Dear Diary

Chapter 26

Luke furrowed his eyebrows. "You know, you don't really talk about him much. Is everything okay between you?"

Sophia paused. This was exactly the reason why she didn't like talking to people. They always bring up the relationship between her and her dad. 

"It's fine," she bit out a little harsher than she should have.

Luke nodded his head and looked down at his feet as they continued to walk in silence. Sophia felt a bit guilty for snapping at him like that, but her father was a touchy subject.

But, to be honest, she wasn't even sure why they were walking together. Sure, they had just come out of history, but it was lunch now and Luke normally went straight to the cafeteria. She didn't know why he was following her.

"So," Luke said after a moment, "the offer still stands about coming and sitting with me at lunch."

Ah. So, that's why he was following her. He wanted a reply. He had asked her at beginning of the history lesson. She seriously thought he was joking. She wasn't able to reply though, as the lesson had already begun.

But Sophia actually felt a little touched that he wanted to spend more time with her. She knew that she wasn't the best of company. However, she knew that she would stick out like a sore thumb: the loner amongst the populars. Even though it became apparent that Luke didn't see it the same way as everyone else did - he was rather oblivious to certain things. But the fact of the matter stayed the same. 

He was popular, she was not.

And Sophia really didn't feel like all the finger pointing ... not that it ever bothered her.

"Maybe some other time. I have a lot of work to do," Sophia replied. 

It wasn't a lie. Mr Evans had given them an avalanche of homework. She really didn't know what his problem was that he seemed to find pleasure in making everyone else's lives miserable.

"Oh, okay."

Sophia could hear the disappointment in his voice even though he smiled at her.

"Well, I guess I'll ... see you around then," Luke said and walked away from her with slightly slumped shoulders.

Sophia sighed. She didn't feel nice when she saw how down he looked at her refusal, but hanging out with the populars was never something on her bucket list.

Brushing the feelings aside, she turned and walked to her locker. The hallways were empty, everyone having gone to the cafeteria to eat. She put the combination in her locker and didn't pay any heed to the approaching footsteps until they stopped a few metres from her and a voice spoke.

"I see you didn't take me seriously."

Sophia glanced to the side as she took out a few books. It was the same girl from last week, but this time she had her posse behind her. She turned back to her locker. 

"I don't need to take you seriously. Who are you anyway?"

The girl looked taken aback, as if Sophia had just offended her greatly. One of her girls stood up to her defence. 

"Why, she's the Rachel Pierce, you idiot."

Sophia slammed her locker shut as she turned and locked eyes with the girl who spoke. "I wasn't talking to you," she said calmly, but her eyes flickered with warning.

Rachel held out her hand and the girl stumbled back, slightly unnerved by Sophia's gaze, and returned to the group like a well-trained puppy. 

Rachel flashed a false smile. "Look, Sophia. I'm sure you're a nice girl or whatever, but if you continue to talk to Luke, you and I are going to have a little problem. He's mine. Got it?"

Sophia merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise that Luke was an object."

Rachel glared at her. "You're on a high horse, girl. If you don't get off it, I'll have to make you get off it myself. Understand?"

"I understand that you view me as a threat or else you wouldn't have taken the trouble of talking to me."

Rachel scoffed. "Please, as if you are any threat to me."

Sophia kept her cool. "I've met people like you who think they're the best by gaining followers through fear." She stepped forward so that she and Rachel were eye-to-eye and glared. "But it doesn't work on me."

She held her position for a moment before stepping away and shrugging. "But no matter. I have no intention of hooking up with 'your' Luke. I'll be out of here in a few months anyway, so you can pine after him as much as you like. Just don't try to tell me what to do. Got it?"

She didn't wait for a reply as she turned and walked off, leaving a flabbergasted group of girls with their seething leader behind her.