I hate him! ... yeah, I wish
"Okay, everyone, keep your everything except for your writing utensils! Time for a pop quiz!" Mrs. Godfrey's voice could be heard throughout the whole class. She handed stacks of papers to the students in the front of the row to hand it to the kids behind them.
Gina smiled confidently as she stuffs all her notebooks in her bag. She knew she's got this one.
Apparently, the student who sat in front of her thought otherwise. He let out a small primal scream consisting a no with lots of o's.
"I bet you an A for this pop quiz that you never studied." Gina smirked at the boy in front of her.
The boy is no other then the famous (in a bad way) Nate Wright. He turned around and snarled at her. "Well, duh! Nobody likes a goody-two-shoes know-it-all!"
Her smirk didn't waver. "So you're saying that people actually like a troublemaker good-for-nothing idiot?"
He looked at her for a few seconds before turning in front and placed his chin on his desk. "People like me more than they like you." he muttered.
"Ex-CUSE me?"
"Unlike you," Nate turned around again, and this time, he gave her a sly grin, "I have friends. All you have is teacher that likes you all because you worship them as though they are like some kind of god."
Gina crossed her arms, challenging Nate. "You say that like that's a bad thing."
"Because it is! One, friends will be there for you while teachers are just going to sit in the teacher's lounge eating donuts or apples or coffee or whatever it is they eat-"
"You can't eat coffee." Gina interrupted.
"Second," he continued, ignoring her correction, "Your friends can take a joke, whereas if you call Godfrey something like Venus de Silo she goes full-Godfrey on you."
"That is because your friends are immature." she rolled her eyes, remembering them.
"And lastly, friends get into trouble with you, while teachers only give you trou-"
Nate never got to finish his sentence because Mrs. Godfrey hit him on the head with the huge stack of pop quiz paper.
"Nate! Didn't I tell you to stop talking FIVE MINUTE AGO?!" she roared.
Nate started sweating. "B-b-but... she... you never said that!" he stammered.
"You would have heard me if you listened instead of talking!" her face was red with fury. Nate gulped. "You should learn to be more like Gina!"
Nate glared at Gina who quickly pretended to write down things on the pop quiz. Godrey gave him the eye before leaving him to do his work.
"If anything, I'd wish Godfrey would learn more ABOUT Gina." he muttered as he wrote down his name on the pop quiz.
During recess, Gina went to her locker triumphantly. There was no doubt that she would ace the test with extra credit. She neatly put her latest pop quiz achievement into her locker.
"Okay, time follow what you had rehearsed." she told herself, off to find her subject.
Although she tends to fight with Nate, she does that so she could have a conversation with him. Otherwise, he'd probably not realize that she existed.
No, she did not like him. At least, that's what she has been denying all this time. But she can't really hide it. Even though Nate is such a moronic doofus, she felt an attraction to him. She knew him since elementary school, but he only knew the fact that she lived and breathe upon entering middle school.
Gina was just an average student back in grade school. There was nothing insignificant about her. She was just another girl in the crowd, not obvious, not special. She didn't mind it at all. She didn't need anyone's attention, just as long as she can read comics and play games in peace.
She really likes comics back then. She would stand in the comic store and read all of them for hours. A prolific reader, she reads faster than others, but she uses this talent of hers to scan through comic books before the store owner tells her to get out because of spending too long to make a selection.
One day, she saw a comic book fell to the floor. It was called, 'Battles between Cats and Dogs'. She read it and although the grammar was somewhat horrible, there was humor. Some more gory than the others, but she still laughed. She laughed and laughed until both her sides hurt from laughing too much. She looked at the back of the book, and there was it, written in black and white, the name of the writer.
'Nate Wright'
She had heard of him from others. A crazy boy from the class opposite her own. Always hangs out with a geek as his friend. She got curious and started finding him from time to time.
One day, Gina meets Nate. She was holding the battered comic book in her hands. The first thing Nate said was, "Woah! Girls reads comic? Girls reads MY comics?!" He sounded astonished and proud at the same time.
When she was younger, Gina was a shy one. She didn't talk to others much, an introvert as you might say. It took her a while to spit out the fact that she liked it although she thought it was quite biased for the dog to win most of the time.
"Well, that's because dogs are better than cats!" Nate smiled happily. A dog lover, this one is, Gina thought.
