Ready Player One

1

All of us had to attend this meeting no matter how long we had been attending this campus. This year was my second too final year and, I couldn't be any happier. Ever since I left high school I always thought college would be a blast. But all that has happened is pure heart break, humiliation and I just can't put up with it anymore. All that gets me through is making my parents, family and all those people who kept on supporting me. Getting my degree as a lawyer will be such an accomplishment that all the horrible things I had to go through to get it will be worth it. Anyways in of, of my pity party because supposedly today's big meeting is a special one. Everyone today is talking about some rich boy in his twenties that ended up getting all his parents money and graduated much quicker than all of us. Mind you I'm only twenty-six, in my point of view I'm old, but in lots of others I'm very young.
Welcome Students of  Gem University!
We can't explain our total excitement of starting a new school year with all of you!
Today as many of you have heard we have a special guest James Williams!!
A man walked out. This James Williams guy was tall, fairly light skin, with red hair and blue eyes. The big projector in the auditorium was blurry so his other facial characteristics where gone.
"Hi! My names is James Williams, just as the intercom has announced. I'm going to be working with all of you this entire year to help all of you achieve your goals. As mine have already been achieved... I thought that as a welcome gift thanks to gods blessing me I could return the favor will all of you. So I hope if it's not to much to ask that all of you can stay after this meeting and I get to meet every single one of you I know it's going to be long but I'll make it worth your waits. Well Thank you for letting me speak for a while and let's get on with the rest of this meeting!" He bowed and took a seat with the rest of the presenters. The rest of it flew by with a lot of bank owners talking about loans or teacher introducing themselves and as well as the upcoming activities that were going to happen soon. Once the meeting came to an end almost all the boys existed the auditorium, I was going to join them but as I stood up and stretched.
"Jess? Where do you think your going?"
"Mandy... I really don't want to wait until this guy comes over and talks to us. I mean look almost all the auditorium is full of women and everyone of them is probably going to try to impress him."
"Jess you need to get out there more maybe he could be a fun little experiment before you find the one. I'll make you a deal I'll let you play with my man. Huh? What you say to that?"
I laughed. "Mandy isn't that great that you have already claimed him and you don't even know the man."
"Please Jess! I don't want to wait all alone!"
Soon as she said this a snobby girl named Victoria waved her over to her row which was all the way down maybe just two rows away from James. She smiled apologetically, didn't even wave and started gushing down the stairs to her. Both of them made a big scene just for James to turn and glimpse at them with a smile. Both of them were very beautiful, I mean every girl in here was beautiful but I had know these two ever since middle school. Mandy was a tall blonde, Victoria secret model body and piercing honey eyes, everything about her screamed beauty. While Victoria had chess nut colored hair and green beautiful eyes with eye lashes that complimented them. Her body was a little bit on the more heavier side but that didn't make her any less beautiful. Most of the time her and Mandy would be fitting over who got to keep the guy who asked them both out. Know me I was just a girl with black hair, plain brown eyes and a hour glass figure that I hated so I tried my best to hide it. Most of the year I had been overweight but all the sudden all the extra weight had vanished during the summer. My skin wasn't dark but it wasn't light either I was just in between. Compared to my friends and classmate I was always the darkest, at fist I minded but not anymore, I had gotten used to it. I sat down as Mandy ended up texting me to still stay even though she had ditched me. I was the last row and I was starting to get impatient. I noticed that some girls stayed and others left either disappointed or angry. Right about when I was going to plug in my headphones I hear someone talk to me.
"Hi my names is James. How about yours?" His voice was calm and elegant... something I was trying to strive for ever since I noticed what career I wanted to strive for. Standing up as most calmly as I could I putted my phone away and shook his hand that was reached out to me and proceeded.
"Nice to meet you sir. My name is Jessica Martinez." I felt intimidated as I saw his piercing blue eyes follow down what I was wear which was plain all black.
"May I ask why you are dressed in all black? Are you going to a funeral of some sort or is it just a emo style?" I felt my checks turn red, I mean if that's even possible for my skin color.
"No... um... I just didn't feel the urge to get dressed up." I said quietly looking down.
"Hm... all these other ladies are dressed in so intriguing ways because the news spread fast that I was coming here. So why did you, do no such thing? I am coming to think you are not interested at all by me."
"I somewhat heard but I wasn't planning on staying."
"So why did you?"
"My friend Mandy made me, but I noticed she had stayed back with other fine young women that you have excluded. So if you excuse me maybe you should go attend them. Not me because I am not up to your high standards sir." I smiled weakly and turned my back to him and started walking down the stairs.
