N: So here we are again, WritingSux and i are taking on another story on top of our fifty other projects. We will be mucking about in this one, exploring a high school love story that covers about twenty years of awkwardness. Nerdy Lauren and cheerleader Bo and how they fall in love to end up at the 20yr reunion i did a one shot for. So read on and enjoy and don't expect much from us...seriously...

I hate school.

No, I love school more than I hate it.

But I really hate it.

In full honesty I really love school a lot. I really love my AP science, history and social studies classes. I really love books and learning, the two things about school that were my favorite.

It's everything else about school I hate, especially being 15 and a junior in high school because my big old brain decided that it and I, had to move faster in life than the rest of the world. I get picked on because of my brain and my awkwardness that came with skipping a handful of grades and not really making any friends.

I sighed, pushing up my large wire framed glasses as I stared at the double doors that would lead me into the hell encased in brick walls for the next six hours. Shifting my overburdened backpack, I tugged the edge of my NASA t-shirt, pulled up my jeans that were one size too big and sucked it up, walking into school to start the daily torture I put myself through because I had no idea what else I was supposed to do.

The roar of the hallways always made me tuck my head deeper into my chest like I was a turtle, hoping it would make me invisible enough I could make it to my locker unscathed. Teenagers all milling together, laughing, making plans and chatting about last night's episode of ER. Causing ruckus's and living the teenage dream to the fullest.

And like every day, it didn't happen. I was nudged, bumped, shoved and laughed at the entire walk to my locker. That terrible nickname shouted in my face with horrible taunts striking my ears every step, "Nerdo Lewis! You're going to shatter your spine with all those books! Nerdo Lewis! Eat a cheeseburger! I can see your ribs!" And a thousand other uncreative derogatory things. I sighed, I wish at least they would try harder when they insulted me, I was becoming immune to the same redundant stupidity.

I glanced up, finding my direct path to my locker thankfully free, making me pick up my pace. I could make it there and to AP Chemistry easily, then sit in the empty classroom with Mr. Pine and help him write the semester final since I had already finished all of the years' classwork in the first month of school.

But like so much of my life, luck slipped away as soon as I thought it was in my hand.

The cool kids filled the opposite end of the hall. Led by Dyson Thornwood, Captain of the Lacrosse team and the only 17 year old who achieved the teenage dream of growing a full, thick beard at such a young age. I frowned, feeling my stomach lurch as I saw Bev, Ted and Tamsin grinning and laughing as they flanked him. This group was the worst to me, brutal in their endless desire to see the tall, dorky, and painfully thin nerdy girl cry or run away in fear of their self-imagined magnificence. When in reality, they were just kids with very little self-esteem and I knew I should brush it off, but it was hard when I had no friends other than my books and teachers to confide in. My parents didn't understand when I tried to tell them, only motivating me to keep working harder for that scholarship to Stanford and reassuring I would grow into my body to become a beautiful young lady.

If they only knew I held back the tears until I was in the public library, hiding in the computer lab and crying out the frustrations of the day. Wiping away fruitless tears of frustration as I rewrote all of my teacher's lesson plans and exams.

Sucking in a breath, I kept my head down to make a straight line to my locker, when I accidentally bumped into someone. Looking up to apologize, I felt my heart seize in a weird way as I faced the pleasant half-smile and bright brown eyes of Bo Dennis. Head cheerleader and girlfriend of Dyson.

"Hey slow it down, you're a little top heavy, Lewis." Bo smiled, slapping my backpack, forcing me to take an off balance step to steady myself. She turned away from me, both of us hearing Dyson boom out my nickname. "NERDO! Watch it! That's my girl you almost bulldozed."

I cringed, looking down at the floor and making a hard right to duck down the staircase. I whispered to Bo, "Sorry." And ran away before she could see my fire truck red face.

I was three steps down the side staircase, barely hearing Bo tell me it's wasn't a big deal due to Tamsin hollering and chasing after me. She would often do that on Dyson's order, run after me and catch me before I could hide so the cool kids could poke fun of me or drag me to watch my reaction to whatever prank they had in store for me in my locker.

