Coraline Jones hated Rom-Coms. She couldn't stand Romance novels and she detested Valentine's Day. She scoffed when she saw couples kissing in the hallway at school. And she turned down every single date she was asked on. All of this would lead one to believe that she despised the idea of falling in love. But that was wrong.

Coraline had been in love since she was 14, maybe longer. At the time she told herself it was best to wait, she was young, maybe she was just infatuated. But as the years went by, she couldn't stand by those reasons anymore. Coraline was 17 and she knew she was a coward.

And that was why she hated all things romance. The couples in the movies always acted like it was so easy.

"I love you!"

"I love you too!"

Yeah right.

Anyway, the object of her affections, was her best friend, Wybie Lovat. He was the biggest weirdo in school, he slouched all the time, he'd only recently gotten over his habit of stuttering constantly, and...and he was a loyal, kind, intelligent guy. He was thoughtful, when she was 11 after her run in with the Beldam, all of the buttons on his coats were mysteriously replaced with metal clasps.

He was shy, and sweet, and he could ramble for hours about whatever caught his fancy.

Coraline grumbled, why couldn't she catch his fancy.

Ugh even she knew that that had come out cheesy.

At 17, Wybie Lovat had grown quite tall, even when he hunched over he towered over her, and he had grown quite handsome as well. How inconvenient. Tall, handsome, sweet, rode a motorcycle, wore leather jackets. Besides the fact that he was a weirdo, it was a wonder that every girl in school hadn't asked him out yet.

Well, it wasn't entirely a wonder, it seemed that most people in her little high school had realized that Wybie and Coraline were a package deal. She probably had something to do with that. Maybe it was when they were 11 and they first came into school together after the summer she first moved into the pink palace.

At the time Wybie was still considered the school freak, so when he came to school with the mysterious blue-haired new girl, everyone was puzzled. She was pretty and she seemed way to cool for him.

And one boy, Jimmy, was unfortunate enough to point this out to her, even had the nerve to call Wybie a freak right in front of them both. And as everyone in the hallway watched, Coraline decked him in the face.

"No one talks about my best friend like that!" And she made sure everybody knew it.


A few years later, at 14, Coraline came to a sudden realization. It was summer break, and once again they were riding his motorbike into the woods. She wrapped her arms around his middle like she had so many times before. She leaned her head against his back. Had his shoulders gotten broader? He smelled like motor oil and leather and strangely roses.

Wybie was so weird.

They got off his motorbike and Coraline looked around. They were in a part of the forest she'd never been in before. There was a large willow tree shading the soft grass below. Beneath the tree a little creek ran by, it was alive with the sounds of frogs and other little creatures.

"Wow Wybie! How'd you find this place?" She grinned at him.

"O-oh ya know exploring, the usual. I thought you'd like it." He smiled shyly at her, his skeleton-gloved fingers twirling nervously.

"You were right. Hey! Let's climb that willow tree! That branch looks low enough." Coraline beckoned him towards her.

"Al-Alright Jonesy." He grinned.

"I'll go up first." He told her.

Recently he was getting taller, annoyingly so. Therefore, it was with ease that he scaled the tree and sat on the branch

Coraline was not quite as lucky, being short had its major downsides. She hopped up repeatedly trying to grab a hold of the branch to no avail.

Wybie couldn't help it, he chuckled at her expense.

"Oh Ha Ha, laugh it up Why-Were-You-Born! But when I get up there, I'll- "she started to threaten him but was cut off.

Wybie held out his hands to her.

"C-Come on Jonesy." He smiled down at her.

Silently she took his gloved hands. He lifted her high enough for her to get her footing and climb up beside him. He removed his gloves as she situated herself, there was no doubt that his hands were hot covered like that on a sweltering summer's day.

"Thanks." She replied quietly, she felt a little warm as she sat next to him.

"No problem. Hey, check out the view!" He pointed out the forest stretching before them.

Coraline leaned forward in astonishment...only to feel herself slipping off the branch. Just in time, as always, Wybie caught her around the waist. Unknowingly his bare hand was pressed against her skin, where her shirt had ridden up slightly.

Warm. His hand was really warm.

Coraline felt her face burning.

"W-woah, careful Jonesy. I got ya." He pulled her back onto the branch, even closer to him, completely oblivious to her blushing.

"Jeez you're clumsy today-" she cut him off with a punch to the arm.

That night after arguing with herself for hours, Coraline came to the unavoidable conclusion that she may have developed a small crush on Wybie.

Looking back on it now she rolled her eyes at herself. "Small crush", if only.


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