Baby, I've got a little crush on you

-

It's terrifying to take that leap, to tell someone how you really feel.

But don't be afraid to try.

Because you'd never know,

What could happen when you do.

The possibilities are endless.

-

"YES!" I hissed happily when the ball that I had thrown hit Jacob Kent in the stomach.

I jumped with joy and did a little victory dance that I had finally manage to hit someone.

Hah! My aiming skills' not so bad now, is it?

I stopped rejoicing abruptly and winced guiltily when I noticed Jacob grunting in pain as he pressed his hands to his stomach, shuffling out of the court slowly.

"Sorry!" I squeaked as I bit my lip.

He turned around and shot me a glare before moving towards the bleachers.

"Gosh, Serena, you're so violent," Christina, my best friend laughed as she came over to stand by my side, "Poor Jacob. He's a nice guy."

"Hey!" I protested as I whirled around to narrow my eyes at her, "It's dodgeball. He was supposed to dodge. That was the whole point of the game! It isn't my fault that he didn't react fast enough."

She laughed again breezily while I tried to convince myself that it isn't my fault that he was groaning in pain as he held his stomach, "But you didn't have to throw it so hard, did you?"

"Hrmph," I muttered grumpily as I crossed my arms across my chest and turned away from her slightly.

The piercing, shrill sound of the whistle echoed throughout, promptly signaling the end of gym.

It was the last period of the day so nobody was in a hurry to leave. Everybody lingered about, talking to their friends.

"Hey," Olivia breathed as she finally reached us after running across the gym to us.

"Hey," Christina and I chorused a reply.

"You cannot believe what I heard," she told us, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"What?" Christina asked as she quirked an eyebrow.

"It has to do with Serena," Olivia continued, turning to look at me.

"What? Me?" I asked confusedly.

She nodded eagerly, "Eric has a crush on you."

I blinked for a moment in complete indifference before her words registered to me.

"Eric has a what on me?!" I yelled without thinking.

Abruptly, everybody - especially Eric - promptly turned around to stare at me.

To say that Eric was popular would be an understatement. He didn't play soccer or basketball. In fact, he was in the art club. But he was popular, nevertheless, for his looks and the fact that he was nice to everyone. Pretty much everybody in the school knew him and has spoken to him at least once. He was friendly and warm. Everybody liked him.

I turned to look at him. He was talking with his friends by the corner of the gym. But due to my outburst, he and his friends were all staring at me with shock.

I expected him to burst out laughing that such a stupid rumor had managed to spread. But instead, he raised an eyebrow at me as though he was expecting for me to react to that fact.

I used to like him because he was always there to help me during art club. He had lend me a helping hand when I couldn't draw a portrait like we were told to and he had even went so far as to help me paint an artwork of mine because I didn't have enough time to complete it all on my own. Yes, used to like him.

Now, I didn't like him so much considering the way he has folded his arms across his chest and turned to look at me.

Yep. He was definitely expecting a reaction out of me.

So, I did exactly what any responsible and sensible person would do.

I ran for my life.

-

-

-

For the whole week after my outburst, I did whatever I could to avoid him.

I didn't go for art club for the whole week, skipped gym and whatever classes that I had with him – cringing at the thought of being so close to him after what had happened.

I even refused go to the cafeteria for lunch just in case he decided to approach me. Instead, I chose to hide like a coward in the library just walking past the bookshelves aimlessly as I waited for lunch to be over.

I thought that I was doing pretty well at avoiding him.

I knew that even though I couldn't avoid him forever, I could try to as long as possible. Maybe, by the time that I had no choice but to face him again, he wouldn't even remember about my embarrassing moment.

That is, until I found myself alone with him in the hallway.

I was grabbing some stuff from my locker and stuffing them into my bag. I shut my locker close and zipped my bag shut.

I whirled around, ready to head home and just crawl into bed. However, I stopped in my tracks abruptly when I found him leaning against the locker opposite of mine, his arms crossed in front of him.

He didn't look happy.

Crap.

"You've been avoiding me," he stated simply as he pushed himself off the lockers and began advancing towards me slowly.

Somehow, the picture of a tiger cautiously advancing towards its prey flashed across my mind.

I knew that I should run. This was an even better time to just bolt. But somehow, my legs were too wobbly to even take another step.

I just stared at him as though he had caught me in a horrible act that I shouldn't be doing.

He had me cornered – my back pressed hard against the cool lockers.

"You think?" I muttered under my breath and then realize what I had said.

