Caroline jumped into Nicholas' arms as she ran up to give him an unexpected hug during lunch. He hugged her back lovingly, scanning the area for a sign of Angela. The one-sided love Nicholas had for Angela was almost unbearable. Each day he would tell his friends that he would finally get the courage to talk to her, but as each day passed he remained silent. He was hopelessly shy and insecure and watching her heart beat for Dae Kun only added to his devastation. He gazed at Angela from afar each day as she graced everyone she spoke to with a radiant smile and kind, gentle eyes. He desperately wished that he could look into those eyes without having to quickly look away. Nicholas came to grips with reality and accepted that nothing would ever come from a life of pursing Angela. She didn't even know his name.
Caroline tugged on Nicholas's hand and warped her fingers between his. She proudly walked next to him, but he longed to be next to someone else.
"Nikki, let's walk to the store after school. I want to get some BBQ Lays." Nicholas reluctantly agreed to Caroline's request. After all, food was his second greatest weakness.
"Is it ok if Angela comes too?" As Caroline added this simple sentence Nicholas's ears perked up. His heart began to beat faster and a smile formed across his face.
"Sure." He tried so hard to be nonchalant but he knew he couldn't keep his real feelings concealed.
As the last bell of the day rang, Nicholas found Caroline and alongside her was Angela, notably without her boyfriend. Dae Kun's parents were terribly strict and banned any tomfoolery after school.
Nicholas led the way to the store and the two girls trailed behind gossiping and giggling every five seconds. Nicholas couldn't help but worry about what or who they were talking about. When they got to the store both girls loaded up on snacks and of course Nicholas got stuck picking up the tab. But he didn't mind, he wanted to show Angela how much of a gentleman he was.
Nicholas stayed behind this time as they walked back to school. The side walk was only wide enough to fit two people next to each other. At first Caroline stood shoulder to shoulder with Nicholas, but after a few yards Nicholas insisted that ladies should go first and shoved Caroline in front of himself and Angela. Caroline took this as a polite gesture from Nicholas, but in reality he wanted Angela to be closer to him. As the sidewalk grew even narrower Nicholas inched closer and closer to Angela until their hands grazed each other's every time they moved. Almost like it was out of his control Nicholas reached for Angela's hand and held onto it for dear life. She shot a bewildered look at him and her eyes grew as big as the moon. He looked at her equally stunned, but neither of them let go of each other. Nicholas felt like he was in a whole other world. His own impulses went against his doubts and reached for her hand, and she hadn't let go. As Angela held Nicholas' hand she could feel the roughness of it from playing basketball, but there was also something so comforting and safe about being in his grip. Something that made her not want to let go. It took a faint squeal from Caroline to bring both of them back to reality.
"What are you doing, Nicholas?" Caroline's voice cracked as she said his name. Nicholas stared at her with solemn eyes. He looked down at his feet and released Angela's hand. Angela put her hand on Caroline's shoulder and said it wasn't what it looked like. Of course that was not true. It was exactly what it looked like. Caroline looked at Nicholas, then back at Angela, then back at Nicholas again. She tried to make sense of the situation but all she felt was betrayal and sadness burning inside her. She furrowed her brow and shot Angela the nastiest look a person could give, then stormed away.
Nicholas face was painted with shame and Angela's was red with fury.
"Why would you grab my hand like that? I have a boyfriend and you have Caroline. Look what you did to her!" Angela ran after Caroline leaving Nicholas alone on the sidewalk. He tried to gather his breath as he walked slowly down the street, kicking up rocks and dirt as he thought about what he had done. He had just obliterated any chance of being with Angela and badly wounded Caroline in the middle of it all. He knew that showing his face at Warner tomorrow would result in him being hated by all his friends, and shunned by everyone else. But as he walked towards his house he started to smile. Somehow, just holding Angela's hand for those brief seconds had made everything worth it.