had never been an outcast, or a loner. She'd always made friends everywhere she went. But this was different. No one seemed to care that much that Nell was beautiful. No one cared about the latest fashions, or her large, extravagant home. No one cared that she was sporty, intelligent and fun. They all saw her as the new girl who thought too highly of herself.

Her first day of school was a nightmare. No one said anything to her except the teachers when they told her to stand up and introduce herself. In her first class, Nell was ready and prepared to say what her interests were and what she was like. She said she hoped she would find someone who was just as interested in all the things she was. No one moved. Nell heard a few guys snicker in the back at her, and Nell felt something she'd never felt before. She felt sad. She felt embarrassed, and alone. In all her other classes, Nell only said her name and sat down, not wanting to repeat what had happened in her first class.
She went home that night and didn't say a word to her parents. All Nell did was lay on her bed and cry. No one had reached out to her, even if she reached out to them. She'd been nice, she'd been friendly, she'd been her usual charming self. But apparently, high schoolers in ohio weren't impressed. Nell had never faced a situation like this before. She'd never been... Alone.

Soliel-Roi (chapter 1)

Nell Johnson was just your average girl. Average home, average parents, average life. People often said she was pretty, but she thought of herself as just, well, average. She had messy blonde curls that framed a petite face. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of grey, and on some days, blue. She was shorter than most girls her age, but her hair made up for some of that lost height. She never wore makeup, and her clothes were generally jeans and an old t-shirt. She felt like just your average high school girl.

Boys never paid much attention to Nell, except when they asked to play with her hair. It was a joke in her high school, "Nell's hair!!" But she never really paid much attention to the attention her hair drew. It was just hair, after all. 

Nell's general attitude about life sometimes concerned her parents. They tried taking her to therapy, family sessions, and more therapy. But Nell wasn't unhappy, she just wasn't happy. She was just, well, you know. Average.

Nothing bothered Nell either. She was never annoyed, never frustrated, never angry. Nothing really made Nell happy though either. The only time Nell's parents had seen her smile for real was when they bought her a new guitar. She played it every day and every night since her parents had brought it home. The therapist had told her parents to try and get Nell involved in something, to try and give her a hobby. They had tried everything from dance to soccer to tennis to swimming. They tried bowling, racquetball, even tried getting her to play video games. But nothing worked until they finally tried music.

To Nell, music was a way to escape. She could let loose her bottled-up feelings in a non-verbal way. She could just sit there on her bed and play for hours, never singing, but still letting go of all she had come to build up inside herself.

People often wonder how Nell got this way. Well, here's her story.

Dear Diary (2)

Dear Diary,

This feeling of... I can't even describe it has escalated to new heights. I don't know how to deal with what I'm going through right now.

My classes have finally begun and I guess that takes some of the edge off. I've become distracted by the more important things in life like my education, and that's making me feel more human again. Before, I felt like I was floating on a cloud. But not one of those fluffy white clouds you see in summer. I was sitting, uncomfortably atop a black cloud carrying rain. I sat on top of the lightning and I was burned. But somehow, I kept myself there. Even though it hurt, even though I was burned, I stayed there. I didn't want to move because all the other black clouds were beginning to accept me as one of their own. And THEY never got burned. They controlled the lightning, and I wanted that power too. But I knew I could never have that power. My personality isn't as controlling as all the other clouds' were. I was a fluffy white cloud secretly disguised as a black cloud. I didn't fit in, no matter how hard I tried.

But I guess now I've decided I can't hide who I am. I'm a white, fluffy, happy, untainted cloud, and my butt sure doesn't like being burned. I'm trying to kick the blackness away, but maybe keep a pinch of it. I don't want to lose the friendship of the black clouds, after all, they can be good sometimes. When a parched field needs rain, the black clouds can help. But I only want to be around when they are putting their powers to good use. I don't want to be sucked into their tornadoes or flash floods. I have white cloud friends too, and they need me more than the black clouds do.