I was absolutely wrong about him being elegant. I wonder why he was here in the first place his bullshit speech was just a lie. I kept walking and as I was about to walk out when I heard him say in emo joke about me so I turned around to see if Mandy would laugh and she did. So I shut the door and just walked away.
****
Walking down the hall there where poster of him and I could finally see why all these grown women swooned over him. He had such a beautiful smile and a chiseled jaw line that had many girls swooning. His body was just perfect not to skinny or muscular, every girls perfect dream. I fell onto the floor as Victoria and Mandy pushed me down.
"Oh my God!! Jessica you made such a fool out of us!! Thank god he didn't know your our friend. You should have seen him right after you left he kept making fun of you and complementing us."
" I'm sorry Jess... but we can't be friends anymore. I need to get with him, he's rich and handsome. Technically like a Prince Charming."
I stood up and dusted my pants. "It's fine I understand." Both of them smiled in triumph.
"We are glade you understand."
I looked down just to catch a glimpse of him experiencing the whole thing, as so did many others. I bent over and picked up my stuff as I proceeded to get up I saw his eyes still on me. I walked away to the exit, I thank god today there is no school so I could leave from this embarrassing scene. Oh!! Shit I left my purse in the auditorium. I was about to head back when I felt a tap.
"You left your bag in the auditorium."
I looked up to see James handing over my bag, I hesitated but I ended up grabbing it and proceeded to open my car. I looked up at him and noticed that he was really taller than me he was gazing at me with those eyes again. I looked down.
"Thank you for returning my purse."
"No worries if I hadn't returned it to you, you wouldn't be eating for a while assuming of how poor you look."
"Thank you. You are right." I smiled, and ended the conversation with shutting my door.
How could someone be such a complete jerk.
****
I'd showed all of them that I was more for what they bargained me for. I had never had a boyfriend every boy or man whatever you wanted to call them, whoever showed interest in me I always ended up pushing them away. I used to get always love getting ready until I went in the mind set that if a man loved me he would love me for how I was not of how I looked like. I felt like I still had it in me all those beautiful techniques that I used to call art. I grabbed a pair of ripped blue denim jeans with a white body suit shirt and than some white Adidas. I mean this is a causal in off right? Or is it not even appropriate for the setting? I start straightening my hair and apply the right amount of make up making me look pretty and presentable but not to make me look different or like a clown had just done it. Looking at my jewelry box I grabbed some diamond shaped piercing that where for my cheeks. I stopped wearing them once I saw people starting to judge me but I wouldn't care no more for what they thought but what I thought. Setting down my glasses I started preparing myself to insert my contacts, they were clear so that my original eye color was the same. I looked different and for the first time in a while I felt somewhat confident of who I was. I passed down my long mirror revealing how the outfit looked on me and I looked so different those baggy clothes I wear added around ten pounds now I looked like I had lost at least twenty maybe less.
****
Heading to the campus I felt a rush of adrenaline because everyone was going to be staring. My first period should be welcoming and not a lot should stares, I have debate club. Existing my car was a living hell I saw everyone's else eyes laid on me some with jealous and others with lust. It all just made me feel disgusted with myself that I could bring those emotions to my pears. Entering debate my face fell as no other than James Williams was in the classroom flirting with our teacher Miss Mek. Miss Mek was in her late thirties but that didn't mean she wasn't competition to all these ladies in the school. She was an average height for an American women and her weight was probably in the mid 120 to mid 130. She seemed so tan and I could tell summer did her good. I searched around my class to see the newest freshman and all the students who had stayed but also the ones who had left. I sat all the way in the back of the classroom close to know one as the people I used to hang around with had not even signed up for the class. Luckily for me as I sat down the bell rang and both of them stopped flirting.
"Hi Students! I am so excited to see some familiar faces and some new faces. This school year we have gotten the opportunity to not only compete against colleges but as well as high schools! So if you thought debating was stressful last year... and we had many that did imagine it this year. I'm so excited to show you guys your coach James Williams." As she said his name she winked at him seductively and looked at him.
"Hey ladies and gentlemen I am glad to be coaching all of you. I used to be in debate when I was in college and High school so it will be a blast to be your coach."
"Aw so talented! Okay anyways soI wanted all of you to meet our President from last year debate team. Which is Jessica! Jessica sweety where are you?" She turned her head to James.
"Weird I can't find her." She said with a pout.
I stood up and raised my hand.
" I am here Miss Mek," everyone turned to look at me and I felt myself fluster.
