Young love...unreturned

It was a cold and gloomy Friday afternoon, school had just finished and all the children were filing out of the building like thousands of dots upon the ground that, just a few minutes ago had been a fresh sheet of paper. The usual hum of voices could be heard but it lacked the normal feeling of relief that usually came with a Friday afternoon, towards the main doors the small form of a girl could just be made out slumped on the floor, waiting for someone it seemed.1

“Chloe! Chloe, over here!”2

The girl would raise her head at the sound of her own voice, her brown eyes scanning the nearby people for the source. As she noticed a boy, David, waving manically at her she scrambled to her feet before he managed to break through the crowds and get to her.3

“Here, you left this in the classroom” David smiled to her as he held out a pen, it was the kind you buy for a few pence, easily replaceable, but Chloe smiled as she took it from him anyway. She was just happy that he had taken the time to bring it back, as she slipped the pen into her pocket she noticed David blush slightly, “I…I don’t suppose I could walk you home, could i?” He looked towards her with his brilliant blue eyes, lingering on her boring brown ones for just a moment too long.4

“Walk me home? Well…I was thinking about going to the park actually” Small sacrifices could be made, the park wasn’t far from her home and it would mean she stood a chance of actually being able to talk to David, THE David, the same boy that every girl in her year had been after for most of the year, except her, she was content just being his friend, “But you can come with me there if you like.”5

With a small nod and a noise that vaguely resembled a yes, David put his hand on her back and lightly guided her through the crowds until they reached the open space of the street where he slowed to walk by her side, “So…” He looked up at her again, but as he met her gaze he found himself looking back at the ground.6

“So, what?” Chloe looked at him smiling, and him, unable to face it found himself looking out at a nearby field, “Well?”7

“I don’t know…I just don’t know what to say…you leave me speechless” David looked back to Chloe watching as her expression changed slightly, showing her surprise at what he had said.8

“What do you mean by that?” She tilted her head to one side and stopped walking for a moment.9

“You look cute when you do that…”10

“Are you coming on to me?” Chloe blinked and took a few steps back from him as he laughed, in turn making her laugh as well, “We’ve known each other too long”11

David nodded and smiled once again, once again she’d taken it as a joke, he gave an inaudible sigh “Yes…yes we have…come on weren’t we going to the park?”12

Chloe smiled “Oh yes, so we were” She started running towards the gates of the park “Come on slow coach”13

Reluctantly he followed her, putting on a fake smile and pretending like everything was okay, maybe it would always be like this.14