𝐈 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐒.
sawyer carried something in his hands, making his way over to me.
"what do you want from me?" i asked, slamming my locker.
"i need to apologize to you." sawyer said.
"do it then."
"i'm sorry for treating you so badly. i misjudged you and thought you were another stuck up rich girl. and i shouldn't have ever done that. because i knew nothing about you. the garbage thing was for bella, we thought she was gonna shower and break our ritual. please forgive me." sawyer finished.
i blew a bubble, thinking for a moment.
"no." i said.
his face fell.
"i'm just kidding." i said, walking away from him.
"where are you going?" sawyer asked.
"to sign up for the football team again." i said, walking towards the football locker room.
inside of it was newt, holding a piece of pink paper.
"pink paper, glitter pen, and a bunch of guys' names in numbered order." troy said. "my sister makes these all the time. gentlemen, what we have here is pepper's crush list."
"am i on there?" i asked, walking towards them and shoving my things back into my locker.
"cherry!" troy said.
"you're back!" newt pushed sawyer out of the way.
"i missed talking to you and watching baja beach and i missed your perfume!" he shouted.
"i saw you like last, week." i reminded.
"pepper has a crush list? i mean- that's- whatever."sawyer said, trying to play it cool, despite his obvious interest.
i stared at him, but he looked away.
"check it! my name is at the top with a little star next to it. oh, and a little red heart!" troy pointed to the top of the paper.
"anybody else we know on the list?" sawyer asked.
"let's see. newt, you come in at a solid number seven. congratulations. ricky, you're nine, and luis, you're ten." troy read out, still staring at the list.
"i could never compete with that adorable face. i mean, look at him." ricky said.
"it's a blessing, and a curse." luis bragged.
"what number am i?" sawyer asked.
"you're.. not." troy said.
"what?" sawyer asked, quickly snatching the list from troy. "oh, that's impossible! huh. i guess if didn't have as much in common with her as i thought."
"what?" troy asked.
"oh, nothing." sawyer said. "i mean, i'm relieved. who wants be on some dumb girly list anyways?"
newt took the list from sawyer, scratching his name out desperately.
"what are you doing?" sawyer asked.
"sophie cannot see my name on her best friends crush list!" newt panicked.
"maybe i should buy her some apology chocolates?" newt suggested. "my stepmom, brenda, loves chocolates."
"i don't think sophie wants chocolate from you. but she'd take it." i encouraged.
"she locks herself in the pantry and eats them while crying, what i can only assume are tears of joy." newt said. "we have a very happy family."
"i can tell." i nodded.
"don't make a big deal out of it." troy said.
"yeah, just cause someone's not on some stupid list doesn't mean they're not awesome." sawyer said.
"right." i nodded.
i walked past the team, and into coaches office.
i signed back up for football, and re-organized my things into my space in the girls part of the locker room.
«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»
i crossed a day off my calendar, admiring my new outfit in the small mirror.
"this is the second time i've seen pepper trying to sneak a picture of me." newt said.
pepper was positioned awkwardly, like she was trying to take a secret picture, just like i do whenever i see a decently cute person.
"yeah, tell me about it." troy said, closing his locker.
"she sat next to me in math class, and she was totally checking me out." troy said.
"i mean, not that i blame her. but, still." troy said.
"i know, she asked me to move earlier so she could get to her locker. i mean, give me my space." sawyer said, trying to relate.
"yeah, i doubt she was looking at you." i stared.
"you know, i think we need to be mature and talk to her, let her down easy." troy said.
"explain that i am a ladies man, who can't be tied down." troy said, pointing at himself.
"troy, i know you're getting no bitches with that lime green baseball hat." i said, taking it off of him.
"i could get any girl i want!" troy said.
"you wish." i said.
"and newt, you've got that whole unrequited love thing with sophie." troy pointed out.
"well, it's not really unrequited when she asks me for a pencil and keeps it for the whole day." newt said, as if it was a sign she loved him.
"newt, baby, you're obsessed." i said, giving him a pitying look.
"point is, we're not available, and she needs to know that. come on sawyer, you can listen." troy said.
"sawyer gets no bitches." i said. "and i'm telling you guys, she doesn't like you."
pepper tried to run off.
"hey, pepper." troy said, just as she was about to turn around
"hey, guys." pepper said awkwardly.
"so, look. we just wanted to talk to you about, um, feelings! for example, i have many feelings for many different ladies. a gaggle, if you will." troy said.
"no man who gets bitches says gaggle. who wanna watch me juggle?" i asked, pulling out my oranges.
"oh, i do!" sawyer said, and i started juggling the oranges.
i quickly put the last orange into sawyers hand. the other two had gone flying at him prior.
"sawyer! why would you hit people with oranges?" i asked.
"newt, you're up." troy said.
"i like sophie!" newt said, running up the stairs.
troy ran in the other direction.
"okay, what's wrong with them?" pepper asked.
i shrugged.
"they got problems." sawyer asked. "hey, can i ask you something?"
i pulled a box of chicken nuggets out of my backpack.
"i don't have any sauce. whatever. i'll just rawdog these nuggets." i shrugged, watching their conversation.
"do you like my new boots?" sawyer asked.
"yeah, they're actually really cool." pepper said.
"thank you! when i first saw them, i didn't think they were my type. but then i realized the boots and i had a lot more in common than i thought." sawyer said, taking his foot off of the couch.
"you know what i didn't do? i didn't look at all the other available boots and put 'em on a boot list." sawyer said.
"sawyer, what are you talking about?" pepper asked.
"here's a hint, i'm not talking about footwear." he said.
"nice boots, huggins! those are going on my boot list." coach spoke, as he walked by.
"aw, sugar beets!" sawyer said, running away.
i offered pepper a nugget, while she ran off to make a boot list.
i watched awkwardly as troy, sawyer and newt stared at pepper and i from a ledge.
i put on a layer of lipgloss, standing up and holding my purse.
"look, i know it hasn't been easy, but you'll forget all about us in no time." troy reassured her.
"i have no idea what you're talking about." pepper said.
"great first step!" troy said, giving her a thumbs up.
"okay, bye." pepper said awkwardly. "oh, sawyer, i've been meaning to tell you! i've started a boot list. total game changer."
«───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ─────»
i sat down at the starcade table next to pepper, setting down my cherry milkshake.
"you know, it's really hard to take insta pictures when the smoothie glasses are built like sawyers ugly ass boots." i said, taking a sip.
sawyer strolled by.
"oh, hey girls! i didn't see you there." sawyer said, wearing an ugly shirt.
"sawyer, what are you doing?" pepper asked
"oh, just chillin, maxin, relaxin. you know, this is how we do."
"ugh, you smell like newt. and what's with the clothes?"
"you don't like it?"
"no."
"ugh, i give up. here's your crush list back."
"crush list? oh, this isn't a crush list. it's a makeover list."
pepper explained that the people on the list needed the most fashion help.
"sawyer! if i did have one of those crush list thingies, are you saying you'd wanna be on it?" pepper asked.
"well, i'd- you see, for- well, um. yes, yes i would." sawyer said.
"huh, good to know."
"what if i had one of those crush lost thingies, would you wanna be on it?"
"yes, yes i would."
cherry was disgusted.