Becoming Beautiful (Wattys2014)

| Chapter 20 |

I reached the living room and realized that I won’t be able to get to school without waking my mother. She’ll insist on having a cup of coffee to wake her up. I noticed my keys sitting on the living room table, along with my alarm clock. I gaped at it with annoyance before unplugging the device and grabbing my keys. My aunt made me oversleep; she’s going to oversleep for whatever is that is more important than me getting to school on time.

I got into my car and drove to school. I arrived in time for American Literature with Ms. Walters. I rushed into class three minutes late. The teacher looked at me as if I was insane. I was panting heavily; my hands went to my knees. The small class of fifteen or so students looked at me the same way that Ms. Walters did. Noah was one of them. “Please take a seat, Ms. West.”

I nodded as I walked towards the front row, plopping down in the seat next to Noah. Usually, I would sit in the second row, but I can’t breathe and my legs feel like they’re going to break. I ran into school, signed in as tardy, and then ran up three flights of stairs and down a hallway in order to get here. My lungs are on fire.

After shooting me an annoyed glance, Noah went back to reading his book only to stop after he skimmed two pages. “Can you stop breathing so heavily?” he asked me.

“Gee, thanks. I only ran into school and up three flights of stairs,” I told him.

“I run five miles a day; I’m pretty sure that isn’t much,” he told me. In twenty minutes? He probably runs two and a half in the beginning and two and a half in the end. That's a lot, even for Noah.

“To you! I don’t run!” I explained.

“Whatever,” he muttered.

“What’s got you in such a bad mood?” I asked him as I dug around in my bag, searching for my notebook.

His neck snapped in my direction and he glared at me. “Are you serious?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What?”

“Move,” he demanded.

“What?” I asked. “What did I do wrong?” I whispered.

“Move, Kennedy,” he told me. When he saw me not making a move to get up and go, he narrowed his eyes. “I will embarrass you if you don’t,” he told me.

“No, what are you—?” I began but he rudely cut me off.

“No, Kennedy, I do not want to kiss you. Leave me alone,” he said in a loud voice. Everyone’s eyes were on us and I felt my face burn in embarrassment as I gaped at him.

“You didn’t,” I muttered.

He glared at me. “I did and I’ll do it again if you don’t move.”

Grabbing my bag, I got up and walked to the desk over one and he shook his head. I let out a huff of breath as I moved three desks away from him but that obviously wasn’t good enough seeing as how he shook his head yet again. Finally, I reached the opposite side of the room and he nodded so I sat down, not daring to move closer to him in fear of him shouting another embarrassing lie across the room.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I murmured as I plopped into my seat.

<<>><<>> 

During lunch, I got a phone call from my mother and I quickly answered it as I walked towards the cafeteria. Not only was my brain fried from Algebra 2, I was still annoyed at what Noah had the nerve to do in American Literature. “Hello?” I answered.

“What did you do?” my mother hissed.

Confusion settled over me like a thick fog and I stopped walking, only to be bumped into by a guy who didn’t bother to apologize, even though it was my fault. I went into a small cubby in the wall that led to an empty classroom. “What did I do?”