I glanced back, Tamsin paused at the top of the stairs, leering at me as I kept running, "You're lucky I don't feel like running today Nerdo." Her big scary green eyes piercing mine in a way that pressed my legs to run faster down the hall. Tamsin was taller than the rest and scared the living hell out of me at how mean and tough she was. I had once witnessed her punch the biggest linebacker on the football team in the face for pinching her ass, dropped him like he was made of glass and her fist was steel. I avoided her and ran from her as much as I could.

After I felt I was safe, I stopped running and dipped into an empty classroom no longer used for anything but storage. I dumped my back pack on the floor and walked to the large windows that looked out on to the atrium of Mapleview High School. It was pretty and full of large maple trees and a few picnic tables for students to sit and eat lunch.

Sitting up on the window ledge I looked up at the trees, letting my heart and lungs settle down from my morning run. I would often hide in this room when I wanted to avoid the cool kids or the rest of the school. My teachers didn't care if I showed up to class or not, I had completed all of the year's work for all of my AP courses and it was now a matter of coming to class for show or to help my teachers. At least Ms. Watson and Mr. Moore had started me on college course and helping me get the attention of the Stanford recruiters. With any luck, I would be on my way to college next summer. At least I would be on the other side of the country and away from small town Rhode Island.

I frowned, a college freshman at 16, maybe I could find some friends there that understood me and understood my IQ was not my choice, it was my gift and my curse.

Hearing the class bell ring, I watched out the window as a few kids ran to their classes and Dyson run out to his car for cigarettes, Tamsin on his tail. They were like clockwork, skipping morning classes to smoke in his car and then go to wherever to ruin other's lives with their stupidity and pretty faces.

I turned away from the window, looking at my backpack, deciding if I should sneak up to Ms. Watson and sit with her in the teachers' lounge, when I heard her laugh. The infamous Bo Dennis laugh that made my stomach twist into a pretzel whenever I heard it this year.

I looked back out the window to see her waving away Tamsin and Dyson, her chemistry book under her arm. I moved closer to the glass, looking at the older girl with her long brown hair in a ponytail. She was wearing her usual outfit of ripped jeans, slouchy purple shirt and a beat up leather jacket. And she looked amazing. Bo had big brown eyes that sparkled every time I looked at them, no matter how much of the terrible blue eye shadow she plastered around them, she had full lips that didn't deserve the glitter lip gloss she painted on them, and when she smiled, like really smiled, she had a dimple on the right side of her face that made forget every equation in my head and wonder what it would take for me to say, to see that dimple first hand. Be the one to make it appear. Under all of the hairspray, makeup and often shitty attitude towards me, I knew there was a gentle beautiful girl that made me hate the world a little more for the Dysons in it who took her in a completely different direction.

I glanced at my stomach as it fluttered harder thinking about the girl, I knew that my teenage hormones were starting to kick in and had exceptionally hard this year when I first walked in the double doors and laid my eyes on Bo Dennis. I had never paid her any attention as we mingled over the years in elementary school, junior high and last year when I was a freshman. But this year, this year, Bo Dennis had enraptured me and I had no understand why it was her of all people. Why it was a girl that had my heart beating like a race horse and sweatier than the entire freshmen basketball team. And why did I really wanted to kiss her. I laughed at myself, shaking my head, going over the reasons why Bo Dennis and I would never be anything other than the cool girl and the girl she picked on.

Bo was a cool kid, she picked on me here and there, not as brutally as the others and sometimes she would pull Dyson away when he was getting rough, but we weren't friends. She was a senior, a cheerleader and had a rich future waiting for her at her father's multimillion dollar interior design company.

I was just Lauren Lewis, gangly super nerd daughter to an intelligence analyst mother at the Defense Department and an agricultural researcher father with hopes to be a rocket scientist for NASA. I had no friends where Bo had the whole school behind her. Bo was beautiful, I was awkward and nothing but bony arms and legs. Where puberty had blessed Bo with her physical assets, it was still taking it's sweet time in giving me more than terrible cramps every month.

