TO THE BOY WHO STOLE MY HEART IN THE LOVE TRIANGLE

by MADISON HAL

  I thought this must be a gimmick just to get my attention, but then when he persisted, I realized he actually needed my help.

  So I walked up and sat next to him.

  I helped him out with the issues he had with the device. Stunned by how quickly I updated the system, his eyes widened. He joked, “Wow, you are a genius!”

  I laughed and said, “No. I have just done this before, but now you are all set up.”

  He grinned and said, “Well, now that you have helped me out, how about I pay you back by taking you out to see a movie or something?”

  I hesitated, knowing fully well the only movie my parents would allow me to watch, would be one that has to do with my studies, maybe in American History or something. My parents don’t believe in movies unless it has something to do with my schoolwork, so I declined, but he persisted. He said, “Come on, it will be fun, let’s do it.”

  I turned him down a few times until I finally accepted.

  “Yes!” he said, pounding his fist in the air. “I can’t wait to take you out.”

  “So what about your girlfriend?” I asked, knowing fully well one of the bad girls had to be his girl.

  He laughed, made a funny face and said, “I am single and ready to have fun.”

  I smiled, and then I told him I had to get back to work now. He replied, “Sure, I need to get back to studying too.” We kept stealing glances at each other.

  Finally, I said to him, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  He shook his head and said, “No. I guess I need to go now.”

  I laughed and said to him, “You probably should.“

  He leaned over the desk and said to me, “Well, I’ll see you on Saturday.”

  I said, “Yeah.”

  Moments later, I watched as he walked out the door. I helped the library guests as they came in.

  Soon it was time to head on home.

  Once I got home, I knew I had to tell my mother about Saturday and the prom.

  But then when I brought it up, she said, “Tell me about this some other time, we really need to get dinner started. Your father will be home soon.”

  I nodded and placed the dishes on the table, waiting for my dad to return.

  When he walked in and sat down to dinner, that’s when I told him I had plans for Saturday. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Plans? What plans? I hope it involves your studies?”

  I said to him, “I have a study date with friends; it’s a friendship study day.”

  He looked at me and said, “Friends? What’s a friendship study day? Maya?”

  And that’s when my mother interjected and said, “Can we talk about this later on? That’s not important right now. What is important is that you keep your grades up at school.”

  I left it alone and decided not to discuss it any further.

  Chapter 5

  Maya

  A few days later after school, Michael left early because he had something going on with his health. It concerned me, but he told me not to worry about it, so I left it all alone. Once classes ended, I hurried over to the bus then I heard someone call out my name. I spun around to see handsome guy number one calling out to me. I told him I had to go or I would be late getting on the bus. He said, “It’s okay, his car will take me home.”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled then I clutched onto my book bag and said, “Okay, what can I do for you?”

  “How great are you in literature?”

  I stared at him, trying to figure out why he asked.

  He said, “I know this is crazy, but I could use your help in class. Okay, here is the deal: I have been struggling with literature and I need someone like you to teach me. I want you to show me your magic.”

  I chuckled and said, “Magic? Oh I don’t think I have any magic, but I can help you if you want me to.”

  He laughed and said, “Ah yes! I really need your help with this. I have tried my best to figure this out and still I can’t listen. How about we get coffee? I want to show you what I am talking about.”

  I sighed and followed him over to the nearest coffee shop. He pulled out his device and showed me his grade from the previous test.

  “Yeah, it’s that bad,” he said. I smiled and assured him it wasn’t really that bad and it was something that could be worked on.

  I assured him that no matter what, he could pull through, with some guidance.

  He said, “Yes, that is why I need you.”

  I laughed and said, “I am not a miracle worker, but I can probably show you a few things.”

  He smiled and said, “If you can do that, then I will be entirely grateful.”

  He smiled and honestly, he looked incredibly handsome with that broad smile plastered over his face. I thought, hell, this is crazy. I had to look away so he wouldn’t see my blushing face. We talked for a while and then finally I glanced at the clock on the wall.

  Oh, no—

  I realized I would get home late, and my mom would be furious. I thought, oh no, what will I do now?

  Concerned, Hunter asked, “Are you alright?”

  I nodded and said, “I am fine, but I really need to head home.”

  He said, “Okay, I can take you home.”

  “No!” I blurted out. Taken aback, he stared at me with furrowed brows. I softened and told him, “It’s nothing to do with you. But I need to stop at a store before heading home.”

  He said, “That’s fine. I can drop you off at the store, let's go.”

  I accepted his offer and followed him to his Mercedes Maybach.

  I smiled as he turned on the ignition and glanced at me.

  My crazy worries bubbled up inside me. What would my mom think? What if I run into her at the store? I really didn’t want that to happen. Or what if her friends noticed me stepping out of the car but then that was the least of my worries. I had to figure out an explanation for arriving home late. I couldn’t think of an excuse, but I knew I had to come up with one whether I liked it or not. Soon we arrived at the grocery store. I hurriedly got out of his car. He looked at me and said, “So can we study sometime? How about Friday? I can come over to your place. You live around here, right?”

