Off Limits

2

sooo hows the day going for you guys?

"So did you hear there's a new guy?" I hear a girl ask her friend in front of me in the middle of class.

"No, there's a new guy?" Her friend replies and she nods.

"I saw him in the hall and he is like totally hot. I want him." She says and I roll my eyes scooting my desk forwards a little and leaning towards her.

"Oh my god, claiming people like possessions is like so over," I say in the most annoying girly accent I can and she scoffs. 

"You're just jealous because he's too hot for you." She states and it is my turn to scoff. 

"Please, I could get him to like me if I wanted to," I answer and move my desk back to where it was originally.

"You?" She stares at me in disbelief, "Even if you could, he would pick me over you any day."

I'm about to come up with a snarky remark when the door opens. I would typically expect Zander to walk through that door, but he is currently sitting next to me, texting like his life depends on it. 

Instead, I see my new neighbor walk in with a bright purple hickey on his neck and a lipstick stain on his mouth. Another Zander, great. 

"Mr. Fields, is there a reason you're- forget it just sit down." The teacher says and goes back to teaching. She's too tired of Zander so why bother on a new Zander?

He sits down on the other side of me and I can feel him staring at me, "You're my neighbor, right?" he asks and I just give a vague nod, pretending like I'm taking notes. 

"You know I can see that you're not taking notes, but doodling?" He says and I close my notebook with a small sigh. 

"I guess you're only very talkative on the phone with your friends-" I cut him off.

"Is there a reason you're so chatty?" I ask and send an annoyed look his way. 

"I mean, I just want to be friends with my neighbor, is that wrong?" 

The bell rings, "Well choose a different neighbor" I say and start to gather my things, "You should eat some oranges" 

"huh?" he replies, obviously confused. 

"The hickey. It goes away faster when you eat oranges." He still looks confused, "I just thought you would want to get rid of it since it looks more like a dog gave you a hickey than a girl."

With that, I walk out of the classroom, onto my next period. 

-

"So, did you see the new guy?" Sophia questions and I shrug my shoulders, "He is so hot!" 

I hold back a groan and sit down at our regular lunch table, "I am thinking about joining a club" 

Sophia sits down and squeals, "You should join cheerleading!"

I roll my eyes, "A club, not a...sport" She takes a bite of her apple and looks behind me. I turn to where she's looking to see the new kid strolling in with Trevor, who is the captain of the Mathetes. 

"Ew, nevermind, he is gonna turn into a geek." Sophia says, "I'll stick with liking Zander."

I don't hold back my groan this time, "Just cause he's eating lunch with Trevor? Really shallow, Soph." She looks taken back by my comment but shrugs it off and continues to eat the rest of her lunch. 

I look over at the new kid again and see girls all over him and Trevor. If it wasn't for the stupid high school stereotypes, Trevor would be more liked. But because he is bright, girls see that as a turn-off.

I guess not anymore. 

"Can you listen for once?" Sophia demands in annoyance.

"Huh?" I hum in reply and she nods her head into the direction across from her.

"Look who Zander is staring at" She mouths and I look to see Zander staring at the new kid...who is gazing at me. 

So I do the one thing I can imagine of doing, I give him the finger. And grin. 

He smirks back, which makes me stop grinning and I put my finger down, facing Sophia again. 

After I finish eating, I gather my things, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Sophia nods and I leave the table for the bathroom. 

Once I get there, I can hear whispering and weird noises. I furrow my eyebrows and walk further into the bathroom to see Zander making out with a girl named Phoebe. 

Even after seeing him make out with so many girls, this hurts as bad as the rest. It feels like a piece of my heart breaks off every time. And I have never caught him like this before. 

Summer Before 9th Grade:

"Hey, C?" Zander says to me as we sit in his backyard, looking up at the beautiful stars.

"What?" I ask, too amazed by the stars at this moment. 

"Do you think we'll be friends in high school?" He asks.

Friends. I want to be more than that. 

"U-um yeah, of course," I say with zero confidence and he sighs. 

"I just really love you" He replies after a while.

My heart skips a beat and I can't breathe.

"...as a friend" He finishes and I let out a breath. Of course, he doesn't love me. How stupid can I be right now? Why would somebody like him like me? He's gonna be part of the popular crowd in high school and I'm going to be an outcast. We'll never be friends.

"I think I should go home," I say and get up from the grass, running across the street. I go into my backyard and sob my heart out. Why would I think he likes me? Why do I even like him? Why is this breaking my heart?

I dive back into reality and clear my throat loud enough for them to hear before speaking, "Ah, I  can see you two are in the middle of something, but unfortunately this is the girls' bathroom and I need to go pee." 

Phoebe just stares at me in shock and Zander smirks. 

"Well, fine then, you're gonna have to listen to me pee, idiots," I say to them and head into a stall. After doing my business, I come out to wash my hands, but they are making out on the sink again. 

I roll my eyes and push them off the sink, "Gosh, you people are actually brainless." That earns a chuckle from Zander and a scoff from the girl as I leave.