And god, was Bo beautiful and sometimes when she looked at me with a soft smile and a genuine look, I forget my name and felt my face turn bright red. All I could do was look at the floor, whisper an apology for whatever I did, even if I did nothing, and run away to hide with teachers or in empty rooms. I had only ever spoken to Bo in apologies or mumbled whispers, there was no way she would ever look at me as anything other than Nerdo Lewis, punching bag for her boyfriend and his crappy friends.

I continued staring at Bo until she walked back inside, leaving my heart pounding and my stomach queasy. I shook my head, sliding off the window sill and moving to my back pack to pull out my college application packet for Stanford.

I had a crush, a big teenage crush the size of Texas on Bo Dennis and there wasn't a thing to be done about it.

I was forgettable whereas Bo was memorable.

"Stop it, Lauren, stop thinking about her. You're the school nerd, nothing more." I took a deep breath and went to work on my stack of college applications.

One more year and I would have Mapleview in my rear view, never to look back.

XXXXXX

I should get a tutor.

Mr. Aberdeen wrote another formula on the board that would be used for another equation that I hadn't quite mastered. Why I decided to take chemistry instead of a biology class? I'm not sure but for the most part I had muddled my way through it. I wrote down the equation placing gigantic asterisks around it to remind myself that it was important. I let out a sigh, I knew why I had taken the class. To prove to everyone, especially my parents, that I was more than good looks and big boobs.

Granted my boobs are pretty awesome.

There was going to be a test during the second half of class so I decided instead of paying attention to learning the new material I would study for that because I hadn't studied much for it, in fact I had barely studied for it. Dealing with Dyson and his macho bullshit along with Tamsin egging him on. I rolled my eyes, I should break up with him and leave their stupid group but I was a cheerleader so I automatically fell into it. I looked down at my notes.

I was going to fail this test.

I really should get a tutor but my parents probably wouldn't spring for it. Both my mom and dad had set plans for me to join the family company and I didn't want to do that. What I really wanted to do, I wasn't sure of but I didn't want to be given something that I hadn't really worked for. When I went to URI I would figure it out. Right now I was going to commit these chemical bonds to memory.

I was failing this test. I was writing down my answer and I knew it was the wrong one but I had no other answer.

I heard the door to the classroom open and I looked up to see Nerdo Lewis walk in. I shook my head, I meant Lauren. I hated that nickname but being around Tamsin and Dyson it automatically came to mind. She was carrying a stack of papers and I wondered what they were. Probably some thesis that she was probably getting published. Lauren was smart. Wicked smart. I should probably stick up for her more, she's so defenseless.

While she talked to Mr. Aberdeen I looked at her. If she changed her appearance and had a bit more confidence Lauren would actually be attractive. Not that she wasn't attractive she's just so damn nerdy. I glanced down at my test then back at Lauren, She probably could have done this test quicker than I could have and with her eyes closed. Lauren had a polite smile as she laughed at what probably was a lame joke Mr. Aberdeen had told her. Wow. She had a beautiful smile. Lauren locked eyes with me and I got a grin on my face. Like always, she ducked her head. I'm surprised she didn't run out the room. That was another thing I couldn't figure out about the girl. Why the hell did she always run away from me? I exhaled and shook my head. Back to my test.

"I fucking failed that test." I said as Tamsin, Dyson, Bev, and Ted walked down to the field. Bev and I had cheerleading practice and the guys were going to lift weights while Tamsin terrorized underclassman.

Tamsin scoffed and remarked, "I don't know why you're taking that class. You're not going to need it when you take over your dad's business."

I wanted to roll my eyes. God this group was so superficial. They were all waiting for me to take over my dad's company so they could leech off me. I forced a smile on my face, "Well Tamsin, I would like to know about other things besides interior design."

Dyson slung his arm around my shoulders and chuckled, "At this point it doesn't matter what you do. You'll be loaded anyways and then when I become a successful stockbroker at my uncle's firm you'll be filthy rich and won't have to do anything."

I got out from under his arm and commented, "Or I'll be supporting your sorry ass because the market tanks." I decided to move the comment to a safer topic. "Bev did you get the music for the new routine because I want to start practicing it so that way we can perform it a homecoming."

"Are you certain Mrs. Miller will approve of the routine?" She asked as we walked through the doors towards the field.

