Don't Tell by Mercy Amare Page A

chili dog on me, it wouldn’t need dry cleaning,” I reminded her as I took it from her.
    She laughed. “Shut up.” The warning bell rang and we both took off running in opposite directions. “See you second period,” she yelled.
    I ran to my class, making it just in time for the tardy bell to ring. I was thankful that my first period books were in my bag. I wouldn’t have had time to go to my locker.
    “ Good morning, Lucy,” Ian greeted me while we waited for Mrs. Lochman to make her way to the classroom. She was always a couple minutes late.
    “ Good morning,” I smiled at him.
    Ian is the pastor’s son, the captain of the football team, and the dream of every girl at Paradise High School. I can see why, with his sparkly brown eyes, and that cute dimple in his left cheek that always makes me want to reach out and touch it. But it’s not just his looks. He has an outstanding personality. Someday, if I ever fall in love, I want to fall in love with a guy like Ian Winters.
    He started to say something else, but was cut off when Mrs. Lochman walked in the classroom. He shot me a smile, and then turned his attention forward.
    I thought once again about what I wrote in my journal that morning about being normal… I decided that if anybody in the world was normal, it was Ian Winters.
     
    …
     
    Ian
    I tried hard to pay attention to class, but I couldn’t, not with Lucy Pierce sitting right beside me. She looked sad again today, and it broke my heart. I wondered who would ever want to make a beautiful girl like her sad.
    Lucy is the girl of my dreams. She has been ever since we were 4 years old, which was the first time we met. We were in children’s church and Derek Freeman stole her cookies. I thought she had pretty blue eyes, so I shared mine with her. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, which I wiped off, but I secretly liked it. Now, 13 years later, I still remember that kiss like it were yesterday. I dream of the day that she kisses me once again.
    I glanced over at her once more. Her deep blue eyes were focused on the teacher, but I could tell that she too wasn’t paying attention. I wondered for a moment if she was thinking about me, but I quickly dismissed the thought. A beautiful girl like Lucy could do so much better than me. After 13 years, I still haven’t managed to capture her attention... And not from lack of trying either.
    Her long blonde curls hung over the back of her desk. I resisted the urge to reach over and run my fingers through it. I once again forced my eyes forward, towards the teacher, but I never stopped thinking about Lucy.
    Before I knew it, the bell rang alerting us that class was over. Lucy’s eyes met mine, and she smiled. I silently hoped that I was the reason for that smile. I noticed that her hands were full. Her bag started to fall to the ground, but I caught it.
    “ Thank you,” she said as she reached for the bag. Instead of handing it back, I held onto it.
    “ I’ve got it,” I told her as I motioned for her to lead the way.
    “ You don’t have to,” she quickly protested.
    “ I know. I want to.”
    She looked at me for a few seconds. I could tell that she wanted to protest again, but she knew I wouldn't let her. So, she walked ahead of me. As we stepped out into the hall, I walked beside her.
    “ So, are you going to the pep rally after school?” she asked me.
    “ Yes,” I answered smiling. “I always come,” to watch you, I added silently in my head.
    Once we got to her locker, I stood there as she hung up her uniform. When she did, her sleeve slid up revealing a fresh, black bruise on her arm. In the middle of a bruise was a large cut that hadn’t yet scabbed over. She quickly pulled down her sleeve before grabbing her bag from me.
    “ What happened to your arm?” I asked. I pulled her sleeve up, but she quickly yanked her arm away from me.
    “ I umm… I fell,” she stuttered, not looking me in the eyes. “Thanks for your help.”
    “ Lucy, that