My School Crush

The first day I met him, I flipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a lunatic. It's his eyes. Something in his eyes. They're blue and framed in the blackness of his lashes, they're dazzling. Absolutely breathtaking. He looks like he could kill someone with those eyes; and yet, when you get a better glimpse of that face...it's like you can't help but be drawn to it. When he speaks, there is no trace of his accent. There is just something about his voice. The way he says my name? It takes me a moment before I realise it sounds familiar.

He's always been there, watching me. Even during our school days, when we were barely friends, he was there. He stood at the back of every class as I struggled. He watched me from afar until I'd grown accustomed to the attention, only to then appear and try to help me with whatever problem the teacher had assigned us. Whenever I got into trouble for being too loud, being late, or not doing everything perfectly, he would step up and take on all the blame. Sometimes, I would catch him staring at me. I didn't know what it meant until one day, at lunch.

I hadn't noticed him sitting near me at first, but when he opened his mouth to speak, I turned around to see who it was. His face flushed slightly when he saw I was looking at him. He smiled softly, and I found myself smiling back.

"What are you staring at?" He asked, and I laughed a little bit, looking away.

"Nothing," I said quickly, still not turning around so I could see his reaction. "You have nice eyes." My stomach tightened at the words leaving my mouth. That wasn't what I wanted to say. It wasn't what I meant to say. But it came out anyway. I looked over my shoulder again to see if he was upset, but he just grinned even wider.

"Thanks," he replied, taking another bite of his sandwich. He glanced down at the food in his hands, then looked back up. "Can I ask you something?"

I shrugged, still unable to turn around so I could look at him, "Go ahead. I don't have anyone else to talk to, anyway." A blush spread across his cheeks, and I couldn't stop smiling. What a cute boy.

"Why do you like studying?" I raised an eyebrow, wondering why this random stranger was asking me such a thing.

I shrugged again, "It's fun, and I'm good at it. How about you?"

"Same." I nodded, and he continued. "Have you always liked to study?"

"Not always. It used to be something I enjoyed doing, but now it's sort of becoming a side hobby."

He chuckled, "Well, it's not a hobby for me."

"Really? You must love it." I teased. He blushed again and shook his head.

"No, not exactly. It's kind of hard to explain. Maybe I'll show you sometime."

"Maybe you will." I agreed easily. I didn't have much to do after school on weekdays, so maybe we'd end up spending time together.

"So, how did you meet with your parents?" I asked suddenly. He stopped chewing and sat down on his lap.

"Oh...my parents..." He trailed off, glancing down at the table.

"Yeah...? Was there a fight?" I asked, concerned for him. He looked up at me then, and I realised I may have gone too far.

"My dad died two years ago. My mom remarried last year. We still live together, although she sometimes comes home early from work to spend time with him. I come home alone most nights." He took a deep breath, clearly trying to keep himself calm.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed." He shook his head.

"That's okay. Don't worry about it." He said. I reached over and placed my hand over his. I'd seen this boy cry twice before. Once in class, and once in the bathroom. I knew what it felt like to have someone care enough to comfort you.

Somehow strangely, we grew so close as time passed by. Now my school crush with cute eyes has become my best friend and hopefully something more shortly.