I stared at Alice from the other side of the classroom. Everything about her was perfect, shiny dark hair, sparkling brown eyes, and coffee-colored skin. She chewed on the tip of her pencil and examined the test, eyebrows furrowed. 

"Return your gaze to your own paper, Ms. Jonas," Mr. Huckle droned, reading a thick book and chewing on an apple. "No cheating allowed." 

"Sorry, Mr. Huckle," I mumbled, embarassed. It would be too weird to let him know I was staring at a girl because I thought she was pretty. First off, I wasn't out of the closet yet, and second, I would be seen as a creep or a pervert. 

After I finished the test, I started to read a book, looking up every so often to glance at her. Hey, I know I sound like a simp, but you know you would do it too. 

"Hey, why do you keep looking up?" a redhead boy piped up. "Do you have a crushhhhh? Are you looking at him?" I returned my gaze back to my book, blushing furiously. "Quiet, Mr. Eisenberry," Mr. Huckle said, not looking up from his book. "People are still taking tests." 

The boy kept making faces at me, but I just ignored him, reading the book so intently that I read the same line several times. "Don't look up, don't look up, don't look up," I told myself. Of course, my eyes never listen to my brain, so I looked at Alice again. It was a quick glance, but the redhead saw it. "Wait, you have a crush on Alice? You're gay?"

"No, no, stupid, stupid, stupid," I told myself, turning bright red. "Why did you look up, why?" Alice looked up and stared at me, but just then, the bell rang. The students stood up to leave, but Mr. Huckle called the redhead to stay after class. I could hear him scolding the boy. 

"Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and froze. It was a voice all too familiar. I turned around. I was right. It was Alice.