Aftertaste (shawnmendes)

Chapter One

With a best friend like Elizabeth O'Neil, you become used to being the third wheel. She's what most people would call a hopeless romantic, and her endless list of ex boyfriends and flings can vouch for that. I'd like to think of myself as a romantic, too. But unlike Liz, I've never had a boyfriend before. At 16 years old, it's not really the oddest thing ever, but it still shocks some people. Liz always says my high standards are to blame, which makes me laugh because if someone here has high standards it is her. Then again, she can afford that. Anyone would agree that she is a really pretty girl. She has long blonde hair that somehow always manages to stay in place, and bright emerald eyes that capture your attention. Her laugh and smile are contagious and she's always in a good mood, which makes her undeniably charming. Overall, she's the type of girl anyone would wanna be friends with. Which is why she's very popular amongst both boys and girls. Boys, especially, I decide as I watch her and Austin walk hand in hand, looking at each other with heart eyes. I feel like I'm interrupting something just by walking with them.

"I love you." she giggles in between kisses.

"I love you more." he says back.

"I love you the mostest."

I pretend to gag. "Gross." She swats me. We're interrupted in our bickering by someone calling my name breathlessly. We both turn around.

"Looks like your boyfriend is here." she winks at me. I roll my eyes.

"He's not my boyfriend." I mumble as I watch him run up to me. Him is Tyler, we share most of our periods and so I usually sit by him in class. Only, he seems to have an interest that's more than platonic towards me, which I'll admit makes me quite uncomfortable because I only see the guy as a friend.

"Hey, Sam!" he exhales shakily, bending over as he tries to catch his breath. Liz raises an eyebrow at me. He hasn't seemed to notice that there's anyone with me, it's as if I were the only one in the room. She clears her throat to get his attention. "Oh, hi Elizabeth. Austin." he nods curtly, before looking back at me.

"Hey, Tyler. What's up?" I ask, trying to ignore my friend's amused stare.

"Uh, actually-" he starts seemingly nervous, scratching the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me at lunch today?"

"Well, it's not that I don't want to but..." I start, glancing at my best friend.

"Oh, no. Yeah, it's totally okay if you can't. I get it, it's no big deal." He says, looking crestfallen. Liz glares at me.

I sigh, "No, it's not that. It's just that I usually sit with Elizabeth. But you can join us, we don't mind." He brightens up at that.

"Cool, yeah. Awesome! So, I guess I'll see you at lunch huh?"

"Yeah, sure." I say. As soon as he leaves, Liz turns to me with a shit-eating grin on her face. "Don't even say it." I warn her.

"It'll be like a little double-date!" she wiggles her eyebrows. I totally saw that coming, I think as I roll my eyes in mock-exasperation. I have the worst best friend in the world.

Fast Forward to lunch break

I spend most of lunch break poking at the food in my plate with my fork, trying my best to pay attention to whatever the hell Tyler is saying. The guy is sweet and all, but God, is he bland. I'd much rather listen to my dad rant about politics and the government. Yikes. I cringe just thinking about that.

"Sam, are you listening?" Tyler asks, stopping in his monologue.

"Huh? Sorry, I just zoned out." I lie. He frowns.

"You've been really pensive lately, Sam." Liz observes with a suspicious gaze. I didn't even know she was paying attention, I mean, she seemed pretty busy reenacting the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp with Austin.

I shrug. "Yeah, I just got a lot on my mind, I guess. Hey, did you notice the-" I'm cut off as a familiar face enters the lunch room. I wrack my brains, trying to remember where I've seen that face before, and that's when it hits me. What is he doing here? I've never seen him here before. My friends seem to notice my distraction, and they all turn around, following my gaze. Liz turns back to me as soon as she spots him.

"Who's that, d'you know him?" She asks, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Her words seem muted suddenly, I can't tear my eyes off him.

"Uh..." I watch him make his way to a table in the far back where no one ever sits. I turn back to my friends, they're all staring at me. "No. I don't. It's just that I've never seen him here before."

"That's because he's new here." Austin butts in. We all turn to him. He shrugs. "Yeah, he takes Creative Writing with Ryan. Guy's shady as fuck, lemme tell you that."

"How'd you know?" I ask.

"Ry' told me so. He just got here last Friday and he keeps getting excused to leave class early. Whenever someone tries to talk to him he sends them packing. Go figure."

Liz scoffs disapprovingly. "What a douche, he's not gonna make many friends if he acts like that, that's for sure."

I frown, that doesn't seem like the guy I've been listening to sing at night. I imagined he'd be more sentimental. Not that I spent much time thinking about what he's like...

"Maybe he's just shy." I offer, feeling strangely defensive over this boy I've never even spoken to. He's sitting at a table on his own, his food is untouched and he's writing down in what seems to be... a sketch book? What's your deal? I think, intrigued.

Austin shakes his head. "Nah, he's just plain rude, you'd know if you talked to him."

"And you have?" I bite back, a little to accusatory. Austin frowns and I instantly flush, embarrassed by my reaction. God, what's wrong with me? "Sorry, whatever."

"Well, anyway," Liz starts with a sigh, "That guy sure is lucky he has a cute face, because he sounds like a total asshole."

Austin grins at her "What can I say, we can't all be handsome and nice like your boyfriend, babe!"

"Mhm, yeah." She laughs and the two get lost in their own little world again.

I look down at my plate, I haven't touched my food at all. Strangely enough, I don't feel hungry anymore. I can't stop wondering about that guy. I chance a look at him, but there's no one at his table. He must've already left. I feel someone's gaze on me and I look up to find Tyler staring at me intently. In a sudden urge to look away from his questioning gaze, I resume my poking and prodding at my food absently. There's this nibbling voice at the back of my head that's filling me with unanswered questions, and deep down I know there's only one real way to soothe it.

I need to find out more about that boy.

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I absolutely love this story, already! It's my first fanfic and I'm really kind of proud of myself for even getting this far, I usually give up at the first few words. I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am! Please leave me feedback and suggestions, so I know that you guys are liking it.

What do you think about Tyler?
Do you think Shawn's an asshole?
What do you think Shawn was doing with that sketchbook?