As Told by Nerdy
By Shim Simplina
All rights reserved. 2012©
Published under Summit Media PopFiction 2016
Available nationwide in the Philippines. Get your ebook via Buqo.
Other works by Shim Simplina:
Reapers Chronicles
Reapers-Thirteen Brothers (published)
Reapers-The First Familiar (completed)
Reapers-Master of Souls
Nerd Diaries:
How To Date a Nerd (completed)
Filipino Stories:
31 Days to Die
#LoveTeam
Prologue
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
−Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
And they lived happily ever after — six words that illustrate how everything ends in every fairy tale known to man. It was what every girl strives for throughout the centuries.
The perfect love story with the perfect man; who gives roses when she’s irate. A man, who after stargazing with his love professes that no star would brighten his life more than her smile. Someone to embrace her tightly despite her struggle and during her worst days would kiss her, look into her eyes and tell her she’s beautiful. And most of all, one man whose love withstands the test of time in the hope of being gray-haired and old together.
I could only dream about this pettiness.
I have long given up on finding romance. Let’s get this straight. I am not your average heroine who would probably be one of the following; one, the face that sailed a thousand ships; two, a vampire or the mate of the alpha; three, filthy rich; four, amazing in sports, martial arts or other skills of the sort; five, possess a certain magical ability; six, extremely lucky and lastly combination or all of the said qualities. In fact, I don’t exactly fit in any of these categories. I wouldn’t probably get a date in the Junior Prom.
If it had you wondering, well I would say you are wrong. I am not an alien or something from beneath the surface of the earth for that matter. I am in fact a human, but a strange one at that. Or at least that's what I assumed since everybody treated me differently.
Who knew a measly pair of glasses could be such a powerful thing? It could either make or break you. But mostly break you... through high school... and for life. I should know. And yes, I am a glasses-wearing nerd to admit it; category seven.
You might lose interest at this point and you are free to do so since it would save me another humiliating, traumatic but mostly idiotic recount of my life.
All I wanted to do was get to college, earn a degree, become say a teacher or a doctor, get an apartment far, far away from my mother, live with a golden retriever and stay alone for the rest of my pathetic existence.
I was so sure about my future, until he came with his secret. From that day, my life was never the same.
“Sarah Littman?” The teacher called my name.
I raised a hand glancing up at the Geometry teacher Mr. Collins.
“Present, Sir.” My second year in Hopkinton High School was about to end in not more than three months, yet the teacher still didn’t remember me that well. I couldn’t blame him. I wasn’t particularly remarkable in many ways. I get flat A’s except in his subject, but I would not consider myself smart. It was all hard work, plus I got nothing to do but study.
As the teacher continued the roll call, my best friend Rebecca Tyrone—also known as Becky—who was sitting behind me prodded my back with her notebook.
She motioned for me to lean closer. “What is it?” I hissed.
Becky watched the teacher and shrugged. “Have you heard of the rumors?”
“Apparently not,” I muttered bemusedly.
She sneered seemingly proud of herself.
“You won’t believe it, I bet!” There was excitement in her voice but Becky tried her best to keep it down.
“Spit it out and get it over with, will you?” I blurted glumly, scribbling nonsense on the back of my Geometry notebook.
Becky paused a little longer as if to torment me then cupped her chin with both her palms. “There’ll be a new student. And guess who it is?”
I scowled at her and didn’t say a thing. Becky has this annoying habit of making a fuss about everything.
“Leon Walden!” She beamed.
“Leon what?” I had no idea who she was talking about.
She rolled her eyes. “Leon Walden. The Leon Walden. Jeremiah? The Foreboding? Treasure Island 3? Ring any bells?” She continued mentioning phrases that meant nothing to me. “Oh come on… Leon Walden? Who sang Be Mine?”
“Okay.” I finally remembered a video I once saw on TV. “Even I know that song.” I said picturing the young blond singer who happened to star in a few movies. Don’t get me wrong. I love music, but I listen to those with sense, like Chopin or Beethoven or Michael Learns to Rock (old, I know, but Mom owns a ton of them so…), not to some teenager blabbering about conceited puppy love. I furrowed the gap between my eyebrows. “And you expect me to—“
“Are you out of your mind? I could just picture it. Leon Walden. He could be my seat mate. Isn’t that a dream?” Becky’s eyes twinkled.
I gave her a smirk. “Yeah. Right, Rebecca.” Soon enough I would eat my words.
I call her by her real name whenever I wanted to tease her since the fourth grade. Becky hated it so much but we’ve been the best of friends since. We could cast Becky in the category eight; the kind-hearted hopeless romantic who attained a low profile, not by choice.
The teacher paused after calling the last student then eyed suspiciously at me and Becky. I pretended to scan the pages of my Math textbook though I never did like the subject. Mr. Collins cleared his throat then tilted his head to the door.
“You may come in now,” he said.
The door opened and the class went very silent seeming to have been expectant of some extravagant event to happen. Everyone must have been aware of the rumor about Leon Walden. But to everyone’s dismay someone else stepped in front.
“Class, this is a transfer student from Rogue River High School, Leonard Dunn. Please make him feel welcome,” Mr. Collins said. “You can ask him questions, if he’s okay with it.”
The bespectacled boy pulled the gray and black striped beanie closer to his eyes and nodded without a word but it would not be hard to notice that he wasn’t quite alright with it. I immediately classified him under category seven. Welcome to the club! I sniggered silently, throwing Becky a peevish look.
Leon Walden my butt!
If I was that obtuse, I’d probably think that this would be the part when someone would exclaim, “Bless my soul! You’re Harry Potter,” and expect him to pull a wand from behind his pants.
Again, I sniggered quietly.
Becky nudged my back again. “Guess rumors are just rumors.” She smiled wryly, disappointment obvious on her freckled face.
I shrugged blankly. It didn’t matter much to me whether it was Leon Walden or not. The truth is I couldn’t really understand why some people make such a big fuss over it. Did they really expect some Hollywood star to begin throwing pebbles onto their windows at night and profess his undying love or something?
Leigh Murough flitted her auburn hair before raising a hand. “You’re not Leon Walden,” she blurted and the class burst with laughter.
The teacher’s eyes narrowed.
“It is quite obvious that Miss Murough isn’t on earth with us. Give my regards to the winged ponies, will you? Of course he isn’t Leon Walden.” Mr. Collins wiped the beads of sweat across his balding head. “I just told you his name. So… Any more questions? When I said questions, I meant significant ones.”
“If he’s not Leon Walden, then let’s see his hair!” Charrie Bolton yelled as the rest of the class jeered.
Even Becky was screaming at the top of her lungs; “TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!”
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Hi! I hope you enjoyed reading this... please keep those votes coming! Comments and fans are highly appreciated too... This my first story so please please I need your opinions and advise... please please please? *puppy dog eyes* Oh and don't forget to listen to the song. It is awesome :) <3 xoxo shim