  “No,” I lied. “Hmm you know what, I have to work on Friday so I could come over to your place.” I must admit my words made little sense, but I wasn’t thinking at the moment.

  He said, “You seem nervous. Listen, trust me, your parents will love me.”

  I shook my head and said, “That’s because you haven’t met my parents.” I leaned in the window and said, “I have to go into the store but thanks. And the offer to your request is I will come over to your place, but it will cost you.”

  He laughed and said, “I will pay you.”

  “It’s a joke,” I said.

  “Well, I meant it. I will pay you and that is a promise. You will be paid well.”

  I watched his lips curve and thought that he needed to go.

  I said bye and watched as he drove away. I stood watching his car pull away and thought, wow that was close. In a distance, I noticed a familiar face staring at me. It was none other than my mom’s friend. She said nothing, and I promptly walked away, hoping she wouldn’t say a word to my mom. I clutched my book bag, knowing I was probably in trouble. Yes, I was.

  My mom stood outside waiting for me. She glanced at her watch and asked, “So where were you?”

  I bit my lower lips, trying my best to come up with an excuse, but I couldn’t figure one out. I said, “Hmm, I was over at school. I had to stay back to work with a teacher.”

  She looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

  She said, “A tutor, why? Are you falling back on your classes?" Then she added, “Should I call your dad?”

  I shook my head and said, "No mommy, it’s nothing important. I figured things out."

  She said, “Good because it worried me. The last thing I want is my daughter falling behind on her studies. That will not look good on our family. You know you are g
oing to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or if you choose, a nobody. We wouldn’t want you to be a nobody now, would we?"

  “No mommy.”

  “Good, now get into the home and get ready for dinner. Your father will be home soon.”

  I said, “Okay mom.”

  And with that, I hurried past her and up to my room. I thought, wow now how will I get through this? Going around my parents worried me and they might eventually find out what I was up to.

  Chapter 6

  Maya

  When I arrived home, it surprised me to see Michael waiting for me next to my father.

  It surprised me to see him at home. My father never comes home early.

  He works really late at night, and that’s when I realized something must be up. Michael looked up at me as I walked into the house.

  And that’s when he said, “Well, it looks like someone didn’t take the bus home today.”

  I didn’t say a word; I looked at Michael and then at my father, looking to walk straight into my room.

  But then my father called out, “Maureen, could you come here, please.”

  I took in a deep breath and exhaled, then I said nothing.

  I stood there quietly, watching my father’s expression as he spoke.

  He asked, “Why are you home so late?”

  I shrugged my shoulders and said, “I had to take care of some work at school.“

  Michael looked at me, took in a deep breath and exhaled then he smirked.

  In that moment, he stopped being my best friend and I was as curious as can be.

  I rolled my eyes at him and luckily my father didn’t notice because I would’ve even gotten into trouble explaining why I was rude to Michael.

  Michael said, sarcastically, “Oh you did?”

  I shot him a dark look that spoke volumes.

  Finally, my father said, “If you’re going to be late, you need to let us know.“

  I said to my father, “You are home early.”

  He placed his hands on his hips and said in a firm voice, “Don’t change the subject, we're having a discussion here. Where were you?”

  I came up with another idea. I said, “I was over at the library.”

  I hated lying to my father, but I couldn’t help it.

  My father said to me, “You and I both know you were not at the library, so where were you?”

  I took in a deep breath and exhaled. I hated lying to my parents. To be honest, I haven’t done so in a while, so I stood silent. Dad asked, “I asked a question Maya.”

  I turned to Michael who averted my gaze, then I turned back to my dad and said, “I was at the library.”

  Okay, a voice within me said go on tell him the truth. What do you have to lose? But I couldn’t do it. So I kept silent.

  My dad then said, “Your silence lets me know you were indeed not at the library. Well thanks for stopping by Michael and Maya what this means is no outside activities until I change my mind!”

  And with that, I stomped out of their presence then I heard Micheal leaving. I peered out my window and thought, well he’s going to pay for this! I will never forgive him. He’s no longer my best friend. Angrily I sent him a text: “I no longer know you.”

  I sent the text and laid on my bed. I stared at the ceiling until I fell asleep. Yes Michael, this is war!

  Chapter 7

  Noah

  I couldn’t believe I’m standing here next to Hunter.

  He got into this conversation, trying to figure out whether we both liked Maya.

  Hunter definitely knew that I liked Maya.

  I tried to figure out if he liked her like I did. So I said to him, “So, have you seen anyone lately?” Hunter looked at me and said, “No , not particularly, you?”

  “No, but you know we can only go to the prom with one of the rich girls, right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s the way it will be,” he said, rubbing his jaw. I glanced at Hunter’s backpack.

  He had literature books. Now I know Hunter’s not wanting to read that much, so I asked him, “Are you studying for something?”

