The Nerd [BXB]

4 𖠇 Night Book Discussions

Honestly, I used to not have a problem with my body. . . until I entered high school. That is when random guys would slam me into the lockers and call me "spaghetti arms." From then on, I have worn oversized sweaters all throughout the years, even when the weather is as hot as it will ever get.

"So?" I ask her, picking the phone up and facing the mirror covering my closet door. "Are you sure this looks good? I do not really feel like me."

"You look perfect!" Genesis squeals, grinning widely. "Now get some dark skinny jeans and ruffle your curls a little more."

   I do as she says, searching through my closet for the black pants and messing with my hair. Once that is done, I send a text to Harvey. 'Ok,' it says, 'I got as cute as I will ever get.'

   It does not take long for him to answer me with: Send me your address, I will pick you up.

   I chew the inside of my cheek, thinking if I should proceed any further with this. I let the phone rest in my lap as my eyes drift to my computer, where my writing rests with the hope that many readers get to experience it someday. "Fudge it!" I snap, sending him my address.

   'I will be there in a few minutes,' he sends. 'Be ready.'

   I throw the phone to my pillow and let myself fall back into the comfortable mattress. I take my glasses off and start rubbing the top of my nose. "Everything will be fine, Theo," I try to convince myself.

Never in my entire life have I went out with someone that is clearly into me. I blame the fact that nobody has ever been interested in me before. Because of that, the only men I found myself into were those I had created for myself in my books. They are the perfect boyfriend for me and the kind of love story I hope I deserve. The gentlemen in my writing would never actually kiss, hug, or cheat on me—but most importantly, they would never hurt me.

That is all that matters to me.

I open my bedroom door slowly, avoiding the squeaky sound before I tippy-toe down the hallway and to my mother's bedroom. Luckily, she always leaves her door open so I simply have to peek inside. Her red-strawberry hair can barely be seen because of the darkness as it spreads over her pillow. I focus on the rhythm of her chest, up and down with each breath.

"Mom," I whisper, not wanting to scare her with a loud voice.

Her chest still rises and lowers, but she shifts to her left side. That is when the sheets fall of her chest to reveal what she is holding between her arms. Under her grip, laying on top of her chest rests a picture frame of her, momma, and I. The three of us together at the park—years back before the fighting started.

I rest my head on the door and sigh loudly, a sudden hollowness filling my chest. That is when I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, scaring me. I do not have to read the screen to know who it is. Instead of waking my mother and asking for permission, I decided to do something that I never thought I would do: Sneak out.

Besides, it is not like I have been myself these past few days. I am stilling waiting for the moment when I snap back to reality and realize that all of this is just a long-lasting dream. Honestly, there is no other explanation as to why I am going out in the middle of the night to meet a boy from my school that so happens to be "cool."

   Damn you, Harvey Cohen, for making me lose my morals.

The night wind blows into my room as soon as I open the window, blowing some of the assignments I had placed on my bedside table. I could have gone through the front door, but I would have to leave it unlocked for when I returned. What would happen if some robber or bad-intentioned individual entered easily?

I look down from the second floor with a gut-wrenching feeling. I throw my leg out the opening and meet with a thick vine that crawls up the wall. Carefully, I let my weight on it while still holding from the window in case the vine ripped. The dark-green vine stays in place so I proceed to go down. Halfway down—

Snap!

Suddenly, there is nothing underneath me as I start falling down, feeling the air rushing past me. I only process that the vine has ripped when I land on the grass on my back, knocking the oxygen out of my lungs. I stay laying there for a minute, wheezing loudly.

"Theo!"

I hear a door close and footsteps nearing me. His face comes to focus on front of my eyes, eyebrows down with worry. "Who do you think you are?" he asks, taking my hand on his as I start to take deep breaths. "Tarzan?"

I start laughing as he extends his hand to me after standing up. His firm grip pulls me back to my feet easily.

"My car is parked nearby," he says, chuckling along with me. "I saw you coming out of the window and fall down."

I wipe dirt and remains of grass from my butt-cheeks. "Where are we going?" I ask.

He raises an eyebrow as we head to his red Nissan. "Why do you ask?"

"No one dresses that good for a book discussion," I say, examining his clothes.

He looks down at his ripped black jeans, plain-white t-shirt, and denim jacket. "You call this being 'dressed good'?"

I nod. "Considering the fact that you always wear jerseys and your letterman jacket."

"Ouch?" he says, unlocking his car and opening the passenger's door for me. "Are you saying that I have no sense of style?"

I thank him for opening the door for me and awkwardly get inside the warm vehicle. He runs around the car and gets inside the driver's seat. "Who cares?" I say. "Who am I to talk about style when all I wear are wool sweaters and khaki pants every day."

   "You are Theo Walker," he reminds me, hazel eyes twinkling on the darkness, "and you look beautiful no matter what you wear."

   I feel the heat rising up my neck to my cheeks. Thankfully it is dark enough for him to not notice me blushing. I look down at my lap as he faces forward, turning on the engine. Without him noticing me, I stare at him and smile.

   He looks at me after the engine roars to life. "Ready?"

   I grin. "Ready."

_____

A\N: Guys, I moved to a completely new state (New Mexico) a few days ago after living in a small town in Texas my entire life! Now I am scared of being the "new boy" in school and having to make friends all over again. (If I end up making friends...)

Any advice cause I'm terrified of starting school.