The Guys I Like, My Pretty Best Friend, and Ugly Me

Ashley says Fate, I say "sure." (very sarcastically)

Nate Walker, the one and only heir to Walker’s Inc. His dad possesses billions of dollars, sponsoring schools, and basically helping run our little city. And I attacked him with a melon cupcake on his first day of school. Way to make a first impression, Nikki! After that little fiasco at breakfast, Ashley and I headed to Art Class. Ms. Cassie, our Art teacher, gave me a knowing smile, showing she knew the reason why we were late. Hmm. News does have wings. Fast ones too.

 “Oh cheer up will you? It was an accident! And it’s definitely his fault that he chose to appear at that exact moment.” Ashley tried to reassure me, patting me on the back. Then suddenly, she she froze, her hands stuck in the air, about to give me another pat, when a light bulb lit inside her head.

“Oh my goodness, Nikki!” she exclaimed, her eyes widened, double the size of her usual. Ugh, I swear I could just picture her eyeballs dropping to her sketchbook, any second now.

 “It’s fate!” she squealed, slapping me everywhere, causing me to draw a line over my perfect portrait of a goose.

 “What’s fate?” I sighed.

 “You! And Nathaniel!” she squealed, once again.

 “Uh-huh. Sure, fate would like our first meeting to be like that. Then fate will get us married, then fate will give us little babies, THEN fate would tell my little babies how to make a first impression; hit him with a cupcake, square on the face.” I rolled my eyes at the thought. But hey, it’s not that bad right? It’ll be quite funny. Ha-ha. Wait, I shouldn’t be thinking like this! I just meet him! I can now ascertain that I, Nikki Greene, am officially delusional.

 “Oh, and his name’s Nate. Not Nathaniel, just Nate.” I smiled to myself thinking, ‘ha! I’m not the only one whose name’s constantly being changed to something else.’

 “Oh shut up, Nikki! Why do you think you haven’t had a boyfriend, huh? It’s because you were meant to be with Nathaniel!”

 “His name’s Nate! And the reason why I’ve never had a boyfriend is because all they see is you.” I said, mumbling the last part to myself.

 “Ugh, whatever holds your braces intact, Nikki.”

 “Really, Ashley, really? ‘Whatever holds my braces intact’?” I raised one eyebrow.

 “Yes, Nikki. Whatever holds your braces intact.” She said proudly, probably thinking that that was the smartest comeback she ever said.

"So do you think Nate is cute? Huh? What do you think about him?" Ashley questioned, her eyes sparkling.

"I think he's cute, yeah, but I'm done with guys. Remember Richard?" my voice slightly quivered.

 "Richard's an ass. I can guarantee you that." she said, sounding sure of herself.

"Ya think so?"

"I know so." she said under her breath.

After our bickering, we both went back to finishing our goose drawings. I looked over to her sketchbook and saw something looking nothing like a goose. She was supposed to draw a goose, but noooo, she drew a couple kissing on the right side of the page, sitting on a tree. Below the picture were the words ‘Nikki and Nathaniel sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.’ written in bright pink colored marker. She was in the middle of writing something that looks like ‘first comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes little Ashley in a carriage.’ when I grabbed the pink marker out of her hold.

“Nikki!” she whined, lengthening the last syllable of my name longer that it should’ve been.

“Ashley!” I copied her, adding a pout in the end.

“Nikki?” she suddenly asked.

“What.” I replied a little bit harsher than intended.

“I’m setting you up with him.” She said, not sounding like a question, when she knows damn well as hell it should’ve been a question instead of being a statement!

“Oh hell to the no, Missy! Nope. Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen. Over my dead body. In your dreams woman!” I disagreed, not missing a beat.

“B-but—“, she said, giving me the puppy dog face, which she knew I couldn’t—and wouldn’t—resist. But not this time, nuh-uh-uh!

“Ashley Cooper,” I sighed, looking straight into her eyes. She knew I meant business when I mention her whole name.

“I know damn well how this ends up. It always ends up the same, Ashley! You should know! I’m not like you. I have no charm, whatsoever, and in the end,” I paused. “In the end they all end up using me to get to you! I’m always left crying and feeling ugly. I’ve had enough Ashley.” I sighed, losing all the little confidence I had to get my feelings out of my system.

Ashley slouched in her chair, “I think it’s time that I tell you why they come running to me, Nikki.”