"I am sorry I was just thinking about what you where saying and I wasn't warned that I had to come up with a speech for everyone to hear." As I said this I went in front of the class and smiled.
"Hi," I waved and everyone in the class did the same.
"My name is Jessica Martinez and some of you might know me and while others of you don't and that's fine. This year being part of the debate will be so much fun because we are going to have new ideas and different ethnicity's represent us. I have always loved debating because it's a way to get your opinions out there and also hear other people's point of view. Last year I ran for president because I felt that I could bring something different to the debate club and I felt like I did. I had a pleasure working with our Vice President Victor Hamilton. Victor stood up and went right by my side."
"Hi! Everyone. Just as Jessica has said I was Vice and thanks to her I had such a blast. Her points of view are out of this world."
"Thank you. So are yours that's why we came second place in Nationals and we are hopping we can get first place this year. I am not positive I am going to run this year but even if I don't I will always be here to lend a hand or be someone to lean on when times are hard. President or not I still consider myself to be a leader and sometimes leaders have to step back when it's time to do so." I smiled to Victor and he smiled back, we both grabbed our hands and bowed just as if we had finished a play.
"Anything else you might want to add?"
"Not at all."
"Okay." I turned to Miss Mek.
"Thank you for the opportunity of letting myself introduce myself."
"Same here."
We both took our seats and I saw Victor look back at me. Last year when he had been Vice I was surprised because he was a very handsome man. He was tall, dark skin and was very athletic with curly hair that absolutely killed my insides. He flashed a smile at me and I just proceeded to nod in acknowledgment of me seeing his smile. Looking up I saw James looking at me and I caught his eyes staring.
"Okay talking about elections, I want to hear who you guys would like to nominate. I am assuming Jessica that kind of was your speech to represent us as Gems debate team?"
"Yes it was Miss Mek."
"Okay anyone else want to run."
Nobody else stood up and I was kind of flustered, I loved competing for what I wanted and no one was doing so. I ended up crossing my left leg over my right and waited patiently as she said who wanted to be the President allies. As in supporters when I got stumped in debate topics so three beautiful females came to the stand. One was Asian, Columbian and European. Many others came on the stand but these girls called my attention immediately. At the last minute a girl named Rebecca Stinger came forward for being President. She looked at me mockingly and went a represent her speech. She was an average female and with blonde hair and green eyes. Her body was an apple shape and it was attractive for some reason. Personally I didn't think she was all of that beautiful but her personality made her that way, attractive and James thought the same because he sent a week her way once she was done. She called some shots at me and everyone was like "ohhh". After she sat down everyone was still laughing hysterically and I just stood up and took the stand. I lifted my hand up to let them to know to stay quite or calm down while I talked.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Rebecca and all I got to say about you trying to demonize me is that I am not that type of person. I like saving the debating for a real cause and like I said if I am not this debates team representative that's fine by me." I smiled and sat down.
For some reason this astounded not only the students and the teacher but as well as James.
"Okay, well than everyone log into Kahoot and vote!"
Once we got everyone's votes that had entered through either app or browser everyone had chosen me. Everyone applauded and turned to me looking very happy to my astonishment.
"Jessica who would you like to nominate as your co-captains?"
Everyone turned and looked excitedly and I let out a sigh.
"I thought all of your speeches where genuinely amazing but three of you captured my eyes. Margaret, Kristina and Cassidy if you guys would do me the honors of being on my team?"
All three of there faces brightened up and nodded.
"Okay, it is settled and now moving on I want each one of you to talk to both me and James so start forming lines in to whoever you wish to speak first."
Every student did so except Margaret, Kristina and Cassidy they were separated in the room and it looked like they had no friends. So I waved all three of them over and smiled.
Margaret had red hair and hazel eyes with doll freckles. She was very tall probably six feet and her body was skinny. Kristina had tan skin and very curvy body with curly hair that I would kill for I absolutely loved it and her eyes where brown as mine but hers fit her so perfectly. Cassidy had black straight hair and she was around my height and her persona gave me and idea that she was very innocent. But I had come across girls like these and in reality there was no such things as too innocent. As they approached me I ended up complimenting each one of them and we split into two. Margaret,Kristina, than Cassidy was with me. Me and Cassidy talked about cultural differences in our goals but as well as how we wanted to get more involved with the community. I had to say me and this girl had so much in common it made me feel that just maybe I had found my best friend. Cassidy and I where in Miss Mek's line, I already new her for almost two years. Yes you would think more but she barley moved here from out of state. I sat down and waited for Cassidy to finish and than moved on to James line. Every time he was done with a student they would end up leaving the classroom and just like yesterday it was again going to be me talking to him by myself. Nope not going to let that happen so when Cassidy was done I stood up from the chair and smiled at her. She looked at me confused and I kept on walking with her to leave the classroom until Miss Mek stopped me. Cassidy gave me a re-ushering smile and walked out, all I could do was turn around.