So I'll leave them to be black clouds. I'll leave them to be rainstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, whatever. They can do what they want, I'm not controlling them. But when they destroy something that can't be fixed, well, that's why I'm here. To make everything better again. Isn't that my job? I fix broken hearts, broken dreams, broken lives. I can't make your house a home again, but I can take the pieces of your heart and fix them up again. That's what I do, and I can't change it, even if I try.

Love.
Me.

Dear Diary (1)

Dear Diary,

Im having a crisis. I have this nagging feeling that I'm in love with the worst possible person to be in love with yet.... I can't help myself. He's irresistible. He's charming, sexy, brilliant, and frankly, he's HOT. But I've known him for two days. He won't come onto me that quickly, but he seemed to be attracted to me when we first met. He always wanted to walk next to me, he always talked to me first. He taught me a handshake without me asking. But I went along with it, and now it seems like he's pulling away. Should I pull away too and let him come back to me like he did before? Or is it because he knows I'm an easy person to make fall in love? I want him to just come over and bust into my room without any reason and just be there for the sake of being there. But I know he never will. I have to let this develop over time. I'll flirt a bit, then pull away. And I'll keep repeating the cycle until he finally can't take it anymore and just wants me. I don't know if that will actually work or not, but I wish I could just try without having the fear of him rejecting me.
Diary, I don't know what to do about this. It's wonderful that I have feelings for someone who isn't only in my head, but I'm afraid it will go back to being that way before long. And I don't want to be lonely any longer than I already have been

Love,
Me.

The Rain Song (West Saga)

I walked to the UC, hoping Lydia was still in there somewhere with her roommate. Then maybe I could settle the score between us. A nagging voice in my head told me that this wasn't the solution. I told it that I didn't care and if I wanted Wes back, I would have to get the roadblock leading to him out of my way. My situation was infuriating because my moral compass was screaming that I was doing the wrong thing, but for the first time in my life I ignored it.
Stepping into the main entrance of the UC, I quickly glanced around, not expecting to see her anywhere. But to my surprise, she was sitting in the lounge right by the steps that were just inside of the front door. There she was. In plain sight. I willed my feet to move, but I just stood there, frozen.
Just DO it! I practically screamed at myself.
-You know it's wrong.- My practical self argued.
I don't even know what I'm going to do yet, so how do I know if it's wrong or not? My jealous self countered.
-It's not the action that's making it wrong. It's the motive behind it.-
I realized my practical self was right. Who would benefit from whatever I was going to do? I'd feel bad about my actions, Lydia would be hurt, and most importantly, so would Wes. I wasn't about to hurt Wes, since I cared for him too much. If I hurt Lydia, I would hurt Wes. And that wasn't my goal at all.
So I turned on my heel and strolled back out of the UC. I knew at that moment that I could never go a day in my life without listening to my morals. Lydia may have been preventing Wes and I from being together at that moment, but that didn't mean I couldn't still fight for him. I just had to step up my game.


