The drive to Mr. Heywood's apartment was silent. I stared out the window, watching the streets light pass by. Mr. Heywood kept his eyes on the road, not sparing me once glance. The radio was off, making it more awkward. When we arrived, still no words were spoken as we made our way into his apartment.

Mr. Heywood disappeared into his room for a few minutes and then returned with a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. He handed them to me. "Go change or you'll get sick."

"I'm fine," I responded stiffly, crossing my arms over my chest. "You better start talking."

"Holly, just change out of your clothing."

"I said I'm fine."

"You're changing whether you like it or not," Mr. Heywood said, narrowing his eyes at me. "It'd save us both trouble and embarrassment if I didn't have to force you to change."

With a hot face and a scowl, I nodded, taking the clothing and going to the bathroom. I quickly stripped out of my damp clothing and pulled on Mr. Heywood's warm clothes. I inhaled deeply, taking in the scent. He smelled so nice... I shook my head, a blush appearing on my face. What was I doing?

I checked my reflection in the mirror and nearly gasped in horror. I looked like a mess! My hair was curly and knotted, and my make-up was all over. As quickly as I could, I did my best to clean my face up with warm water. When all of the make-up on my face was mostly gone, I dried it, and then returned to the living room.

Mr. Heywood was standing in the middle of it, wearing a black v-neck and grey pajama pants. For a moment I was taken in by his handsomeness, but I pulled my gaze away before he caught me looking. When he did notice me, he gestured me towards him. I stopped a few feet away from him, chewing my lip nervously.

"Are you going to lie to me again?" I asked quietly, looking into Mr. Heywood's eyes.

"I promised I wouldn't lie to you anymore," he said.

"You broke that promise."

"I never lied to you, Holly," he responded, frowning at me. "I just didn't tell you everything you needed to know."

"Don't you think telling me I look exactly like your old girlfriend is something I need to know?" I asked angrily.

"I was going to tell you," Mr. Heywood told me, his grey eyes piercing into mine.

"When? Why didn't you just tell me that night when you told me about her?"

"Holly, I don't think you understand how hard it was just to reveal my past to you," he replied, shaking his head slightly. "My past is not something I'm proud of, and at the time I was worried you'd be scared off after hearing it. When you weren't, I didn't want to take the chance of what happened tonight to happen then by telling you about the other Holly."

"I would've reacted better if you just told me! What was I supposed to do after what happened? This type of thing isn't very common, Mr. Heywood. She looks exactly like me, except older! How can I not feel as though I'm the replacement?"

Mr. Heywood sighed, running a hand through his still wet hair. "Holly, you were the replacement."

I stared at Mr. Heywood incredulously. Was he kidding? I actually was a replacement? He looked back at me with a serious face. A small laugh escaped my mouth. "I knew it," I said, feeling my throat constrict. "I am the replacement. This is great!"

"Holly, I said you were the replacement."

I gave him a flat look. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"When I first saw you at school, I wanted to get as close to you as possible because you reminded me so much of the other Holly. Your hair color, your eyes, even some of your personality."

That was what Shawn had said. A small frown appeared on my face. Was that Holly and I that much alike? It was a little nerve-wracking. How could two people be so much alike?

"So you used me as a replacement for her?" I demanded. "Didn't you care about the person who I actually was? Did you even think a little of my feelings?"

"I was too caught up in you're looks," Mr. Heywood responded honestly. "I was too distracted by your appearance to think about your feelings."

"That's horrible!"

Mr. Heywood nodded his head in agreement. "It is."

"So then, everything you said to me... was it all a lie?"

"No, I meant every word I said to you. Not to the other Holly, but to you."

"But I thought-"

Mr. Heywood held up his hand. "Yes, at first you were a replacement. But as I started getting closer to you, I began to realize how different you were from her."

"But you just said we were a lot alike," I pointed out.

"Appearance wise, yes," Mr. Heywood responded. "Personality wise and everything else, no. You're both stubborn, but that's the only thing you have in common. But everything else is different."

"I don't understand..."

"Should I list a few things?" Mr. Heywood asked, a smirk appearing on his face. "You blush easily, you cry easily, you get embarrassed easily, you're too innocent for your own good, you're extremely clumsy, you're too honest... should I continue?"

I felt my face heat up and I looked at the floor. "I d-don't..."

Mr. Heywood laughed. "See? You're blushing."

"I'm not," I responded stubbornly.

"I'll continue then. You're horrible with eye contact, you get jealous easily, you're easily riled up, and, perhaps the most important of all, you're understanding; you don't judge people by what they've done." When Mr. Heywood said the last words, his expression softened considerably as he looked at me.

