Onsra(Bittersweet Love)

......

unnatural to me. After seeing the way Wesley's eyes brightened as he spoke to me and the way his entire face beamed, anything less from him would strike me as unhappy. Or in this case, forced.

Ms. Moran continued with her lesson. I frequently looked back at Wes, surprised to see that every time I looked at him, he was staring right back. He didn't talk or laugh with anyone around him like I had expected him too. Maybe he wasn't that friendly after all.

As the lesson progressed, I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. The girls next to me would occasionally mutter softly that Wesley was staring at me. I would shrug and turn my attention back to the board.

It wouldn't be so much of a problem if it were anyone else. When he stared at me, It was as if I could feel it physically. I couldn't concentrate knowing that a pair of dark blue eyes were looking intensely at me from across the room. Each time I looked back and he saw my face, he would smile slightly. His smile wasn't friendly or kind or warm. It was like a way of letting me know he saw me. That he wasn't embarrassed he was caught staring.

A couple people noticed but didn't say anything. The only person who spoke up for real was Clara. "He really likes you, Flora. I've never seen a girl stared at by a guy before, especially by Wesley Hartmann," Clara said while tightening her ponytail. I looked down, evidently blushing. It wasn't the fact that he was staring at me so much. It was the fact that people were noticing.

When the bell rang, my note sheet was half blank. I didn't care too much. The lesson was mostly a review from what I'd known from my old school. I pushed in my chair and picked up my binders, ready to go to my next class.

I was about to exit through the door when Wes gripped my arm lightly. It was enough to make me halt in surprise. "Flora," he spoke slowly. His voice sounded a little husky. I looked up at him, shaking slightly. He'd startled me a bit. After clearing his throat quickly, he pulled me gently out the classroom and into the hall. Luckily, nobody was paying much attention. They were all in their own thoughts. "I want you to sit with me at lunch. I want to be near you," Wes said deliberately. I could tell he was trying to make it sound light. Like he was trying to tease me and wanted to make it seem like a friendly gesture. But I was good at reading people and I knew what he wanted. He wanted to be near me. To be close to me.

I had mixed emotions over Wes. He definitely intrigued me. But I knew there was more to him than what I saw on the surface. I thought about Elena and what she would think if I wasn't with her during lunch. Then I remembered all the people that talked and approached her in the morning. I remembered Janet and how close they seemed. Elena wouldn't care. She would probably just end up talking to other people anyway and I would be at the end of the table. If there were any seats left open around her.

"Alright, Wes. I'll sit with you," I sighed and smiled at him. His face lit up. "You won't regret it, Flora." He looked at me dazedly a little too long before his broad shoulders tensed. "The tables a mixture of boys and girls. The girls should be friendly and the guys, well, just try to ignore them. If they say anything that might be a little too far, just brush it off. It's how they are." I felt like Wes was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince me that his lunch table wasn't too bad for someone like me. I'd rather sit alone than with in a table with a bunch of loud cheerleaders and jocks. I already knew that was what Wesley was talking about.

"I won't look out of place?" I asked softly, looking down at my modest clothing and worn-out sneakers. Wes shook his head lightly. "Anyone I invite will be treated well," he explained, his eyes fixated on my hazel ones.

I started to squirm a little under his intense look uncomfortably. "I better get to my next class. I'll see you later," I said and began slowly walking away. "Later, Flora," he said back, his voice sounding almost hazed and almost distant. I turned to look back and smile one last time, but his back was towards me and all I could see was his tall, retreating form.