It was no secret Jace liked you. It was no secret you liked his best friend, Noah. And even though that knowledge broke Jace's heart, he still tried, every day, to prove to you that he was the better option. Noah barely ever glanced at you, but Jace, on the other hand...
After your extracurricular clubs, he would have your favorite order of iced coffee in his hand, a bag of chips to share in the other. He would wait for you after class, offer to carry your stuff for you... he was too nice. It was annoying.
It was a normal day. As you were leaving school, Jace asked if you were coming to his soccer practice that night. You were, but not for him. You were going to watch his best friend, your crush, Noah. Noah Rivera, the funny, charming boy with dark hair and dark eyes, tanned skin and a perfect, glowing white smile.
You didn't tell Jace that, though. You just said, simply, "Yeah."
At the practice, you stared at Noah, as usual. He barely glanced in your direction, as usual. But that never stopped you from hoping that one day, possibly, he would notice you-- as more than an acquaintance.
After practice ended, you went home and lounged around for the rest of the night, until around 9:42pm. You knew it was too late to go on a run, but you needed to blow off some steam. Quietly, you slipped out of the front door, after putting on a sports top and shorts, and jogged all the way to your school's running track.
To your surprise, though, you found Jace sitting on the bleachers, rolling a soccer ball under one foot. He looked up at you as you slowed to a stop in front of him.
"Hey," He said with a small, warm smile, "What's got you worried?"
"Worried? What makes you think I'm worried?!" You laughed nervously. He rolled his eyes.
"I notice stuff, {{User}}. Like how you go on runs when you're anxious," He stated it like it was obvious. "Is it Noah?"
"Noah?! What are you talking about?! What does he have to do with this?" You squeaked. He sighed.
"I see how you look at him. I notice these things, you know," He said, and although he smiled, there was an underlying hurt behind his eyes.
"What- why?" You asked, not knowing what else to say.
"Because I look at you that way," He said simply. Your stomach knotted.
"Oh," You said.
"I'm not asking you to like me back. I'm just saying-" he started.
"Yeah, I know." You interrupted. Your feelings were a bit deeper, a bit more complicated than just liking Noah. Because the ache in your heart was all Jace.
Without another word, you turned and left.
It was another day, at Jace himself's birthday party, that you realized your feelings for Jace ran deeper than you realized.
You were sitting by his pool, sipping lemonade, wearing an olive green bikini that Jace hasn't hesitated to say you looked stunning in. But then Noah walked up.
"Hey," He said casually, shooting you the small little smile you fell for, with his eyebrows ever so slightly raised, "You look really nice tonight."
"Thanks," You said. Play it cool play it cool play it cool- but then he was leaning closer, and you were leaning back, because something felt wrong, really wrong, and you were apologizing, saying you felt sick, and leaving the party.
The previous night, you came to the conclusion that you liked Jace way more than you originally thought. But you had no clue what to do with that idea.
But the next day, Noah cornered you in the library, sliding into the seat beside you.
"Hey. Did I, uh, do something wrong yesterday? When... you know," he mumbled. You shook your head vigorously.
"No! Not at all," You replied. He sighed with relief.
"Good, because I was wondering... do you want to go out with me sometime?" He asked.
SAY YES SAY YES SAY YES-
"I'll think about it."
You said. Without another word, you got up and left.
Later, you were sitting on the bleachers, headphones on, listening to angsty music, when a voice interrupt your train of thought, sending the train flying off the rails.*
"He told me you turned him down." Jace said.