James was everything a girl would wish for. He was everything the girls wanted. He was the kind of guy who paid attention and showed attention. He was caring and quite understanding. He understood things most people wouldn't.

And the best part? He was mine.

He never failed to ride me to school. We talked about everything and anything, the stupid stuff, random stuff, and the serious stuff. His radiant smile made me forget my worries when I felt down.

He always calls me princess, and he treats me as such. He was the kind of guy I loved talking to. He made me feel heard, and he listened to me.

We were so happy together. We had our late-night conversation staring at the moonlight at our usual spot. When we kissed, the world seemed to fade away, and it was just us.

My happy moment was short-lived when my little sister woke me up, her voice snapping me back to reality. "Time for School, Sofia"

Ugh.

I shot her a glare and groaned, dragging myself out of bed like I'd just returned from a different universe, which, honestly, I had. I got dressed half-awake, barely brushing my hair, still thinking about the dream. He felt so real this time.

My bestie arrived some minutes later and together they left for school, gusting all the way. She mainly did the talking as my mind was still on the dream.

As we made our way into school, I spotted James from afar. He was talking to his friends, laughing effortlessly, confident.

Unlike me, James was popular. Everyone liked him. The girls basically worshipped him, and the guys wanted to be him. He knew it too. He carried himself like someone who had the whole world in his hands.

He wasn't like the James in my dreams.

This James? he screamed danger. He was sharp and loud and nothing like the gentle, soft version I'd made up in my head. Still, my heart betrayed me. It sped up the moment I saw him.

He walked past us without even looking our way. Not that I expected him to. I was invisible to him, just another face in the crowd. Still, my bestie nudged me knowingly. Only she was aware of my feelings towards him.

We separated going to our individual classes. I arrived a bit late and mistakenly locked eyes with James.

He was looking at me.

Why was he looking at me? I screamed inwardly. I almost choked. I quickly looked away, pretending I didn't see him.

And then, right after the bell rang, he walked over to me.

He walked over to me.

"Hey. You're Sophia, right?"

I nodded, completely stunned. My mouth is forgetting how to form words.

" Mrs Howards assigned me to you, she says you are to teach me Chemistry," he said, reminding me of my confrontation with her earlier this week. I said yes to her off the back of my head. She didn't tell me it was James.

"So are you going to teach me?" he asked, making me realize I've been silent.

"Yes"

"Thanks, it means a lot," he smiled at me before walking away. That smile.

I realized I was in danger. I should have just left him to remain the guy in my dreams.

But now, he was going to get closer to me. I don't want to get hurt. I didn't know how long I could continue to hide my feelings.