Lara Jean liked to look at Peter when he does not know she is looking. She would look at him fondly and when he looked back she would look away. But not after the party, not after that kiss, she had decided avoid him now, to conceal her feelings, to hide every trace of her liking for him. She was not sure how she'll face Gen now, after kissing her boyfriend. But she knew she had to.

As she was walking down the hall way, she saw Peter standing besides his locker, munching on a protein bar and talking to some guys who were apparently the lacrosse team, He was looking like his usual handsome self. Doing her best at feigning indifference, she walked past him as fast as she could. Almost running by now. She kept her eyes tightly closed, wishing she could disappear. Trying to catch her breath she finally reached her locker, but guess what, it was one of those tough days when a series of disasters are waiting for you, There she was, her another fear, Genevieve, standing right in front of her locker.

" Hey"—Gen said raising her hand onto a highfive. Lara Jean scanned her face for any signs of anger. Looks like she is still unaware of what had happened a night before at the party at John's house, She thought.

" um...Hi"—Lara Jean said ignoring her hand, she was not bold enough to face the tantrums Gen will throw if she told her the truth, but the guilt was eating her up on the inside.

" Where were you yesterday? I had been texting you the entire day."—Gen said.

She did not wanted to lie to her, but did not wanted to tell the entire truth either, so she said—" I was busy with the homework"—which was partially true, she had been doing the her homework almost the entire day while most of the girls and guys of her grade were busy partying at Peter's.

"It was Peter's Birthday, I texted you about it a day before. "

She almost said— I know. But somehow managed to take out an Oh instead, like she was totally unaware.

" It was fun. Her mother had baked a carrot cake—"

Cutting Gen's sentence like it was not important she said— " Gen I want to talk."

"About?"

Hesitating for a moment she said— " About—about Peter."

" Don't tell me he kissed you in the moonlight"—Gen said grinning.

" He did, but not in the moonlight." —Lara Jean said as seriously as she could.

" And I found a portal to the Harry Potter world under my bed. "— Gen said now laughing.

" ."—she said trying to look stern.

Gen's smile faded. Now she was frowning.

" What do you mean?"—Gen said with a questioning look.

" Look I am very sorry. I did not wanted to. I...I..I really am sorry"—she said almost crying by now.

Gen's face looked as if she would cry too, but it also had a rage for Lara Jean and Peter. She opened a big mouth and Lara Jean expected some mean statements to come out, but she instead said— " Please don't start crying." and shoved her away, making way to her locker.

It was their Biology class, and Lara Jean knew that she will not be able to study. Opening her locker she started searching for her biology book.

In the break, while Lara Jean was walking to the cafeteria she found Gen walking in her direction.

" Hey "—Gen said.

Lara Jean stood there surprised, as if she'd just saw a monkey talking or a fish flying. She turned around to check if anyone was standing behind her, and finally said in a meek voice—"Me?"

" Hey, Lara Jean."—Gen repeated.

" Oh, Hi"—she said still not fully recovered from the surprise.

While walking towards the cafeteria Lara Jean said softly—." Aren't you mad at me."

" Nah. I've forgotten about it already."—Gen said.

"I am really sorry Gen. I...I am the worst friend ever."—she was about to cry again.

Lara Jean expected Gen to say something mean like Happy realisation ...or ...Did you just called me your 'friend'?, but she instead said —" Lara Jean, I told you it was fine."

She could not understand why she was being so kind to her after she had kissed her boyfriend, after she actually deserved to be treated meanly. Gen-being-kind was more painful than Gen-being-mean at that moment.

Lara Jean took her lunch and headed to an empty spot at the end of the canteen, but Gen stopped her.

" Aren't you sitting with us."

And by us she meant Peter, and his friends.

" No thanks, Chris would be coming soon."

" She was going somewhere, probably for lunch, she won't show up anytime soon."—Gen said.

Chris could never be trusted to be on time. Sometimes she would have her lunch at burger king that was two blocks away, with her boyfriend and would not show up, at such situations Lara Jean would sit with Gen or sometimes with Margot and Josh, but not today, she wanted solitude today.

" Thank you, but—"

" If you are really sorry then come"—Gen said in a friendly/taunting way, this was her speciality, to black-mail people and get what she wanted. Lara Jean followed her without any further argument.

Gen offered her a seat beside her, the seat where Peter usually sat. But today he was sitting in the corner of the table. Lara Jean sat without arguing. Peter was awkwardly quiet today. He just replied to the questions by either nodding or shaking his head. The other people were talking but the table still seemed awkwardly Silent without Peter talking.

