He wouldn’t even see me coming while he was sitting at the lunch table with his back turned. I could even pretend to trip and make it look like a total accident.
But of course , my head wasn’t quite working fast enough to do any of those things before he saw me. Instead, all of his friends went quiet and stared at me as I stood there looking at Parker, until he finally turned around as well to see what had killed their conversation.
Slight recognition passed over his face when he saw me and his cheeks instantly reddened. He didn’t really look mad. It was more like he was embarrassed and worried that I’d do something else to humiliate him. Only this time , it would be in front of all of his new friends.
I opened my mouth to speak but realized that if he heard my voice he might recognize me as Xandris from the game and then I’d be in a world of trouble. Quickly closing my mouth again , I looked down at the book he held in his hands and then back up at him, our eyes locked on each other.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a worried voice.
I was surprised that he was actually talking to me. I thought he was too scared of me to actually speak, let alone wonder if I was all right. After all, he was supposed to hate me, not worry about my well-being. That wasn’t okay. It made it even harder to be mean to him.
“ Uhh,” was all I managed to say for a moment. All of the other nerds stared at me, awestruck, unable to comprehend why a cheerleader had decided to visit their table.
By this time , half of the cafeteria was staring at my moment of complete and total idiocy and my brain had decided to stop working, preventing me from formulating a decent plan.
“Here,” I said hurriedly, handing Parker the soda and turning away from t he table to quickly retreat toward the safety of The Squad. I could see Tawny staring at me with a look that could burn a hole in my head, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“What is your problem?” she whispered furiously when I made it back to her. “Why are you such a spaz?”
It was an understandable question, I thought .
“He turned around and looked at me! It was too late to make it look like an accident so I panicked! I didn’t know what to do,” I explained in a rush, my cheeks getting hot.
“It doesn’t matter if it looked like an accident. It probably would have been better if it looked like it was on purpose, just to show them what their place is,” she threw back icily, looking at me like I was a complete moron.
“I’m sorry! I’m not as smart as you; I can’t think on my feet,” I said, thinking that if I threw a compliment in there, she’d forget her rage and be distracted by her own vanity.
“That’s a true statement,” she conceded with a short laugh.
Again, she was being much meaner than usual and it was unsettling. She hardly ever turned her wrath on me, and now I seemed to be the cause of it most days. I was starting to understand how everyone else around us must have felt—just waiting to be selected as the next victim.
“I’ll fix it,” I said desperately, trying to regain my position as someone on Tawny’s level.
“Don’t bother. Kimber, get over here,” she barked as a short blonde hopped up from the table and obediently came to Tawny’s side. “We’re going to have a little party at your house Saturday night,” she informed the girl.
“Okay,” Kimber said nervously, trying to figure out how to get her parents out of the house even as Tawny continued speaking.
It would never cross her mind to simply refuse Tawny’s command. Finding a way to get rid of your parents was easier than defying Tawny.
“Go tell that nerd boy over there that you’ve noticed him around lately and really want him to come to your party. His nerd friends can’t come, though. We need to isolate him,” she said with a note of finality that was chilling.
Kimber obediently walked right over to Parker’s table and began talking to him.
“Don’t
But of course , my head wasn’t quite working fast enough to do any of those things before he saw me. Instead, all of his friends went quiet and stared at me as I stood there looking at Parker, until he finally turned around as well to see what had killed their conversation.
Slight recognition passed over his face when he saw me and his cheeks instantly reddened. He didn’t really look mad. It was more like he was embarrassed and worried that I’d do something else to humiliate him. Only this time , it would be in front of all of his new friends.
I opened my mouth to speak but realized that if he heard my voice he might recognize me as Xandris from the game and then I’d be in a world of trouble. Quickly closing my mouth again , I looked down at the book he held in his hands and then back up at him, our eyes locked on each other.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a worried voice.
I was surprised that he was actually talking to me. I thought he was too scared of me to actually speak, let alone wonder if I was all right. After all, he was supposed to hate me, not worry about my well-being. That wasn’t okay. It made it even harder to be mean to him.
“ Uhh,” was all I managed to say for a moment. All of the other nerds stared at me, awestruck, unable to comprehend why a cheerleader had decided to visit their table.
By this time , half of the cafeteria was staring at my moment of complete and total idiocy and my brain had decided to stop working, preventing me from formulating a decent plan.
“Here,” I said hurriedly, handing Parker the soda and turning away from t he table to quickly retreat toward the safety of The Squad. I could see Tawny staring at me with a look that could burn a hole in my head, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“What is your problem?” she whispered furiously when I made it back to her. “Why are you such a spaz?”
It was an understandable question, I thought .
“He turned around and looked at me! It was too late to make it look like an accident so I panicked! I didn’t know what to do,” I explained in a rush, my cheeks getting hot.
“It doesn’t matter if it looked like an accident. It probably would have been better if it looked like it was on purpose, just to show them what their place is,” she threw back icily, looking at me like I was a complete moron.
“I’m sorry! I’m not as smart as you; I can’t think on my feet,” I said, thinking that if I threw a compliment in there, she’d forget her rage and be distracted by her own vanity.
“That’s a true statement,” she conceded with a short laugh.
Again, she was being much meaner than usual and it was unsettling. She hardly ever turned her wrath on me, and now I seemed to be the cause of it most days. I was starting to understand how everyone else around us must have felt—just waiting to be selected as the next victim.
“I’ll fix it,” I said desperately, trying to regain my position as someone on Tawny’s level.
“Don’t bother. Kimber, get over here,” she barked as a short blonde hopped up from the table and obediently came to Tawny’s side. “We’re going to have a little party at your house Saturday night,” she informed the girl.
“Okay,” Kimber said nervously, trying to figure out how to get her parents out of the house even as Tawny continued speaking.
It would never cross her mind to simply refuse Tawny’s command. Finding a way to get rid of your parents was easier than defying Tawny.
“Go tell that nerd boy over there that you’ve noticed him around lately and really want him to come to your party. His nerd friends can’t come, though. We need to isolate him,” she said with a note of finality that was chilling.
Kimber obediently walked right over to Parker’s table and began talking to him.
“Don’t
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