  He shrugged it off and said, “Yeah, you know we get to keep the grades up. You don’t want to get in my father’s bad books for wasting $100,000 a year. Even though we can afford it, he acts like we’re broke or something every time."

  I smiled and then, I said, “I guess it’s just the way it is.”

  Hunter then said, “Yeah, it’s like my dad is afraid of losing his billions or something. I think he feels that if I mess up my grades, then I could get sued by the school. I know it’s crazy but that’s just the way my father thinks and sometimes I wonder what’s going through his head.”

  I stood there listening to him and then I asked, “So did you get a tutor or something?”

  Hunter looked away, which seemed a little suspicious to me because he never looks away when I’m talking to him for years. I could tell he was hiding something.

  He said, “Oh no. I'm heading out to tutor practice.”

  I looked at him and said, “Are they any good? Maybe I can join you.”

  He rolled his eyes and said to me, “You and I both know you’re great at this, you don’t need me or anyone’s help.”

  I laughed and then I said to him, “Well I have to head out.”

  He said, “Yeah let’s hang out sometime. Not this weekend, but sometime soon.”

  That’s when I realized why he wouldn’t want to go this weekend. I just hoped he wasn’t looking at Maya because she’s mine.

  I hurried away and said, “You know what? I have to head out.”

  He said, “Sure, you do that.”

  I immediately ran to the corner and called Maya.

  She didn’t pick up my first call: my heart pumped in my chest because I wanted to hear from her.

  So I tried again.

  And that’s exactly what I did: I called once more, and she picked up the call.

  She said, “Oh my God, hello.”

  I said, “Hello Maya.”

  She paused and said nothing else. I wondered what was going on. Why was she silent?

  She said, “Hey Noah, how are you? Is it okay if I call you back later?”

  I said to her, “That’s fine I just wanted to ask if you wanted to do something this weekend?”

  Silence followed, and I wondered what was going on.

  “Are you there?” I asked.

  She paused and then finally she said, “Yes I am. I’m really pleased to go out with you this weekend but it can’t be Saturday.”

  I said, “Oh, you have something you’re doing on Saturday?”

  She paused again and didn’t say another word.

  So I said, “Whatever day this weekend’s fine. Sunday or…

  She replied, “You let me know when.”

  And with that, I said, “Okay.”

  She hung up suddenly, and I wondered why she hung up so fast.

  But I didn’t push it because honestly, I was excited that she considered hanging out with me this weekend.

  I kept my feelings to myself even though my entire being wanted to explode from the emotions I felt for her.

  Chapter 8

  Maya

  I beamed the moment I saw Noah walking up towards me.

  He seemed quite surprised that I met him outside the mall.

  I told him I had to check something at my new job and I just couldn’t see him right away after school.

  He said, “It really didn’t matter. What matters is that we are together.”

  I smiled and blushed, and I started thinking that I really do like Noah.

  He told me he had tickets to the early show at 6 o’clock, which was just fine with me.

  That way I could get done quickly and head on back home.

  We headed over to the movie and he asked if I wanted to see anything in particular. I told him I always wanted to see the movie, “Breakfast in Tuscany.”

  He said, “Well then, you are in luck because
it’s playing right now.”

  I chuckled and said, “Are you serious?”

  He replied, “Of course I am. Why do you think I’m lying?”

  I laughed again and said, “Of course not. I know you always tell me the truth.”

  He looked so handsome standing next to me with his shirt sleeves folded up to the elbows.

  I admired his gorgeous curly locks as it cascaded down his face like a curtain.

  I mean, I imagined I would literally need to pry them apart to see his eyes. Gosh, he was so beautiful.

  He complimented me on my look.

  He had no idea I snuck into the bathroom to change.

  He said, “I’m really glad you’re spending time with me tonight.”

  And I said to him, “I’m thrilled that I’m here with you too.”

  And with that, we walked into the movies and throughout the movie he was such a gentleman.

  At one point, he placed his arm around me, and I leaned into him.

  He asked if I wanted some more popcorn. I tried to pretend like I didn’t need it, but then I said, “I guess it would be nice to have some more.”

  He smiled and said, “Well, some coming up.”

  And with that, he stepped out and hurried to get the popcorn. I glanced around the theater, hoping no one would notice me. And then I looked to the corner and I saw someone from our class. She looked at me with widened eyes, but she said nothing.

  I Ignored her. Now, other girls would have been intimidated by them, not me.

  Moments later, he returned with the popcorn and soda, and we continued watching the movie.

  I slid my hair behind my ears, trying to figure out if that girl was going to come up to us later on. Luckily, she didn’t. In fact, no, I didn’t even notice she was there. And that works for me.

  Once we got done, he led me outside to his car.

  He said in a low musical voice, “I really had a great time tonight.” Then he said, “You really look good in that outfit.”

  His expensive clean scented perfume drew me in.

  I mean, he smelled amazing and at one point, he looked like he was about to kiss me.