"I mean," I fumbled for words as he raised a questioning eyebrow at me, "I-I mean, what? *Noooo. Of course not! That's such a stupid thing to say. Why would I ignore you?"

I watched feebly as a smile began to tug at the corner of his lips, "You wouldn't, huh?"

"No! Of course not," I replied pathetically as he pressed his hand against the locker, right next to my head.

Uh oh. I didn't like the way he was edging even closer to me.

"So you're completely fine with knowing?"

"Knowing what?" I asked, feigning indifference as I blinked curiously at him.

He sighed as he rolled his eyes. He pressed his other hand next to the other side of my head, "I know you already know," he murmured before a smirk appeared on his face, "Baby, I've got a little crush on you," he told me as he slid in even closer to me, his mouth almost on mine.

And I promptly punched him in the stomach.

Immediately, his breath left him as he bent forward slightly.

"What the fuck," he hissed under his breath.

I winced slightly as he bended backwards slightly from the impact, creating more space between us.

Well, he deserved it.

"Nuh uh," he sort of grunted as I ducked under his arms, "You don't just hit a guy and then walk away from him. Especially not when you owe him something."

I stood up properly and straightened my shirt before turning back to him.

"Would you like me to punch you again?" I asked him in my sweetest voice.

I glanced down to his stomach pointedly before meeting his eyes again, offering him my most innocent smile.

He shuddered and was about to say something but I spun around and walked away, leaving him to groan in his pain and misery alone.

-

-

-

It was history, the last period of the day. I was beyond exhausted after having to stay up late the night before to complete a project that was supposedly been due today but it had been pushed back to next week so as to give the students more time.

I had my head propped on my hands as I struggled to keep my eyes open. It was inevitable. I couldn't fight it anymore.

I felt my eyes flutter close gratefully and the unconsciousness that had been tugging at me pull me in alluringly, gripping at my mind as everything started to blur around the ages.

I felt my hand turning weak under the strain of having to hold my head up so I just gave in and just laid my head on the table.

Here I come, la la land~

… "Oof!" I spluttered as something hit my head hard and landed by my feet.

I glanced around, feigning nonchalance as I tried to ensure myself that nobody noticed my embarrassing reaction.

Okay, chill, I told myself as I rubbed at the back of my head and reached for the accusing object.

… It's a paperball.

Good god. Who the hell throws a paperball so hard? What is this? Bowling?

Gingerly, I unwrapped the paperball before I laid it flatly on the table, smoothing out the crinkles as much as I could.

With suspicion and undeniable curiosity, I flipped it about till I found a note in scrawl handwriting.

You know, you look adorable when you're trying to stay awake and then when you finally decide to give in. You have this dreamy look on your face :P

-E

What the…?

I whipped my head around to the side to find Eric watching me. Once he was certain that he had my attention, he winked at me.

Oh! The nerves of that guy…

Furiously, I began scribbling back a reply.

Go screw yourself over, Eric (:

-S

I crushed it back into a ball and made my aim before throwing it.

Yes!

I couldn't help but smirk as it hit him in the cheek.

He didn't seem fazed, however, as he reached over to pick it up.

I tried to focus on what the teacher was talking about but the curiosity kept tugging on me.

I sneaked a peek over to see him smoothing out the paper.

I watch his features turn bleak as he turned to look at me. I shot him a sweet smile before turning back to the face the front as I tried to absorb what the Mrs. Whitney was going through.

That ought to do it. He would probably get over his stupid infatuation on me now. So what if he likes me anyway? It's not as though I have to reciprocate the feelings that he has for me.

For all I know, he might even be kidding me with this. I mean, seriously. There is just no way that Eric could ev-

"Bloody hell!" I hissed under my breath as the paperball whacked my head again.

I glared at him and he reached up to press his hand against his mouth, seemingly trying to suppress his laughter before turning back to the front to find Mrs. Whitney watching me.

"Sorry," I squeaked, feeling my cheeks starting to burn.

She measured me with narrowed eyes for a moment before resuming with the lesson.

I let out a sigh of relief as I reached for the paperball as discreetly as I could.

I smoothed it out again on my table.

Sure. Wanna help me with that?

-E

I turned to him, making sure that he saw the disgusted look on my face.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I stuck my finger in my mouth and pretended to gag before reaching for my pen to write a reply again.

You wished, loser.

-S

I aimed again and threw it as hard as I could.

It smacked him squarely in the jaw.

This time, however, he obviously wasn't anticipating the paperball to reach him.

