"Are you gonna finish that?"

I look down at my plate and see a few pieces of sushi still on it. "No," I shake my head as I push it away.

Troy grabs my plate, brings it closer to him and grabs the three rolls I didn't finish and plops them in his mouth. At separate times of course. "Soo good," he says after finishing everything, "but I'm so full. Maybe I shouldn't have ate yours right now. I feel like I'm going to explode at any minute."

Yeah, maybe he shouldn't. But who could pass up some Alaskan rolls? Well, obviously me.

"I don't know if I'll be able to finish the project today."

"Shut up," I roll my eyes as I sip on my raspberry iced tea, "by the time we get back to my place, you better be ready to work. This was just a lunch break."

"Fine," he tells me reaching for his soda, "but I might not be on my a-game."

I didn't really care. I laughed and shrugged it off. "As long as we get it done, I don't care. Well, I do, but I'm pretty positive we're going to get an A anyway, we've done a pretty good job, don't you think?"

"No, yeah," he agrees, "we have. I'm just so ready for it to be over. Most demanding project, ever."

I didn't get sad about that comment because... okay, no, maybe it did hurt a little bit. Even if he didn't mean it in that way, I can still take it as he's ready for it to be over so he doesn't have to hang out with me anyway, you know? Maybe it's the case, maybe it's not. But I mean, he is here with me eating sushi.

So he must like hanging out with me. He could have easily not suggested going somewhere for a lunch break.

"I know."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Umm, I don't really know," I shrugged, "don't really have any set plans."

For some reason, I thought he was going to maybe ask me to do something, but nope. He was purely just wondering. And it was frustrating. I mean, we've been hanging out quite a bit. Even if it is for school. But we are and we're getting to know each other and I mean, I like what I see. He's met my family, he got along GREAT with my family, we've gone out to eat together. We've gone to the movies. To get ice cream. I feel like maybe there's something here, but at the same time, he literally has not made a move or has show obvious interest in me and it's so heartbreaking. Okay, not heartbreaking, but frustrating.

It's frustrating because here I am... going gaga over him. I seriously have such a crush on him and it's so annoying. So annoying.

"What about you?" I ask him, "what are you doing?"

"I'm just hanging out with the guys," he answers as he clears his plates away, "nothing great."

The guys. Meaning his cousin, Cole and all them. It's also so frustrating how we used to hang out with that group ALL the time. But since Cassie and one of the guys in the group had a thing and it didn't end too pretty, we really can't all hang out together like it used to be.

And it sucks that Troy's there NOW because I don't hang out with them as much as I'd like anymore. So yeah, that sucks. I could've hung out with him!

"Oh, sounds like fun."

He didn't say much else because the waiter came and dropped off our check. I offered to pay but he didn't let me and so that makes me a little happy again because it sort of feels like a date.

But obviously I know it's not at all. He put his card down and then the waiter came and got it and returned it in less than a minute. He left a tip and then we got out of there and got in the car and drove back to my face to finish our project. It was a quick lunch.

"Thanks again for lunch," I tell him as we're sitting in the car.

"Anytime," he smiles at me and I get butterflies in my stomach. Legit butterflies.

Sometimes I feel like he might be interested and other times I feel like he's only hanging out with me because of this project. And that's why it's going to be SOO bittersweet when it's over. Like maybe I won't ever get to hang out with him again. Or maybe I will. I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'LL BE.

"Do you wanna order pizza or something?"

I open my eyes and see Savannah walking into my room before she takes her shoes off. "What?"

She came over to my bed and looked over me, "What are you doing? I asked you if you want to order some pizza or something. Or maybe some Italian food and we can watch it in bed while watching reruns of the OC. Doesn't that sound like such a fun Saturday night?"

It actually does, but I'm on such a Troy high right now that all I really want to do is see him. "Yeah, sure, that's fine."

Savannah climbed onto my bed and made herself comfortable on the left side before she grabbed my laptop from my nightstand, "Can you help me find something to wear next week?"

I sucked it up and sat up and nodded. I'm not going to let a boy take over everything when we're not even together. That's annoying.

"It's a black and white party so I'm thinking of this white Lanvin dress, but it also comes in black if I do decide that I like this one the best," she clicks on it on the Barneys website, "but I also really like this Phillip Lim white dress."

