My Imaginary Boyfriend

My Imaginary Boyfriend *One Four Three

Caleb!

"What are you doing here?" I ask him furiously.

He's laughing as he says, "I saw you walking and then I called your name. You didn't hear me, so I followed you."

I grab his hand and we run to the nearest corridor. I'm so embarrassed, I don't want the pianist to see me. Caleb lets me tow him. When we're safely hidden in the science wing, we stop. My heart is pumping in my chest so hard. Adrenaline is still running through my veins. It's like I run in a marathon.

When I realized I'm still holding his hand, I let it go quickly. His laughter gets the attention of the people walking nearby. I give Caleb a pointed look, but he's still not stopping. I don't know what's wrong with him. I don't even find anything amusing.

"What you did was wrong," I tell him when I find my voice.

He smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry," he says, "but the expression on your face was worth seeing a hundred times. If given a chance, I'll still do it."

I smack his arm impulsively. "Don't do it again!" I scowl.

He pretends that I hurt him, but I just ignore his complaints. We just met yesterday and now he's already teasing me like he knows me for years.

When he looks at me, he becomes sober. "I'm sorry Annalise," he says, biting his lower lip to stop the smile forming in his mouth. "I promise I won't do it again."

"Okay," I mutter.

"Let's do the pinkie promise," he says thoughtfully.

Rolling my eyes, I raise my right hand and close my fingers except for my pinkie. He does the same, and then we seal a promise.

I'm not one to hold a grudge against someone. I don't know what's wrong with me. Perhaps it's—

"You're going home, right?" Caleb asks, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yes," I answer.

"Do you want to—"

"No," I say, cutting him off. I know what the end of that sentence is. "It's okay."

He cocks his head to the side and smiles lightly. "Are you sure? I'm not even finished talking."

I nod. "One hundred percent," I say.

"Okay," he mutters, trying to hide his disappointment.

I'm not comfortable walking with other people in going to and from school so I decline his offer. How do I know that that's what he wants to say? It's obvious in the tone of his voice.

Besides, there's a huge possibility that Alex might join us because he's his brother. Anyway, I already said no so it's not a problem anymore.

"I'll go now," I say.

"Take care," Caleb says.

"You, too," I mumble, waving at him as I walk away.

When I get out of the school, the wind ruffles my hair. Looking up, I see that the sky is dark even though it's just after four in the afternoon. I have to walk faster if I don't want the rain falling in on me.

Suddenly, I feel alone. Maybe I should have accepted Caleb's offer. Walking with him will sure give me another feeling I haven't experienced before.

People are so bent in finding their true love in different places. Are we just too blind to see them? All my life after the orphanage, I've been alone. Why try to fit in if you were born to stand out, right?