As my father, Chad and Nila made small talk, while Gemma, Leon and Nash’s brother Hayes nibbled on some hors d’oeuvres my mom had laid out, I sat perfectly still on the edge of one of our sofas, trying my best to ignore Nash’s gaze. He was staring at me. He’d been staring at me since we walked into the living room, except when he was spoken to, in which case he would flash a brilliant smile and politely reply to whoever spoke to him.
God, I hated him.
I was focusing very hard on a particular spot on our marble fireplace when my mom walked into the living room.
"Dinner is ready, if you would all like to take your seats in the dining room," She smiled brightly, and then began to lead everyone in. I stood up, still avoiding Nash, and headed into the dining room. As I was about to take my usual seat, Nash’s hand came from behind me and pulled my chair out.
"Here, let me help you with that," He smirked, as I continued trying to not look at him.
"Oh, what a gentleman," My mother gushed, "You’ve got a great boy there, Chad."
I sat down in the chair, remaining rather rigid as Nash sat down beside me. Just my luck, I thought. My father was sitting at the head of the table, with Chad to one side of him and my mother to the other. Nila was beside Chad, with Hayes then beside her, and Gemma on his side - facing me. Nash was beside me, with Leon to his left beside my mom.
My mother served us our dishes, before sitting down to join us. Chad and Nila complimented my mom, and just as everyone was about to eat, Hayes spoke, “Sorry, but.. what is it?”
My mom chuckled lightly as she answered, “It’s filet mignon with a balsamic glaze, asparagus and baby red potatoes.”
"Okay, thanks," Hayes mumbled, staring down at his plate, still looking unsure.
"It’s beef, you idiot," Nash said in a hushed tone. He must have kicked Hayes from under the table, because he groaned and reached down towards his leg.
After a few moments of silence, while everyone was eating, Chad finally spoke.
"Wow, this is absolutely heavenly, Cherise,” He grinned, and my mother smiled.
"Yeah, you’ve got to give me the recipe,” Nila chimed in, and I smiled a bit.
"She needs to know the recipe herself before she can do that," I mumbled under my breath. Gemma was the only one to hear me, as she giggled but continued eating.
“Jolie,” Chad spoke, and I looked towards him, “Your dad tells me you’re a junior, like Nash. How’s school?”
"Oh, school is great," I smiled politely, "I’m doing really well in all my classes."
"Doing well is an understatement," My dad spoke up, "She’s a straight A student. Has been since she was a kid!"
"That’s impressive," Nila smiled at me, “Do you play any sports?”
"Oh, no," I shook my head, "I’m not interested in anything so trivial and inane."
"Nash and Hayes play quite a few sports."
I didn’t respond to the comment. I just looked at Nash, trying not to smirk, and then looked back down at my plate.
"Maybe some sports wouldn’t seem so 'trivial' and 'inane' if you actually gave them a chance,” Nash said, and I looked at him. I could tell he was slightly irked by what I said.
"Do you honestly expect me to go watch a tedious lacrosse game just on the off chance I may enjoy it?"
"You could try, unless staring at yourself in the mirror is so much more important.”
YOU ARE READING
Queen Bee Syndrome
Fanfiction"So much for great standards, you'd never get him anyway," Nash sneered, and I frowned. "You think I can't?" "I know you can't," He said, a smile playing on his lips. "Want to bet?" Jolie Copeland had always been at the top of the social ladder in h...