My first move in the war was to apologize to Wes. He was, after all, the whole reason I was fighting in the first place. I went to his dorm and knocked on his door, hoping against hope he was there, and that he wouldn't refuse to talk to me. I could only imagine how angry he was at me.
*Knock, Knock* I rapped on his door and crossing my fingers.
I was in luck. He was there, and he was the only one there. What's more is that he decided to talk to me. I did try and look as apologetic as I possibly could.
"Wes, look...." I began.
He shook his head. "Tia, I know why you're here. You don't have to apologize. I know you like me, and  I like you too, but you can't be so jealous all the time! You've got me, got me wrapped around your finger so tightly that I couldn't break free, even if there were scissors that tried cutting me loose. Even if I could be free, I wouldn't want to be. I love being tied up in your life. I love being around you, and mostly, I love everything about you. You can't worry about the other girls, because I honestly don't even see them. All I see is you."
I just stood there like an idiot, openmouthed and speechless. There was nothing in my mind for the first time in my life, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes. All I could hear anymore was the blood pumping in my ears. My hands shook and my knees became weak. I couldn't even think of something to say back to him, even though my heart was practically jumping out of my chest in an attempt to connect my heart to his.
"Tia?" He said, staring into my eyes with his wide, beautiful blue ones.
I swallowed, trying to regain some ounce of composure. "Uh-huh?" That was all I could manage, and even then it didn't even sound like that. I croaked the words out sounding more like a frog than human.
He laughed. "I see. I surprised you didn't I? Just nod or shake your head."
I nodded.
He took my hand and led me into his room. "Here, sit," He said, pointedly pushing me towards the futon in the room.
I sat, and he sat next to me. We just stayed like that for a few minutes, and I was trying to gather my composure so I could at least tell him how I felt.
I finally achieved my center and took a deep breath. "Wes, I feel like I should make a speech to you too."
"You don't have to, Tia. Your eyes say it all." He said as he brushed a lock of hair behind my ear.
I shivered at his touch, chills running down my spine. "No, Wes, I need to get it out of my system."
"Alright." He smiled and gestured for me to continue.
I took another deep breath and began. "Wes, when I danced with you that first time, I knew I loved you. I loved the way you moved,  I loved the way you breathed. No one has hit me so hard emotionally on first sight. You know the expression love at first sight? That's such an under exaggeration. It's more like death of one's ability to comprehend the world at first sight. I couldn't think, I couldn't reason, I could hardly breathe. My world melted away from around me when I saw you. There really isn't a good way to describe the way I felt when I met you but this is as close as I can get."

Footprints on The Moon (West Saga)

I hate love. It's so stupid, and pointless and...

"Tia!"

You're kidding me, right?

"Tia!"

No, I'm not okay. Don't talk to me.

"Seriously, Tia. If you want to live, answer me!"

"WHAT?" I screamed from my bed.

"Tia, you need to go to rehearsal. Mona's been calling your cell phone for like, the past ten minutes. I answered it the last time and she says if you don't get down there in 5 minutes, she's coming to get you."

Oh shit. That's never good. "Fine."

Still grumbling, I got out of bed and put on my rehearsal clothes. I wasn't too thrilled about having to spend an hour and a half with Wes. Not only that but I was guessing Mona wasn't going to go easy on me. She could be pretty harsh to kids who didn't respect her, and I was guessing my being late was going to seem like an act of disrespect to her.

It took me 7 minutes to get down to the theater. When I finally arrived in the practice room, Mona wasn't at all furious like I had anticipated. Instead, she had set up three chairs, two of which were occupied. She motioned for me to sit in the empty one next to Wes.

Uh oh. This CAN'T be good.

"Tia, Wes told me what happened. He said he thought it would be best if you guys tried talking about it." Mona said when I took a seat.

I glared at Wes, trying to make him feel how angry I was at him. "No, Mona. I think it would be a terrible idea to talk about it. He knows exactly what's up with me, and if he doesn't, well, then I don't see how he got into college."

Mona gave me an I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that look, and I shot a look of defiance right back at her.

"I'm serious, Mona. Everything I said, I meant. Did he tell you exactly what I said?"

"Yes, Tia actually he did. And everything about Lydia too."

"I don't like her. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I'm just saying you acted off of nearly no basis whatsoever, and it was very rash."

"So?"

"So, what I'm saying is, you need to cool down, Tia."

COOL DOWN? This... BOY sitting next to me is the stupidest, thickheaded IDIOT to ever walk the planet! "Cool down? What are you trying to tell me, Mona? That I'm rash? That I can't control my emotions? What does that have to do with dance, exactly?"

"It has a lot to do with dance. If you can't describe how you feel, you dance the way you feel. I want this dance to be full of passion and romance. You can't do that when you basically hate the person you're dancing with."

I huffed. "Fine. What do we talk about then?"