I got a smirk on my face. Of course Mrs. Miller was going to approve of the routine, I just had to flirt with her a little then the woman would be eating out of my hand. It was a low handed tactic but it worked. "I'm certain she'll say yes."

They walked to the gym and as everyone else went in, Dyson tugged on my arm indicating that he wanted to hang back. I turned and looked at him. The grin on his face made me realize that he was up to no good, then he said, "Skip practice. We can go back to my place. My parents left for some business trip and I'm home alone. We can get in some alone time before my party tonight."

Ugh. I forgot about that stupid party.

Dyson's parent went out of town more times than I could count but each time they did they were gone for days and Dyson would throw massive parties. He would also use the opportunity to try and get me to sleep with him but I seriously wasn't going to do that. At most I'd give him a hand job while he was drunk then go back to my house.

I placed my hand on his chest and said, "I can't. This new routine is complex and I want the girls and Phil to have it down before homecoming."

Dyson rolled his eyes and remarked, "It's just cheerleading. It's not like you're actually doing an actual sport or anything." I glared at him and he backtracked, "I mean it's not like it's like basketball or football or lacrosse. You're jus-"

"And you're just being a jerk. Don't bother waiting for me after practice. I'll have Tamsin give me a ride." I said before I turned on my heel and went into the gym.

I heard him shout sorry behind me but I knew he didn't mean it. Dyson never did. He only apologized so that he wouldn't still be on my shit list. I walked up to Tamsin and told her, "Can you give me a ride home?"

Tamsin got a questioning look on her face, "Why isn't Dyson taking you home?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "It doesn't matter why he isn't taking me home. Can you take me home or not?"

Tamsin held up her hand and agreed, "Okay I will. Don't bite my head off!"

I let out an irritated breath then said, "Sorry. Just be outside in two hours."

Tamsin said okay and her and Ted left out of the gym while Bev and I joined the other girls that were already there. As much as I hated the fact that I was stereotyped with being an idiot because I was cheerleader, I did like being one. It didn't require too much though and being head cheerleader allowed me to come up with routines. So I had fun with it.

Two hours later I was saying bye to the girls and Phil and as I walked out of the field house I saw that both Dyson and Tamsin were waiting for me. I walked over to where Tamsin was waiting and as I got into her car he yelled, "Bo you can't be serious?!"

Tamsin got in and said, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I put on my seat belt and said, "Yes. He's being an asshole and I don't want to be around him."

Tamsin started up the car, "Ooo-kay." We pulled away from the field house and after driving for ten minutes she asked, "So what'd the D-Man do?"

I just looked out the window and said, "Being his usual self. He's so annoying sometimes."

"Yeah he is. I don't know what you see in him." Tamsin remarked as she made a left on to the street that would take me to my house.

I shrugged and admitted, "He's not all that bad. I mean he's a complete dick when he picks on the underclassmen but when it's just us and he's not looking for sex he's fun to be around."

Tamsin snorted then remarked, "So never, because I know he's always looking for sex."

I chose not to respond to that and I stayed quiet for the remainder of the car ride. After I thanked Tamsin I went inside and after saying a quick hello to my parents I went up to my room. I dropped my book bag and gym bag on the end of my bed then got ready for a shower. It was another long day but it was over and tomorrow it was going to be another round of tests. Except this time my test was in algebra two and quadratic equations are not my friend.

XXXX

"Mr. Aberdeen? You wanted to see me?" I poked my head around the door, quickly scanning and thanking the gods the classroom was empty.

"I did, yes." The portly older man stood up, waving me in, "Please come in Lauren, its lunch time. All the kids will be out smoking in their cars or rough housing it up in the atrium."

I smiled tightly, hating that all of the teachers knew how wary I was of literally everyone in this school under the voting age. I slid into the classroom, only smacking my giant backpack on the wall once. I held out the thick stack of papers in my hand, "I finished the introduction to college organic chemistry packet you gave me. I had a hard time with some of it, that's why I am a day late."

