The Wallflower Effect

Chapter 12: Not all cheerleaders.

After dodging countless 'well-wishers' and people who 'wanted to know what happened,' I was just done with everyone today. With Eathan being too cute and perfect for me to remember that I was mad with him when we were within ten feet of each other, and with Gage finally hinting he may feel the same way I used to after five freaking years of making me second guess his little signals, I couldn't sit in the cafeteria. I had Science with Eathan after English, and Theatre with both of them, and the both of them had tried to talk to me. I hadn't let them, needing some time to deal with everything that had happened this past week, as well as their little fight in the hall this morning. I needed some serious Zoey time. Luckily, I didn't have any more classes with either of them today, so if I could just avoid them for one more hour, I would be free.

So that's how I ended up in the back of the library, reading the newest edition of The Viper, that my dad had thoughtfully gotten for me and put in my book bag, avoiding humanity. I was doing great, thinking about calling that detective and nailing the pyscho murderous stalker that had been ruining my life, muching on my apple, reading a page or two of comic now and then, before one of them showed up. Not the guys, but surprisingly, the enviable form of Jessica O'Brian stood before me.

"Hey." She said tentatively, looking down at her hands awkwardly. I sighed.

"Look, Jessica, if you're here to 'make life hell for me', would you and your little friends mind starting tomorrow? I'm busy." I snapped at her, from my place on the floor.

"I'm here alone. And I'm sorry for earlier." She whispered, looking shockingly genuine. I had been insulted and terrorized by small town, small minded debutantes like Jessica for years, and never once had I heard an apology.

"What game are you playing?" I burst out, stunned at her words. Was I being messed with? Was it the whole 'keep your friends close and enemies closer' crap? Befriend me, invite me over to a sleep over, chop off my hair? And if so, why didn't I feel like that was what she wanted to do here?

"The, 'Giselle and Morgan are rude and I don't really like them or how they act, but they've been my friends since I was in diapers so I act the same even though I hate it and want to say sorry game." She quipped, making me chuckle.

"You really aren't here to make fun of me." I mused. For some reason, I believed her.

"So if you're not here to ruin my life, and you've already said sorry, what is it that you want, exactly?" Jessica slid to the floor beside me, setting down her book bag, a sad little smile on her face. I turned to her, putting down my apple and comic. I searched her face for any clue that she was being deceitful, but found nothing.

"I'm here to show you that not all cheerleaders, and not all small town people, are gossiping vindictive twits. And, I wanted to say that everything people say about you, the girls especially, isn't because they actually mean it. They're jealous of you. Half the guys here are in love with you, they talk about you at the popular table all the time. You get noticed without even trying to, and girls hate you for it. Mostly becuase you don't even care about it." Jessica explaned, stunning me.

"You can't be serious. No one ever comes up and talks to me. I always get teased for being a freak out of towner. People don't like me. My own parents don't like me." I argued.

Jessica smiled lightly, shaking her head with a small scoff.

"Yes, they do, Zoey. Did you know that Eathan had a thing for you since you moved here? He's been hung up on you for ages. He never talked to you becuase of Gage. He thought you were dating, even though Gage swears up and down that you aren't." Jessica told me softly.

Eathan had a thing for me this whole time? Maybe that explained why he didn't run away like any normal guy would have after everything. I could have been with him, all this time? But no, I had been so hung up on a guy that I was knew, until this morning I guess, didn't feel the same way. I had been pining over Gage and his effortless perfection for years when like those idiots in romance novels me and Gage had always made fun of together, when I could have dated Eathan? I was such an idiot!

"Seriously?" I asked Jessica.

"Yeah. You really didn't know? He stares at you and Gage in the lunch room like a lost puppy all the time. It's pretty obvious, actually." She dished, laughing at me.

"Wait, wait, wait. He asked for my name the first time I met him, you know, the spilling his coffee all over him in the hallway thing.." I recalled.

"He probably didn't want to seem creepy. After all, you'd never even talked before so why would he know it?" She reasoned, finishing her sentence, then hesitating. "You really didn't know he had a thing for you?"

"I had no idea." I marvled. We made eye contact, and the absudity of our situation hit me. I started gigling.

"What's so funny?" Jessica asked, giggling along with me.

"So I spend years hung up on a guy who doesn't like me, then I meet a guy who does like me and we go out. Then I find my arch enemy's dead body, and then her heart in on my doorstep and I'm still in love with the guy who doesn't like me but I keep dating the new guy, who somehow didn't run away from me screaming. Then the guy who doesn't like me might actually like me and the new guy has had a crush on me for years, and I'm sitting in this crap library in this crap town, hiding from them, gossiping with a cheerleader! And I'm stupid enough to want to go after my psycho stalker!" I ranted.

Jessica stared at me with wide blue eyes, her jaw slack. Her face just made me lose it, and I couldn't in the hysterical laughter anymore. Before long, she joined in, and we were both laughing so hard that it was silent, my side hurt, and I had small tears in my eyes. I sucked in a breath and kept laughing, as Jessica did the same. After a few minutes, out laughs calmed down, and we just sat their.

"So, you're in love with Gage and Eathan?" Jessica ventured.

"Yep." I replied. I wasn't too sure I loved Eathan yet, but I sure had a thing for him. Definitely loved Gage.

"You seriously don't notice guys staring at you all the time?" She said.

"Nope." I confirmed. I was still skeptical about that little part.

"You're seriously going after whoever killed Adira?"

"Hell yes I am." I proclaimed.

"Would you like some help?" I snapped my head in her direction, eyeballing the girl I would've told you with absolute certainty that I hated not even fifteen minutes ago. Her blue eyes were like steel, giving away her resolve. She brushed her brown hair behind her ear, and folded her arms. She stared me down, not breaking eye contact. She was serious!

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded. "This guy has some sort of thing for me, he's not going to hurt me. I was going to call the detective that was at my house the other day and talk to him. Why would you want to help me?"

"I'm not just some ditz, you know. I have dreams." She defended herself.

"Not cutting it, Jess." I said. I picked up my apple and the newest issue of The Viper, ready to dash away from this crazy at a momen't notice.

"Okay, My dad was a cop here. He died when I was eight. I want to be a cop like he was, to honor him, and just plain prove that I can. What better way to get started than actually helping someone I feel terrible about being rude to all these years catch the person that murdered one of my best friends?" Jessica reasoned.

"Can we still call the cop and try and solve it with him?" I asked her.

"We can use all the help we can get, if you want me to help you." She decided. I held out my hand somewhat warily, and Jessica shook it, beaming at me.

"Fine. You can help me. On one condition." I warned her. She nodded solemnly, trying to contain her obvious excitement at her new found crime hunting adventure.

"Don't tell Eathan that I like Gage, okay?" I pled,  putting my hands over hers. She clutched them and nodded enthusiastically.

"Done!" I smiled.

Looks like I had made a new friend.

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The next chapter is going to be much more action packed, I have a big plot twist planned for it. I needed this one though, to introduce Jessica's character more. After all, great crime-fighters always have a partner, right? I'll try to update later and maybe do some editing. Comment, vote, and follow me, my lovelies!

~Mage