Mona nodded at Wes. "Well," he said. "First off, let's get this Lydia thing cleared up. I was only trying to be her friend, Tia."

"She has plenty of friends."

"Don't interrupt me please. Anyways, she was having trouble with math, so I offered to help. I'm a nice guy, and she asked nicely."

"So why'd you give her my spot in the first place?"

"I asked you not to interrupt! Sheesh. I gave her your spot because I figured you would be graceful about it and just let her have it instead of getting all defensive..."

"Oh wait just a second Wes! I would have been okay with it if she hadn't sat there all class period flirting with you instead of listening to the lecture! I bet you didn't even notice her flirting, did you?"

"Flirting? Tia that's ridiculous. She wasn't flirting, she was asking for my HELP."

"Yeah, all the while flipping her perfect hair all around and batting her eyelashes at you while moving her chair closer to you! How can you not see that?"

"Sounds to me like she was flirting, Wes." Mona chipped in.

We both looked at her like she was crazy. "What? I was only saying that Tia's right. She was flirting."

I smirked at him. "I told you. I bet you she didn't even need your help and that she was only trying to get to you."

"So she could what? Become my girlfriend? Maybe I wouldn't mind that!" Wes shouted angrily.

I sat in silence for a second, stunned by what he said. "Are you serious?" I finally said, my voice nearly a whisper. "You want her to be your girlfriend? I... Don't.... You....." I stopped, feeling myself choking up.

"I didn't say that Tia. I said..."

"I know what you SAID Wes. But don't you remember what I said?" I looked at him for a second, pleading with him silently, willing him to remember.

"What you said when?"

I looked down, brokenhearted. "Never mind. I guess it wasn't that important after all. Mona, I think we're done here." I stood up and began walking away.

Wes ran after me. "Tia, if you mean what you said during our argument yesterday, I remember. I just didn't want to talk about it in front of Mona." He put a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off. "Yeah, Wes. I was talking about that. But if you can't talk about it in front of Mona, maybe I was wrong about us being anything."

"I just thought it should be a little more personal when were just figuring out everything."

"Yeah, well we're all figured out. There's nothing between us. I'll dance with you, but nothing more. Lydia can have my seat for good. I don't care." And with that, I walked out.

I went to our spot again, hoping he would come. I still had the hope that if he liked me as much as I liked him, he wouldn't just let me walk out of his life like that. And I hoped that if he did, he would know that I would come here.

So I waited and I thought about what had gone wrong. I knew Lydia had been the start of it all, but it was my overprotective jealousy that had really set off the argument. Maybe Mona was right and I was rash and I needed to cool down. Or maybe she wasn't, and I needed to put out the match that had started the fire. Lydia.

Keep Holding On (West Saga)

"What's your issue, Tia?" Wes demanded.

"What?" I replied, feigning ignorance. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"With Lydia, what's your deal? She's a perfectly nice person and you hated her immediately."

"What? No I didn't!"

"Yes, you did."

"No..."

"Tia. I'm not stupid. As soon as you walked into class this morning you've been in a dark mood. I can tell by your body language. You're angry and frustrated. Just tell me why you don't like her."

Well, here goes nothing. "She's too.... perky. Yeah, I know weird coming from me. But it still seems really fake. And she's starting to cut into our study time. I already knew how to do negative integrals, yet I sat here for two hours reviewing something I already knew. I needed to study the other materiel. Plus, I don't like the way she was looking at you...."

"The way she was looking at me? Tia, we're friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend. You don't have to be jealous. So what if she likes me? Maybe I like her too. Besides, she asked me to hang out later and I said yes."

That blew it for me. "Well fine then Wes. Run after her and tell her how you REALLY feel. After all, its not like I care! Go ahead and take her to our spot and show her every song you've ever written. Go do a duet with her. Go and hang out with her all the time and just forget about me Wes. Just forget about me."

Wes was taken aback. "Is that what you think? That she's replacing you?! Tia, you know you're one of the greatest friends I have here."