Both dresses she was showing me were really cute and I'd probably wear on of them. But I don't know, I don't mind telling people what to wear if they already have the dresses, but if they don't, I feel uncomfortable telling them which one to buy because I don't want them to regret it and have it be too late.

She kept scrolling through the website when one of the dresses caught my eye, "Wait, S, that Alexander Wang one is so cute!"

"This one?"

I nodded and she quickly clicked on it.

It wasn't exactly white. It was more of a cream color, but it was so, so cute. And simple.

Maybe a little too simple for her liking. "Can I wear cream, though? Like it's a black and white party."

"Who cares," I shrug, "it's pretty much the same. And if I remember correctly, Katherine came in jeans and a blouse when you told her it was black tie at your birthday party last year, so whatever. Just go for it."

"You're right," she said as she checked for availability in the store, "yeah, I'm gonna get this one. It's so cute. And so me."

"Yeah!" I tell her, "if I didn't already have a dress for it, I would have so gotten this. You're going to look so hot."

She closed my laptop and put it back to where it was and then turned to me and gave me a look. I know that look. And she wants to talk. About what's wrong with me. "Okay now that I've gotten that out of the way, tell me what's wrong."

I shrug, "Nothing's wrong."

"Oh please, Gabriella," she laughs, "I'm your best friend. I've known you for years. I KNOW something's wrong so just tell me."

"It's stupid," I tell her getting up and walking over to my phone where it's charging by my vanity, "I just can't figure out if Troy's into me and I know I'm into him and Stacy made it even worse by telling me not to hurt him because she knows how I am with guys- I get bored and toss them off to the side."

"So now you're over thinking it, yet you're still into him?"

I sighed and nodded, "Yes and I just want him to ask me to hang out, like without it feeling like it's convenient, you know?"

Savannah looked at me and smiled. "You're into a boy and for the first time even, it's not because he was into you first. You're growing up."

She's right. Ah. For the first time ever, I'm interested in a guy and I don't even know if he's interested in me. This never happens. I hate rejection so I always make sure the guys into me first even if I am sort of into him, I don't let anymore know and I make myself feel not into him, but with Troy, I can't. I'm pretty sure I like the chase or something because here I am, still into him and I have no idea if it'll he'll ever be into me. And that sucks. Ugh. I'm so over it.

"Just call him up and I don't know, ask him if he wants to hang out."

"You're fucking crazy," I tell her rolling my eyes, "why would you even say that? You know I would never."

She laughed and got off my bed and went over to her purse, "Why not? I dare you."

Dare? What are we, in 5th grade? No way. No how. Not ever. I don't even care anymore. Well, I do, but I'm gonna try to make myself stop stressing about it. It'll work out if it's supposed to work out. "No, he's hanging out with Cole and them tonight, anyway. So he's busy."

Savannah's eyes widened as she turned around to look at me, "Oh my gosh. Perfect. Let's run into him, yeah? You guys can hang out."

"No, S," I shake my head, "that's waaaay too obvious."

"Trust me," she looks down at her phone and after half a minute or so she looks up at me, "it's done and taken care of. Get ready, we're gonna go hang out with your man."

"Don't call him that," I tell him, "and also, no. No way. He's so gonna figure out I'm stalking him."

She ignored me and went over to my closet and disappeared in there for about a minute. She came out with some leather pants and a simple blouse. "You're wearing this and we're gonna go and have fun. If anyone asks, we're having a little one on one girls night."

"What?" I asked her confused, "how do you even know where they're at?"

"I texted Carly and asked what she's doing tonight and she told me not much so I said, not hanging with Nate? And she said no, he's going to with the guys to shoot some pool and have dinner."

Fuck she figured out where they were. There was only one spot where those guys would be to shoot pool. Nothing short of fancy. "I hate you."

She smiled at me and threw my clothes at me, "go get ready."

I honestly don't know why I was going along with this. He's so gonna know I'm stalking him. I know he is. And it's going to blow up in my face and I'm going to be SO embarrassed. And he won't ever be interested in me. Ugh. Maybe I'm over thinking this. But also... maybe not.

Whatever. I'm over this. I'll just listen to whatever Savannah has to say. She's in charge.