OK, so this is kinda going to be another distraction, yay! :P I promise I won't be creating any more distractions from Scars of a Caged Bird, and I promise that that story will be finished, as will Big Break (only on Wattpad for now) and this story. Don't worry! Scars will definitely be my main priority in the writing department, so this, along with Big Break, will be a fun side project. ^^ Um… Yeah… Oh, the chapters are going to be way longer for this story, just because. ;) I hope you enjoy. See you below!
Oh, by the way - NO FLAMES! (Had to get that out of my system. (XD)
Not to be cliché or anything, but I was the misfit at our school. You know, the one girl from a movie or book that is always picked on by the mean girls for absolutely no reason at all – or for some stupid reason. As much as I hated to say it, I was that girl. The only downfall was that I wasn't from a book or a movie. I wasn't going to receive a happy ending.
I was nobody; no one liked me or even knew my name – at least no one besides my best friend, Malon. She was the only one that understood me. Yet in another way, she didn't understand me – she couldn't understand me – not completely at least.
On the surface, Malon was a drop-dead gorgeous, popular girl that everyone loved. If she wasn't my best friend, I would have disdained her, and not because of her – because of what she stood for. She symbolized all of the taunts and jabs I'd had to take from all the popular girls and bullies over the years. But, because I had known her for so long, even before she had become popular, I knew her for who she really was.
Malon had been my best friend for years, our friendship going all the way back to the swing set in elementary school. We had met when I had asked her to push me. She had complied, pushing me on that rickety metal swing, and our unbreakable friendship was born. We had become inseparable ever since, and our friendship had continued to blossom all throughout middle school and now high school. We were so different from each other, and that's what made our friendship grow even more. Unfortunately for me, not everyone else liked the things that made me different – basically, my quirks.
Malon was easy to be around and charismatic, to say the least. I, on the other hand, was socially awkward and clumsy. Mal and I had been there for each other all throughout our crazy moments, although it was safe to say that I had way more than she did. She always stood up for me whenever other girls would push me around, and I would provide humor to many situations – I'm not necessarily proud of that, though.
Sighing to myself, I attempted to pay attention to the lesson at hand. Boring. Sitting through algebra class was one of the worst and best parts of my day. Of course, most of the time it was before lunch, which is why it was one of the worst parts of my day – I get hungry easily – Don't judge! – The fact that Link Finlay was in this class helped compensate all the torture, but still – I mean, it was the middle of the day! Ugh. I hated the middle of the day. It was so annoying, just stuck there, making life even more tedious than it was already.
But seriously… Link Finlay… Sigh and drool – Wait – No! Zelda, get a hold of yourself! You are not going to be crushing on Link this whole class! As I mentally scolded myself, Malon tapped me with her yellow mechanical pencil. "Zel," she whispered inconspicuously.
Snapping to attention, I glared at my best friend that had shaken me out of my reverie. "What?!" I hissed back.
"Miss Haiden! Miss Ridgeway!" the professor snapped. I forgot his name – I know, I'm a bad student, but right now, I really didn't care. Besides, he was more than a little bit creepy. "Would you care to share what's more important than this class and my own fabulous self?"
My eyes widened, and I fumbled, trying to come up with an answer. "I – I –" I stuttered.
Thankfully, Malon swooped in, saving the day – and our skin. "We're terribly sorry, Professor Ghirahim. We were surprised that the answer is 2x + 17 – 4aby + 6wx. Wouldn't standard form have to be applied in this instance in order for the answer to be correct?"
Oh, so his name was Professor Ghirahim. And what in Hyrule was standard form? Oh, wait – Isn't it when all the exponents go from greatest to least and the variables are in alphabetic order? Whatever. I honestly didn't really care.
Besides being popular, athletic, charismatic, kind, and beautiful, Malon was also teacher's pet. She was extremely smart and could say all of the periodic table on command. Yeah, I was not that kind of student. I was just – average. That's a nice way of putting it – average.
