Free Unfaded by Sarah Ripley

yesterday since I’d been so concerned about getting him his gift. The good thing about sharing a class with him meant I was guaranteed to run into him, unless he took the coward approach and skipped class for the rest of the semester.
                  “What are you doing tonight?” I asked him, pretending as if nothing had happened. “Want to hook up at Beans? I’ve got something for you.”
                  “I don’t know,” he grumbled. “How do I know you’ll show up?”
                  “Because I’m not a jerk?” I said a bit too loud and a few other students snickered. “Come on, Connor, how many times can I say I’m sorry? It’s not like I’m always standing you up.”
                  Connor nodded and I wasn’t sure if that was a yes but I decided to let it go. Normally we partnered up but today he chose Eugene and I was stuck with Ken Blightman who was also on the basketball team. But we were all at the same table so I guess it could have been worse. Connor appeared to be in a better mood and he joked around with everyone and even gave me a grin or two. He was melting, it was just taking a bit of time. Once he saw the gift I’d gotten him, everything would be fine again.
                  I just hoped this anger spell would end soon so we could get back to enjoying our lives.
     
                                                            *              *              *
     
                  I had a surprise after lunch. English was cancelled. Apparently Ms. Gray still wasn’t over her cold. Since it was my only afternoon class I could have gone home but I had promised Dad I’d work for a few hours. I had no desire to go in early to the shop so I headed to the library to work on my English paper. Apparently I was the only one willing to use my free period to actually study. The library was empty. Grabbing a table at the back, I opened up my copy of the Canterbury Tales and started reading.
                  “Can I join you?”
                  I looked up and Kian was standing in front of me. My stomach did some funky little summersaults which both annoyed and thrilled me at the same time.
                  “Sure,” I said, picking up my backpack off the chair so he could sit down. “But you’ll have to be quiet.” I waved my hand around the empty room. “As you can see, everyone’s studying hard.”
                  “I’ve seen cemeteries with more action.”
                  Kian sat down but he didn’t seem to have any books. “I’m guilty like everyone else,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on studying. I just wanted to check out the books and I saw you here. If you’re busy I can leave.”
                  I put my book down on the table. There wasn’t a single girl in the world that would turn him down. “No, it’s cool.”
                  We sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of us seemingly wanting to start the conversation. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk; I was just too intimidated by the way he looked at me. I had a million questions but they seemed so unimportant. It was as if he was saying enough without even opening his mouth.
                  “What are you going to do your paper on?” I finally asked. “I’m choosing love. I know that’s cheesy but I’ve always liked the way Chaucer portrayed love through his characters. He doesn’t stick to one type and I think the world’s kinda like that.”
                  “Which kind of love would you want?”
                  My cheeks burned. “I guess a combination of all of them. I mean, I don’t believe all love is just about passion. That’s great in the beginning with the whole ‘love at first sight’ stuff but it can’t last, right?