Vernon glanced up, his eyes following her figure as she walked out of the classroom. He sighed. ‘What am I doing? I'm always looking at her.’ He shook his head and continued to work on his math homework. He tried to not look, but couldn't help raising his eyes again to watch her walk to her desk. Vernon’s eyes widened as she looked up and made eye contact with him. He expected her to simply look away again and was caught off guard when she gave him a small smile.

Vernon felt his cheeks heat up and he forced himself to look back down at his homework. ‘Do I like her?’ He wondered. He slowly peeked back up at her. She was laughing at something her friend had said. ‘Oh yeah. I like her.’ A smile bloomed on his face as he watched playfully shove her friend. 

He loved her.
•~•
Vernon shifted his weight back and forth uneasily. Class had just let out and he was waiting for her to come to her locker. Today was the day. He couldn't stop thinking about her, night and day. So, he was going to tell her. ‘What if she says no?’ His stomach dropped at the thought. 

“Vernon?” His head shot up. She was standing in front of him, a questioning look on her face. 

“Hey.” He said, feeling his face start to heat up. “I was wondering, you know if you'd like, that maybe we could-” 

“I'd love to.” She gave him a big smile. Vernon smiled right back.

He loved her.
•~•
For a year they dated. It was the best time of his teenage years. He l