This is all too familiar

"I'm going to miss you. A lot. Don't come back a different person alright?" she said as she struggled to hold back her tears. "Don't worry, you silly girl. Oh come on now, don't cry," he comforted her with his voice over the phone. She knew she was going to cry but she held back her tears and said goodbye to her best friend. He never has to know anything else. Not yet. Not now.


"He said you're hot, babe," said Frankie. "But I'm not interested in him," she replied.
"But he said 'You're hot' to your face and you replied, 'Cause I'm wearing heels' to him. He gave you a weird look."
"That was only because I heard him say I was tall. Oh come on, I'm not interested in him. Besides, I like someone else already."
"It's no harm. Come on, he is pretty good looking."
"Yeah, he is alright. But.."
"Lyssa! Keep quiet and just look out for this one alright?"
    Lyssa looked at her friend and gave her a soft smile and finally said after a few seconds of silence, making Frankie think that she was giving a thought about the guy, "Let's go to class. We're late".

"Hey babe, could I hitch a ride from you?" asked Cassandra after class ended. Lyssa nodded her head as she stuffed her books into her bag, throwing in her pencil case as well. She looked around her table to check if she left anything behind on her desk. She saw Cas waiting at the door and quickly rushed to her side to leave the classroom.
    "So I heard about this guy saying you were hot," she brought up as she raised her eyebrows with a grin on her face. Lyssa laughed at her friend's expression and smiled back and nodded. Cas and her have been friends ever since high school and every single little detail about their lives especially on relationships were split over hot chocolate or phone calls. "What's his name?" asked Cas in excitement. "Levi. Like Levi's jeans you know. It's cool having a name like that," she replied almost immediately as though she was also excited. However, deep down she was always thinking of another boy. A boy who had almost all the prospects of a perfect guy for her. "Babe, I've seen him. He is the best looking guy among his friends and you would say he's pretty cute for you," said Cas interrupting her thoughts.
  "Cas, you already know who I'm interested in."
  "And he will always be there in your heart. But is he here right now?"
  "No."
  "Does he know how you feel?"
  "No."
  "Lyss, live in the moment. You deserve this chance. Levi is interested in you. It's obvious. I've seen his friends act around him when you walk pass by them. I just never told you, that's all."
  "But I need to know how he feels. And I'm not talking about Levi. I mean, once I know, I can move on."
    Cas looked at her friend. She saw how much this girl liked that boy, she was willing to pass another chance with a good looking guy in college. She probably wouldn't understand how she would feels but Cas felt that what her friend was going through, battling with what if's and conflicting thoughts, was tough.
"You really like him don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. Very much."
    She saw her friend smiled like she was a little girl of five dreaming about prince charming in a classic Cinderella fairytale. They walked down the stairs and into the the carpark. Both of them walked towards the car but Cas stopped. Lyssa continued walking, not noticing her friend stopped in her tracks. It was only after she reached for her keys from the side pocket of her bag, she noticed her friend standing there looking at her as though she was going to cry.
    "What's wrong, Cas?" she probed. "Nothing. Just thought you might just want to give Levi a shot. Cause he seems like a pretty nice guy," said Cassandra. Lyssa looked around, avoiding her friend's eyes and unlocked the car. Cas quickly walked to the car and got in. The both of them sat in the car in silence for a few minutes before Lyssa started the car. The engine roared into life as Lyssa put her car onto Drive and released her hand brake and stepped on her accelerator.
    The drive was only about seven minutes long but it seemed as though it was forever. The both of them sat in silence throughout the journey. They weren't in a fight or an argument, but simply because Cas knew Lyssa was finally giving a thought about the matter. Lyssa stepped on her brakes and the vehicle stopped eventually outside a house. "You were thinking about it just now, weren't you? Well, give me a call because I know you want to hear more from me. See you tomorrow babe," said Cas as she got out of the car. As soon as the door was shut, Lyssa released the brake pedal and sped off home. Countless thoughts ran through her mind. Jake was what she needed. Jake was whom she needed to talk to. And soon before Levi loses interest her.

******************************************************

Jake: I think you're cute too. But hey, don't get the wrong idea alright? We're just friends.

Ly$$a: Yeah, I know. Just friends. It's all good.

Jake: Great then. Listen, I gtg now. Catch up with you soon?

Ly$$a: You know I will. See you. Bye.

Jake: Bye.


Lyssa couldn't seem to delete the message Jake sent her. So he wasn't interested in her. So he thought they were just friends. Oh well, she thought. Somehow, she didn't really feel the pain as she thought she would have experienced after getting that message from him. Jake and her were best friends. That's it. It just stops there. The next day, she walked towards her classroom but something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. A tall figure was walking towards her direction. She could feel his eyes on her. He was wearing a white polo shirt with jeans hanging loosely on his hips. Levi was actually good looking. He had high cheek bones and tanned skin. She raised her head up and looked to her left. They made eye contact. Lyssa gave a friendly smile as though welcoming Levi to make his first move on her. No one else was around but the both of them.