Rock, Paper, Scissors

7: Cute, you say?

My only consolation was having Rachel in my group. She's a good student and I liked her. She didn't care about social statuses or other superficial things and was nice to everyone without discrimination. Plus, she's funny. 

At some point, I wanted to set her up with Noah. They would be perfect for each other, but my stupid best friend had to be in love with Laura for the past I don't know how many years. 

Not that I have anything against Laura, just that she hangs with Trisha who is one of the nastiest girls I'd have ever met; and you know what people say: Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell who you are.

"Okay then, hmm, how about we start by choosing a theme?" Anne asked.

We debated and decided to work on the colonization of America, we're all bouncing ideas off each other. All except Nick, who hadn't contributed with anything since we started and was simply slouching on his chair with a bored expression. 

I swore I was not going to do the work for him, if he wanted to be lazy that's his problem and shouldn't be ours. I'll tell him that.

The bell finally rang, and the room was quickly cleared. I gathered my things and noticed that Nick was already gone, so I ran out to catch him in the hallway. It's easy to spot him and I ran to him, calling out his name, which he proposedly ignored of course. 

When I got to him, I grabbed his arm. He turned to me, not surprised as he clearly heard me before, and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, I'm going straight to the point. You didn't say anything the entire class, didn't show any interest in the work we have to do, no comments, no ideas. Nothing. So, I just want to make it clear that you shouldn't expect us to do all the work because we won't. And if you want your name on that presentation you better do your part."

He looked over my head, distracted by something he sees behind me. And yes, he could do that, because despite not being small – I'm of average height – he still was almost a head taller me.

I snapped my fingers in front of his frowning face to get his attention. "Hey, I'm talking to you."

That worked and he looked back at me. "Okay. Got to go," he rushed away.

I swear... this guy...

My fists clenched and I turned to get to my locker, frustrated that Nick didn't take me seriously. As I walked, distracted, I bumped into someone. I lost my balance, as the person was clearly heavier than me but didn't fall. However, as I tried to regain my balance, I dropped my things.

"I'm so sorry," I said at the same time as a masculine voice, as we both kneeled to gather my things.

"No, it's my fault. I was distracted, as always. I really should focus more on what's in front of me," I admitted. "I'm sorry."

I looked up at him as he handed me my notebook and I was met with beautiful deep blue eyes that adorn a charming face. The face of Manson Wilde, the untouchable football player.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He offered me a sweet smile that made dimples appear on each side of his round mouth. I smiled back and said goodbye before walking to my locker, not unaffected by this cute side of Manson.

I opened it hoping I would find another mysterious note. I had become addicted to them and hadn't received one in a while. I was pleasantly surprised to find a pale pink card folded in the shape of a heart.

"You look especially cute today. Maybe I'll say 'Hi'."

I couldn't help but blush. I didn't know who sent me these notes, but they always made my day. I didn't believe anyone could find me cute especially with an oversized sweater, but I took it anyway. Excitement then rose in me as I focused on the last phrase.