That made me think of something – What was I good at? I wasn't a genius, that's for sure; I wasn't really pretty or anything; I wasn't charismatic or elegant; I definitely was not athletic. You could talk to my gym teacher, Mr. Dragmire, and he would tell you in a heartbeat that I was his worst student. The only reason I actually remembered his name was because I was deathly terrified of him. Whenever I did something I was not supposed to, he would make me run five laps, and trust me, I'm not fit enough for that.
"Zelda Haiden!" Malon murmured, bringing me back to reality once more. That was also something else I did – daydream. I daydream way too much when I'm bored, when I'm tired, when I'm thinking about Link Finlay – No, Zelda! Not him again! UGH! Why was I constantly thinking about him?! This was not good.
"What is it, Mal?" I questioned dully, not wanting to think about algebra. I hate this class.
Malon rolled her eyes. "It's time to go; the bell's rung; fourth period is over."
"Lunch?" I asked; my gray, almost violet eyes lit up.
Malon laughed, slinging her bag over her shoulder, standing up. She extended a hand to help me up, and Professor Ghirahim watched us with disdain – Correction – He looked at me with disdain. He looked at Malon with adoring eyes – creepy. She continued to laugh, "C'mon, Zel."
We left the class and the creepy professor, Ghirahim, behind, headed for the cafeteria. We grabbed some food from the lunch line, and arriving at our normal table, I couldn't help but look for Link. He was seated at the jock table with all of his football friends. I sighed, setting my bag down on the spot on the bench next to me. My eyes remained downcast, and I picked at the food I had gotten without actually eating it.
"Zelda?" Malon questioned, dragging my name out. "You've been in la la land a lot today." Her blue eyes followed mine to the jock table, and she nodded knowingly, giving me a teasing wink. "Ah. I understand now."
"Yup," I sighed once more, knowing full well that I would never stand a chance against those popular girls, whom I called lionesses. They were like lionesses, always pouncing on guys like they were fresh meat. Disgusting. Malon wasn't like that at all.
Malon rolled her eyes. "Go talk to him," she urged, eating her salad. Her blue eyes flickered with excitement, and I could tell she was scheming.
"Mal," I stated in a warning tone. "You know I can't do that! He'd just laugh me off!"
"Better for me," she shrugged. "Then you'd be out of la la land, and I won't have to save you from that creep of a teacher Ghirahim again."
My violet-gray eyes narrowed into slits, glaring at her dangerously. "Malon," I stated threateningly. My best friend was seriously not helping right now.
"OK! OK!" Malon responded, throwing her hands in the air defensively. "I'm sorry!" she was quiet for a few moments. "But…" she wore a devious grin, and I immediately became worried. She really was scheming. I'd better run for the hills, if you know what I mean.
Eyes widening, I scooted away from her a bit, grabbing my bag and placing it on my lap. "Malon," I began again.
"Zelda, take it from me," Malon interjected. Uh, oh. "Guys love sporty girls, you know, kinda like me?" she was beaming.
Ugh, I really was not liking Malon right now. She was everything that guys liked. And was she serious? Did guys not like me because I wasn't athletic? As I tried to wrap my mind around what she was implying with those words, she continued to speak. "You should join the cheerleading squad!" her voice escalated several octaves, and I cringed.
My jaw dropped. No. – She did not just say that. I would die if I joined the cheerleading squad! That is, if I even joined the cheerleading squad… "Uh, Malon?" I questioned. "You know how I am. I'm not athletic – Nor am I flexible. I would publically embarrass myself and the team for life if I joined the squad."
"Aw, you wouldn't, Zellie," Malon cooed, flipping her flaming red hair. "Just join! I could get you on the team with no trouble at all! Being the captain of the cheerleading squad does have its perks, y'know." I knew she meant well, but did she have to be so – so valley girlish? Frankly, I only saw Malon act like this when trying to charm a teacher or something.
"Malon! I trip over my own shadow! – And it's behind me! I can't join the squad!" I could just see myself. And I really have tripped over my own shadow before – Don't ask.
Huffing, I agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Fine! As long as you stop acting like a stupid valley girl!"
I said that last part a bit louder than I intended – actually a whole lot louder than I anticipated, and the cafeteria became deathly silent. A number of heads turned in my direction, including several from the jock table, and Malon responded with a smile and a wave. As soon as everyone resumed their previous conversations after staring at me, I released all the air I had been keeping in during that painful, nerve-wracking minute.
"Nice going, Zel," Malon smirked, flipping her hair with the sole intent of getting me annoyed.
I growled at the back of my throat, and my head smacked the table. "Don't talk to me."
Malon patted my back consolingly. "Aw, Zel. No one cares. No one's even looking our way right now – Oh, wait. I stand corrected. Mr. Ghirahim has lunch duty today, and he's looking at us kind of creepily."
"He weirds me out!" I exclaimed. "And he doesn't like me!"
"Lucky you!" Malon responded. "He likes me and stares at me weird."
Still feeling dejected but slightly cheered from my bestie's remark, I lifted my head from the table, sighing. I continued picking at my food, embarrassed from the incident that had just occurred and wary of what I had just agreed to. Malon chattered on and on about the "plan" and how we would carry it out. Great… What did I just get myself into?
OK, Zel. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Breathe in; breathe out; breathe in; breathe out. Two weeks had passed since I had agreed to Malon's "plan." Today was the day that we were going to carry it out. Thankfully, the day was over, and I didn't have to dread algebra anymore, at least until next Monday. (Professor Ghirahim was getting creepier and creepier!)
"You ready, Zel?" Malon asked, overly excited. She bounced from where she was standing near the full bleachers, pumped. Her red ponytail bobbed up and down with her actions; she looked hype.
Grimacing, I adjusted my ridiculously mini miniskirt. I felt completely uncomfortable, like a fish out of water. "No," I shook my head, not dreading algebra but what was to come. No offense to any cheerleaders, but I didn't like the feeling this was giving me or the vibes some of the football guys were giving me. Why hadn't they acted like this when I was normal? Why were they all of a sudden interested in me now that I was wearing a miniskirt? The thought was slightly frightening.
"You're gonna do great, Zel!" Malon exclaimed, waving her pom poms in the air enthusiastically.
Biting my lip, I felt myself freeze up. I suddenly couldn't remember any part of the routine we had been memorizing. My eyes widened in fright, and I began to inwardly freak out. We were supposed to do our major performance at halftime. When was halftime? Frantically looking at the electronic clock on the score board, I tried to recall any and all of my limited football knowledge.
Still hyperventilating, I turned around when someone tapped my back. "Are you OK?" it was one of the more laid-back cheerleaders, Midna. She was pretty cool – kind of similar to Malon, if you thought about it. She was popular while still being herself. She chose not to conform to the rest of the popular crowd, treating us "normals" and "outcasts" the same as any of her other friends.
"Uh – No?" my voice cracked, and I continued to stress.
Midna nodded sympathetically. "First time, huh?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Hey, you're Malon's best friend, aren't you?"
"Yeah," I confirmed. This was not good! For a while I had actually started to think that I might ace this thing, not make a fool of myself in the process, and get Link to notice me. Instead, I was going to fall and break my neck or something.
Midna chuckled as I frowned deeply, still attempting to pull that stupid miniskirt down. "You're going to be fine."
Deep breaths, Zel, deep breaths. "Promise?" I asked, just like a little kid.
"Promise," Midna laughed. Her red eyes flickered toward the field. "Those guys are pretty much jerks – Stay away from them, and you'll do well as a cheerleader. Seriously," her eyes darkened, "don't do anything they say."
Midna's defensive words got me thinking, and I wondered about her story and background with the jocks briefly before dismissing the thought. "I hate these miniskirts," I muttered, though Midna heard.
She laughed heartily, and I decided that she was a nice girl – especially for a popular girl. She could potentially be a good friend. "I don't like them either – They're really not my thing."
And that was how my afternoon predominantly went – completely without incident – until our performance at halftime. I blanked out on everything that I had thought I had re-remembered. I made a complete fool of myself, not knowing the routine at all. Maybe, if I had just kept on stumbling through, I would have made it all right, but I still swore that I would never try to be a cheerleader ever again.
And then, it happened. I am an absolute klutz, and of course, as was prone to happen, I tripped over air, fell down on the concrete, and looked like a total fool. Midna and Malon stopped in the middle of the routine, bending down to help me up. I could feel everyone's burning eyes on me, including the football players. The game had been paused, and all the popular girls behind me began to gossip. Well, you've really done it this time, Zel.
I limped away from the field with my arms slung over my two friends' shoulders. Cringing as I heard others gossip about me, I sighed. I just was not cheerleader material, I supposed. And my prophecy had come true – I had screwed everything up, and now everyone would hate me even more. I was thankful for both Malon and Midna, even though Mal really was the whole reason I had joined the squad in the first place.
Hearing some of the gossip that was circulating, Midna snapped to attention. "Shut up, everyone!" she yelled, not caring whether any of the teachers heard. Everyone obeyed immediately, as Midna was a popular girl. She held power.
Regardless of Midna standing up for me or of Malon's profuse apologies, tears began forming in my eyes, and I desperately willed them away. I had made a mess of things, and Link would never want to speak to me. No guy would ever want to. Maybe that's just how it's supposed to be.
"Zelda – I'm so sorry!" Malon exclaimed, her own eyes filling with tears. That's my extremely emotional, overdramatic best friend for ya.
"Just help me get home," I hiccupped, attempting to hold back all the tears.
Malon didn't seem the least bit fazed when Professor Ghirahim stepped in. "And what might be the matter with Ms. Haiden, Ms. Ridgeway?"
Malon plastered a huge, fake smile on her pretty face. "Oh, hi, Mr. Ghirahim! I loved your fabulous algebra class today! It was simply remarkable and fascinating – like yourself! Oh, and Zelda's going to be fine; we just have to get her home. Would you mind if we borrow your car?"
Professor Ghirahim just stood there, smiling through all of the compliments until he registered Malon's request at the end. "My car?!" he exclaimed. "My car?! My fabulous car?!"
Malon nodded sweetly. "Please, Mr. Ghirahim?" she cooed.
Professor Ghirahim wrinkled his nose yet did his best to nod his head. "Only for you, Ms. Ridgeway," he finally sighed. "You really are quite fabulous, you know, though not nearly as fabulous as me, of course."
"May we have the keys, please?" Malon maintained her smile and extended her hand to receive the keys.
Professor Ghirahim handed the keys over, acting as though it physically pained him to give up his stupid keys. "But – Wait! Before you go, oh fabulous Ms. Ridgeway!" he called out before we could make our getaway.
Malon was visibly seething as she turned back around to face him. "Yes?" you could hear the strain in her voice, and it was totally obvious, except to Mr. Ghirahim, apparently.
"How are you going to be able to tell which car is mine?" he questioned with the obliviousness and concern of a child.
Midna clenched a fist and helped support me still. She looked as though she were ready to punch Ghirahim in the nose. Ghirahim would probably throw a fit going, "My nose! My nose! My fabulous nose!" Ugh – He was so creepy and annoying.
"We'll just look for the most fabulous one, of course! And your key has a beeper," Malon explained, trying to keep her "teacher's pet" voice. "See?" she clicked the button, and a car beeped in the distance.
"Ah!" Ghirahim exclaimed. "What a fabulously smart idea, Ms. Ridgeway!" he applauded slightly. I wanted to scream and pull my hair out. I really felt like I had sprained my ankle, and my crazy algebra teacher was not helping the situation – at all.
"And you are delusional," Midna snapped. She and Malon helped me limp away from our algebra teacher who stood, gawking.
"I'll have you know that I am nothing less than fabulous!" he yelled, running to catch up with us once more.
I wanted to smack my head on the side of his "fabulous" car at this point. Was he serious?! Yes, he was – And he was creepy, crazy, delusional, and a whole slew of other adjectives.
"Um – Mr. Ghirahim?" Malon questioned warily. We all entered the parking lot, Ghirahim included, and Malon quickly spotted Ghirahim's car. It had "I am fabulous" bumper stickers plastered all over the sleek sports car, and I mentally face-palmed. WHY?!
Ghirahim clapped his hands delightedly, oblivious to our lack of enthusiasm. "Yes, Ms. Ridgeway?" he ran his hand over the hood of his car. Um… Awkward…
"Aren't you going to go back to the game?" Malon questioned, fumbling with the keys to open the car.
Snapping to attention, Ghirahim looked shocked and almost offended. "What?! And why would I?!"
Midna rolled her eyes. "Because your presence is not wanted here."
Ghirahim looked about ready to have an aneurism, and Malon quickly jumped in, trying to correct Midna's mistake. "Um – Your presence is simply too fabulous for us to handle!" I could tell that she came up with that response on the spot, but it was good, at least compared to what I would have said. I was in awe.
"I can understand as to how you could become so quickly overwhelmed by my fabulous presence," Ghirahim began, and Midna acted as though she was puking. "But I can't just leave!" he protested, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.
Malon looked about ready to punch one of his car windows. "Mr. Ghirahim – Please," she pleaded exasperatedly.
He snatched the keys. "Let's go, girls."
Midna's jaw dropped. "Seriously?!" she looked ready to punch a car window as well – In fact, so did I. At least I wanted to.
"Ah, come on now, girls. I'm your teacher, and I will bring you back to safety," he stated proudly as though he was God's gift to – well, just about everyone.
Inhaling deeply, Malon nodded, trying hard to control her temper. "OK," she finally agreed.
"Wonderful!" Ghirahim clapped his hands delightedly. "This is simply wonderful!" he inserted the car key in the door, unlocking it. He then got in the car and pressed the button to unlock the rest of the doors. We all hesitantly got in the back seat, none of us daring to sit in the front with our delusional algebra teacher. I wouldn't sit there even if he paid me! I would rather study about polynomials for five hours straight than sit in that seat! Studying in his class was nothing compared to actually talking to the creep.
How did I actually get into this mess? Oh, yeah. I remember. I was trying to impress Link Finlay and get him to notice me. Well, that plan definitely failed. I wracked my brain. What else could I do to get him to finally notice me? I put that thought on pause as Ghirahim began to speak.
"Are you girls all right back there?" he questioned, and we nodded, not daring to speak a word. He grinned happily, although it looked like a clown smile. Clowns – Yet another thing that scared me. They were almost worse than Professor Ghirahim – almost. Shudder.
I whipped out my phone from my sweatshirt tied around my waist. After my fall, I had made sure to grab my sweatshirt, as had Midna and Malon.
I momentarily exchanged phones with Midna, and we inputted our numbers in each other's contact lists. My contact list was unsurprisingly bare, whereas Midna probably had everyone in the school under her contact list.
Malon began a group chat, and we all texted each other, discussing our options, not wanting to talk aloud but still needing to agree on some sort of plan. I was not having Ghirahim drop me off at my house, and I doubted that either Malon or Midna disagreed with me. Finally, we came to an agreement, and Mal decided to notify our algebra teacher of our decision. "Um, Mr. Ghirahim?" she questioned, her voice breaking the awkward silence that had enveloped the car.
Ghirahim peeked at us through his rear view mirror. "Yes, Ms. Ridgeway?"
I peered out the window, trying to suck in the pain I was feeling in my ankle. We were in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and the alarms began going off in my head. The street was lined with both street lights and trees. It looked safe enough, but it was the driver of the car that I was worried about.
The houses didn't look too bad. They were rather small and shabby, but I had no clue where we were. Inhaling nervously, I listened as Malon began to let the Professor know of our consensus. "Can you drop us off at that pizza place on the corner of Castle Town Square? We suddenly remembered that that's where we were supposed to meet our parents," Malon responded craftily.
"Ah," Ghirahim nodded. "Alright. We'll head over to the pizza place," he agreed. He turned on his blinker as he turned away from this street. I breathed a sigh of relief as he bought our excuse and actually agreed to it. We turned onto a street I was familiar with, and I sighed again.
We were headed to the pizza place, and all would be well – I hoped. Arriving at the pizza place a few minutes later, Ghirahim pulled over in front. Malon opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle, helping me out as well. I joined her, limping, and Midna got out the other side.
"See you girls next week!" Ghirahim called out his rolled down window. "Have a fabulous weekend!" he drove away after that, leaving us at the pizza place.
I don't know when I've ever felt so relieved in my life. We all let out a sigh of relief, laughing awkwardly together. "That was one of the creepiest experiences I've ever had in my life," I laughed the situation off, still supported by Midna and Malon. My foot was throbbing, and I tried to alleviate the pain by hopping on my other foot.
"Well, at least we're here," Midna snorted. She and Malon helped me into the pizza place. By now, after two quarters of the football game, my fall at halftime, and finally the Professor Ghirahim fiasco, it was now around dinner time, and I was so hungry!
My eyes then widened, and I attempted to hide behind both Midna and Malon while still being supported by them. They were both confused until Malon saw what I had seen. She whispered a few words of explanation into Midna's ear, and Midna nodded understandingly. We headed toward a booth in the very back of the establishment, far away from a group of celebrating football players and cheerleaders, including none other than Link Finlay.
"Do you want me to go grab some pizza?" Malon asked, checking her jacket to make sure that she had her wallet on her. "You want your regular right, Zel?" I nodded, and Mal turned to Midna expectantly.
"Get me four slices – I'll pay you back later," Midna slid into the booth next to me after helping me in. "So…" she drawled, "What's this I hear about you and a certain Mr. Finlay?"
I rolled my eyes, wondering what Malon had implied in her explanation. "That's just it – nothing. There is no 'me and a certain Mr. Finlay.' It's just me – and a possibly sprained ankle."
"Then do you like him?" Midna prodded. She rested her chin on her propped arm, watching my reactions closely. Her red eyes burned into mine, and I felt myself crack under pressure. And by "cracking under pressure," I mean I blushed. "Aha!" she exclaimed. "Zelda has a little crush!" her red eyes flickered excitedly.
I groaned. Now Midna knew too. "No!" I protested quickly, flushing quite obviously.
"Now don't let this be a repeat of what happened in the lunchroom a few weeks ago," Midna stated jokingly.
"You remember that?!" I immediately began hyperventilating. What if Link could remember that?! What if he remembered me as the girl that made a fool of herself in the lunchroom?!
Midna looked taken aback. "What are you talking about, Zelda? I was just joking."
I sighed. "You don't remember anything?" I began toying with a napkin dispenser and rearranging all the salt, pepper, and garlic shakers because I was just weird like that.
"Nope," Midna replied, popping the "p." She spotted Malon and rubbed her hands together excitedly. "I love you!" she exclaimed.
"I know," Malon laughed back, setting the tray loaded with a ton of pizza. She flipped her red hair, grinning.
Midna scoffed. "I was talking to the pizza." She claimed her four slices, dumping pepper and garlic on them while Malon glared at her. Stuffing the first slice in her opened mouth, she spoke, "So Zellie over here was telling me about how she might so happen to like a certain guy on the football team."
I let my head smack the table. Feeling something slightly unappealing, I removed it quickly, to find that I had stuck my head in old gum. Ew. Just what I needed. A sprained ankle. Public humiliation. A creepy algebra teacher. And now, old gum. Taking a bite from my pepperoni pizza, I sighed. Why was life so hard? Yeah, now we're getting deep over here. Just like that time I tripped on that stupid tree root and fell into that vat of mud. Ew.
"You told her?" Malon questioned, eating her pineapple pizza unashamedly. Normally, around guys, Malon made a huge show about eating salads. I, on the other hand, would eat whatever I wanted – with moderation, of course. Everything in moderation.
Sighing again, I nodded. With a mouth full of pizza, I couldn't really speak, so I limited myself to gestures and monosyllables. I noticed that several cheerleaders were looking our way quite suspiciously, and I supposed we must look a sight. We were all wearing our outfits – I still hated that miniskirt – And – Oh no! They could remember that I was the girl that fell and made a fool of herself during halftime! I attempted to block my face with a slice of pizza and failed miserably.
The girls began heading over. "Hey, Malon! Midna! What're you doing with that loser over there?" they sauntered over, carrying a plate of salad each. Ew. They were those girls that can't even eat a piece of pizza without freaking out about their nonexistent diet. Y'know, those girls that can't break a nail and not cry over it.
I hid my displeasure upon their arrival, waiting for them to pull my two friends away.
"Um – What's with the salad?" Midna asked, disturbed. She ate her pizza with gusto, not caring about those girls' opinions.
"We're on a diet," the two girls giggled, and my eyes darkened. Called it! Did I call it or what?
Malon remained silent, letting Midna do all the talking. "Well, shoo, then! I can't have your dieting presence mar my fatty, delicious, non-diet meal!" she commanded with the wave of her hand – which also held her slice.
The two girls looked offended. "Well, fine! Whatever!" they left our booth, strutting back to their own table near the front of this house of pizza to eat their salad in peace – where all the cute football guys were – including Link Finlay. Ugh! Stop it, Zelda!
Upon their departure, we all burst into heavy fits of giggles. "That was a fabulous performance, Ms. Mallory!" Malon applauded, mocking our algebra teacher.
Midna snorted. "My pleasure, Mrs. Ghirahim."
Malon looked appalled. "What?!" she exclaimed, placing her pizza on the table in order to stare at Midna.
I hid my giggles behind my hand as Midna swiped Malon's neglected pizza, taking a big, hearty bite from it.
"MIDNA!" Malon exclaimed, clamoring over to our side of the booth to retrieve her stolen pizza. "Give it back!"
"I shall never surrender my life – or my pizza!" Midna exclaimed dramatically.
Seconds later, a smooth voice broke through the air as we all tried to steal each other's pizza. "What's goin' on over here, ladies?" I looked over to meet the red eyes of Sheik Radcliffe. The Sheik Radcliffe – as in Link Finlay's best friend.
We all froze – Malon and Midna both holding the same piece of pizza, in the middle of tug and war – Me with a mouth full of cheese and pepperoni. "'Sup?" Midna asked, breaking the awkward silence that had taken control of our booth for a few seconds.
Then, something unexpected happened – Sheik Radcliffe laughed. He laughed – like out loud. He continued to guffaw, which in turn caused the rest of us to begin laughing as well. His laugh was quite contagious, especially because it was so – rare. "You girls are probably the most entertaining people I've ever met," he stated after his little laughing fit was over.
"Thank you?" Malon replied, ripping her pizza back from Midna as the opportunity presented itself. She never looked at Midna once, and her eyes remained on Sheik. "Do you need something?" she questioned.
Link Finlay and Sheik Radcliffe never talked to anyone besides for several of the "elites" of the high school social spectrum. In fact, they never even spoke to any of the cheerleaders if they could help it.
Sheik's red eyes bore into my own. "You're the girl that fell during halftime, right?"
I coughed awkwardly. "Um… Yeah?"
"Watch your back. Not all the teachers are as they seem," he stated, and the joking mood was shattered in an instance. He left, leaving us with no explanation.
We sat there dumbfounded, and Malon handed over her slice of pizza to Midna. "What was that all about?"
Shrugging, I took another bite of pizza. "I have no clue. Was that really Sheik Radcliffe?"
Midna rolled her eyes, nodding. Then, her eyes brightened. "We should come up with a new plan for Zellie!" she exclaimed.
Eyes widening, I was quick to protest. "NO! Not another one!"
Malon, however, was quick to agree. "YES! Mid – You're in most of his classes. Zel and I only have algebra with him –"
"And Mr. Ghirahim," I added in much to Malon's dismay, smirking.
"I have algebra with you guys too, you know," Midna cut in, saving me from Malon's wrath. "You just never look for me."
Malon still glared at me but continued. "Do you know anything that Link seems to be really attracted to? – in girls, I mean."
Midna thought for a bit, finishing her last slice – the slice she stole from Malon. Her eyes brightened, and she cackled. "I noticed that he never really goes for any cheerleading girls – Whenever he dates anyone, it's always a smart girl. He also seems to be attracted to musical girls – like girls from band or orchestra."
I snorted – very unladylike, I know. "Well music is definitely out of the question. I can't read music or play an instrument."
"Then what about acting smart?" Malon piped up. She leaned forward in her seat on the booth, her ponytail bobbing from the movement. "I think you could pull that off, Zel."
It took me a couple of seconds for me to process what she had just said. "Um – excuse me?"
Midna cut in, preventing what could have been the beginning of a huge fight. "That sounds great, Malon! Zelda, you should answer more questions in algebra! Malon and I are both in that class so that we can both save you if you need any help or prompting."
My glare transferred to Midna. "You're not helping right now." I then realized that I had literally just met Midna that day, only several hours ago. I felt like I had known her forever, but I supposed that any encounter with a creepy algebra teacher could do that to you.
"Let's do it!" Malon exclaimed.
Midna pumped her fist in the air, almost knocking the garlic shaker over. "Yes!"
I hesitated. "Wait – Don't I get any sort of say in this decision that will only affect me?"
Malon shook her head triumphantly as though she had just denied Ghirahim his car, "Nope!"
And you can imagine how I felt right about then. I began freaking out as my two friends began speaking in rapid-fire "girl-speak," discussing a "course of action."
Gee, they made this out to be a huge secret agent mission that involved national security. And, knowing me, I was going to epically fail this little test/mission in life – aka liking the most popular guy in school. I was so dead.
Unamused, I watched my two friends chatter incessantly. "Fine," I agreed dully, causing them to pause momentarily in their conversation. Monday was going to be a nightmare I was sure. I mean, I would have to learn about polynomials and exponent rules and act smart?! And try to act fabulous to get a good grade?!
How did my normally torturous life go from bad to worse? My life was so over as soon as I walked into that algebra class!
"It's a plan then!" Malon and Midna exclaimed in unison, clapping their hands excitedly. Was Ghirahim rubbing off on them?
Gulping, I accepted the fate shoved down my throat by my two friends like a piece of pepperoni pizza. As I looked across the crowded pizza place, my eyes landed on a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy, and I felt my heartbeat speed up. Was this really going to be worth it?
Hey again! Glad you made it this far! ;) [No, seriously. This is pretty long. I wasn't anticipating this length, but – hey. (Did ya get the reference? *wink*wink* ^^)] Um… this started out as a one-shot, morphed into a long-shot, but became a multi-chapter fic. Oops. I hope you guys liked Ghirahim – Writing him was so much fun! Hmm… I wonder what's going to happen… Poor Zel…
Song Obsession: "Elevator" by Hawk Nelson ft. Blanca from Group 1 Crew, as well as some Zelda dubstep and various Lindsey Stirling songs for certain scenes
Shoutout to my friend, prowessMaster44, for unknowingly giving me ideas and inspiration for this story. ^^ [Definitely going to include that anecdote I was telling you about in here somewhere. ;)]
Anyways, please subscribe to this story (favorite/follow)! I'll probably alternate between this story and Big Break (Zelink Modern AU on Wattpad), while still updating Scars once a week. If you feel so inclined, please drop a review down below (no flames). (It keeps me motivated. ^^) LOVE YOU GUYS! YOU ARE THE BEST! *smiles* :D
~Elsie {Zelda}
Total Word Count (excluding Author's Notes):
6,051
(That's the longest chapter I've ever written! O_O)