"I really like you."

It was a cold afternoon. The leaves were falling on the ground and shrubs had lost their colour. The world was a blur of black, brown and the occasional red and orange. The school building loomed nearby, tall, with long windows exposing the crowds who wanted to see what was going on outside.

Harper felt the sting of having 50 pairs of eyes staring at her. The students of Rosewood pressed their faces against the glass windows like it was their business to know.

Grey clouds hung over the sky, the sun peeking through now and then. The sunlight fell on the school garden like drops of rain, appearing and disappearing.

Harper stared up at the sky with glassy eyes, her hands buried in her pockets. 

It's a bit sunny...

"So, would you consider dating me, sometime?" the teen asked, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I don't mind waiting for your answer...and...I know you're the Harper Briggs, but, you know..."

And he kept on talking nervously, about his personality, how he had seen Harper in the school hallways, how when they talked it was electric or something, but Harper started to tune out a little. Not to be rude, but she had heard it many times before. Many, many times. 

She studied him as he rambled on, a blush developing on his cheeks.

He seemed like a nice guy. Dressed nice, cute dimples, overall nice. In fact, Harper had seen him around school and getting hit on by other girls.

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"So, would you like to go out with me?" he asked.

Harper pursed her lips, and her eyes drew down to her shoes. When she faced him again, he had a face of unwavering hope.

She drew a soft breath as he continued to look at her intensely. 

"I'm sorry, I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

A flustered expression fell on his face after his smile faded. He immediately took a hand behind his head, trying to work through his words. His confidence faded completely, and his posture weakened. 

"Oh, yes, I...understand, I'm sorry," he said through his panicked words. His eyes were gleaming, with threatening tears. 

Harper bit her lip, feeling like an insensitive prick. 

"You don't have to apologise, it's just-"

"Yep, looking for someone else, yep, gotcha," he said hastily, he starting stepping back. "The-the right person, yep, yep yep."

He cleared his raspy throat, before turning away from her and walking away. 

"I don't mind being friends!" Harper called after him, stepping forward.

But he was long gone. 

Harper scratched her head, uncomfortable and sighed.

She glanced at the students looking through the school windows. They pushed and shoved, trying to look at the frosty heartbreaker with no soul turn down another guy. A few boys gave her the finger and some girls looked at her with uneasiness. Fortunately, the crowds thinned out as the heartbroken boy entered the school building again. 

The students looked at her with disgust, but Harper didn't mind too much. Other than the romance aspect, she was doing okay in terms of popularity with other students. A few 'accidental' trips have had her doused in water, but otherwise, she wasn't the victim of anything spiteful. 

Harper shivered in the cold outdoors. 

Pitter Patter

Small raindrops fell to the ground. She felt one land on her hair. 

Harper raised her hands over her head and stared at the sky. 

The sun was long gone now, only dark clouds remained now. 

A light drizzle.

She felt a smile tug at her lips, and she breathed in the fresh misty smell. 

"It's cold," she said to nobody in particular. 

"What a great day for coffee."