Falling - Paige Cunningham (read book .TXT) 📗

a conversation. I was stupid to think that this would work though. He either wasn’t very good at reading people or he purposely went out of his way to annoy me.
“You don’t need the make up, you look better without it.” What was he talking about? What a random thing to say. He had never seen me without make up on so what did he mean? Then it hit me. It hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Crap, I was in such a rush this morning that I forgot to put it on,” I muttered it under my breath angrily, not meaning anyone to hear it but just as a way to release some of my aggravation.
“Why were you in a rush?” Whoa, he must have had great hearing to be able to hear that. I said it so quietly I could barely hear it.
“I overslept” I said through my teeth. My voice was rough, it clearly displayed my anger. I felt exposed. I had never been to school without make up on. I was lucky enough not to have any blemishes on my skin but I still insisted on plastering on foundation. I don’t know why, I guess I used it as sort of a mask, so that no one would see the real me. It was incredibly stupid, I know but it made me feel better. It was what everybody else was doing so it made me feel normal. Without my mask, everyone could see me. I knew that I was just being paranoid but I suddenly felt like everyone was staring at me. I heard someone giggle and I immediately thought that they were sniggering at me. Some of my anger shifted to Matt when I realized that I could have gone through the whole day in blissful ignorance, never realizing that I had forgotten my mask. He just had to point it out didn’t he?
“It’s OK. You don’t need all of that make up to impress me. I like you for you, not your make up.” Oh, of course. It was just like him to assume that I was angry because he had seen me without make up because apparently I didn’t care about the rest of the class. Apparently I didn’t care about the teasing I would get from Scarlet – not necessarily because I looked bad, just because she was jealous of the attention I was getting from Matt and would look for any excuse to put me down. I hated how he thought that the only thing I cared about was what he thought of me when, actually, he was the only person whose opinion I didn’t care about.
“Who said I was trying to impress you?” What gave him the deluded idea that I was trying to impress him? Because that was completely absurd. I wore make up before he even he came to this school, before I had even met him.
“Who else are you trying to impress. You and I both know no one else in this class is good enough for you” What made him think that he was good enough for me? What gave him the right to decide who was and wasn’t good enough for me. Oh, he was so full of himself.
“What and you are good enough for me? What makes you so special” I couldn’t believe that I was carrying on this conversation. What ever he said was only going to make me despise him more. He leaned in closer. He stunned me with his unexpected movement. My heart pounded. It thumped in my chest beating faster than normal.
“Because I’m the only one who makes your heart skip a beat whenever you see me. I’m the one who sends electricity jolting through your body when we touch.” No! My heart was beating erratically because he surprised me, that was all and the shocks were just from my loathing of him. He didn’t know what he was talking about. I just ignored him after that. I refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer. He thought he knew everything about me but the truth was he knew nothing. I just let him go on believing that he was right, it was easier that way.
The bell rang and Miss Brunel dismissed us. I grabbed my bag and walked out of the classroom. My next lesson was Drama and was all the way at the other end of the school. After escaping the mania of the post-bell hallway hustle, of students trying to get to their class, it was a clear path to drama. I didn’t notice until I was halfway to my class that someone was walking by my side. I turned my head to see who it was and I wasn’t even remotely surprised to see who it was. Matt had probably been walking with me ever since we left the class room. I made my strides bigger in an effort to make my pace faster. I hoped to walk fast enough to leave him behind but he increased his pace to match mine. I tried getting even faster but he stayed by my side, it seemed effortless for him. I stopped and he continued walking a few steps more before realising I was no longer by his side.
“What is your problem?” I snapped. Why was he trying so hard to annoy me? What had I ever done to him?
“What? I’m just walking to drama” He said it so innocently. He really knew how to push my buttons.
“No you’re walking with me to drama, there’s a difference,” I was so touchy and I could hear it in my voice. If it were anyone else I would have apologised profusely for being rude. My mum had brought me up with manners but he was so irritating that whenever I talked to him I forgot all of my manners.
“I’m sorry; I thought you might want someone to walk with” He wasn’t sorry. He loved the fact that he was bothering me so much. I could see the corners of his mouth starting to turn up into a smirk.
“Well I don’t OK, so just leave me alone” With that I stormed of. My feet were stomping loudly. I felt like a little child who was throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get what they wanted. I was over reacting but I didn’t care. It was ironic that I was on my way to drama and I was acting like a total drama queen.

Things only got worse in drama. This term we were studying Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet to be precise. I almost screamed when Mr Jenkins told me who my partner was. I was to be Juliet and Matt was to be my Romeo. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the scene we were given was act one scene five. The scene where the couple first meet. I was usually good in drama but how was I going to convincingly portray love at first sight with a boy who I hated?
Matt and I went to rehearse in the corner. Matt read his line and I was pleasantly surprised. He was really good.
“If I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” He said it with such emotion, I was really impressed. My last drama partner was hopeless; I might actually do well this term.
“Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." Saying my line emotionlessly, it was like I was embarrassed to say it – which I was, especially when the person I was saying it to was Matt. My hopes for a good grade were dashed as I realized that I would never be able to say this line the way it is supposed to be said.
“You can do better than that. You need to say it with some emotion. Forget everything and just become the character, you are Juliet and I am Romeo,” He cleared his throat and said his line again. This time he did it without his script and he added movements. When he said “To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” He placed his hand on my cheek and his eyes looked into mine. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. His touch gave me goose bumps. I paused, my mind went blank. I searched for my line but it was hopeless. I was dumbfounded; his touch had rendered me speechless. The script was in my hand but I didn’t have the strength to pull away from his gaze. Then the line just came to me, it just popped into my head out of nowhere.
I said my line with such emotion I was amazed that it was coming out of my mouth. For that moment I became Juliet. Whilst speaking I moved one of my hands and put it on top of his, pressing it harder against my cheek. With my other hand I took hold of his and squeezed it tight. By the time I had finished speaking I was on my tip-toes, my body close and my lips only millimetres away from his. My eyes never left his. My heart was throbbing. Flushes of heat ran up and down my body. His hand scorched my cheek and I felt shocks of electricity shoot through me. Matt leaned his head forward closing in on me and eliminating the little bit of space left between us.
I jumped back; my breathing was all over the place. I stood well away from him. Looking around the room, I preyed that no one had seen what had just happened. It appeared that everyone was so involved in their own scenes that no body had been watching ours. Matt didn’t move. He was still staring at me. I felt the need to break the awkward silence.
“Was that better?” My voice was shaky. Please say something, anything. My mouth was dry but my heart beat was finally starting to slow. After what seemed like an eternity Matt nodded.
“Yeah, anyone would think that you actually do love me” I could see where he was going with this and I immediately regretted what had just happened. Why couldn’t I have just stuck with saying my line emotionlessly? Then none of this would have happened.
“Well, I’m a really good actress” I smiled, trying to lighten the serious mood. I glanced at the clock wishing that the bell would ring and I could go to break. I wanted to escape this room, I felt claustrophobic. Mr Jenkins hollered for the class to come back to the middle of the room so we could watch some of the performances. I started walking towards the middle of the room but Matt walked towards me. He stood in my