When Tate arrived at school, she spotted Allen in the hallway and waved at him. It felt so good that they were on good terms now, with no awkwardness between them. But then, a thought hit her—Landon.
Maybe I should talk to him first to clear things up, she thought. She couldn't believe he was mad at her on someone else's behalf. It felt so strange, especially since they hadn't even had a real conversation yet.
As she walked into the classroom, she spotted Martha chatting with some classmates. The moment Martha saw her, she smiled and called out, "Tate!"
Tate made her way over to Martha's seat. "Hey," she greeted.
"How was your night?" Martha asked as Tate sat down beside her.
"It was good," Tate replied.
Martha grinned. "Do you want to sit with me until class starts?"
"Sure," Tate said, taking a seat.
As she settled down, she was suddenly hit by a familiar scent. Tate froze for a second, confused. What is happening with me? Why was she noticing someone's smell? She quickly brushed it off, but it didn't stop the strange sensation from lingering.
Her gaze wandered toward her seat, where she found Damien already sitting. And before she could stop herself, their eyes met.
She quickly looked away, heart racing. Why does this keep happening? she thought. Why do our eyes keep locking?
It felt like she could never avoid him, no matter how much she tried. And now, she even recognized his scent.
Stay away from him, Tate, she told herself. But how could she? She sat next to him every day.
Maybe I could talk to Mr. Matthews about switching seats, Tate considered. She knew it wouldn't be easy. Mr. Matthews was never the type to switch things around on a whim. But maybe ,just maybe she could convince him.
When class started, Mr. Matthews informed them that the test he'd mentioned before would be taking place next week and that they should all prepare for it. Tate groaned inwardly. I'm definitely going to fail this test.
After classes ended, Tate spotted Landon walking out of the classroom. Without thinking, she ran to catch up with him.
"Landon! Landon, please wait up!" she called.
Landon slowed down and turned to face her.
"Hey, can we talk?" Tate asked.
"Sure," he replied.
As they walked out, Tate noticed Damien watching them. His eyes were locked on her and Landon, making her uneasy.
Once they were outside, Tate took a deep breath. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.
Landon shook his head. "No."
Tate raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because you've been ignoring me ever since I rejected Allen, and that's unfair."
Landon sighed, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. When Allen told me you guys were cool, I didn't know how to just come up and talk to you again."
Tate shrugged. "Well, it's cool."
"So, are we good now?" she asked.
Landon smiled slightly. "Yeah, we're cool."
When Tate got home, she decided to at least try studying for the upcoming test, even though most of it didn't make sense to her. The only thing she understood was what Martha had explained earlier. She made a mental note to ask Martha for more help the next day.
The next morning, as she arrived at school, she noticed that one of her books had slipped out of her backpack. She bent down to pick it up, and as she stood back up—
She bumped into something. No—someone.
Her lips brushed against another person's.
Tate immediately jerked back, eyes wide with shock. What the hell just happened?!
Her heart pounded as she frantically glanced around, relieved to see that no one seemed to notice. Thank God.
She turned to the person she had collided with. "Dude, what the hell? Can't you watch where you're going?"
The guy—Damien—raised an eyebrow. "You're the one bumping into people, not me. Maybe you should watch where you're going."
Tate's frustration flared. "What are you even talking about? I was bending down to pick up my book! You had to have seen me! And yet, I'm the one who's supposed to apologize?" Her voice rose as she added, "Our lips touched!"
A few nearby students turned to stare at them.
Damien smirked. "Your boyfriend wouldn't like that too much, would he?"
Tate blinked in confusion. "Huh? What boyfriend?"
Damien's smirk widened. "Landon."
Tate stared at him like he had lost his mind. "Landon…? Landon?" She scoffed. "You're actually insane."
She shook her head, deciding she wasn't going to entertain this nonsense. "Screw you," she muttered before storming into the classroom.
She was definitely going to see Mr. Matthews about changing her seat.
Tate entered the classroom, and before she could even settle in, Damien immediately sat down beside her.
"You still haven't apologized," he said.
Tate turned to him, exasperated. "What's your problem with me?"
"I don't have a problem with you," he replied blankly.
Tate scoffed. "Yes, you do. You told people I've been cold to you ever since you arrived, but you're the one who's been cold to me. You literally treated me like I was contagious and didn't even want to sit with me when you first got here. You act like I don't exist—even though our seats are just inches apart."
Damien opened his mouth to respond, but Tate cut him off.
"Look, I know you got stuck sitting with me against your will, so let's just fix this. Let's go to Mr. Matthews and ask him to switch our seats. Everybody wins. We won't have to interact with each other for the rest of the term."
Damien's expression darkened. His voice was cold when he said, "If that's what you want, no problem." Without another word, he stormed out of the classroom.
Tate watched him go, puzzled. He didn't return until after lunch, and she found herself wondering where he had been all morning. Why did he storm off like that? This is exactly what he wanted too… right?
After lunch, Mr. Matthews requested to see her in his office. Tate was surprised—she had never been called to a teacher's office before, except at the end of the term to collect her grades.
When she walked in, she saw Damien was already there.
What's he doing here? she wondered. Did he actually report me? That would be so low.
"Have a seat, Tate," Mr. Matthews said.
She glanced at Damien, but his expression gave nothing away.
Mr. Matthews continued, "Damien came to see me earlier today. He mentioned that you seem to have an allergic reaction to him, and he thinks it's causing you discomfort."
Tate blinked. "To… him?"
Mr. Matthews chuckled. "Sorry, I meant to his hair products."
Tate turned to Damien, raising a brow, but he remained unreadable.
Mr. Matthews went on, "I think it's best if he switches seats, and I wanted to inform you beforehand."
Still caught off guard, Tate simply replied, "Yeah."
"Alright, that's all. You both can go," Mr. Matthews dismissed them.
Tate walked out of the office, completely confused. What the hell just happened?
Hair products? Allergic reaction?
How did Mr. Matthews actually believe that? And why would Damien even make up such a ridiculous excuse?
Still, in the end, it was a win for her. She wouldn't have to sit beside Damien anymore… or be constantly aware of his stupid wood and fruit scented cologne.
That night, as Tate lay in bed, she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier with Damien. And then, it hit her.
That jerk stole my first kiss!