"Maybe friend isn't at all the title I want Wes. Ever thought about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"YOU asked ME out first. YOU'VE made the time to come and see ME in my dorm. YOU'VE written songs with ME. Maybe there's more than just a friendship, Wes. And I guess you're too blind to see it."

Wes sat in his chair, speechless. I gathered up my things and left him there, still fuming from our argument. Why do boys have to be so stupid and blind?? I've been dropping hints like mad and he never notices a thing. Then this hot Lydia girl comes along and says ten words to him and he's panting over her like a dog on a hot summer day. What does she have that I don't?

-Well, she's gorgeous, and you're just... average. - The nasty voice in my head told me.

I don't care. College guys should be past that by now. Besides, Wes seemed to like me like that before she came along.

-Tell yourself what you like, he's so over you.-

"Shut UP!" I yelled out loud.

Several people were walking by when I shouted. They all gave me weird looks since I was walking alone. I lowered my gaze and walked faster, hurrying along to my destination. 

I had immediately thought of our spot out by the library and headed there. It was a place I always associated with calmness and tranquility. A place where I could go and think. So I did.

I went back to my dorm room after spending nearly three hours just sitting in the grass by the pond thinking and mulling over my situation with Wes. I hadn't come to a decision as to whether or not I needed to apologize, so I held off until I could discuss it with my roommates.

I skipped my afternoon classes, too emotionally wrecked to attend. It was the first time I'd ever skipped and I wasn't worried about missing much. I could always talk to the professors. I stared at old pictures of my friends back home, and I listened to music that under normal circumstances would calm me down. But nothing worked. I just sat on the futon in our room for a long time, waiting for someone to come back with which I could then discuss my drama.

Rhyan was the first one back. She saw me sitting on the futon and knew immediately something was up. At that time, I was normally in class. But she didn't ask why I didn't go to class. She just sat down next to me and hugged me. She kept her arms around me for a minute until I finally turned so I could hug her back. We just hugged for a few minutes until I decided to tell her what was up.

"Rhyan..." I sighed. 

"What's wrong, hun?" She asked, concern in her voice. "Are you sick? What happened?"

"No, no I'm not sick. Just.... broken. Sort of."

"Go on." She smiled at me for encouragement.

I took a deep breath and told her everything that had happened, starting with calc class this morning and ending with a couple of minutes ago. When I finished, she gathered me up in her arms again.

"Oh Tia, I'm so sorry! I know how much you liked him."

I pulled out of her embrace. "Liked him? I wouldn't be this depressed if I didn't still like him!"

"Right. I know how much you LIKE him. There. Better?"

I smiled, noting her humor. "Much."

"I knew it. No one can get past my humor." She laughed, and I laughed right along with her.

"Thanks Rhyan. You know how to make me feel better." I smiled.

Une Chanson Pour Tout Dire (West Saga)

We stopped laughing (sort of) and explained that we had just been hanging out, playing guitar, nothing more. Lauren raised an eyebrow at me, but didn't ask any more questions.

We recovered completely from our laughing fit about two minutes later. Wes said he should probably go and get some sleep. After all, we had to dance at 10 the next morning. He advised me to get some sleep too, and not gossip about him with my roommates. I blushed, because that was exactly what I had been planning on doing. I told him I'd try, but if they really wanted to know, I’d tell them.

As soon as the door closed, all three of my roommates ran out into our living room and demanded to know what had happened. Their rationale for knowing was the fact that he was a really cute guy who was in our dorm room. So I told them everything that had happened from this afternoon to that moment. They were overly excited when I told them about the "moment" we'd had, and tried immediately to glean a meaning from it.

"Seriously, guys, I'm sure it was nothing."

"Nothing?? Yeah right. He's totally into you!" Rhyan protested.

"Of course it's not nothing! You can't just have a moment and not have it mean anything!" Alex agreed.

"I totally saw them dancing at the party too!" Lauren added.

All three of them squealed with excitement.

