Kiss Me Again

I woke up in Hayley's guest bedroom. The walls were baby pink, matching the comforter of the bed.
I felt sick to my stomach. Nevermind the constant ache from hunger, but because the memory of last night came flooding back to me.
The argument. The kiss. Everything. Since it was pouring rain and I had no other protection than a hoodie, I texted Hayley asking if I could come over. When she said I could, I walked back to my house to get my car. There was NO WAY I was getting in a car with Hayley, ESPECIALLY when it's raining outside!
I arrived at her house looking completely defeated and distraught. And soaked.
Hayley gave me a worried look, and offered me a towel upstairs. I told her that I just wanted to go to sleep, and she responded: "Well okay..I would let you sleep in my room but you're super...damp." I couldn't help but laugh a bit at that.
Now I'm walking downstairs to the living room, where Hayley was watching reruns of Supernatural and biting her lip whenever Dean Winchester appeared on the screen. I sat down next to her, putting my legs up and crossing them in the seat as Hayley moved and stretched her legs so that her feet were sitting in my lap.
"Is this the last episode they're showing this morning?" I asked as the show ended.
"Yup. It's noon! Maybe you should learn to wake up earlier!" She joked.
I shrugged and sighed.
"Yeah well..rough night."
She gave me a concerned expression.
"Yeah..I could tell. What happened last night that made you so..icky?"
I giggled a bit at her choice of words.
Excellent vocabulary.
"Well..yesterday after I texted you, I...uh..I witnessed something really weird and I'll leave it at that." I frowned, remembering the scene of Barbara and that weird guy.
"Then, I walked to the park and I uh- ran into someone there.."
"SOMEONE?" Hayley gasped.
"You mean-"
"Alex. And he kissed me.. Again." (A/N: No pun intended.)
"He did?? Well did you kiss him back?"
"Y-yeah...I did."
Hayley squealed with joy.
"OH MY GOSH THAT'S ADORABLE!! But then why were you all icky?"
"Because I told him I needed to be alone."
"You WHAT? Why would you need to be alone? Tay, what are you doing!?"
"That's the thing- I DON'T KNOW what I'm doing, Hayley! I need to clear my head."
"Clear your head of what?" She cocked her head to the side.
"Of bad memories." I leaned back in the seat and sighed.
"Past relationships gotcha down?" She placed her hand on my knee as I nodded.
"Well Tay, there's no changing what happened to you in the past, but this is about the future. I'm no fortune teller or anything, but I can see Alex in your future!"
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
"Yeah, I bet you do."
"No but seriously, Tay. Alex is a good guy. Sure he has a little reputation with 'the ladies', but I've honestly never seen him treat any of them the way he treats you. You're like, his princess!! You're his Cinderella, and he's offering you the glass slipper! Accept it!" She slapped my leg.
"Ow!" I giggled, and slapped her back.
"I don't know, Hayley. It's just hard to let people in. It just freaks me out and makes me anxious just thinking about getting attached to people. It's scary, ya know?"
"Yeah, it makes you vulnerable to getting hurt. But if you trust Alex and you like him back, which OBVIOUSLY you do..then you should take your chances. You can't let fear take over you for the rest of your life, Tay. You'll just be an old lady with 10 cats!"
I rolled my eyes at her joke.
"Thanks, Hayl. Maybe I should give it a chance.." I decided in deep thought.
"OH MY GOD, YESSSS!!" She frantically clapped her hands and literally jumped in her seat with happiness.
"Hayley! Calm down, dude."
"I CAN'T!! So you're gonna give him a chance?"
"Maybe. I mean.. you, Jenna, and even he has told me the same things. That I shouldn't be so afraid if I trust him. That I need to admit my feelings and just go for it. But there's always something that stops me."
"Don't let it stop you. LET YOUR HEART HAVE WHAT IT WANTS!!"
Who knew it would be Hayley to talk some sense into me.

