All She Wishes | Shawn Mendes | ✔

17. Of Wishes And Detentions

"True love is like a drunk person crying, falling, hurting...but still saying I can."

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Sirens went off in my head as I took in everything Jace had just said. Shawn was mad because of Tanner's rumors. Was he jealous?

"I'm still puzzled as to why Shawn is mad," Jace continued as we walked up the stairs.

I swallowed before speaking, "That's because Shawn is my boyfriend,"

Jace's jaw hit the ground and he stopped dead in his tracks. All of a sudden, he burst out in laughter. "You're really joking, aren't you?"

"I'm serious." I said stiffly and his amusement faded.

"Oh my God," he breathed.

He was about to bombard me with questions, but before he could, we spotted Principal Hooper walking our direction. We attempted to break into a run, but the principal was too quick.

"Stop right there!" He yelled, after which he caught up with us. "What are you two doing out here in the hall while classes are going on?"

Principal Hooper looked at Jace and I from the top of his black rimmed glasses, "You aren't skipping class, are you?"

He squinted at us and before we could say anything, he jumped into a conclusion. "Detention. After school. Come with me to the office to collect the detention slips."

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Eyes followed my every move as I walked up the stairs. My mind was a blur and there were so many things that I needed to sort out.

I needed to put an end to the ridiculous rumor that Tanner had circulated about us. It seemed almost as if the weight of the whole world was on my shoulders as arrived at the door that spelled out 'Detention'.

I turned the knob and the door creaked open. There was no teacher in the classroom and none of the delinquents seemed to notice me as they did other things to while away the hour.

I occupied a seat beside the window and pulled out a mini drawing pad from my bag. I opened it and started flipping through its pages. All the drawings in it were of Shawn and were drawn by me - his obsessed girlfriend.

I started drawing when I was probably three or four and all I drew back then were flowers and animals, but ever since I net Shawn all of that changed. Every page of my drawing pad was filled with drawings of Shawn.

I was pretty good at it. Drawing Shawn, I mean. I loved sketching the sharp lines of his chiseled jaw and shading the fullness of his dark hair.

I placed my pencil on a blank page of the pad and pictured Shawn posing shirtless with a pair of sunglasses, looking like an absolute Greek god.

I was barely through with sketching this when I felt a frame slip into the seat beside mine. I tried to hide my drawing, but it was too late. Jace already had it in his hands.

His blue eyes scanned the page, taking in every detail.

"Shawn, right?" He looked at me, letting me snatch the pad from his clutch.

I stuffed it in my bag and huffed. "So?"

Jace placed his right elbow on the desk and supported his jaw with his hand. "Tell me about him."

I looked down at my fingers that were still in need of a manicure. "There isn't much to tell,"

"How'd you two start dating?" Jace asked.

"It happened a long time ago,"

"Eiffel, I asked you how, not when." He pointed out. "I don't understand you keep trying to dodge the topic,"

"It's complicated, okay?" I cringed. "I don't even know how to explain my relationship with him to you. We're not your everyday couple."

Jace's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"He doesn't love me," 

"So why are you still with him?" Jace wanted to know.

"Because I love him," I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jace stroked his chin. "Let me get this straight. You didn't choose to love him, it just happened. But what's killing you is that he'll never think of you the way you think of him and you hate that you're still hoping that someday he's going to feel the same too. You realized that no matter how hard you try to make him happy, it's never good enough because in the end, you always end up hurting."

My mouth fell open. "Th-that's exactly what it is," I stuttered at the realization. "How did you know?"

Jace tapped his temple. "Intuition."

I sank lower into my chair, my long blonde locks falling into my face.

"You look like you need a hug," Jace pouted, speaking in the voice of a three year old.

I nodded and smothered him in a bear hug. "Thank you for always being there for me."

"You're welcome," He smirked as we pulled away from the hug.

I resumed sketching Shawn before looking back at Jace whom had already buried his head in a sports magazine.

"Jace?" He looked up. "You should hang out Lynelle more often. I think she's got the hots for you."

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That night, sleep kept its distance from me. It was about one in the morning and I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to lull myself to sleep.

I found myself imagining what it'd be like if Shawn and I were a normal couple. We'd go for dates at cafés, hang out theme parks, let out our excitement at arcades, and snuggle in late at night with popcorn and a cheesy movie.

We would frolic like kids in a park, picnic in a field with mayflowers, have dinner dates at restaurants with outdoor seating.
If Shawn could see my mind right now, it'd probably be like he was looking through his photo album. He was the only person that brought a smile to my face by just having me think about him. He was like a painting, he added color to my life.

I peeled the covers back from my legs and reached for my drawing pad which was on my reading desk. I was distracted from this by a sudden tap on my window.

I stilled, stopping dead in my tracks. There was another tap and it sounded like someone was throwing things at the window. While contemplating whether to check it out or not, there was yet another tap.

I swallowed, summoning up all the courage I could muster and I headed to the window.

All I saw was pitch black darkness as I peeked out of the now open window.

"Psst." Someone called. "Eiffel,"

Instantly, I recognized the voice. "Aaliyah?"

I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that she'd walked down here at one in the morning.

"Please, come downstairs," She said.

"What's wrong?" I wanted to know.

Aaliyah was silent for a second. "It's about Shawn."