Hanging by a Moment [Completed]

I Really Want You

 “Ew,” The words left his lips as soon as he entered the hall.

He could be accused of being biased, the only reason for his presence being the fact that Peyton had coerced him into attending, but it couldn’t be denied that the decorating committee had gone a bit overboard.

“Shut up, it isn’t too bad,” Peyton laughed, nudging his friend, amused by the expression on his face.

“It’s all pink,” he choked out.

“There’s some red too?” Peyton tried.

The decorations weren’t that bad – even with all the pink and red – but Jayden was enjoying Peyton’s reaction to his own.

“I’m traumatized.”

Peyton laughed.

“Boys!” Sarah was walking towards them while waving simultaneously.

“We’re men,” Peyton grumbled, accepting the hug she gave him.

“Sure you are,” she turned to Jayden. “Looking good,” she winked, causing him to blush.             

Peyton was quick to respond. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Um, that he looks good?”

“I meant with the whole ‘sure you are’ thing.”

She realized that he was joking belatedly.

 “Jayden?”

I decided not to say anything. She’d think I wasn’t there and would go away, leaving me alone to clear my head.

“I know you’re there!”

Well.

The involuntary sigh I let out gave away my location before I could move from the position I’d assumed at the base of my locker and escape, basically. Feeling her presence beside me almost immediately, I looked up at her – her silhouette, rather, because the only lighting was from the hall outside – and returned to staring away into the empty space ahead of me.

I didn’t want to talk.

I knew that my behavior was stupid, simply put, ridiculous, even, but I was tired of fighting.

She sat down next to me.  “What’s wrong?”

People don’t just leave the school dance to come and mope in the changing rooms, yet I chose to go with ‘Nothing.’

 “What happened?”

“It’s not a big deal.” I shrugged morosely. There wasn’t any real need for me to pretend everything was okay, because it clearly wasn’t, but a part of me wanted to try and save whatever little dignity I had left after having run away because I was too chicken to deal with what was happening.  I just didn’t want to make a bigger deal out of it by admitting it out loud.

Whatever.

“So you just decided to storm out of there and come here?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why?”

“Just,” I shrugged, “leave me alone, kay? I just need some time alone to figure something out.”

I had turned away from her in a futile attempt to get her to go, yet I could feel her frown. “Does this have something to do with,” her voice dropped down to a conspiratorial whisper, “him?”