Author's Note
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Hey.
Okay, this is really depressing. I've only gotten two reviews so far, and they're both negative reviews.
Man.
Anyway, I'll try to answer to their feedback and write slightly longer chapters.
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Chapter 3
"Ahh…" Rachel sighed with lazy delight, pulling up her socks as she got ready for bed.
"I know, since when did we get such a meal?" I patted my stomach and leaned back in my chair.
She plumped up her pillow and lay on her hands, looking at our whitewashed walls.
"G'night," she mumbled from under her duvet.
"Good night."
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"Rise and shine, sleepyheads!" Mom's piercing chirp exploded into the room.
I glanced at the lit up clock: 6.28. Did we have to get up this early?
With a pang, I suddenly realized I had slept on my glasses, out of tiredness and relief of completing the Geography project no one usually bothers about doing.
I picked it up and surveyed it through the blur in my eyes. To my dismay, it had snapped into two unequal pieces.
I grunted in annoyance as I reached for the light switch. Rachel woke up with a jolt as a flick of light lit up the room.
"Wha…" Rachel looked up sleepily, hair tousled. She squinted against the light at me, and remarked thoughtfully, "You look much better without those dorky glasses." She added hastily, "No offence, no offence!"
"Hmmph," I mumbled, groping for my hairbrush. "Well, I don't dress up for anyone."
"You should use your contacts," Rachel continued without a pause. "Where did you put them?"
"You sure are cheerful at this hour, huh?" I retorted.
Rachel smiled, easing my hairbrush out of my tangled hair. "Let me do it."
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Half an hour later I walked out of the door, enjoying the feeling of crisp, bright images without my glasses.
"Lizzie, what did you do to your hair?" Miranda inspected me in surprise, the moment I arrived at her patio.
"Why? Does it look terrible?" I touch my hair self-consciously, trying to smooth down the bouncy waves Rachel had introduced into my monotonously straight hair.
Miranda smirked. "Why the need to dress up, Liz? Anyone you wanted to impress?"
I huff edgily, straightening my new bright yellow blouse that I hardly wore. "Rachel made me wear them."
"Rachel?" Miranda looks genuinely shell shocked. "How cute!"
"Whatever," I cannot stop myself from grinning in satisfaction, as we haul ourselves up onto the bus.
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People stared at me in surprise as Miranda and I walked down the hall.
"Nice change, McGuire," sneered Kate Sanders' voice from her spot near the water fountain. "Pity you couldn't get a free lipo too!"
"Ignore her," Miranda muttered furiously. "Ooh look, David is coming!"
She was right.
He didn't walk; he loped casually, till we were face to face. He was wearing a gorgeous Polo shirt and black slacks.
David's eyes crinkled with a smile. "You look… different," he remarked. "You look pretty." He added in a little above a whisper.
I shrugged and lowered my gaze to the floor. "Whatever."
He adjusted his books awkwardly, eyes darting around. "Well, uh, I gotta go. See you around."
With that, he jogged off towards Kate, who was unseeingly shooting daggers at us.
They carried out a whispered argument:
"What's up with you and McGuire?" Kate remarked casually.
"…Nothing," David muttered uncomfortably.
Kate rolled her eyes and tossed her hair. "Whatever, as if I care about Loozie McGuire."
She stalked down the hall, David scuttling behind her.
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Lunch was definitely more… animated today. Wolf whistles beckoned me as strangers walked up and complimented me.
It was almost as if… I was being accepted.
I plunked down my tray of meatloaf and wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"Aww… the meatloaf looks wrong…" Miranda sympathized, digging into her home-packed mushroom lasagna.
"Not the meatloaf, the way everybody is treating me!" I complained.
Secretly, I enjoyed all the attention people were paying to me. It felt like a sort of 'refund', when I was dating David and drawn into the popularity circle.
I grabbed my fork and plunged it into the meatloaf. It deflated like a pathetic balloon. I pushed the plate away and turned to my juice box.
"Well, now's probably the only time you'll get it," Miranda advised. "Savour it, wallow in it."
I stabbed at the flat meal on the table. After making multiple holes in it, I turned to Miranda, a satisfied smile playing at my lips.
"That's Kate," I announced triumphantly. "Ha! Take that, liposuction." I gleefully continued my mutilation.
"Kate alert," Miranda muttered icily. "With David, no less."
I looked up; my heart pulsating so hard that I thought it could bounce out.
David had an apologetic look on his face, and constantly avoided my gaze.
Kate, on the other hand, had a sickening load of pride shining in her blue eyes. She stared hard at me, while I avoided her gaze feebly.
"So… McGuire," Kate scoffed. "Looks like you haven't heeded my advice."
"Sanders," I greeted coldly, playing for time as I searched for a witty retort.
She smiled fakely, blinding me with her polished teeth. "David here, has something to tell you, don't you, David?" she gritted her teeth, a Cheshire cat grin narrowing on her lips.
"Well, uh…" he coughed, and forced himself to look up into my eyes. His grin widened as if he thought of another way out of the mess he created. "What I wanted to say was that you look great in that skirt!"
Kate looked as if someone had slapped her in the face. "What?" she shrieked.
"I said, you look amazing in that skirt," David said it more to her, than to me, beaming all the way.
I felt an inward blush rising and my old feelings for him bubbling up.
"You loser!" Kate screeched, bringing a hand right across his face.
David reeled from the stinging pain and backed away as Kate, insufferable Kate, stalked off.
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We watched silently as David picked himself up from the ground.
"A little help here?" he grumbled.
Miranda and I scurried forward, lifting up air instead of flesh.
"Never mind," David grunted and lifted his head to whatever dignity he had left. He assumed his casual lope off, his books flapping dog-eared as he walked.
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Okay. How was that? 1050 words. This has GOT to be the longest chapter I've written. (:
C3 OldRuggedCross-
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