Say I love you

15

When I finish my last class, I head for my locker, letting my mind wander. Jordan's words still echo in my head, his charming smile and invitation to lunch after class. But these thoughts are quickly chased away by memories of Bradley, his casual, nonchalant attitude, the way he swept me off my feet under his expert caresses. I quickly pull myself together, mentally slapping myself for not dwelling on these troubling memories.However, my intention to refocus is disrupted by the presence of this bastard near his locker, surrounded by his friends. His hand resting casually on Aubrey's waist, an obvious complicity between them. I know their relationship is ambiguous, somewhere between friendship and something more, but this only adds to my annoyance.Bradley, with his attitude of exaggerated je-m en-foutisme, seems completely unaware of my existence as I pass him by. His distant, detached gaze pushes my buttons, raising the tension between us. I feel anger welling up inside me, mixed with a hint of jealousy at his proximity to Aubrey.Despite my best efforts to remain impassive, I can feel the situation coming to a head. This carefree, elusive bastard continues to play with my emotions without even realizing it, or maybe he does realize it but doesn't care, because this whole thing is being done deliberately to piss me off. His nonchalant attitude contrasts violently with my own inner torments, creating an electric atmosphere between us.Am I dreaming or is that a touch of jealousy I see there? scoffs my conscience, making me roll my eyes exaggeratedly.I pretend not to have noticed him and his group, but Alexander calls me out. What's worse, I can't pretend I didn't hear him. I turn to him, feigning surprise, and walk towards them. Our eyes meet for a split second with Bradley, but immediately he looks away, displaying deliberate contempt, engaged in conversation with Aubrey as if I didn't exist.I frown, leaving him in his arrogance. He can go to hell. I decide to ignore him in turn."Are you done with school?" asks Alexander with a friendly smile, giving me a knowing wink."Uh, yeah..." I answer shyly, which triggers an eye roll from Bradley. Even though he's not looking directly at me, I'm sure that look is intended for me. His nonchalant, offhand attitude has me on edge, but I try to keep my composure on the surface, the tension building between us with every passing second.- Would you like to have lunch with us? asks the redhead whose name I still don't know. "My name's Daniel, by the way," he introduces himself as if he's read my mind.Nodding my head in politeness, I politely decline his offer on the grounds that I've already got commitments lined up. As I turn to leave, I receive a message from Jordan, with whom I'd exchanged numbers this morning: "Sorry, something came up and we won't be able to have lunch today. But how about tomorrow?"My eyebrows furrow involuntarily. We go to the same high school, and if he can't come to me in person to ask that, then he's no better than that bastard Bradley. Anger invades me briefly, but quickly evaporates."Look behind you."I turn around slowly, sensing his approach before I even see him. His footsteps echo in the silence, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. He stops right in front of me, his presence filling the space around us. His impeccable school uniform gives him an elegant look, emphasizing his slim figure with natural elegance. Her eyes, with their intense gaze, seem to peer into my soul, while her wry smile betrays a self-assurance that contrasts strangely with her casual gait.Her face, with its fine, harmonious features, is lit by a glimmer of mischief that gives her an undeniable charm. Her carefully coiffed blond hair frames her angular face with understated elegance. Every detail of her appearance seems carefully considered, underlining her natural poise and innate charisma.A fleeting thought crosses my mind, emphasizing how well the uniform also matches Bradley. I quickly repress the thought, chastising myself for daring to let it cross my mind.He breaks the silence with a soft, warm voice, a slight embarrassment in his smile. "Um... as I told you by message, we're not going to be able to have lunch together," he begins, his words filled with sincerity. "I completely forgot I had an appointment with my psychiatrist today. Have you finished school yet?"-Y-yes ,I answer him in a slightly trembling voice, trying in vain to conceal the effect he has on me. My face betrayed my emotions, an uncontrollable smile forming on my lips, revealing all the admiration I had for him. Despite my efforts to appear detached, I know that my gaze betrays the attraction I feel in his presence, unable to conceal the bewitching effect he has on me.- Okay, I'm going to drop off the car, I hope you don't mind?- No, on the contrary.As our footsteps echo on the tiled path leading out of the school, he inclines his head in my direction, gracing me with a knowing wink, before entwining our hands. Together, we stride forward, ignoring Bradley and his group. Each click of our soles against the tiled floor sounds like a silent declaration of our budding complicity.When we arrive at the school parking lot, Jordan gallantly opens the door to let me in, then takes a seat beside me. With a confident gesture, he turns on the ignition, and we're already on our way out of the parking lot and onto the road. As a soft melody fills the cabin, Jordan breaks the silence: - What kind of music do you listen to?- A bit of everything," I confess sincerely, a teasing smile tugging at my lips.- Impress me, then.Then, in a spontaneous gesture, I grab the phone he's holding out to me and type in the title of a song I recognize from his playlist. I'm slightly surprised when Chris Brown's "Under the Influence" comes up. The first notes echo through the car, creating an electric atmosphere between us, as if the music had the power to seal our budding connection.- Not bad," he smiles, shaking his head slightly to the beat of the music, "by the way, I heard you left school last night with Bradley...if you don't mind my asking, where did you go... Suddenly, a shockwave passes through my entire being, my heart stopping dead in my chest, freezing every fiber of my being in an icy paralysis. My eyes widen, desperately trying to conceal the hurricane of emotions raging inside me.- I... my driver had an allergy, he couldn't pick me up, so I asked Bradley to drop me off," I finally manage to articulate in a barely audible voice, my gaze fleeing from that of my interlocutor.The heavy silence that followed was almost palpable, charged with an electric tension that seemed to poison the air around us. Then, in a voice at once calm and icy, he speaks again, shattering the fragile balance that was holding us both in this scene worthy of a Shakespearean drama.- Are you that close? His question echoes in the void, revealing the sharp edge of jealousy piercing through his words.- No... not really, it's just that at the party you organized... let's just say we talked a lot, so we got a little closer," I stammer, feeling the weight of his accusations weigh on my shoulders like an unbearable burden.His icy, incisive gaze pierced mine, revealing a gleam of bitterness mixed with disappointment. And then, as if to deal the final blow to my already bruised heart, he utters these scathing words that echo in the room's heavy silence.- I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but if you're referring to "teaching Kimy how to kiss with her tongue", you've come pretty close.An icy shiver runs down my spine, while the expression on my face freezes into a mask of horror and dismay. The words resonate within me like a stab, revealing the betrayal that has crept between us, shattering forever the fragile illusion of shaken trust.