Lily Truscott jogged up the hill, pain shooting through her each time she took a step.
Her green eyes were trained on the tree ahead of her, nothing else.
Nothing else...nothing at all.
I won't think of Oliver.
Nothing...just the tree.
She could hear Amber's high pitched giggling behind her, almost making her scream. Without looking back, she already knew what was happening. Amber was tousling Oliver's hair flirtatiously, and he was smiling his goofy smile, with his arm around her waist. He wouldn't even be sweaty, because the cool people didn't need to run during track practice. He had on his blue shirt, with the converses drawn clumsily on them, with long red shorts, and basketball sneakers. As always, Amber matched with a pink shirt that read, "Princess" in red sequins, and shorts, with pink tube socks, and pink sneakers. Lily could feel a slight vibe of anger surge through her. Of course Amber would get anything she wanted. Of course.
Amber is such a...
Her bitterness made her break into a run, and eventually, she sprinted up the hill, gasping, trying to breathe normally.
Behind her, she heard a scream behind her.
"Hey Lily! Trying to impress Ollie?" Raucous laughter broke out after that.
She reached the top of the gravel hill, and ignored it. Her heartbeat was leaping faster than it normally did, and she put her hands on top of her head to relieve it. She stared at the group walking slowly up the hill, Amber's hand clutching Oliver's arm tightly, while everyone else was still laughing about her.
Lily sat down on the grassy knoll, waiting for everyone else to catch up. Her cheeks colored as she remembered how Oliver and she had been such good friends...
Such good friends...
Thirteen year old Lily clasped her hand over her mouth as Oliver pointed to random things in their science books.
"Doesn't that look like the Kraken in Pirates of the Caribbean?"
"Ohmigosh, it does!"
Their science teacher had been walking by them, and she stopped.
"Lily and Oliver? What are you supposed to be doing?"
"Uh..." Oliver looked to Lily confusingly and she shrugged in response.
"Page 645, numbers 1 through 5 on the Read and Review." she sighed, her glasses glinting.
Lily lowered her head, embarrassed. Oliver was still grinning at her, imitating the teacher behind her back.
"Oliver? I think we should work." she interrupted his act, putting their fun to a stop.
"Oh. Yeah."
The rest of the class period was spent in silence.
She clapped a hand to her forehead and groaned. How had she been such a nerd back then?
"Is something wrong, Lily?" Amber asked, smirking at her.
"Nope." she tried to look nonchalant.
"Oh...well." Amber brushed past her to Oliver.
"Ollie, you are so cute! Especially your hair..." she tousled her fingers into his hair again.
Lily couldn't help looking back, swallowing as she saw Oliver grin back at Amber, his eyes soft.
She didn't know why, but she always thought that Oliver really didn't like Amber. That someday, she and Oliver would be together.
But now she saw that Amber and Oliver really were in love.
So that's it, then. Stop hoping, Lily. Stop making a fool of yourself.
She felt tears come up, and blinked several times to stop herself from crying.
Of course Oliver and Lily would never be together. There was a popularity boundary. There was a looks boundary.
How had she never realized this before?
"Ollie bear, let's go for a walk." Amber's eyes were fixed on Lily's, seeing how she would react.
She knew that Lily had a crush on Oliver.
Lily froze with horror. Amber knew her secret.
Really, how was she blind to everything?