The Anatomy of Leo

Chapter One

Me and Brandon get to the school at 7:55, like we do every morning. We get to school early so we can talk with the others before class starts. The fresh smell of the crisp, Californian October air disappears as we pick up our skateboards and walk into Westside Public School. We drop our boards off at our lockers and head to the courtyard, our groups unofficial meeting place.

Brandon is great. Although not the most popular, seemingly everyone likes him. He wears trendy clothes and knows about all the new apps. All the girls have crushes on him, and he "dated" a bunch of girls in middle school (by "dated", I mean they slow danced at one school dance, went out for a week and MAYBE hugged, then broke up), but his heart is set on Amelia Gordon, who, in my eyes, is playing hard to get with Brandon. I once asked him why he always rejected other girls, and he replied with "Leo, there's only one girl I actually want to go with, and you know who that is."

Ryan, Becca, Amelia, Megan, Jon, and Malcolm are already at the green, chipped table near the vending machines. "Hey." Ryan says as we sit down. "Want a fish?" He holds out a bag of Swedish Fish.

"It's 8 in the morning, you little shit." Brandon snickers.

"Can I have one, babe?" Becca looks over at Ryan with puppy dog eyes. They've been dating since May, and honestly, I don't know what Ryan sees in her. Becca is such a fake. Everyone can tell that she gets her hair dyed blonde, her nails done, and she wears a push up bra. She's also such a bitch. She's always being really obnoxious, and she's always yelling, too. Ryan doesn't care, though, and the rest of us just dealt with it when she joined our group when she and Ryan got together.

"Yeah, sure." He throws one into her mouth, which she catches perfectly. I bet he wonders what else that mouth can do.

"So, who's ready for the dance tomorrow?" Malcolm says with a smile. Malcolm is the smallest of the group, which means we can easily throw him into the recycling bin when we're mad at him, but he has the biggest smile I've ever seen. The Fall Ball has been the only thing anyone can talk about this past week.

"I totally am." Ryan says, gazing at Becca, who giggles. I can see Brandon rolling his eyes.

"I still don't have a date yet." Brandon says, glancing at Amelia, who's caught up in her Snapchat, as per usual.

"Who said you needed a date? I'm going stag." Jon says with a smirk. I look over at Megan, who's also on her phone, but I can tell she's listening. My heart starts beating faster.

"I don't have a date either, don't worry." I mention, hoping to get Megan's attention. She looks up and turns off her phone, now partaking in the conversation.

"Jon, I doubt you'll be going stag. I heard Kennedy Hawkman wants to ask you" she says.

"Oh GOD." Jon burrows his head in his crossed arms on the table. Everyone knows Kennedy has a huge crush on Jon. She is so cheerful and giggly when she talks to Jon. He tries to detour the conversation from him in hopes of her not asking him out. There's been a few close calls in the past few weeks. I mean, Kennedy is ok and all, but she's obsessed with him.

"I ship it!" Megan calls out, snatching a few candies from Ryan and stuffing them in her mouth. Despite Jon's lack of interest, they would be perfect for each other. I can totally see it.

"Just go with her just this once, if she asks." I say.

"She's so annoying, though. And fat." Becca chimes in. There she goes, being a cunt again. Kennedy's not fat, she's just curvy and bigger than most other girls.