Sooner or Later (Feat. 1D and 5SOS)

2. Casper and the Smurf

"English," Calum answered. "No idea where it is, though."

Emma sighed. "History."

"I have math," Luke said with far more enthusiasm than the other two.    

"Bummer."

He shrugged. "It's not that bad, actually. But, um, I'm gonna go put away my stuff and then head to class, so I'll see you guys at lunch." With a quick wave, Luke spun around and then walked off to find his locker.  

Emma stepped back. "Yeah, I should go too. Have fun in class!"

"Is that even possible?" Calum asked, glancing at Michael with a playful smirk.

Michael shook his head. "Definitely not."

Just then, the second warning bell rang, prompting all the students to scatter like ants beneath a heavy rain. With a little spring in her step, Emma merged with the crowd and started down the hall, feeling confident and excited to start the new school year.

She entered the classroom with a group of giggling girls who looked like they'd stepped right out of a magazine. Their long, shiny hair bounced as they stomped around, and their sharp stiletto heels snapped like whips across the tile. This high-heeled and short-skirted army charged into the classroom and laid claim to the group of desks in the very center of the room. Nobody dared to stand against them. One boy foolishly tried to sneak in and steal one of the seats, but one by one the girls whipped around and delivered this fierce, penetrative glare that made him shudder and scurry away. Wearing a heavy armor of makeup, the tallest of the brigade sat down in the empty seat and effortlessly tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Clutching her notebook to her chest, Emma stood at the front of the classroom, eyeing the seat beside the girl. It was an old, wobbly orange desk, large enough only for a single book, but it was right on the edge of their territory. If Emma played her cards right, she could earn a place among them. Yes, she could do it. She would do it. Taking a deep breath, Emma approached them with her head held high and seamlessly made the transition. The girls didn't even notice that she'd made the move, and she would use this to her advantage.

"So how was your summer?" Emma casually asked the girl beside her.

"Excuse me?" she said, granting Emma only the briefest of glances, but with that one look, she retrieved all the information she needed. In instant, she decided that not a single aspect of Emma's appearance made her worthy of attention, so she turned away and continued chatting with her friends.

She'd dealt a heavy blow to Emma's confidence, but she hadn't yet killed it. Emma gathered her strength for one more attack.

"I'm Emma," she said, going for a direct approach, which temporarily earned the blonde's attention. "You're Brittany, right? I really like your shoes. I wanted to get a pair for myself, but my mom wouldn't let me. She said I would twist my ankle." Emma chuckled at her own joke, but Brittany's face was like stone, fixed in this cold, vacant expression.

"Did she buy you that shirt?" she asked, making her friends snicker and snort.

"No," Emma replied, "my grandmother did."

"Oh," said Brittany, holding back a laugh. "My mistake," and then all the girls busted into a fit of giggles.

Emma sank a little in her seat.

"Hey, don't you hang around with those weird guys—you know, the ones who post all those stupid videos online? My friend sent me a link to one of them, and it was so sad. Like, they actually think people care."

"I had a class with two of them last year," added one of her friends. "That one with the lisp—I don't know his name—and then that Michael kid. They were really weird."