"Miss Mek I already know James there is no need to talk to him,"
"Jessica yes there is you and him are our representatives you guys need to get things cleared out about how to lead this class. I am going to leave you two to it and I'm going to get me and James some food to eat so you better hurry or your going to starve in your next class period. Let me also clarify this you can't avoid this or I'll cut your budget for the designs of our outfits and I know you love designing them." She than turned to look at James and said,
"Will you tell me if she actual talks to you or even sounds serious in the conversation?"
"Of course, gorgeous lady," she nodded happy and left.
I looked at him and walked down to his table and sat down in front.
"Okay, so let me set some rules and that is if I give you an idea you will never ignore my opinion. Okay?" I nodded.
"Also designing the outfits, that is going to be me. Understood?!"
"Wait what? You just heard Miss Mek say it was going to be me."
"Yea but I want to do it so I am going to do it," he said this with a smirk.
"No your not!"
"Lower that voice you don't sound elegant at all and I can tell you try very hard to do so."
My face flustered yet again like every conversation I had when someone took shoots at me when I was trying to accomplish something so hard.
"What does my composure have to do with anything?"
"Everything."
"Look I understand you don't like me because you think I am somewhat uneducated and I can't meet your standards. But that doesn't mean you can treat me like however you like. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." I stood up and was about to leave.
"Look princess your going to do whatever I say or your going to have consequences."
"As if!" I started storming out and out of my shoulder I heard him say.
"You still look horrible even though you tried so hard to look presentable!"
That stopped me dead in my tracks but instead of giving him that reaction he wanted I just held my head even higher and walked out. How could someone be so rude it just left me astonished.
****
To my mere pleasure I had no other classes that he would be helping out with and I was happy. I did pass him a couple of times and saw him flirting with different girls on multiple occasions by the end of the week that's what every girl was talking about. I did feel a ping of hurt because he found every other women in this school remorsefully attractive... except me and that did hurt my self confidence a little bit and that was fine. I couldn't believe I was thinking of him and I barley had woken up. I undid my braids and pulled out a skirt that had a bow in the front with a black body suite shirt than adding some black heals. I ended up making my makeup a little bit more seductive with black eyeliner and a tame red lip stick. People at the school had already gotten used to my new look and I had gotten asked out on multiple occasions now but I declined all there offers as kindly as I could. I wasn't interested in anyone at the moment and that made me obviously notice that I had no burden of either being crushed by the one I would think belong to me. As I walked down the hall I bumped into a petit girl and she dropped all her school books. My face turned red as a cherry as I scrambled down to my knees as fast as I could and helped her pick up her books.
"I'm so sorry," I said to the girl.
"You better be!"
To the side of her was no other than James Williams and so this was his next victim. The girl smirked and looked at him.
"Babe she's not worth out breath okay.?"
"Your right." He grabbed her by the waist and walked away.
"What a douche bag." Kristina said.
"Eh. Who cares let's see who's a waist of breathe once he dumps her and he moves on to his next victim,"
All three of them laughed and all of us walked to debate and as always James was flirting with other girls and this time it was with my three friends. Yet again I felt the ping but I ignored it. Once the bell rang I went to the computers and continued with the designs. I hadn't noticed that James and Miss Mek didn't know I was in the class. I started hearing them make out so I saved my progress and tip toed out as soon as possible only to catch his eyes that had a devilish smirk sent my way. It only sent me chills so I tried to run as fast as possible. I ended up going to the school library and finishing up our logo this year it was a Garnet which was the birth stone of January.
****
Last moment tweaks as I finished I felt someone tap me and it was no one else but him. I just smiled revealing my dimples that where caused by my piercing and finished my work.
"Hey. I just came to tell you to not tell anyone what you saw in the classroom."
I looked up. "Sure thing." I looked back down.
I saved the progress and shut down the computer, I stood up to him following me.
"I just want to say I'm sorry for being so rude to you,"
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I just want to,"
"Okay thank you."
I was about to walk away, when he grabbed my hand.
"Every girl desires me except you so I will give you a chance to impress me.8pm sharp so be ready."
"You don't even know where I live."
"Yea your my neighbor."
"Your lying."
"Why would I?." He said with a smirk.
"See you tomorrow doll!" He screamed over his shoulders.
Did I honestly just get asked out?