To Capture a Heart ✔️

Chapter 7

Sitting next to Tyler during my second lesson in the week of history was... uncomfortable. And awkward. We didn't talk unless we absolutely had to, and even then, he barely said a few words.

Half an hour into the lesson, I had had enough of the silent treatment and decided to try and engage in a conversation with him.

"How's Ashley?" I ask him before looking right into his eyes.

He stared back at me, looking straight through me.

"We broke up." He says, with no affliction in his voice.

"I'm sorry." I say, sympathetic to his cause. "What happened?"

He didn't answer at first. But after a minute, he says,

"The love was lost."

"Oh." I felt sorry for him, I Know what it's like to be left or to leave because the love is not there anymore. Like with mum.... And Daniel. I shake my head, zoning back into reality.

"What's wrong?" I hear him ask me quietly as the teacher drones on about the Battle of Passchendaele.

"Nothing," I quickly, but quietly say, looking away from his gaze.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" He whispers, before looking back at the teacher who had started to draw the trench formation on the whiteboard.

When Tyler says I can tell him anything, it sets me off. He has been ignoring me for almost 2 weeks, and now he wants me to reveal all my secrets to him? I know how pathetic I am right now, whining about a boy who I don't even like. Yet, the small amount of interest he had just shown in me after a long time made me see a different side to him. A... new side.

"No, nothing's going on." I answer back to him, before looking towards Ashley, who seats a few rows in front of us. Her head is turned, looking straight at me and Tyler. I could see the jealousy written all over her face. I knew it. I knew it was Ashley who stopped Tyler from talking to me, stopped him from communicating with me, because she was jealous.

And that's when it hit me. Tyler likes me. That's why Ashley forbade him from talking to me, and is giving us a dirty look right now. No... He doesn't... Does he? I looked over at Tyler, his head turned away from me, looking at the teacher. Tyler turns his head to face me, as I quickly look away, embarrassment evident on my cheeks, as I start scribbling down random notes into my book.

"What are you doing?" He asks, slowly taking the pen out of my hand, causing me to smudge my work.

"What?" I look up at him with the most innocent face I could muster. He has a wide grin across his smug face as he looks at my work.

"It's time to go," He says, forcing me to look at the clock.

Oh. He quickly gets out of his chair, pushing it back and picking his bag up from the floor.

"Come on," He says, putting his hand out for me to take.

"What?!" I quickly ask back.

"I'm going to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"The canteen,"

I burst out laughing.

"The canteen?" I wheeze, before ending with a coughing fit.

"Come on, let's go."

I take his hand as he leads me out of the classroom, past Ashley, who was waiting outside the door.

We start running as soon as we leave the building, trying to reach the canteen within minutes. As soon as we walk in, Tyler let's go of my hand and walks towards a two seated area. He looks behind, and gestures towards me to join him. A smile spreads across my face as I slowly walk towards him, sitting down opposite him and getting my lunch out of my bag.