************
It's been a few days since then. This week hasn't been so bad. When Alex was saying all that stuff about being there for me, I guess he meant it.
Lately he's been just giving me little waves when he sees me around in the hall, and in algebra if I drop my pencil or something, he's always quick to pick it up for me. Then I say thanks, and we go on with our day. But other than that, I still haven't spoken to him.
Now it's Valentines day, and he's on my mind more than ever. I can't help but wonder what it would be like if we were together right now. What if he would buy me chocolates or something cute and cliche like that? And then we'd go on some romantic date after school or something..
ANYWAY- That's all anyone's been talking about today. All the couples getting extra frisky at their lockers, and everyone talking about their plans for tonight. REALLY FREAKING ANNOYING. And on top of that, I overslept this morning, and came to school like 30 minutes late and had to go to the administrators office.
I quickly walked into the office; the top of my unstraightened hair hidden into a beanie. I was really bumming it today. I huffed out in annoyance when I saw Ms. Taverns dabbing at her red puffy eyes with a tissue behind her desk.
"Come on, I'm late enough as is!" I didn't mean to snap at the obviously brokenhearted woman, but I was not having the best day. (Plus cramps).
The lady quickly composed herself and gave me a late slip.
"Sorry, here ya go!" She sniffed.
I took the note and nodded in thanks, giving her an apologetic look.
"And Ms. Taverns?" I stopped walking and turned around. She looked back up at me.
"Yes?"
"You should really try not to be so trusting. Don't be so open to let people hurt you, ya know?"
She just looked at me for a moment and her lips twisted into a fine line.
"And here's a bit of advice for you, Miss Jardine..don't be so afraid of getting hurt to let anyone in." She twisted her lips up into a forced smile.
"Now have a nice day!"

So let's just say, it's been a long, unbearable day for me.
We're down to the last few minutes of Music, and "in honor of Valentines Day", we've just been sitting in a circle playing countless love songs. From Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's, to I'm Yours by Jason Mraz.
Flyzik came up with some brilliant idea at the end of class, that we pair up in couples tomorrow (and it HAS to be a girl and a boy), to work on a project for a major grade where we have to do a performance together with a handwritten song for the whole senior class! We don't sign up our partners till tomorrow, but that didn't stop just about EVERY girl in the class to immediately run over to Alex and beg him to perform with them! If anything, that made my mood even worse and I was the first one out of the classroom when the bell rang.

When I got home, I immediately took an Ibuprofen and collapsed on my bed. I felt like an emotional wreck. I decided I was just going to listen to some music to relax me, but even Blink couldn't fight off my bursting emotions. I needed my one true therapeutic alternative to self destruction. And that's writing.
And hey, I might as well get a heard start on that project, anyway.
I took out my song book and my pencil, and spilled out my feelings and emotions on paper, into what could easily become song lyrics. What I wrote was definitely not a completed song, but it could be finished later.
It's been awhile since I've felt butterflies.
Do you feel the same way too?
If every single second could last that much longer.
Would you hold me?
And kiss me again underneath the moonlight.
You're more than a friend, oh.
I knew it from the first sight, yeah.
Hold me, feel my heart beat.
Put your arms around me.
And kiss me again.
And kiss me again.

I looked over what I wrote in disbelief.
I wrote all about Alex. Now I miss him even more.
I put my journal away, and laid back down on my bed and started chipping off my black nail polish in frustration.
But then, I heard a knock at the front door.
That's weird, I wasn't expecting anyone to come over..
I walked downstairs, completely puzzled as to who could be at my door right now.
I unlocked the door and opened it.
I completely froze at what I saw.

"Oli?!"

Notes

WHOAAA PLOT TWIST! :O
Hayley's reaction to the Taylex situation was inspired by you all xP
This chapter gave me terrible writer's block, so sorry if it sucks.
I start school next week (sadly), meaning that I'll have even less time to write. And it takes me FOREVER to write a chapter. So...it's gonna be a lot of work. But ily guys so I'll do it anyway :)
Plus, this is really fun. <3

Thanks! :)

Title cred: I Miss You- Blink-182