"What the fu-" he began to yell.

"Serena! Eric! What is going on with the two of you?!" Mrs. Whitney exclaimed, frustration evident in his features.

My cheeks started to burn up while Eric nonchalantly reached for the paperball before raising a questioning eyebrow at Mrs. Whitney.

I fiddled with my hands as I racked my brain for anything – anything at all – to say.

"We're… We… I don't… I–I," I stuttered pathetically.

Eric shot me a look that said 'Nice going, Serena' before turning back to Mrs. Whitney.

He shot her a brief smile, "Nothing is. In fact, I'm not even sure what you're talking about."

Mrs. Whitney just glowered even more as she slowly walked over to him and stuck out her hand, "Give me that piece of paper that you two have been throwing about."

I tried not to squirm from the looks that I was getting from the other students who Eric and I had the complete attention of now.

Eric glanced at me, a smirk forming on his lips.

"I think Serena would prefer it if you didn't. It's personal," he smiled up at her innocently.

Me? What did I do? He was the one who started it first anyw–

"After all, it is her proclamation of love for me," he added.

"MY WHAT?!" I screeched, my voice echoing throughout the classroom.

Everybody immediately turned to look at me and I could hear the whisper that started to escalate.

Oh, he's so dead.

"Uh oh," he muttered as I slowly stood up, my gaze set and narrowed on him.

"Oh, so I'm the one with the infatuation between the two of us, huh?" I asked him lowly as I proceeded to advance towards him.

"C'mon, Serena. You know I was kidding," he manage a slightly breathless laugh, his eyes flickering to the clock and then back to me.

He fidgeted and winced as I got closer.

"Of course, Eric," I told him sweetly, "I know that you're kidding."

I didn't care anymore if everybody was watching me with amusement right then and that I was probably attracting attention that I could've avoided if I just stayed calmly in my seat and murder him ruthlessly at some other time and day when we were completely alone where nobody could hear his scream.

Right then, the bell rang as though it had heard his desperate plea for an escapade.

He immediately shot off his seat and reached for the door as I simultaneously lunged for him.

My fingers manage to curl around his shirt but he swiftly managed to open the door and run down the hallway.

"That's right, Eric! RUN!" I yelled after him as I watch him weave past the crowds that were emerging from the various class doors.

Smirking, I walked out of the door and started walking slowly in the opposite direction.

I knew for sure that he wasn't aware that I hadn't tried to even run after him. He would probably keep sprinting till he emerge through the doors – completely out of breath – before he decide to stop and realize that I was nowhere on his heels.

He would probably laugh then, believing that I was a slow runner when in the first place, I hadn't even started.

Sucker.

-

-

-

I didn't see him at all throughout the course of the next day.

I smiled contentedly as I pushed open the doors and was immediately greeted by the sunlight that landed on my skin.

I stood still for a moment and absorbed the feel of the sun before I hiked up my bag further up my shoulder and began to head home.

I couldn't be happier. I didn't have to deal with any of his annoying advances or have to see his disgusting fa-

Oh, you've got to be kidding me!

My day was immediately ruined by the sight of him.

He was right by the edge of the parking lot, leaning against a blue car that I assumed had to be his. And it didn't make things any easier that I had to walk by him in order to get home.

I took a deep breath, It's okay, Serena. Just walk by him calmly and maybe he wouldn't even notice you.

I set my eyes straight on the path beyond him – the one that I had to take in order to get home – and started walking.

I held my breath when I walked by him and was surprised that he didn't seem to notice me or try to call me.

I spun around was beyond shocked to find him leaning over to kiss a girl on the cheeks. I knew that it wasn't any of my business and that it was better if he had some other girl but somehow, I couldn't stop myself from staring.

I watched as he shot that girl a smile before she sauntered off.

He started to turn his head in my direction and I hurriedly spun around, walking as fast as I could.

"Hey, Serena!" he called out after me.

Just keep walking, Serena, just keep going.

"Hey," his voice reached me just before I felt his hand on my wrist, turning me around to face him.

I yanked my hand away from his as a jolt that I couldn't understand went through me from his touch.

"Stop wasting your time on me. Go back to that girl you were with," I snapped before I turned around and started walking again.

"So you admit that you were staring at me," he laughed.

I did? Oh, crap.

"Stop flattering yourself," I shot back agitatedly as my cheeks started heating up.

"Aw, c'mon Serena. Are you jealous of her?" he asked me in a mock soothing voice, "Baby, you know that there's no one else but you in my heart."

