HIS BEAUTIFUL SECRET (completed)

Chapter 2 - I AM SO CONFUSED

I reassured him one final time that I had gotten home ok and quickly ended the conversation. I was at a loss for what to say to him. It was Jake Stephenson, for Pete's sake. He was the guy every girl had dreamed about since he moved there in eighth grade.

It was the craziest thing. He didn't miss a beat, just dialed in immediately to the "in" crowd. There was no struggle, no having to earn his way up the food chain, he just walked right into the spot that so many kids desperately wanted. That seemed insane to someone like me who had lived there my whole life and was virtually invisible.

The week passed quickly. I caught him so many times just staring at me from across the room. When Jenny and I were having lunch, he walked right by our table and shot me a sweet smile as he passed. I would have thought I had lost my mind, but even Jenny noticed. Her mouth gaped open in disbelief the first time she saw him do it.

I was so glad that I had her. She was the only person in the entire world that I could talk to and always listened so intently. We were both invisible, so she knew exactly how I felt. Although, I didn't understand how more people couldn't see how awesome she was. One look at her and anyone could see how gorgeous she was with long chestnut hair and deep brown eyes. Her best quality was her huge heart, and she was loyal to a fault. We were kindred spirits, friends for life, so she knew what a peculiar thing it was to have someone like him looking at me like that.

"Sky, what the heck? Did you see that? He literally just smiled at you, intentionally!" she shouted.

"Yes, it is the craziest thing. He saved me from being stranded the other night, then offered to give me another ride. When I refused, he called to check on me. I don't understand what is going on."

Jenny looked at me excitedly. "Well, we have the football game tonight so let's see if he sends you these mysterious signals then."

She was right, that night was the big game and he would be there playing his heart out. There was no way he would ever acknowledge me in front of his football friends, but who cared, I could still admire him from afar.

After school, I rushed home to get ready for the game. I always took a long time to get ready, but that night I seemed to take forever. Ten outfits in, I finally decided on a short blue-jean mini skirt with flats and a cotton top.

It was odd because I had never really cared about showing off my figure before, but that night I was paying a little extra attention to it. There was a part of me that was desperate for him to notice me.

I finished applying the last bit of make-up, a matte red lipstick that really made my blonde hair and green eyes pop. Before I knew it, a horn was blowing outside. Jenny smiled as I walked out the front door. She approved of my outfit. I hopped in and we were off to the big game.

We sat close to the field, but far enough up that the fence would not block our view. I did not understand how to play football, but that night I was laser-focused. It had always been so hard to understand with its ridiculous amount of rules. Who really knew what a Hail Mary was, anyway?

All of my focus was not so much on the game itself but directed at him and his every move. He was so strong, so athletic, and his ass looked perfect in that football uniform. He had not noticed me at all, but how could he? He had to keep his head in the game.

It was so cold that night, so Jenny grabbed us some hot chocolate. Maybe wearing a short skirt was not such a great idea. Goosebumps covered my legs. She was back before I knew it and I grabbed that cup like it was a life preserver being thrown to a drowning man. I sipped it slowly, soaking up every bit of its warmth. Thankfully, she also brought a blanket. That was the only reason I had not developed hypothermia.