Gen kept looking at Lara Jean while munching on the salad. Lara Jean had not started eating yet. As soon as she poked into the mashed potatoes, Gen said—" Lara Jean could you get me some Iced Tea." This was an order she would give to any one of Peter's friends on a normal day. Then why did she ask her today.

Lara Jean stood up and started to walk towards the counter , As she reached half the way she heard people laughing behind her, she turned around to see what happened and the people on the other side started laughing too. Margot ran to her, and pulled a note that stuck on Lara Jean's butt with a wad of chewing gum, the note said:

' I JUST MADE AN ASS OF MYSELF. '

That was when she realized the people all around were laughing at her and that she did made an ass of cheeks turned red, She had tried hard that day not to cry when she talked to Gen, but not she could not stop, tears puddled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She ran as fast as she could to the bathroom.

She locked herself up in a stall. She felt insulted, humiliated, and Irritated . Lara Jean cried until her eyes turned red. She was starving. She knew who was responsible for her condition, it was Gen's evil plan and that explained why she was so exceptionally kind to Lara Jean and offered her the seat beside her that probably had the note with the chewing gum wad and stuck to her jeans when she sat on it.

The next thing she remembered was waking up in a bed neatly covered with white sheets, She could see some nurses moving around in the room. She could also see someone standing next to her bed, a face that she soon realized was Peter's. Yes, Peter Kavinsky, was standing next to her after she had made such a fool of herself. At first she thought that she was paranoid, but she realized that he was really there when he said—"Are you fine now?"

" Where am I?"—Lara Jean said.

" Well, you fainted in the bathroom after the cafeteria catastrophe and you were brought here, at the emergency room."

She wanted to laugh at ' cafeteria catastrophe' but somehow managed to look serious and continued—" Where is Margot?"

" at the school reception to phone-call your dad."

"What are you doing here?"

" I was worried so just came here to see if you were fine."

" Well, I think I can live without your mercy."—Lara Jean said meanly.

" Look, I am the one who is actually responsible for your condition so it becomes my duty to check if you are fine."

" Wait, did you just say that you were responsible for my 'condition'?"

" Yeah, I mean I was the one who kissed you and— I am sorry for all this and also for what that Gen did and I totally understand why you avoided my birthday party."

Usually Peter is charming but some times he can be totally irritating. Lara Jean thought of some mean thing to say, but before she could say anything, Margot came in.

" Are you fine Lara Jean?"—she said.

" I guess"—Lara Jean said managing a smile.

" Good. Dad will be here to pick you up in an hour. "—Margot said.

" I am fine. I can manage, tell him not to come."

" The nurse says you have to go, sorry."

The three of them just sat there without saying a word until Lara Jean's dad came in.

" Lara Jean! Are you all right? What happened?"—he said looking worried.

" yeah, I probably slept in the bathroom."—she said trying to lighten the atmosphere.

" Fainted." — margot said correcting her.

As they walked through the hall, Peter followed them, Lara Jean stopped by her locker and started shoving some books into her bag.

" Hello, Mr. Covey, I am Peter...Peter Kavinsky."—Peter said.

"Oh, Hello Peter, Lovely to meet you."

Peter had introduced himself to Lara Jean's dad a few times earlier, but he never remembered.

Peter offered to carry Lara Jean's bag and she refused, but he would not let her carry it, and kept arguing until she finally handed it over to her. " It is not anything personal , I would do it for anyone with two X chromosomes"—he would say.

Lara Jean and her dad drove home without much conversation. After reaching home Lara Jean microwaved the cheese sandwiches Margot had made that morning, and went up to her room. She ate the sandwiches and slid into her bed.

When she woke up in the evening, Margot and Kitty were already home, she climbed down the stairs to see them.

" Hey" Lara Jean said to both of them.

" Hey, Fainty Girl." —Kitty said in a teasing way and went to watch T.V. It could be expected out of Kitty, to make a joke out of anything.

" OMG, Lara Jean, you never told me Peter K. likes you."—Margot said.

" Who said he likes me?"

" It was so obvious dummy. He was there at the emergency room when you fainted. He was trying hard to impress you."

" He"—Lara Jean said—" was just there to say sorry for everything."—and climbed back to her room regretting coming downstairs.

Sitting in her room she thought what a disaster the day was. She thought about Gen and how she publicly embarrassed her. She also thought about Peter. Every time she thought about Peter, she had butterflies in her stomach, It was a feeling she hated and loved at the same time. She also thought about what Margot said, about Peter liking her and wondered was it true. She also gave herself reasons why it was not true. Firstly, Peter loves Gen, Secondly, Why would he ever want to date a dork like me, —she said to herself.

She loved him, just loved him, no matter he loved her back or not.