Hailey's POV:
I watched as the soccer team kicked the ball back and forth.
Coach Carmelo had an emergency, so she had to leave early today.
So, here I am, in my nice, freshly cleaned track and field outfit.
"Boo!"
My body shook slightly before I saw who scared me. "Hey," I said.
Leslie smiles, "The girls and I are going to grab some burgers. You in?"
I fidget slightly in my seat before my sight jumps back to Josh. He leaped in the air before giving his teammates high fives when he scored a goal. We made eye contact, and he waved eagerly before he pointed at the goal.
I gave him a thumb up.
"It's okay if you don't wanna go," Leslie said.
My attention returned to her then it went towards the group a few rows down. After Leslie added me to their group messages, I tried several times to respond. But, right when I found the courage, the topic changed.
Then, the anxiety sets in.
What if they find me boring and decide to kick me out of the group chat?
What if they think I'm stuck up and decide they don't want to talk to me anymore?
The longer I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt.
Leslie waves a hand in front of my face. "You still there?"
I tend to zone out a lot.
"Y-Yes."
"Well, I'm gonna-"
I stood up, "Yes!"
"Yes?"
"I would love to join." It's now or never.
The M.I.N.D meeting doesn't start until later, so I have some spare time. I shouldn't use it all to watch Josh play soccer and hope he would take off his shirt.
I'm doubtful he would since it's late February.
"Awesome! I'll tell the girls, and you go break the news to Romeo?"
"Romeo?"
"Josh."
"Oh." I nod eagerly. I watched as Leslie walked toward her friends for a moment before I went down to the field. The grass was a bit wetter than I thought it would be. I wonder how they're able to play under this type of condition.
I pushed my hands into my hoodie and felt the number of stares increase as I got closer to Josh.
He had his back turned towards me.
I can hear him laughing at something someone said.
When one of the guys in the circle noticed me, I placed my hands over my lips.
I may not talk to most of the guys, but I'm familiar with them.
He shakes his head.
When I crept close enough, I grabbed Josh's waist and screamed.
That was the stupidest thing I could have ever done.
Josh grabbed my arm and flipped me over his shoulder. Before I knew it, I was on the dirt with my soul barely attached to my body. I was worried about how I would tell Josh that I would hang out with the girls from track, but that doesn't seem like an issue right now.
Right now, my biggest issue would be how to stay alive.
Every went blurry for a moment before I heard: "Holy fuck. Fuck. Are you okay?" Josh holds me up.
I could see three of him.
When I could finally see only one of him, I said: "Yeah. I'm fine. I see you have been practicing your karate."
Josh supported me, "Hailey. Why would you sneak up on me like that?"
"I thought I could scare you."
"You can scare me any time except during practice. Okay?"
"Why?" I ask.
"The guys," he mumbled into my ear. That explains why the guy I made eye contact with earlier shook his head furiously. This isn't the first time Josh flipped someone over for trying to scare him. "You okay?"
"Other than my spine rearranging. I think I'm fine." I pound a fist on my back.
Josh looks around, "Come on. Let's sit over there." Josh supported me on the bench. He pokes my back.
I scream obnoxiously loud.
"Oh shit. Hailey. I'm so sorr-"
I laugh, "Got ya."
His worried face disappeared almost entirely. "What do you want from me?"
I place a hand on my lower back, "Ow. My back."
He huffed a breath before he massaged me.
I smile, "I was going to tell you to head to the club room without me."
"Hm?"
"I'm going to hang out with the girls from track."
Josh's head turns towards the direction of the benches. "The ones you've been messaging?"
I nod.
"Alright. Have fun."
After a few more seconds, I got up and stretched.
Josh slaps my butt.
I turned towards him with widened eyes, "You have to stop doing that!"
He shrugged, "It's one of my coping mechanisms."
"What are you coping with?"
"The fact that my girlfriend is hanging out with her girlfriends instead of her boyfriend."
I gave him a snarky look as I walked back towards the girls with my butt away from him.
He grinned mischievously before he puckered his lips.
He gave me air kisses.
When I didn't return it, he screamed: "Kiss me back!"
I cannot believe he said that out loud. How embarrassing.
"Kiss me back!"
Does he not know everyone is looking?
"Kiss me b-"
I blew him several air kisses and ran away.
"Josh and you are on a whole new level of embarrassment."
My face scrunches into an ugly form. What scares me is the fact that I don't dislike it. I grabbed my duffle bag to see Josh back in the field.
His teammates are giving him air kisses.
I laughed lightly when he gave them all air kisses but with an irritated-looking face.
I'm pretty sure they're mocking him right now, and he wouldn't admit it, but he enjoys the mockery from his friends.
The inside of Olivia's car smells like a pine tree.
"It's my dad," Olivia said. "Old man loves pine trees." She drives us towards our destination.
I adjusted myself behind the driver's seat to get comfortable. There's light music in the background and cool air from the lowered window inside the car.
"Are you okay over there, Hailey?" Leslie asks.
"Yes."
"I know my car is nothing compared to what you're used to," Olivia said. "But, I can promise you it won't stop in the middle of the road."
"Oh no. It's nice," I responded. "It's been a while since I've been in a car that won't make me feel like my life is about to end."
They all laugh.
"What?" Alina question.
"Crystal and Ahmend like to drive really fast. I'm not good with fast cars."
"What about Josh?" Dawn question.
Olivia hits Dawn.
"What? We all want to know."
"Know?"
Dawn turns around, "Come on. Spill the beans. We're all interested in Josh's life, so let's get it over with."
"Dawn!" Leslie hissed.
"Oh. I don't mind." It's not unusual for girls to ask me about Josh. He's really popular. I tucked my hair back, "He drives slow in fast cars."
They all look at me.
"We meant personal things," Dawn said.
"Personal things?"
"You know-" She sticks out her tongue and wiggles her eyebrows
"Dawn!" Leslie hits her a few times.
"What?! What! I need to know before I explode!"
They began to bicker.
I scratch my head, "Personal things?" My jaw tightens for a moment. What can I say about Josh? "Josh is really nice," I said.
They stop bickering.
"He's very sweet." I unconsciously smile, "He cares...alot." I bit my lower lip, "Oh. He snores when he sleeps. And he doesn't like to eat his vegetables, but he does it anyway because-" I stop talking when I notice all eyes are dead set on me.
"That's not the kind of juice I was looking for," Olivia said.
Leslie chuckles, "You are so in love."
"L-Love. Well, I mean - yeah. I mean, no. B-But-"
"Awwww," Olivia pouts. "Hay Bug loves Joshie Pooh?" She gives me air kisses.
Another level of embarrassment.
"Hay Bug! Give me kisses too!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
At that moment, I couldn't help but laugh along with them. I've always seen it; how Josh jokes around with his friends. I know he likes it, the youthful happiness. But I don't know how it feels.
I'm surrounded by people who cherish me, but sometimes I don't feel like I connect with them. Somehow, Josh and Crystal feel like they live in a different world. Out of my reach.
And maybe, one day, out of my sight.
But, these girls?
They're familiar.
A little bit.
Just a tiny bit.
I can understand why the prestige and scholarship students are separated. Even when we're all humans, it feels like we live in two different worlds. They feel foreign, a different type of species that somehow looks like us.
Let's forget that for now.
Now, I would like to bathe in this warm happiness with this simple group of girls that I would like to one day call my friends.