I was sitting in English class, forcing myself to keep my eyes averted from Axel. It was a surprisingly hard thing to do, but somehow I managed, even though Hannah wasn't there to distract me. Although, annoyingly I couldn't stop thinking of Axel.
Luke's words were in my head and to my surprise, I found myself hoping - wishing they were true. For some insane reason I wanted Axel to be a good guy and that left me both frustrated and exhausted. Axel was becoming a big part of my life, just like Hannah had thought.
"Hi, Zoey," a familiar voice said.
I looked up and saw Xavier standing in front of my desk. He was smiling, but I noticed his hands were shaking. He was nervous and I knew it was because of me.
"Hey," I said, giving him a small smile as I hoped he would distract me from Axel temporarily.
"You know, I was sitting across the classroom," he said, looking down shyly. "And I thought you looked beautiful."
"Oh." I couldn't help but blush. "Thank you."
This was different. I was so used to guys telling me I wanted them, that hearing a guy compliment me was a surprise.
"And you're smart." Xavier looked back up at me. "Probably talented too."
I smiled shyly, flattered. Xavier sounded honest and his words were sweet. Thinking back to what Luke said, I knew I shouldn't generalize guys.
"I was wondering," he continued, his eyes filling with hope. "If you'd like to get to know each other. Like, I know you don't date, so we can just hang out and talk. And learn more about each other."
Xavier was so adorable, I had to admit. But this request left me feeling uneasy and I didn't get it. It didn't make sense because I couldn't keep going like this. I had to give someone a chance. Xavier was sweet and shy, and would definitely be the right choice, but still it just didn't feel right. I didn't understand myself and looked down, ashamed.
"Sorry," I said, feeling sad yet relieved. "It's a no."
"Oh," Xavier said. "Alright."
I heard him walk away and looked up, feeling guilty. It didn't make sense. I had thought that the fact that all of the guys were jerks was the reason why I never been into them, but it seemed like that wasn't just the case. Frowning, I began to wonder what was wrong with me.
Class soon began and the lights went off as the projector went on. Mr. Arthur was teaching and as usual, I was zoning out. And before I knew it and could stop myself, my eyes wandered to Axel.
He was sitting in his seat, slumped, and he looked tired. Exhausted as I noticed his eyelids seemed to droop. Seeing him like that made something in me twist, so I shook my head, reminding myself to forget about Axel. He wasn't worth my time. But yet, I couldn't help but hope he'd look over at me.
To my surprise, he suddenly did and when his eyes met mine, they looked sad. Almost longing, too. I looked away then, telling myself I was imagining things. Axel didn't care about me. He only cared about the kiss. I needed to stop hoping for more.
*****
With a sigh, I shut my locker and began to walk to the cafeteria. Hannah had skipped English to finish an assignment, so I prayed she'd be there. I didn't want to be alone for once, knowing my mind would be on Axel who I needed to stop thinking about.
YOU ARE READING
The Kissing Game
RomanceZoey Adams couldn't care less about The Kissing Game. Now that it's their last year, her classmates are going crazy over the game where a single kiss is passed around frequently, going through student after student, with whoever has the kiss last be...