When I didn't answer, he sighed, ran a hand through his hair and then looked at me. "It all started the day I first got here. It was a Friday and I came here after school ended to see what I could do to make friends. You see, back where I used to live, I was popular and basically a Gabby but boy version."

"So you slept around even though you had a girlfriend?" I gasped and his eyes widened.

"No! I mean.... I went out with a bunch of girls, but I never slept with them. I always broke up with them before anything heated could happen." I slowly nodded and he ran his hands through his hair again as he continued. "Anyways, I came here to see if I could make some friends so when I actually started school on Tuesday, I wouldn't be the loser who knew no one. You actually bumped into me, although I didn't know who you were at the time and that's how I met Gabby."

Oh shit. I remember that day. Now I felt bad. "Sorry."

He smiled and shook his head. "Don't be." He cleared his throat after a few seconds of staring at me and then he whispered out the next words. "That's when I made the bet with Xander. He kept on saying how you would play with the guys and make them fall in love with you. He said that even I couldn't make you fall for me." I gasped at his words and he flinched but continued. "Gabby spoke up and actually defended me... Sort of. She said I could do it and before I knew it, I was shaking hands with Xander and the bet was on. I had to make Claire Cross fall in love with me by the end of the semester."

"What would you get in return if you won?" I asked him and he froze. He looked at me with wide eyes before he shook his head and looked down.

"Let's not get into that."

"That bad?"

"Sort of....."

"Okay. So what happened after that?"

"Well I went home and prepared for the bet. I was actually looking for you -even though I didn't know it was you- when you bumped into me that day. You have no idea how many times I almost asked you if you knew a Claire Cross," he chuckled lightly and I rolled my eyes. "Throughout both periods, I tried so hard to catch your attention, but you wouldn't even give me the time of day. Your responses were short and sharp and I knew I was going to be in trouble if I didn't step up in my game."

He paused and I urged him to continue. He looked down, took a deep breath and then looked back up. "Well when I knew my player ways wouldn't get your attention, I got home and called my best friend, Rachelle."

I raised my eyebrows and joked around, trying to lightened the mood. "I thought I was your best friend." When he laughed, I knew I accomplished it and it made me grin.

"You are both my best friends. Anyways, I called her and I gave her a.... false story of what was going on. She told me to just be myself so that's what I did. I began to be myself around you, but when I was with the group, I acted like the dick you originally met. I hated being someone I wasn't and just knowing that I was going to be with you and be myself had me excited. So I knew I had to make you my friend, bet or not, and you have no idea how happy that made me." He smiled, I smiled back and then he sighed. "Then Thanksgiving week came and you told me what truly happened. That day, I knew I couldn't go on with the bet. So I immediately went over to them and cancelled everything, even though they didn't believe me."

"So you still went through with it?"

He shook his head and shushed me. "Just let me continue. I called off the bet and when I got home, I was angry at myself. I was just using you to win a stupid bet, and you didn't even know that was happening. That really killed me, so I knew I couldn't continue being your friend with that huge secret between us. That's why I stopped talking to you for that week." I nodded, remembering, and looked away. Those were painful memories....... Memories I didn't want.

His big hand cupped my chin and he made me look up at him. "The second biggest mistake I made. I could see you changing again and I knew it was because of me that you were going back to your old ways. So I just sucked it up, placed the lie to the side and got your trust back."

"Second?"

He looked confused for a second before he gasped. "Oh yeah. The first was that stupid bet." I nodded and shifted in my spot. We had been standing this entire time and my feet were aching now. He must have noticed because he pulled me down to the floor and sat across from me as he held my hands. When I didn't pull away, he smiled and continued. "So once I got your trust and your friendship back, I couldn't stop myself from falling for you. I knew you didn't feel the same, and I didn't want to scare you or ruin the friendship we had so I kept quiet."

"When did you start falling for me?" I asked quietly as he played with my fingers. He blushed and didn't look at me as he spoke.

