The Hot Nerd (editing)

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I dedicated this to her because of her amazing love for my characters(Walter) and for the story itself..... But mostly the character thing.

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     Aron looked me one more time. Not like he was checking me out, or giving me a once-over. No, this was more than that. This was him looking at me as if I were a puzzle and he was trying to figure out where the pieces went. He was looking to see if I was really and truly was the Laicee. Once I'm guessing he was satisfied, he just dipped his head and ducked out of the bedroom.

     I looked to Walter, pleading with my eyes. Begging him to understand what I was going to do.

     He replied with a simple nod. Even though he tried to shield it for my sake, I still saw the pain that was prominent in his eyes. I kissed him softly on the forehead and then ran after Aron.

     I could just see his blond head bobbing in the crowd.  He seemed smaller. I don't know exactly what it was, though. And it was hard to follow him through the densely packed basement. I was a small girl, but there wasn't even enough room for me to squeeze through the tightly pressed bodies. And I cursed the day she was born when Brylie wrapped her arms around my waist.

     "Hey, sweetie! Where ya been? This is your party and hardly anyone's seen you 'round!"

     I turned around and tried to pry myself from Brylie's arms. This only made her tighten them around me.

       "Thanks for the love, but will you please just-" I tried pushing her arms away again. "Release!"

         Brylie mocked a puppy dog look and dropped her arms. "Why? I thought you liked me?"

        "Ya,  you're great friend and everything, but-"

        "Friend! Did you just fucking friend-zone me?" Brylie screeched. Great. Time to start scene #2.

        I faceplamed and looked at Brylie like a tired, worn out parent. "Look. I'm not lesbian. I have a boy that is completely devoted to me waiting in a bedroom for me to get back from persuing a different boy who- hell, I don't know. Maybe he likes me. He's hinted and stuff for some time now, and he just ran out the door. I'm almost positive I have emotionally scarred him, so I'm gonna try and fix it. The last thing I need right now is for some chick throwing herself at me because she thought I was leading her on." I turned To go walk up the steps to the main level. I was halfway up when I turned around and looked back. Brylie looked like an abandoned puppy. "Oh, and by the way, I wasn't."

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         I know I was harsh to Bylie. I know I'm going to regret 100% of what I said to her later. I just needed to get out of the house and at least attempt to find Arin.

I probably wandered around for a half an hour now. Hell, I don’t even have a clue to where he could have gone. I checked his home, and both of his parents were out. I went to the park, the school recreation fields, the arcade, the library. There wasn’t anywhere else he could go.

Finally, admitting defeat, I just went home. I wanted to just lie down in my bed and read about people who have it worse than I do. I just wanted to crawl under my own blankets and escape. And, to be honest, going back to my own bedroom with my own things after all this time living with Walter, sounded pretty damn comforting. Comfort is something I am in desperate need of right now.

I opened the amazingly familiar blue front door, walked into the brown and red themed living room, slipped off my worn in shoes, and slid my socks against the hardwood floor as I had done millions of times before. I drug my feet across the plank of wood until I got to the carpeted set of stairs. I took steps up to the second floor, then twirl myself 270 degrees on the banister, then walk down the long hallway to my bedroom, and flop down on my tempurpedic mattress, and most likely cry. Just like I had done for the greater part of my life.

After I was positive that my tears had dried, I got up to change my clothes. I didn’t feel as I had when I first put on this dress. When Chloe helped me with my hair and makeup. I had looked, and felt, like everything was perfect- like I was perfect. Like I really was the popular blonde southern-belle that I was supposed to be.

Looking in the mirror now, I can tell that my “perfect” facade is falling. I’m no more than some brunette nerd that went along with her crazy mother’s plan. My makeup is now runny, my hair a complete rat’s nest. The dress seems too tight now. Maybe I should just go hide in a bookshelf somewhere. When and why did I ever think that something this hair brained would actually work out in my favor?

I thought of all the ways I could make things up to people as I slipped into the shower. I washed out all of the things in my hair that made it straight. The hair dye is starting to fade, so it’s a little darker now. I got out of the shower and dried off. I decided to start acting more like my old self, like Laicee. I put on some oversized pajama pants and one of my dad’s old t-shirts.  I took out my contacts and pushed my glasses up my nose.

I looked in the mirror for the second time tonight. This is the first time I’ve noticed how my glasses accentuate my cheekbones. They make my face look more narrow and make my features look more gentle. I like it like that. I never realized how much I missed this piece of plastic.

I backed away from my vanity and into my bed. I layed down again. I reached my arms out and felt a book lying open, holding a page. It was Pretty Little Liars. The one I was reading when Arin climbed in through my window. Has this really been sitting here for this long?

I put the book back down and sat up. I heard the front door open and close. Then I heard my mother’s voice.

“Well, right now, I don’t know where she is. She left the party pretty abruptly. I heard some girl tried to confess her undying love to her.” Mom must be on the phone talking to my dad, or one of her friends she told about this.

Then, someone I had just about given up on tonight replied. “No, Mrs. Hera. I actually don’t want to talk to Laicee tonight. I came to talk to you.”