chapter 8
He's Serious. And I Don't Know What to Do About It.
Keifer Watson is on a mission.
A very public, very dramatic, very chocolate-fueled mission.
Today alone, he has:
Pulled my chair out for me like we're in some 90s rom-com.
Tried to copy my class notes just to be near me.
Bribed my best friend with a Snickers bar.
"Fatima," I whispered, "Did you just take the bribe?!"
She shrugged, grinning. "Hey. I never said I wouldn't encourage the boy."
"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE."
"I'm on the side of romance. Now shh."
I buried my face in my hands.
Later, in the hallway, when it was just us for a moment - Keifer turned to me. And this time... he wasn't joking.
"Jay," he said softly, "I'm not doing this just for fun. I'm not messing with you."
I looked up.
He looked so serious.
"I've been in love with you since last year."
My stomach flipped.
"W-what?"
He nodded. "Last year. When we were still in middle school. When I saw you... always staring at T. Always looking at him like he was the entire sky."
I froze.
"You were so obvious. It killed me. But I still liked you. Every single day."
"Why?" I whispered. "You didn't even know me."
"I did," he said. "You just didn't notice. But I saw you. I saw how you always shared your food even when you said you were hungry. How you helped Fatima carry her things when her bag was too heavy. How you fought with teachers over books you believed in. You were so... you."
I didn't know what to say.
"I've been waiting to say this. For a long time," he added. "So... do you still love him?"
That caught me off guard.
T.
Him.
The boy who never looked at me that way.
I paused.
"I don't know," I said honestly. "I thought I did. For a long time. But now... I don't think I do."
"Are you sure?"
I nodded slowly. "I don't know why. But... yeah."
He smiled. And it wasn't smug this time. It was soft. Relieved.
"Good," he said. "I just wanted to know if I still had a chance."
That night, while lying in bed, the memory hit me.
Flashback.
Last year. School courtyard. Fatima was practically bouncing beside me.
"My crush and your crush? They're best friends!" she squealed.
I laughed awkwardly, cheeks hot, still pretending T didn't make my heart race.
And then I saw him.
Keifer.
He'd overheard.
He looked so-
Excited.
Hopeful.
Like my answer mattered.
Like he thought maybe... maybe I meant him.
I didn't understand it then.
I do now.
He thought I liked him.
He's liked me since then.
And now I feel...
Bad?
Guilty?
Overwhelmed?
Maybe all three.
Because I was someone's first love...
And I didn't even know.
End of Chapter 8.