Mr. Aberdeen gave me a strange look with a confused smile, "Lauren, I didn't expect you to have this back to me until the end of the year. This was a packet my friend at MIT sent to me take one or two basic questions for." He glanced at my neat handwriting, "I gave it to you to give you something to do for the rest of the year." Flipping through the pages, he began to chuckle and shake his head, "You will have any university at your beck and call, my dear girl."

I smiled painfully, shifting my backpack on my shoulders. I hated being praised, it always made me feel weird. "Thank you, I still haven't picked a major." I looked over at his desk, the stacks of tests he was grading, "How did the test I wrote for you work out?"

Mr. Aberdeen slipped my work in his briefcase before reaching for the tests, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Lauren." He picked up the top layer, a layer filled with pages covered in red ink. "I was chatting with Mrs. Ramsey and Mr. Peters, it seems we all have the same handful of students that are struggling in chemistry, algebra and biology."

I frowned, I wrote all of those tests. I pushed my big glasses back up, "I can rewrite the tests to be a little more remedial if that works?"

Mr. Aberdeen shook his head, "Oh no,no, the tests are perfect, you've been doing a great job testing the students and keeping us teachers on our toes. I think I barely passed this last one with a 85%. Making this old brain work harder." He patted my shoulder, "What we were wondering is if you would be up for leading an after school tutoring group?"

I Felt my eyes widen on their own, "Um, what? Like teach people? The other students here?" I took a step back out of habit, looking at the classroom door as I heard the rush of a few football players hooting and hollering, making me nervous and jumpy.

"Yes, that's exactly it." Mr. Aberdeen held out the tests, "We selected ten students for you to start with. We all agree that some of them just need extra help and that it would be good for you to socialize with other students."

I chewed on my lip, tightening my hand around the straps of the backpack. I knew there was no way out of this, my school counselor was more than likely behind this as well. Desperate attempts to get me better integrated into a social teenage atmosphere before I left for college next year, "Okay."

He grinned, "Perfect. The first session will be next Monday after class and after the sport practices." Mr. Aberdeen patted me on the back as the door opened, both of us turning to look at the interruption.

"Excuse me, Mr. Aberdeen? You wanted to see me about my test?"

My face blew up a hot red the second Bo's head poked in, even hotter when she caught my eyes and grinned at me, like she did earlier in the day and I almost threw up and ran, while throwing up more. I hated when she smiled at me, I hated when she looked at me and I could feel my legs shake like I was the roadrunner and she was the Wiley coyote. "Hi Lauren."

I gurgled out some sort of noise that I thought sounded like a hello, but probably sounded like a burp fart. I bent my head down, pushing up my glasses and mumbled to Mr. Aberdeen, "I have to go, I have to meet Ms. Watson for my college applications." I barely heard him say goodbye and thank you, as I shoved my way around Bo without touching her, pressing my entire body up against the wall like I was trying to become one with the brick. Trying so hard not to touch her, but I did. My arm and her arm grazed and it felt like Haley's comet just blazed across my skin.

I sucked in a strangled breath when she smiled again and apologized, stepping to the side and holding the door for me to do my best impression of the speed walkers I saw in the mall. I kept it together until I turned the corner and ran all out to the teacher's lounge where Ms. Watson smirked at me, shaking her head, holding the door open for me to blast through.

Monday Afternoon-

Picking at Scully's face on my shirt, I sat on the edge of Mr. Aberdeen's desk trying so hard not to run away. Today was the first day of my tutoring group and I was nervous, more nervous than when I had to try on dresses for my cousins wedding and looked like I was wearing curtains, nothing held on to my lack of curves. Being fifteen years old sucked hard sometimes, and it was going to get worse now that the school nerd was tutoring ten of the most popular yet dimmest Mapleview had to offer. After talking to my parents and the principal, it was all agreed that this tutoring would help me gain social experience and add to my college application. Frowning heavily while I complied was all I could do, at least I spent the weekend in my room drafting up a lesson plan while watching my X-files VHS tapes without my mom yelling at me to turn it down.

I let go of trying to peel the blue out of Scully's eyes on my faded shirt when the door opened. I put on my biggest fake smile when Mr. Aberdeen walked in with a line of varsity jackets, football jerseys and Marauder Swim shirts following behind. I swallowed down the pile of vomit wanting to expel itself like I was possessed and stood up.

"Alright ladies and gentleman, we've all spoken and agreed that this tutor group will help each and every one of you stay on the teams and push your grades up enough to bolster an academic athletic scholarship that will take you further than just an athletic." He looked at me, grinning, "This is your tutor, Lauren Lewis. Please treat her with respect as we all discussed, as she holds your future in her hands. She is the brightest and best we've ever seen and will help you all succeed."

I felt my smile fade when I saw the school quarterback roll his eyes, then the captain of the girls swim team chuckle and cover her mouth, and lastly the power forward for the basketball team wink at me before shoving his nine feet long legs under a desk.

Taking a quick count after all were seated, I frowned, leaning over to Mr. Aberdeen, "I thought there was ten, I only count nine."

Mr. Aberdeen sighed, "I know, the one practice was running late…."

"I'm here!" Bo suddenly pushed through the room in her cheerleading outfit, sweaty and flushed, "Don't mark me as late!" She swung into a seat near the middle of the class after high fiving everyone and giggling at the hoots from the quarterback.

My heart exploded and the shards fell into my stomach, pushing the bile closer to release when I caught her eyes. No, no no no no no. Why did the universe hate me? I could handle the rest, but not her. Not the girl that had me wondering why my stomach wiggled when I saw her at the end of the hall, or made me feel like she had invented the sun in a genuine smile directed my way, or the way her boobs looked in anything she wore, was literally the best new thing I had discovered this year.

I stared at her, cursing karma until she peered up at me, that stupid smile on her stupid gorgeous face. I spun around and picked up a marker for the whiteboard as Mr. Aberdeen took his leave, reiterating that the group needed to behave as if he was in the room.

Hearing the door click shut, I closed my eyes and began writing on the board, "We're going to start with a simple algebra review, since most of you struggle there and it links to chemistry and biology." I cringed at how squeaky nervous my voice sounded.

"Yo, Nerdo Lewis, I can't hear you!" The quarterback chuckled, high fiving his buddies, "Speak up."

"She probably can't talk any louder without falling over, she's so skinny."

"Nerdo, can't we just pay you to take our tests for us?"

"At least she dressed up for us, wearing her best Nerdo Lewis shirt."

I groaned, closing my eyes and leaning against the whiteboard, feeling the urge to run out of the classroom and never look back. This was not worth the X-files marathon no matter how good Scully looked in season five. I swallowed hard, hearing more taunts and laughs, turning around and keeping my head down to try and say something when my horrible nickname rained down harder.

"HEY! STOP IT!" Bo's voice filled the room like she was cheering the football team on the field at homecoming. I shot my head up to see her glaring at everyone who was silent, "Look! None of us want to be here after school here with Nerdo, but we all are failing and I for one want to go to prom. So let's just do this and go home. Nerdo is wicked smart and I'd rather listen to her than Mr. Aberdeen drone on and laugh at his stupid ion jokes." Bo sighed, turning back in her seat to open her notebook, "So shut the hell up and let's get this over with."

The group mumbled and groaned, adhering to the great words of Bo Dennis, head cheerleader and future prom queen, and opened their notebooks to start writing down the equation I had drawn up.

I stared at Bo, astonished. No one had ever stood up for me, no one had ever done anything like what she just did for me, but then again she called me Nerdo like the rest of them. She was the rest of them and I shouldn't hold much weight in her sudden act of valor.

I cleared my throat and turned back to the white board, "Let's start with absolute values and go from there." I pushed up my glasses, writing as I spoke. Funneling all of my focus into writing and talking about the things that made sense to me. Numbers and figures not the ten living breathing human beings watching and listening intently. Especially the girl three seats back and one to the left, wearing the really tight purple, white and yellow cheerleader outfit with the stupid marauder perched on those boobs I was starting to brew a mild obsession for.

I groaned, frowning at how my hormones were running amuck and cluing me into another aspect of my life that I would have to deal with in time if they didn't settle down.

I only had to do this tutoring group until Christmas break that was the deal. By then I would have my own entrance exams and college prep to worry about. Not saving the future meatheads of America.