Once more, I had to look away. That look was to... intimate. "What about me being the replacement? I thought-"

"Holly, you stopped being the replacement that day when I was driving you home and we were talking about our parents! That's when I realized you were different than the other Holly. You cried for me, something the other Holly probably would have never done. From that moment on, I viewed you as Holly Evers instead of Holly Pierce. I haven't thought of you as a replacement since. You could never be a replacement. I'm ashamed to think at first I used you, and I'm incredibly sorry about that."

"Why couldn't you have just told me all of this earlier?"

Mr. Heywood raised an eyebrow. "You mean before you ran away from me in the hospital without letting me explain? There was hardly enough time..."

"I really thought you were just using me as a replacement..." I told him, lowering my eyes and clenching my fist. "I thought everything that happened between us was just a lie. I thought I had been used. It... hurt."

"Holly, do you really think I'm that kind of man?"

I looked up back into Mr. Heywood's grey eyes. Did I...? Immediately my eyes filled with tears and I shook my head. "No! I don't think that at all," I responded, my voice cracking. "I'm sorry, Mr. Heywood. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I..."

"Holly," Mr. Heywood said with a sigh, grabbing my arm and dragging me closer to him. He put his arms around me and held in me a tight embrace. "See what I mean? You cry too easily."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, grasping his shirt in my hands.

"I'm sorry too, I must have made you cry," Mr. Heywood responded. "I seem to do that a lot."

"It's not your fault."

"It is my fault."

"No it's not," I argued. "I'm the one who cried."

"But I'm the one who made you cry," Mr. Heywood insisted.

"Technically you can't make me cry..."

"Holly, you know what I mean," Mr. Heywood responded and I imagined him rolling his eyes.

"But-"

"Holly, just shut up and enjoy my comforting embrace."

I smiled, rolling my eyes. I did as he said, and did enjoy his embrace. The tension between us immediately ceased and I let out a small sigh. Mr. Heywood pulled away eventually though, and I resisted the urge to frown.

"Holly, how exactly did you manage to get to your house? Did you walk?" Mr. Heywood asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "That's a long way."

"Oh, no, a cop drove me home."

Mr. Heywood's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why?"

"No reason, I just happened to... fall into her way," I responded honestly. I did fall into her way. Well, Shawn pushed me, but technically it's the same thing.

Mr. Heywood narrowed his eyes. "You're lying. Something happened."

I looked at him in disbelief. "How do you know?"

"I can just tell with you."

"Well stop, it's annoying," I complained making him laugh.

"Maybe if you stopped lying to me, I wouldn't have to. I tell you the truth, Holly. Don't you think it's fair to return the favor?"

Sure. Play the guilt card. I cleared my throat nervously. "Well... You know how Shawn was at the park?"

"Yes."

"Well before I knew he was there, he called me using Lance's cell phone, and we talked for a bit-"

"About what?"

"Stuff..."

"Like what?" Mr. Heywood said, rolling his eyes. "Don't beat around the bush."

"He, um, said now that you have the other Holly, that I should get with him... He thought I'd want to get back at you by doing that."

"He what?" Mr. Heywood said, sounding angry. "He just wants to use you as a replacement!"

"I know that. But at least he had the decency to tell me right away." Immediately I regretted letting those words slip out of my mouth. Mr. Heywood's eyes flashed with sorrow. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Holly, I don't mind," Mr. Heywood cut me off. "I did use you as a replacement at first. I deserve every word."

"No you don't," I said, shaking my head. "I'd probably do the same if I was in your shoes. If the person I loved left me, I'd try to find a replacement too... Well maybe not, but you know..."

Mr. Heywood smiled. One of his rare, genuine smile, not a smirk. I couldn't help but smile back.

"What did you say to Shawn?"

"Oh, I said..." As I remembered the words I said to him, a blush made it's way onto my face again. Mr. Heywood raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"I just said I wouldn't go with him," I responded, editing out the whole part about how I would make Mr. Heywood fall more in love with me.

"That's obvious," Mr. Heywood said with a laugh. "Smart move."

"He said he'd take me by force. He hung up then, saying he was coming to get me. That's when I tried to leave, but Shawn was waiting by the entrance-"

"What?" Mr. Heywood said, his eyes widening. "Holly! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"Earlier we were arguing..."

"But this is more important! Are you okay? What happened?"

I lowered my gaze again to the floor and cleared my throat once more before continuing. "In the simplest words, he tried to kidnap me. He said Dan was bringing up the car, but the car that came down the street turned out to be a police car so he shoved me away, and that's how I ended up being taken home by the police."

"He tried to kidnap you?" Mr. Heywood repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Are you telling the truth?"

"I wouldn't lie about this!"

"We have to tell the police," Mr. Heywood said suddenly, looking around the living room. "Where's the phone? This is too serious now."

"What? No!" I cried, grabbing onto his arm. "If you're involved, won't you go back to jail?"

"Holly, you're safety is more important than whether I go to jail or not!"

"No! If you go to jail I'll feel like it's my fault!"

"This is all my fault," Mr. Heywood told me flatly. "Don't think for one second that any of this is your fault."

"It is my fault for running away in the middle of the night when I know there are gangsters after me!"

"It's my fault for getting you involved in the first place!"

"Don't call the police!"

"But Holly-"

"If you go to jail then I won't be able to see you!" I cried, grasping onto his arm tighter. "I don't want that!"

Mr. Heywood tensed up, looking at me with an unreadable expression. After a moment he put a hand to his head and sighed deeply. "Why?"

"Why?" I repeated in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why would you put me not going to jail over you being harmed?" Mr. Heywood demanded.

"It's not fair that you have to go to jail for nothing, just like the first time! I don't want to see you going back. If you go back, we won't be able to see each other and the school would be losing everyone's favorite biology teacher," I told him, squeezing his arm. "I understand you want to help me, but I'm going to be extra cautious! So please don't call the cops!"

"You don't understand, Holly," Mr. Heywood responded. "You're in danger!"

"I don't care!" I responded, narrowing my eyes slightly.

"You don't care?"

"No!"

"Are you stupid, Holly?" Mr. Heywood asked, suddenly sounding angry. "I worry every day about your safety when you aren't around me. I'm always scared that something's going to happen to you when I'm not around to save you."

I blushed slightly, clearing my throat. "But I-"

"Hearing you say you don't care just makes me more troubled," Mr. Heywood continued, cutting me off. "I don't want you putting yourself in danger to help me! I don't want anything to happen to you because of me, which you don't seem to understand."

"I do understand though!"

"Then let me call the cops!"

"No!" I cried, glaring at Mr. Heywood. "You're not calling the cops!"

"Holly-"

"Please," I begged, holding onto his arm even tighter than before. "I don't want you going to jail! I promise I'll be careful, so please!"

Mr. Heywood didn't say anything for a moment. Finally he sighed, gently pulling his arm free from his grasp. "Why, Holly?"

"Because I'm in love with you!"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I gasped, my face growing ten times hotter. Mr. Heywood's eyes widened slightly in surprise and either my eyes were betraying me, or he was blushing. I quickly adverted my gaze, my heart pounding a mile a minute. My whole body felt hot, and my hands were shaking.

I had just confessed... by accident. That wasn't what I was going to say. I didn't want to confess like that! I was too afraid to look at Mr. Heywood. He probably felt very uncomfortable now. Tears were prickling at my eyes again, but this time from embarrassment. I had messed up the most important thing I wanted to say to Mr. Heywood. I wanted it to be like one of the moments in a movie! But no, I had to be my stupid self and ruin it. I quickly rubbed the back of my hand against my eyes.

"Holly," Mr. Heywood groaned in exasperation. "What are you doing?"

I knew it. He thought it was ridiculous confession too. "I'm sorry," I apologized, rubbing my eyes again. "I didn't mean to say that. It just slipped out!"

"Not that," Mr. Heywood told me. "Why are you crying again? Where do you even get all these tears from?"

"Huh?" What about my confession? Wasn't he going to say anything? I stared at him with a frown.

He brought a hand up to my face and wiped away a few stray tears. "That's better."

"Um... what about... what I said...?"

"What you said?"

"You know," I responded, my face heating up again. "What I just said."

"I don't remember..."

I stared at him in disbelief. He was kidding. He had to be kidding. He returned my look with a serious one, tilting his head to the side questioningly. He wasn't kidding. Unbelievable. I couldn't repeat myself after that! That was too embarrassing!

Mr. Heywood suddenly snickered, but he quickly covered it up with his hand. I gave him a flat look. He grinned, shaking his head. "Just kidding, I heard you Holly."

"I take it back. I actually hate you."

Mr. Heywood laughed once, but soon after he sighed. "I didn't want you to say it yet, Holly," he told me, shaking his head slightly.

I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I knew how you felt about me, but I didn't really expect you to actually say it. I didn't want you to say it."

Wait, what? Why didn't he want me to say I loved him? Suddenly I felt like I was going to be sick. My chest clenched uncomfortably. What was that supposed to mean? He didn't want me to love him? But didn't he hint that he loved me too? Why...?

"Oh," I said in realization. "It's the other Holly, isn't it?"

Mr. Heywood furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What is?"

"You don't want me saying that because you're with her, right?

"What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you back together with the other Holly?" I asked him, now furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"What? No," Mr. Heywood responded, staring at me like I was crazy. "Where would you even get that idea from?"

"You're not together? But you had dates-"

"Holly, I already told you they weren't dates. I was just visiting her because she stopped in town for awhile," Mr. Heywood told me, frowning slightly.

"But you love her right? That's why you said you never stop loving someone," I prodded.

Mr. Heywood smiled. "There's a difference between loving someone, and being in love with someone."

I blinked in realization. So he loved the other Holly, but wasn't in love with her. Another blush forced it's way into my face. I had said I was in love with him... Had he caught that?

"She's already engaged."

"What?" I said in shock, looking up at Mr. Heywood. "She's engaged?"

He nodded. "I don't know the guy, but the reason she's back in town is because she's personally handing out wedding invitations. She gave one to me, as well."

"Then why is she in the hospital?" I had assumed she had some kind of illness.

"Oh, she was mugged the other night and she cracked a few of her ribs," Mr. Heywood responded. "At first I thought it was Shawn, but she says she didn't recognize her assailants..."

Shawn's words echoed in my head; "the right Holly." I stared at Mr. Heywood with my mouth open. He returned my look with a questioning one. I quickly debated in my head whether or not to tell him. If I did tell him, what would he do? Biting my lip, I lowered my gaze. I wouldn't tell him.

"Holly, don't get me wrong," Mr. Heywood said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear what you said. But the thing is, you're seventeen, Holly. I'm twenty-two."

"But I don't care about that-" I started with my eyes wide.

"But I do," Mr. Heywood told me with a frown. "You're too young for me right now."

"My birthday's next week though!" I protested suddenly becoming anxious. "Then I'll be a legal adult! Four years and a couple months isn't that much of age difference!" Boy, I sounded desperate.

"Hence why I said 'yet'," Mr. Heywood responded with a smirk.

I blinked at him. Mr. Heywood waited a moment, his smirk slowing growing. That's when I got what he said. He wanted to wait until I was eighteen?

"I won't respond to your confession right now," Mr. Heywood told me, shaking his head. "I can't. It's not right. I can handle that student teacher thing, but our age difference is another thing completely. Right now it's illegal, and I'm trying to take the law seriously right now. So I'm going to forget about your confession for now, until you're older."

"So when I'm eighteen...?"

"Tell me again," Mr. Heywood said, his eyes piercing into mine.

Another blush made it's way onto my face and I looked away, clearing my throat. "But since you already know, doesn't that ruin it?"

"Know what?" Mr. Heywood asked, innocently giving me a confused look.

"My feelings," I responded slowly, returning his confused look. What else could I be talking about?

"You're feelings about what?" Mr. Heywood asked. "Sushi? I don't like it but I guess everyone has their own preferences."

"I'm not talking about-"

"I wonder if the game is on..."

I stared at Mr. Heywood in bewilderment as he searched for the remote. That was it? Wasn't he going to say something else about my confession? Did he really mean he was going to forget about it until I was eighteen? That didn't help me much though. Another confession would feel pointless...

Mr. Heywood turned on his television, putting it on the game, which indeed was one. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "Go make me a cup of coffee."

"But it's almost two o'clock in the morning," I protested, glancing at the clock on the T.V stand.

"Who are you, my mom?"

"No," I responded in an irritated voice. "I'm just saying-"

"Coffee," he ordered. "Now."

"But it's your house!"

"Holly."

"Fine," I muttered, pushing myself off the couch. "You know, you're so-"

"Amazing, I know, thank you," Mr. Heywood finished for me with a wide grin.

I rolled my eyes, but a grin made its way onto my face as well. Everything was still normal. Even after everything we had been through, after how much stress tonight had caused me, it was normal. Mr. Heywood hadn't picked on me once about how I over-reacted. He hadn't even mentioned it, even though I had caused him so much worry.

But the tough part was still ahead. A frown slowly appeared on my face.

How was I going to confess a second time to Mr. Heywood?

________________________________________

So... I'm not sure how I like how I played this one out. I want you guys to give me your honest opinions before I decide to re-write this. But, when Holly confesses it will still be something like this if I re-do it ;D Nothing can go perfectly for her!

Oh, and I have a question. So, this is pretty much one of the longest stories I wrote, since I usually like to stop around thirty chapters... but how many chapters do you guys think is an acceptable amount for this story? I don't want it to drag on too much. But let me know what you guys think. Fifty? Sixty? What?

ALSO! Believe Me, I'm Lying made it into the second round for the Watty Awards! So it'd be awesome if you guys could go vote for it! The three categories you can choose from are; Most Popular Overall, Best Cast, and Most Popular Romance so please got vote for one! Or all three :} Facebook page in external link like always!