Who Knew?
Chapter One: “Keep talkin’ while I’m walkin’ away”
Rating: T (for language and possible sexual overtones later on)

It was 7 am when I waltzed into the cafeteria at school, my blue dress swaying around my knees, a smile beaming from my face, and cupcakes held firmly in my hands. He flew around in the plastic cafeteria booth as soon as I entered, taking in my form and then flying right back around, as if he was a super-spy and no one could have possibly noticed. I giggled to myself, happy that I made Nick uncomfortable. It proved that he still thought about me, even though he broke up with me four months ago. But it was complicated still. I knew he still loved me. It was just a matter of his friends and family not wanting him to be “tied down” yet.

“Hey, Jake!” I said exuberantly to my overweight friend who was sitting across from Nick. “Nick.” I added as an afterthought, smiling at him. He glanced up at me, surreptitiously letting his eyes travel up and down my thin form, before saying “hey” and looking back down at the table.

“So, anyways!” I turned my attention back to Jake, “I brought cupcakes!”

I bounced on my heels, my dress swaying a bit, and I noticed Nick looking at me in the corner of my eye. I smiled to myself, bubbling with nervous energy.

“Why the gifts of sweets?” Jake asked with his usual philosophical tone.

“Because Tori’s last day is today,” I paused and added, “Plus, as a congratulations for getting into college. So you want one or not?”

“Of course,” he replied as he lifted a chocolate iced cupcake from the Tupperware container.

“I figured I’d deliver them straight to my lovable fat man just in case I didn’t see you later today. Or in case Whitey tried to eat them all…,” I said, referencing our friend Danni’s (commonly called Whitey) frequent odd behavior.

I turned to Nick who had just quickly focused his eyes back on the table.

“Would you like one, Nick?” I smiled softly down at him, basically talking to the top of his blonde head, “They are homemade and not poisoned, I swear.”

“No, that’s okay.”

I gasped dramatically.

“You are turning down a cupcake? Oh my God, come on. You can’t deny the deliciousness! Plus, they are the happiest desserts on the planet!”

“Fine. I’ll have one.” He hesitantly reached out and grabbed one, looking up at me and flashing a shy smile before he added, “thanks, Cait….”

I positively beamed at him and said, “You’re welcome! You can have two if you’d like. So can you, Jake,” I added as I turned to face him.

“How can I pass up the deliciousness, like you said?”

“Nick?”

“Sure.”

“Caitlin, did you get a new bag?” Jake asked randomly, pointing to the sling backpack I had resting across my shoulders.

“Yeppers!” I exclaimed sliding out of the bag and setting it on the nearby table.

“And look!” I said, pointing inside, “It has a laptop compartment!”

Nick was unabashedly looking at me, now, curious about the bag.

“Have you gotten a laptop, yet?” he asked.

“Naw. I still can’t decide whether to get a Mac or a PC. Like, I don’t know anyone who can walk me through the differences (except you, I thought) so I don’t know which one is better. And I don’t wanna wait five hours just to talk to some teenage boy employed by Apple at the Apple store.”

“I can help you,” Nick said. “I’ll call you and we can talk about it.”

Both Jake and I were staring at him in disbelief. I recovered faster than Jake and said, “Thanks! That means a lot, Nick. Call me whenever.”

“I’ll call you tonight, ‘kay?”

“Sure. Well, now that my cupcake fairy duties are fulfilled, I shall be making my dramatic exit. Later!”

I skipped out of the cafeteria, grinning to myself and wondering what this development meant. Would this grow into him coming back to me, like I kept dreaming, or would his friends get to him before he admits that he still does honestly love me?