be real . Even though I am flattered, I know how cruel high school can be. If he doesn’t want to become an outcast, he should head for the hills and get as far away from me as possible. I glance around the room, making sure no one is looking in our direction.
“Thanks, but I think I got it.” Now go. Go be popular and beautiful and let me admire you from a distance. Shoo.
His face drops, gone is the consistent smile he always wears thanks to me. “Well, if you change your mind, I’m sort of an expert on the subject.”
“Thanks.” I give him a weak smile.
He sits down at the empty desk next to mine, stretching his long legs across the aisle. Tapping the bottom of my desk slightly with his foot, each tap puts my nerves on edge. I’m unsure of what to do with myself, so I look down at where Buck so nicely carved the word ‘Freak’ into my desk it as a reminder.
As if on cue, Buck strolls into class. He has on his lucky jersey that he refuses to wash in fear that he will lose the luck. He plops down in the desk behind mine. “Hey, freak.”
He leans in, and the smell of beef jerky turns my stomach. I try to ignore him and stare forward.
“Today is our first practice, wish me luck.”
I roll my eyes. Why he wants me to say it is beyond me. Maybe he really believes the practices will make a difference. No matter how many practices they have, they still suck. The only change this year is the new wild card, so perhaps they might have a chance of winning.
“Too bad for you.” I groan knowing, I will regret this, but I have to ask.
“What do you mean, Buck?” I turn to him, shoving his elbow off my desk.
“Too bad you’re to fuggly to be on the cheer team. Maybe if you wore a bag over your head?” He flicks my ponytail with his finger.
Cardelian reaches over, catching my chin in his hand, running a thumb across my cheekbone, and capturing a stray eyelash.
“Make a wish.”
My heart pounds as I blow the lash off his finger. He holds my chin for what feels like an eternity before turning to the front of the room. I glance back at Buck, whose mouth is agape.
He looks as dumbfounded as I feel as he shakes his head, leans back, and mumbles, “Freak,” under his breath.
Mr. Wissian clears his throat, glaring at me as if I’m the one holding up the lecture that he has yet to begin. I pick up my pen, showing him that I’m fully prepared to pay attention this time, which is a lie. Not surprisingly, I can’t concentrate in class. In fact, I can’t even concentrate on my writing. Between the smell of Buck’s feet propped up on the back of my chair insulting my nose and the smiles Cardelian keeps giving me every time I look over at him, my head is spinning by the time class ends.
Why the sudden interest in me? Cardelian has plenty of girls that would be happy to occupy his time. I try to convince myself that it was all in my mind and Cardelian doesn’t like me. He’s just a nice guy who feels sorry that Buck enjoys tormenting me—like how I felt for Eddie. But, I don’t need to be protected. I’m perfectly fine handling myself.
As soon as the bell rings I try to bolt out of class before Cardelian can to talk to me again and make me feel all warm and fuzzy or before Buck says something rude to me, but I’m not fast enough.
Buck grabs a hold of my bag, yanking me backwards. “Where are you off to, loser?”
I stumble, trying to right myself before I go crashing to the floor. “Ummm, seeing that school is not over yet, I’m on my way to my next period.”
This amuses Buck for some reason. He smiles at me, showing off a mouth full of crooked teeth.
“Art, right?” Cardelian asks from behind me.
Art. I think that is what I have. Most of the time, I spend this period holed up in the back of the library working on my novel, since art is not my forte. Heck, school is not my forte.
“Do you mind if I walk you to class?” Cardelian asks.
Buck’s mouth drops open, and I roll my eyes at him.
“Thanks, but I think I got it.” Now go. Go be popular and beautiful and let me admire you from a distance. Shoo.
His face drops, gone is the consistent smile he always wears thanks to me. “Well, if you change your mind, I’m sort of an expert on the subject.”
“Thanks.” I give him a weak smile.
He sits down at the empty desk next to mine, stretching his long legs across the aisle. Tapping the bottom of my desk slightly with his foot, each tap puts my nerves on edge. I’m unsure of what to do with myself, so I look down at where Buck so nicely carved the word ‘Freak’ into my desk it as a reminder.
As if on cue, Buck strolls into class. He has on his lucky jersey that he refuses to wash in fear that he will lose the luck. He plops down in the desk behind mine. “Hey, freak.”
He leans in, and the smell of beef jerky turns my stomach. I try to ignore him and stare forward.
“Today is our first practice, wish me luck.”
I roll my eyes. Why he wants me to say it is beyond me. Maybe he really believes the practices will make a difference. No matter how many practices they have, they still suck. The only change this year is the new wild card, so perhaps they might have a chance of winning.
“Too bad for you.” I groan knowing, I will regret this, but I have to ask.
“What do you mean, Buck?” I turn to him, shoving his elbow off my desk.
“Too bad you’re to fuggly to be on the cheer team. Maybe if you wore a bag over your head?” He flicks my ponytail with his finger.
Cardelian reaches over, catching my chin in his hand, running a thumb across my cheekbone, and capturing a stray eyelash.
“Make a wish.”
My heart pounds as I blow the lash off his finger. He holds my chin for what feels like an eternity before turning to the front of the room. I glance back at Buck, whose mouth is agape.
He looks as dumbfounded as I feel as he shakes his head, leans back, and mumbles, “Freak,” under his breath.
Mr. Wissian clears his throat, glaring at me as if I’m the one holding up the lecture that he has yet to begin. I pick up my pen, showing him that I’m fully prepared to pay attention this time, which is a lie. Not surprisingly, I can’t concentrate in class. In fact, I can’t even concentrate on my writing. Between the smell of Buck’s feet propped up on the back of my chair insulting my nose and the smiles Cardelian keeps giving me every time I look over at him, my head is spinning by the time class ends.
Why the sudden interest in me? Cardelian has plenty of girls that would be happy to occupy his time. I try to convince myself that it was all in my mind and Cardelian doesn’t like me. He’s just a nice guy who feels sorry that Buck enjoys tormenting me—like how I felt for Eddie. But, I don’t need to be protected. I’m perfectly fine handling myself.
As soon as the bell rings I try to bolt out of class before Cardelian can to talk to me again and make me feel all warm and fuzzy or before Buck says something rude to me, but I’m not fast enough.
Buck grabs a hold of my bag, yanking me backwards. “Where are you off to, loser?”
I stumble, trying to right myself before I go crashing to the floor. “Ummm, seeing that school is not over yet, I’m on my way to my next period.”
This amuses Buck for some reason. He smiles at me, showing off a mouth full of crooked teeth.
“Art, right?” Cardelian asks from behind me.
Art. I think that is what I have. Most of the time, I spend this period holed up in the back of the library working on my novel, since art is not my forte. Heck, school is not my forte.
“Do you mind if I walk you to class?” Cardelian asks.
Buck’s mouth drops open, and I roll my eyes at him.
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