I spun around and began to yell, "I am not jealous of her! Geez. Would you just leave me alone?"

I expected him to flinch but instead, he just raised a questioning eyebrow.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and was about to walk away when he suddenly pressed me against the wall, his hands by my head.

"Are you done?" he murmured, his breath fanning my face.

"Uh huh," I squeaked.

"Good. One, she's my best friend, nothing more. Two, you are jealous. Just admit it, for god's sake. And three, I know that you have a thing for me too," he smirked.

I placed my hands firmly on his chest, ready to push him off of me and send him tumbling down but he was faster than me.

Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist and pressed his mouth – hot and urgent – against mine.

I protested against his lips and tried to pull my hands free but it didn't faze him.

Instead, he moved closer to me, our bodies flushed against each other.

I felt my eyes inevitably closing shut as I began to kiss him back.

Once he was sure he had me under his control, he let go off my wrists and slid his hands to my waist, pulling me tighter to him.

My hands went to his hair as I continued to kiss him back helplessly, my mind completely unaware of the mistake that I was doing.

I didn't know how long we kissed but when he pulled back, he was gasping for air.

"Are you still going to deny that you like me?" he asked breathlessly.

"I kissed you back just because I wanted to get you off of me," I told him.

He smirked, "Oh, really? Is that why you were gripping so tightly to me?"

Instead of replying him, I did what I do best.

I shoved him off of me and started walking away from him briskly.

"You will admit that you like me, Serena," he yelled after me and I could hear the smile in his voice.

-

-

-

In the next gym, we played dodgeball again.

To my surprise, Eric didn't try to make any advances after me after that incident by the parking lot.

As a matter of fact, he didn't even look at me or acknowledge me in any way at all.

I tried to ignore the knot in my stomach but it was getting impossible to.

I was furious over how I was reacting over the fact that he was avoiding me. I mean, shouldn't it be good news to me?

I tried to convey all of my anger into dodgeball which prompted me to throw the balls as hard as I could.

Unfortunately for me though, I was too caught up in my thoughts that I wasn't really aware of my surroundings.

"Ow!" I yelled when the ball that Jacob Kent threw hit me in the shoulder.

"Sorry," he replied but I could hear the triumph of revenge in his voice.

I threw the ball that had hit me right back at him as I slowly made my way to the bleachers.

I sat miserably all alone as I watched the game with no interest at all.

"Out of your game?"

I jumped suddenly when Eric slid next to me, his bare legs brushing mine.

"Why are you talking to me?" I couldn't help but snap.

He grinned in response but continued to watch the match, "So you've noticed that I've been avoiding you."

"How can you expect me not to notice?" I snapped, "Geez. What is your problem? First you tell me that you like me, and then you just ignore me for a whole week?"

"Hey," he laughed as he turned to look at me, "Maybe I got over you."

I felt my heart clench, "You what?"

"I got over you," he smiled.

I scrambled my brain for responses but I wasn't prepared for that at all.

"Well… That's good then!" I stuttered.

He laughed for a moment before he slid his hand around my neck, guiding me to him.

"I got you, Serena Riley," he smiled, "You can't get out of this one. The look of pain and disappointment was written all over your face when I told you I got over you."

Before I could make a comeback, his mouth was on mine again.

He kissed me softly this time and I was too tired to pretend that I didn't like him anymore.

He knotted his fingers in my hair as I slid my hands around his waist.

"Anna! Eric!" the voice of the gym teacher, Mr. Newton pierced through the gym, "There's a rule against public display of affection in school!"

I pushed him away abruptly, my cheeks going hot.

By then, though, it was too late. The other students were already shouting out catcalls and making jokes directed at us.

"Two weeks of detention for the both of you," Mr. Newton announced sternly.

"If we do it again, would you increase the number of weeks?" Eric asked him, smirking.

I shoved him but he ignored me.

Mr. Newton narrowed his eyes on Eric, daring him to try it again.

"I'll take that as a yes," Eric smirked, "The longer the better. It'll be the only way I could get her to be with me."

He pulled me to him again – ignoring all my shoving and glaring – and kissed me again.

I knew that I should have shoved him away for being the insane, stupid idiot that he was. But instead, I kissed him back – ignoring the screams of Mr. Newton and the responses we got from the other students because I, Serena Riley, like Eric Finley.

Review? (:

I love you for getting this far. *hugs*

P.S. Thank you AWalkOfShame for inspiring me. You're amazing (: