**Sorry it's so short but I have a C- in math, so I haven't really had time
to write lately, if ya know what I mean. Enjoy, it might be a while before
the next chapter, but I promise it'll be really long ;) **
I winced slightly, but didn't give up. It was Monday morning, a week since our date, and Nick kept kicking me under the desk. I kicked back, flashing Ms. Stanford a toothy grin. She gave me a Look, but went on to reading what looked suspiciously like a trashy romance novel. Homeroom ended in less than five minutes, and I was determined to win this footsy war. I sensed that Nick was going to come back in for a low blow to my unprotected toes, so I lifted my foot up and put it back down on his shoe. I grinned triumphantly, and he rubbed the top of his foot tenderly.
"All right, you win," he said sulkily. A smile crept into his face. "THIS time."
"Oh, you immature junior guys," I said teasingly. The bell rang, and I gathered my things. Nick, Jay, Gwen and I, since last week, had come up with a routine on which we dropped everyone off at their first period. It happened so fast, I was still a bit shocked. Nick and Jay still occasionally hung out with their old friends, but mostly it was just the four of us. I had been given dirty looks from Katelyn, but she didn't do anything else. I might have been a freak, but I could kick her ass with my hands tied behind my back, and she knew it. I knew she was more than angry about Nick becoming friends with me, but as far as I knew, she had nothing to be jealous about. Gwen and Jay were going out, but nothing more than friendship had blossomed between Nick and me. I was aware from time to time of him glancing at me a bit too long, but he never said anything. I didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. At times, I was both.
"Later," came Nick's deep voice, and I realized we had reached my class, history. Gwen was the first stop, I was the second. I smiled and said bye. I gave him a quick hug, my new trademark, and took my seat right next to the door. This was when the disappointment part came. I could see him walking away slowly with Jay, and wondered not for the first time what was going through his head.
"Does anyone know if this is really pizza?" asked Jay, at lunchtime. He tried to pick it up off his tray, but it was stuck. I giggled.
"I think the cheese has glue in it," I remarked. I picked a piece off of my own slice and put it in my mouth cautiously. It was rubbery, but undeniably tasted like cheese. "It's too chewy. Like bubble gum." The thought made me gag, and I spit it out into a napkin.
"I don't know anyone who's actually chewed and swallowed a piece," said Nick. He squinted at it, then grinned across the table. "'Cept for you, Jay," he added. Everyone chuckled. I saw Gwen shoot a nasty look at our trays, then a relieved one at her own packaged lunch, which contained her mother's leftover spaghetti and a small fresh salad with Italian dressing in a little packet. "I don't know HOW you guys can eat that crap," she said. She twisted up a bite of spaghetti and ate it daintily. "It only takes five more minutes in the morning to throw a good lunch together." Everyone was silent as they worked on their lunch. I swallowed the fruit cup whole, only because it tasted like aluminum foil. A sudden random thought came to me.
"Hey Gwen," I said. I knew my eyes were glinting maniacally, but this was a fun thing to think about. "Are tryouts for the play still open?" Her eyes couldn't have been any wider.
"Yeah," she said. She looked completely confused. "Why? You know someone who wants to try out?" A smile was growing on my face.
"Mm hmm," I said. "That's right."
"What are you saying Jessi?" asked Nick. He had an amused look on his face. "YOU want to try out?" I grinned widely at him, and nodded.
"I think I'll take you guys up on that suggestion," I said. Gwen squirmed uncomfortably.
"Uh, Jess?" she said. "Are you okay? Maybe we should take you to the nurse..." She trailed off uncertainly. I laughed.
"No, I'm fine," I told them. "Remember when you guys said I should be Ophelia?" They nodded. "Well, maybe I will." Gwen laughed this time.
"Jess, everyone wants to be Ophelia," she said matter-of-factly. "It's the most popular part. You'd have to be a pretty damn good actress to get even the understudy." I looked at her.
"How do you know what kind of actress I am?" I asked pointedly. "Have I ever acted before?"
"That's the point," she said sharply. "The people trying out for Ophelia have been acting since the school they went to offered a theater class. They all have experience." She looked at me pleadingly. "Jessi, I don't know what's come over you, but I don't want you to be embarrassed." I tried to look insulted.
"Well, that's nice," I said crossly. I got up and stormed to the trashcan, using the time to wipe the smirk off my face. We'll see how bad of an actress I am, Guinivere, I thought mischievously. I threw the contents of the tray into the can, then walked back to where Gwen was sitting. I loomed up as much as I could.
"Tell Mrs. White that I would like to come in after school tomorrow to try out for the part of Ophelia," I said through my teeth. Then, I added on a personal note, "Don't worry, Guinivere. By then, I will have proven my talents to you." I posed dramatically. There was a surprised silence, then they all burst into laughter. I dropped my arms and grinned. "Besides. It's just for fun."
I winced slightly, but didn't give up. It was Monday morning, a week since our date, and Nick kept kicking me under the desk. I kicked back, flashing Ms. Stanford a toothy grin. She gave me a Look, but went on to reading what looked suspiciously like a trashy romance novel. Homeroom ended in less than five minutes, and I was determined to win this footsy war. I sensed that Nick was going to come back in for a low blow to my unprotected toes, so I lifted my foot up and put it back down on his shoe. I grinned triumphantly, and he rubbed the top of his foot tenderly.
"All right, you win," he said sulkily. A smile crept into his face. "THIS time."
"Oh, you immature junior guys," I said teasingly. The bell rang, and I gathered my things. Nick, Jay, Gwen and I, since last week, had come up with a routine on which we dropped everyone off at their first period. It happened so fast, I was still a bit shocked. Nick and Jay still occasionally hung out with their old friends, but mostly it was just the four of us. I had been given dirty looks from Katelyn, but she didn't do anything else. I might have been a freak, but I could kick her ass with my hands tied behind my back, and she knew it. I knew she was more than angry about Nick becoming friends with me, but as far as I knew, she had nothing to be jealous about. Gwen and Jay were going out, but nothing more than friendship had blossomed between Nick and me. I was aware from time to time of him glancing at me a bit too long, but he never said anything. I didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. At times, I was both.
"Later," came Nick's deep voice, and I realized we had reached my class, history. Gwen was the first stop, I was the second. I smiled and said bye. I gave him a quick hug, my new trademark, and took my seat right next to the door. This was when the disappointment part came. I could see him walking away slowly with Jay, and wondered not for the first time what was going through his head.
"Does anyone know if this is really pizza?" asked Jay, at lunchtime. He tried to pick it up off his tray, but it was stuck. I giggled.
"I think the cheese has glue in it," I remarked. I picked a piece off of my own slice and put it in my mouth cautiously. It was rubbery, but undeniably tasted like cheese. "It's too chewy. Like bubble gum." The thought made me gag, and I spit it out into a napkin.
"I don't know anyone who's actually chewed and swallowed a piece," said Nick. He squinted at it, then grinned across the table. "'Cept for you, Jay," he added. Everyone chuckled. I saw Gwen shoot a nasty look at our trays, then a relieved one at her own packaged lunch, which contained her mother's leftover spaghetti and a small fresh salad with Italian dressing in a little packet. "I don't know HOW you guys can eat that crap," she said. She twisted up a bite of spaghetti and ate it daintily. "It only takes five more minutes in the morning to throw a good lunch together." Everyone was silent as they worked on their lunch. I swallowed the fruit cup whole, only because it tasted like aluminum foil. A sudden random thought came to me.
"Hey Gwen," I said. I knew my eyes were glinting maniacally, but this was a fun thing to think about. "Are tryouts for the play still open?" Her eyes couldn't have been any wider.
"Yeah," she said. She looked completely confused. "Why? You know someone who wants to try out?" A smile was growing on my face.
"Mm hmm," I said. "That's right."
"What are you saying Jessi?" asked Nick. He had an amused look on his face. "YOU want to try out?" I grinned widely at him, and nodded.
"I think I'll take you guys up on that suggestion," I said. Gwen squirmed uncomfortably.
"Uh, Jess?" she said. "Are you okay? Maybe we should take you to the nurse..." She trailed off uncertainly. I laughed.
"No, I'm fine," I told them. "Remember when you guys said I should be Ophelia?" They nodded. "Well, maybe I will." Gwen laughed this time.
"Jess, everyone wants to be Ophelia," she said matter-of-factly. "It's the most popular part. You'd have to be a pretty damn good actress to get even the understudy." I looked at her.
"How do you know what kind of actress I am?" I asked pointedly. "Have I ever acted before?"
"That's the point," she said sharply. "The people trying out for Ophelia have been acting since the school they went to offered a theater class. They all have experience." She looked at me pleadingly. "Jessi, I don't know what's come over you, but I don't want you to be embarrassed." I tried to look insulted.
"Well, that's nice," I said crossly. I got up and stormed to the trashcan, using the time to wipe the smirk off my face. We'll see how bad of an actress I am, Guinivere, I thought mischievously. I threw the contents of the tray into the can, then walked back to where Gwen was sitting. I loomed up as much as I could.
"Tell Mrs. White that I would like to come in after school tomorrow to try out for the part of Ophelia," I said through my teeth. Then, I added on a personal note, "Don't worry, Guinivere. By then, I will have proven my talents to you." I posed dramatically. There was a surprised silence, then they all burst into laughter. I dropped my arms and grinned. "Besides. It's just for fun."