"You never told us you danced with him at the party!! Oh my goodness that definitely means he's into you!" Rhyan said.

"No, it just means he wanted to dance with me. You guys over analyze everything!" I told them.

"Nuh-uh!" They all replied.

I shook my head and told them they could analyze all they wanted, but at that moment, Wes and I were nothing more than friends. They all giggled and reassured me they wouldn't analyze everything as much. I doubted that, but I let them think I believed them.

So three weeks went by... Three wonderful, amazing, dazzling weeks. I spent most of my free time in Wes' company, and he spent most of his in mine. We couldn't get enough of each other, and frankly, I was okay with it. I still didn't know if he actually liked me or not, but he had said we were turning out to be really great friends. I was a little bummed when I heard that, but I figured since he was spending more time with me than any of my friends ever would there had to be some kind of attraction in there somewhere.

We worked on our dance, too. We had to pick a song and come up with costumes for the winter showcase. We agreed to dance to Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson. We still hadn't lost that spark from our first time together. The costume, however, was a mystery. Mona, the Orchesis director, said she'd try and come up with something.

Sometimes after class Wes and I would go down by the library where there was a little mini pond. It was a beautiful spot to just simply go to and play guitar. It became "our spot" even though it was technically a public area. But in our minds, it was set-aside just for us. It was our “secret” little hideout we would go to when we wanted to talk, think, or play music.

It was a chilly autumn day when my life turned upside down. It was the first day we'd had since school began where the temperature was below 50 degrees. I was headed off to calculus, the class Wes and I had together. We always sat next to each other now, since we felt more comfortable in the other's presence. I huddled beneath my coat, not used to the cool air. As I stepped into the classroom and out of the cold, my insides turned even colder than the weather outside.

Sitting next to Wes, in my seat, was a girl who I'd never seen before. She was perfectly sculpted with platinum blonde hair most of the way down her back in a dead straight wave of sunshine. She laughed, showing ultra-white teeth surrounded by pink lips set beneath a button nose. She was everything a guy could want and more. But she could have chosen any other guy...

I walked over to Wes, my heart in my mouth. "So..." I said awkwardly.

The girl in my seat looked up. "Oh, Hi! I'm Lydia."

I nodded. "Wes?" 

"Uh, sorry Tia. She just transferred into this class because of dance team practices... They interfered with her old calc class... She kind of asked already if she could sit here. I didn't think you'd mind. Is that okay?"

Well, no. It’s not okay at all. How could you be so stupid, Wes!? "Sure. Have fun." I spun on my heel and walked over to the only other empty table in the corner.

Breathe, Tia. I told myself. It's only one class. You still get to hang out with him today after class. That thought kept me going throughout the whole lonely class. I would occasionally glance over and see her leaning in towards him to ask a "question." Fury burned in my throat. Or maybe it was jealousy. Either way, I was feeling something, and it wasn't a nice feeling.

Class ended, and thankfully, Wes waited for me outside the door. But when I stepped outside, Wes wasn't the only one waiting for me.

"Hey, Tia... I know we're supposed to go to Java Hut and study for the calc quiz together, but Lydia needed some help with the negative integrals so I offered to let her join us."

WHAT?!?!?!?! That witch can't ruin this too? Can she!? What was I supposed to say? No, it's not okay, let her fail on her own, she's a boy-stealing soul-sucker? Personally, I was all ready to say my thoughts when I was interrupted by Lydia.

"Thank you so much for letting me join you guys. It's really sweet of you to help me out. I can't fail a class or I'll be kicked off dance team!"

I let my breath go that I'd been saving to speak my mind. "Alright, fine. Let's go." I said unenthusiastically.

Lydia squealed and clapped her hands together. "Yay!! Thank you thank you thank you!"

The torture lasted for about two hours in Java Hut. I was ready to start banging my head on the table when Lydia finally stood up and said she had to go meet her roommate in the UC. I breathed a sigh of relief when she left.