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Upon arriving at school, you headed to your usual spot in the smoker's pit, hoping you would by chance find one of your friends there. Since Robyn's party at the nearby bowling alley you had not stopped thinking about him, or the way in which he would look upon you so softly, lips curled into a smile. It made your heart dance inside your chest, waves of electricity flowing through. The memory of you standing there, side by side, his eyes boring into yours, sent a shiver down your spine. Being able to stand outside and watch the stars with Eric, while music played softly in the background, was a dream you never could have anticipated to come true.
And of all the things that could have happened since moving to Colorado, falling for someone like Eric was not at all what you had expected. You took a long, hard drag of your cigarette and smiled at the memory of Eric's arm draped around your shoulders. Words failed you. You had tried to deny for a little while that you felt anything other than friendship towards Eric, but now the memory of that night, the way you stood so close, a stream of emotions rushing through your head, replayed a thousand times.
You spent a few moments more smoking, alone with your thoughts, wondering if you were brave enough to make the first move, before Brooks strode round the corner. His hair was lightly bouncing across his face. He appeared to be pretty sprightly for someone who had been drinking quite a lot the night before and found yourself wincing as he hollered a loud 'morning!' in your direction.
How's it going? you asked, tapping cigarette ash to the ground. You tried to avoid looking directly into his eyes. He seemed to be looking at you in an almost teasing manner, and you knew all too well why. Apparently, a few members of the group had seen you and Eric standing outside, and Brooks caught a glimpse of Eric resting his head on your shoulder.
I'm good, he replied. But I bet you're even better now that your crush seems to like you back.
Damn it. The cat was out of the bag.
I haven't got a single clue what you’re on about. You simply rolled your eyes, shifting weight from one foot to the other. …And he's not my crush, Brooks. Don't be dumb…
Brooks laughed: That is bullshit.
Still, you mumbled, fumbling around for your lighter. I don't know what you're on about. The wind had blown the cigarette out.
He tutted and shook his head. Don't you remember I was at the party too? Jesus, Mai. Did it really have to be Eric Harris, though?
You bit your tongue and clenched your jaw, for you hated it so much whenever anyone would say anything remotely negative about Eric. You just wished others could see what you saw in him.
You brought the freshly lit cigarette to your lips and sighed. You're reading too much into it.
Every day I see the way you look at him, Mai. The way your eyes lit up whenever he enters the room, the way you talk about him….It's pretty damn obvious.
Sorry, Brooks, you laughed with a hint of nervousness, but I think, I don't know, maybe you're seeing things. Or imagining things. Brooks had such a tendency to open his big mouth and blurt out such delicate things as a crush, you feared that he might tell Eric himself before you even got the chance to.
You're bullshitting me, Mai. Are you stupid or something? He chuckled, playfully hitting you on the arm. I saw what I saw, and I was the only one out of us who wasn't drinking. So, you can't say I was seeing things. Even Robyn made some remarks last night about how close you and Eric were getting.
You so desperately wanted to believe his words, but also knew a guy like Eric Harris would never really be into you... Right? He was...just being friendly, that was all. You peered down at your shoes, a little hurt by your own thought. Yeah, maybe he was being nice, just like with all those other girls…
Don't deny it, Brooks continued. His hand was now scratching the nape of his neck and he was looking slightly annoyed.
He watched you for a moment, then shook his head. If you two get together you owe me ten bucks. With a final nod, Brooks said goodbye, and you did the same.
You hoped he was right but was scared all the same. And, most of all, you feared Brooks opening his big mouth and spilling the beans.
Brooks hang on! Wait up!

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