Then they started debating on whether both animals should get equal rights or stick with the 'dogs shall rule' thing. In the end, Gina won, and Nate told her that next time, he'll do better.
"You are quite nosy, yet smart." his words sounds hostile, but his smile stayed. "You should use this for something better elsewhere."
That inspired her a lot. It was the first and last time she talked to Nate Wright in grade school. She decided to follow his words, she studied harder to get his attention. To show that he was the one who motivated her.
Unfortunately, in the process, she got a bit stuck-up. And when they met again, it was in an argument, and always was from that day. But to Gina, it didn't matter. As long as she can talk to him, she'll be okay.
When Nate shows Gina his comics to add in the school newspaper, she would just give him this blank look that doesn't show any interest at all. Secretly, she'd laugh and realize on how much he improved each time. She even proof-reads it for him before putting it on the newspapers.
Today, she'll take things to a newer level. She would help him study for his next sudden pop quiz in social studies. She saw his face when he got his grades back, and boy, was it soul-crushing. She sneer at him on the outside, but inside, she wanted to feel helpful.
Of course, she wouldn't want to sound to soft. He would never agree to it if she was. More forceful, yeah that's it. Threaten him a bit even. Gina speed-walk to Nate's locker when she saw a familiar bunch of black hair sticking up all over the place in different directions.
"WOW! You totally flunked it dude." a dark-skinned boy named Teddy exclaimed, chortling.
Francis, the geeek Nate hung out with in grade school, shook his head. "I told you to study. You can't possibly think that you'd make it THAT far with this kind of grades."
"Shut up, mom. It's just pop quiz." he shrugged. "I'll study it next time, I was too into reading Dilbert to care about anything."
Teddy looked at him, surprised. "You, of all people, is into reading Dilbert? Man, that sounds like something only Gina might say!"
"Gina?" he snorted. "I don't think she even reads comics. She's probably more into reading maths textbook and laughing at the equations."
As if on que, Gina popped up from the crowd. She placed both her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at Nate.
"Well, at least I'm getting somewhere by doing so. What is Dilbert going to teach you? How to rule the world as a small dog wearing glasses?" she sneered. "I can't imagine you being that smart."
"This isn't your conversation, thick frames." Nate shot back.
"Hold up," Francis butted in, "if you knew that much, does that mean you read Dilbert?"
Shit. Gina thought. She quickly went defensive. "N-no! Sheila always tell me the running gag in Dilbert everytime she reads a new strip. Honestly though, it kinda sucks rocks." She almost bit her tongue. Dilbert was awesome.
Francis just had to pipe up again. "Im pretty sure Sheila doesn't read-"
"Shut it pencil neck. A geek like her would never find comics funny." Gina felt a pang in her chest. "I've gotta go somewhere."
"Woah! That's new. Where you going?" Teddy persisted.
Gina noticed Nate's cheeks turning slightly red. "Library."
Francis, Teddy and Gina just stood there paralyzed. Nate Wright going to the library? BIGGEST SHOCK IN HISTORY!
Teddy did a nervous laugh. "Ah, I get it. Going to play paper footballs again, eh? If that's the case, Imma joi-"
"No, wise guy, I'm gonna study."
Well, if those three were shock before, they might as well die of a heart attack now.
"Well, if that's what your plans are for recess, let me help." Gina said, eyeing Nate.
It was Nate's turn to feel shocked. "Why, out of every candidate possible, would I choose you to help me?"
"Because, who else better than the smartest girl in 5th Grade to help the dumbest boy in PS 38?" she smirked. "Besides, I don't want your stupidity to disrupt social studies class again."
Francis and Teddy snickered softly. Nate shot them an angry look.
"Look, Blondie. I've got no time for you. Someone else had already volunteer to assist me." Nate said, looking away, showing no signs of mentioning whoever was helping him.
Gina crossed her arms. "Whatever. I guess I don't have to waste my time with you. Thank god." she breathe out a sigh of relief.
Nate sneered at her. "Sorry to destroy whatever goody-two-shoes plan you had for today, but I'm out."
He went ahead to the direction of the library, leaving Gina, Francis and Teddy in the dust."
"You idiot." Gina muttered under her breath, walking the opposite direction.
(A/N: Nope nope, hold up. It's not over yet! Is Nate really studying? Will Gina follow through her plans? Who is this mysterious person helping Nate out with his studies? Fine out soon! -not a commercial of any kind- )