Take What I Can Get | ✓

[2] Don't Say It Back

The only good thing about today was that Kaylee had Biology last period. Although she was isn't a fan of human anatomy (the what bone is connected to the what bone?), it was the only class that didn't have heart and cupid banners hung around the classroom. Ms. Singleton was never one for romance — judging by how she loathed talking about her ex-husband — so she hardly ever acknowledged things like Valentines Day, something she and Kaylee had in common.

Other than the fact that Ms. Singleton had a chance to find love.

"Did you notice the way Mr. McLaughlin was looking at Ms. Singleton when he came in?" Delilah whispered to Kaylee as they speed-walked out the Bio Lab; a river of students running through the hallways behind them. "He's so into her."

Kaylee glanced at Ms. Singleton as she left her classroom and noticed how the string wrapped around her finger seemed too outstretched. She shook her head.

"I don't see it." Kaylee raised her eyebrow as she turned to her friend. "And since when were you into any of our teachers' love lives?"

"Never. I just really hate biology," Delilah said, crossing her arms. They stopped walking when they reached Kaylee's locker. "You know, you and Ms. Singleton are alike."

Kaylee snorted. "What makes you say that?"

"You're both oblivious when someone obviously likes you."

Kaylee stopped stacking her books. Her voice got stuck in her throat. "And what makes you think someone likes me?"

"Uh, hello? Jonah!" Delilah said like it was so obvious. Like it was so easy. "You should see the way he looks at you, even when you look like shit. It's like you're the only one he sees."

Her emotions were running so wild in her stomach that it made Kaylee slam her locker shut. "Jonah does not have feelings for me."

And he never will.

"Whatever you say, Kaylee Oh." Delilah rolled her eyes, finally dropping the subject, which made Kaylee relieved. "By the way, where is Jonah?"

"He said he'll be right outside the Economics room." 

Kaylee raised her chin and tiptoed, her eyes trying to find those familiar messy locks through the crowd of students. She remembered how Jonah looked this morning. A dark blue plaid shirt, tucked with the sleeves folded; an old brown jacket, and a regular pair of jeans. With clothes like that, he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. But, somehow, Kaylee managed to find him.

"Right there." Kaylee pointed to the boy standing near the Economics room, who was waving his hand up in the air before dashing towards them.

"Hey!" Jonah yelled, his eyes glued to Kaylee as he kept waving to them. He stayed like that until she and Delilah were finally standing in front of him. Then he smiled, and at that moment, Kaylee found herself painfully falling for him all over again.

—

Delilah dropped them off nearly a block away from Kaylee's house.

"Thanks for the lift," Jonah said, closing the car door behind him.

"No problem," Delilah said as she turned to Jonah. She smiled and winked at him, which made Jonah freeze next to Kaylee. Kaylee narrowed her eyes as her gaze shifted back and forth between them. "Adios amigos!"

Then Delilah hit the brakes and drove away. Once she was gone, Kaylee nudged her best friend. "What was that?"

Jonah shook his head. "Nothing."

"You sure?" Kaylee asked, taking an extra step forward and bending down so that she could see the expression on Jonah's face as he kept his head down. "You know, you've been quiet during the whole ride. Is something wrong?"

"No. I'm just...nervous."

"Nervous about what?"

Kaylee watched as Jonah took a deep breath and sigh. Then he lifted his head up and took a step forward so that he was facing Kaylee right in the eye. "Remember Abigail Loski's party in freshmen grade? When we were playing truth or dare and she asked me if I liked anyone in our year? And I said no?"

"Yeah, I remember." Kaylee nodded. "You lied. You didn't want anyone to know that you totally had the hots for Ms. Hernandez."

Jonah's eyes grew wide and suddenly his lanky arms were flying around in the air. "No! What— what made you think that?"

"You think I didn't notice?" I always notice, Kaylee thought. When it comes to you, I always do. "You practically drooled every time you saw her down the hallway. Especially that one time when she wore that red dress —"

"Jesus, Kaylee, I did not have a thing for Ms. Hernandez."

Kaylee laughed. "I don't believe you."

"It's the truth!"

"Then if it wasn't her, who —"

"You! You idiotic biscuit. I like you!"

At the sudden realization of the words he said aloud, Jonah's eyes widened and he swore. He kept running his fingers frantically through his hair, at one point he covered his mouth, but Kaylee wasn't paying much attention to it all. All she could do was stare at him and not know what to say, what to do, or what to feel.

Because this wasn't right. And Kaylee didn't know whether to fight against it or with it.

"I like you, Kaylee Oh," Jonah said, looking at Kaylee with such sincerity painted in his eyes that it made her feel so happy and so terrified at the same time. "I like the way you snort when you laugh, I like the way you know what to say, I like the way you make me smile even when I'm sad. I like everything about you, which is why you're the best person I know." In the middle of his grand speech, Jonah sighed. "I'm sorry that this didn't go as planned. And that I called you an idiotic biscuit."

Kaylee didn't know why but she took a step forward, her fingers itching to touch Jonah. She had every positive and negative emotion exploding inside her chest, and she needed to let them out. Even though she didn't know how.

"Jonah, I—"

"Don't say it back," he said quietly. Jonah's eyes looked so fragile — like glass that stood at the edge of a cliff — that it made Kaylee stop and lower her hand. "At least, not now. It'll only make me think you said it because I did."

Kaylee nodded because it was the only thing she can do. "Okay."

"Thanks," Jonah said, scratching the back of his neck, which was something that he would do whenever things got awkward. "I'll see on Monday then?"

Kaylee nodded again. "Yeah. I'll see you on Monday."

"Okay then, uh, bye," Jonah said before he took a step back and sprinted home, looking back at Kaylee from time to time as he ran.

As Kaylee stood outside her house in the cold, she finally understood why she had stuck by Jonah Geller throughout all those years. It was because, as her feelings for him grew more and more, there was always a part of her that hoped that he would have feelings for her too.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE
And here's another one! Sorry for the bad grammar, I haven't checked this in a while...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and maybe vote if you wanna? I don't know, just a suggestion, but you don't have to.  Okay, I'm shit at this so I'm just go say bai.

Bai.

-andy