Lack of Vocabulary
...In which Romeo fails to capture Juliet's heart
She didn't like the way he wrote.
Lin Haine sighed and crushed the paper, shaking her head in disapproval. She rolled the note into a ball and tossed it into the trash bin a few steps away. It landed inside perfectly. She had gotten plenty of practice.
Sometimes she wished he could just stop. He was killing trees with his stupid little pleads and she did not approve. She appreciated nature more than his idiotic grinning face.
Now don't get her wrong—Lin was not denying any sort of attraction for the boy. Romantic feelings for him were something she could never harbor. If only he knew that much, but nooo. He was such an idiot!
The notes flattered her in almost everything she could think of, and they were all fabricated. It made her sick to the bone. It made her want to throw up. She was not the curvy Luka Megurine, for heaven's sake! He really needed to get his eyes checked. Maybe he had a serious case of cataracts or something. For one, she did not have an hourglass figure.
Lin snorted at the thought.
His way of writing was just so… unrefined and extremely exaggerated. It gave her an impression that he didn't have any brains at all and was a fan boy or a stalking admirer. Lin liked long text, but that was just a heap of utter crap.
Put simply, she did not like this boy.
He was just a friend, a friend who had so willingly spent his time to play video games with her. That was just as far as their relationship went—nothing but games and the occasional sleepover.
She suddenly felt sorry for him. She had a crush long ago too, but never confessed due to her timid nature. In this case, the boy was boldly declaring his emotions. Lin had to give him credit for his bravery. Too bad it would all be in vain.
With a loud clack, the shut her locker and let her legs take her someplace else. The letter still bugged her though. Why was he so persistent anyways? If he wanted to impress her, he would probably need to sharpen his writing skills first. Watching him sleep in literature class did not give her a good picture of accepting him.
He must've thought she would be amazed by his 'work'. Lin knew a lot of girls who readily dated guys who wrote them sweet letter confessions, but she wouldn't let herself be swayed so easily.
Whoever said that women were impressed by what they heard should be punched in the face and given a nice black eye.
If she accepted his feelings and cheap words, what would her mother's strict training be useful for? Lin didn't want her parents' words to go to waste. They had spoiled her, and she would listen and obey in exchange, a fair family rule. Plus, he didn't seem like the type Dad would approve.
The letter was so poorly constructed it could've been written by a grade one kid. It was all just copy and paste from the internet, full of cliché and cheesy, overused pick-up lines she was all too familiar with. She would never be fooled by that. He was too dumb to write something as romantic as Romeo and Juliet. She knew him that much, fortunately.
Lin came across a glass window and briefly examined her reflection. She didn't see anything attractive enough in herself for him to send the note to her. It was reasonable to say that spending a year and a half together in the same class let the seeds grow, but why? Her hair wasn't as colorful or as shiny as her female peers, and her eyes were dull grey unlike the sparkly gems others had. And her figure—there was not much of a need to explain, was there?
That boy really needed to check for cataracts.
The very least I can do for him is to recommend my personal optometrist.
She looked up stopped just in time to see the rusted doorknob to the rooftop. She opened it with a soft click after mulling it over for a minute.
Light blinded her eyes and the sudden gush of wind made them water, but Lin went in anyways. There was still plenty of time to slack before the end of lunch break. It took some time for her eyes to adjust and when they finally did, she had to pull out her glasses to relieve the temporary blurriness.
Her jaw dropped as she examined the surroundings. He was sitting on the bench, watching her with an amused smirk.
It was the same idiot who dared to send her the note, the low-grade writer and her gaming partner.
Lin turned back to the door and harshly slammed it shut. She wasn't in the mood to download his stupid serenade and his long-winded confession into her head. It did happen once, but now her brain was simply too traumatized, too exhausted.
All because she did not like this boy and did not want to tolerate his idiocy.
A hand grabbed onto her wrist before she could take a step further. Lin sighed and refused to make eye contact.
"Hey, why didn't you reply to my text on Saturday?" His voice was hoarse with anxiety, though only very slightly. "Was it what I said before I left your house that day? Lin, answer me please!" The heat of his sweaty palm was rapidly spreading into her skin.
Lin did not approve. "It's nothing. I just couldn't think of anything to say. Why are you so concerned anyway? Am I like your girlfriend or something?" She jerked her hand away when his grip slackened.
Not that she was entirely sure, but she thought she heard him mumble, "I wish you were". Nah, it was probably her ears playing tricks. Whatever expression he was wearing on his face, she didn't want to see it. She wasn't in the mood to glare him in the eye and reprimand him for being a busybody.
And she had no idea why.
His breathing was irregular and his greater height made her feel his exhales on the back of her head. It tickled her somewhat. Lin crossed her arms and bit her lip to hold in a giggle.
Why was she responding like this?
"I… I know the love letters I sent were full of crap, I know," he sighed. "I had no idea how to say it in any other way… How do you expect me to log into my VocaChat account and send you a message with 'Hi, I like you a lot, and I hope you'll accept my feelings' just like that? You know me, Lin—"
That was too much for her to download. That was… too direct. "Shut up, you're talking too much." Lin bit her tongue and wished she could take it back. She was still facing her back to him, afraid to meet his eyes.
Was she afraid to accept reality? She didn't know.
She had to fix this. She didn't like the layer of tension that hung above them. It was choking.
Without a second thought, she spun around and saw his eyes momentarily. Before he could utter a word, she gave him the death glare and put her finger to his lips. "Not today, you impatient little jerk. I just need some time to consider."
Lin turned tail and fled as fast as her feet could take her. She heard the boy yell her name before laughing and she laughed along too before ducking round the corner. There, she crumpled to the floor on her bottom, cupping her burning red ears.
She had just told him that she would consider. She had just told him that he stood a chance to be her partner. It was the same as telling him that she might like him.
If summarized into a sentence… overly-embarrassing, ludicrous, and out of character.
I'm such an idiot.
Author's Note: Did you notice that the boy here is unnamed? Feel free to fill up that empty, nameless space with any guy you like! Random pairings are so awesomely random! :3
Inspiration source: real life experiences, learning the word 'friendzone', and writing a fake love letter to an imaginary character.
Has this ever happened to you? Who did you imagine the boy to be? Leave your thoughts in reviews and feedback! Thanks for reading! ;)
~Jelly-O