"New Years."

I laughed out loud and he just cracked a smile before squeezing my hand and sighing. "By Valentine's Day, I knew I had to make you my girlfriend or I would go crazy. All those stupid guys were staring at what was mine and I was getting tired of them ogling you."

"Jealous much?" I sniffed and he rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Yeah whatever. Those few months we had together were.... amazing and I would never trade them for another memory. The favorite memory I have of our time was when we heard that song."

"Our song."

"Yes. Our song. Everything seemed like it was going perfect: we were both happy and there was nothing between us. I had completely forgotten about the bet but when prom came, it came back as well." We both gulped and our hands that were still together slowly came apart. "When you went to the bathroom, I stood there in the exact spot, waiting for you. Gabby and Xander came up not long after you left, asking how the bet was coming. I completely ignored them, moved and then a couple of heated words later, that's when you showed up and caught the wrong end of it. You can't imagine what was going on through my head when I saw you step out from your spot, tears running down your cheeks." He wiped away the tears that were running down my cheeks at the moment and I smiled a little. He returned the smile for a short second before gulping and pulled back his hand. "When you hit me twice-" he winced and I couldn't stop my laughter as his legs twitched. Oops. "-I knew I had lost you. As you ran, I ran after you, but our classmates got in the way and I lost you for a second. I saw you stand up from the floor and then run away before I could even stop you. The cold ass rain made it hard for me to even keep track of you and I almost missed your shoe if I hadn't tripped over it."

"So that's where I lost it...."

"Where did you go? I called and called and called and I couldn't find you. I even tried looking for your car, but I could find it."

"I had my dads car. Mine wouldn't work."

"Oh. Well I was panicking, thinking you had somehow managed to drive your car away in your state. I couldn't stop blaming myself as all the bad things that could have happened to you ran through my mind. I was scared to death Claire. I didn't know what in the world had happened until your mom finally answered your phone. When she told me you were in the hospital, I thought the worst."

He was pale and was looking away. My hands itched to grab his, but I held myself and urged him to continue. "Go on."

"I got to the hospital as fast as I could and when I saw you, my world stopped. You were blue to the skin and wrapped in so many blankets, I could barely see you. The stupid tube that was down your throat marred your beautiful face and I couldn't stop the tears that ran down my face, knowing it was my fault you were there." He was crying and I was crying with him. We didn't do anything about it as he went on. "When I finally got myself away from you, I went back to school and beat Xander up. I got suspended for the rest of the week because of it." Oh. So that would explain his face when I got back. "The day I went back to you and your father literally punched me out of there, I knew for a fact that I was a goner and there was no way I could get you back. I tried so hard for you to listen and let me explain, but you never let me get out a complete sentence. So I just gave up." We both sighed and I faintly heard my father calling my name but we both ignored him. We weren't done talking. "When the recital crossed my mind again, I came up with the perfect plan -with the help of Rachelle of course- and this is what happened. Now here we are, having this conversation and thinking about what's going to happen next."

The whole hallway was silent as I let everything sink in. When the doors opened to reveal my dad, I slowly got up and winced as my legs tingled from being still for so long. "So what's going to happen between us?" Nathan asked, breaking the silence.

"Claire come on let's go. I have been waiting for that past fifteen minutes. It's time to go home." My dad impatiently said and I rolled my eyes.

"Hold on dad. Besides I brought my own car, remember?"

"Actually your mother took your car already. You're coming with me."

I groaned and began to walk towards him. Nathan grabbed my arm and stopped me mid step, saying one word. "So?...."

"I don't know..... I need some time to think about it."

He nodded and let me go. I was halfway out the door with my dad behind me when he stopped us.

"Wait. You forgot your shoe." I stopped and slowly reached out for it when he got closer. I looked up at him and he gave me a small smile before letting go, speaking the last words. "Please think about it."

And with that I left him standing behind.