The Heartbroken - S01 E37

Story 2 years ago

The Heartbroken - S01 E37

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 37

*CONTINUES*

Obviously, I didn’t.

He sent me one of his

half-smiles before

starting to pluck the

strings. He acted as if

he didn’t care that the

whole cafeteria had

come to a standstill,

watching, listening. He

was actually pretty

good at playing. It was

an old song. When You

Say Nothing At All. His

singing voice was just a

bit above average, but

the way he played and

sang, with a hint of a

smile lingering on his

lips, was really

something.

He ended the song

after the first chorus

and a round of applause

filled the cafeteria. My

cheeks must have been

flaming red. There were

a few giggles here and

there, a few whistles,

and there were some

guys who were fake-

coughing while saying

Lame. Looking up at one

of them, I realized they

were his friends, and

were probably just

making fun of him in

that weird way that

guys just do.

“Well, make fun of me,

but that ain’t stopping

me,” Seth said in a clear

voice. Everyone seemed

to cheer him on, but he

set the guitar down and

moved his chair closer

to mine. He set one of

his elbows on the table

and leaned his head on

his hand, looking directly

at me, grinning like he

had every right to do so.

“You’re nuts,” I told

him, my cheeks still

flushed.

“What about my nuts?”

he said, winking at the

clever innuendo. “My,

my, Evans. Who knew

that one song would

have you begging for

my nuts?”

I rolled my eyes at his

childishness. “Really,

Seth, really?”

He laughed, shaking his

head and motioning to

my unfinished… food. If

you can call this

unidentified mixture of

green and orange stuff

(are these really

vegetables?) food.

“Finish your food,

Evans.”

“Most times, I really

just don’t get you,” I

said.

We’ve fallen into a

normal conversation as

everyone else

eventually got bored of

watching us and the

cafeteria buzzed back

to life.

“Ah, that’s because

most times,” he said, “I

seem to act differently

around you.”

Act. There was that

word again. Soon, I

began wondering which

part of Seth is real and

isn’t. I knew there was

something deeper than

that stupid player shit

he had going on. And I

knew that there was

something wrong in his

life—or at least

something that had

been wrong once and

was never quite

corrected. I wondered if

he was acting right now

—if this playful, fun

Seth was real or not.

“Uh-oh. Your brows are

furrowed,” he said.

“That’s your thinking

face. What are you

thinking of?”

“You,” I replied, which

wasn’t exactly a lie.

His eyebrows shot up.

“Wow. Here I am sitting

right next to you and

your mind is still filled

with thoughts of me.

Gee, I’m touched.”

“I’m only trying to

figure you out,” I said.

It was only just for a

second, but I saw his

face fall a little, as if he

didn’t want me to

know whatever it is

he’s hiding.

“What’s your secret,

Everett?” I asked him.

“Other than my feelings

for you?” he said in an

effort to change the

topic. I would have

questioned him further,

but I noticed, for the

first time, his eyes,

failing to hide the little

bit of panic that he

must be feeling.

He doesn’t go around

putting me on the spot

at random moments,

so I backed off.

Instead, I smiled at him

and said, “Smooth,

Everett. Real smooth.”

His rigid shoulders

relaxed and a wide

goofy grin spread on his

face. “Well, smooth is

my middle name.