"Did you come with the wrong person to Homecoming?"
"Maybe."
Toby stepped closer to me. "You have feelings for me too," he said softly, stepping toward me.
I couldn't deny it, but I'd never been in this position before. Having feelings for two people at once. Was this even possible? But the truth was-I wanted to be wanted. So I cared for people who wanted me. Regardless of who they were.
"We hardly know each other," I croaked out.
He shook his head. "You know me better than anyone else," he said softly.
Did I really? I knew his favorite band, I knew some of his secrets, I knew his loneliness and that he was wise beyond his years. But what I didn't know was why he liked me.
"Why do you like me?" I asked. "After knowing what we did?"
His eyebrows shot up, as if he didn't expect the question. He shrugged. "I think you're beautiful," he began slowly. "And you never seemed to ever believe what they said about me. And when I'm with you, I don't feel like a misfit or an outsider. I feel like I belong with you. By your side," he hastily added. But then he turned the tables on me. "Why do you like me?"
"You saved me," I said simply. "And you don't judge me. It's like you know everything about me-even Maya. But you don't even turn away from me. I don't think you ever will."
"You're right," Toby said, drawing me into a hug. "I won't."
And we stood there in the lab, his arms around me. And what did I feel? Feelings that never came up with Maya or Alison or Pete. I never really felt safe with them. With Toby, I felt safe, loved, and warm. It was like heat washed over me. It was a new beginning. Suddenly, I wasn't scared anymore. Let A be up to her tricks. Let some of my friends scorn me. Here I was safe. Here I was allowed to be…me.
