Cry-Baby

Chapter 2

6:50! Crap!! Running late to school was not okay. I had to throw my frizzy hair into a bun and grab the first clothes I could find in my closet.

Dammit Clyde! If it wasn't for him being such a jerk, I wouldn't have stayed up late in bed considering what I could have said and what I wish to say. I was so angry with myself last night for being such a wimp which made me lay wide awake. I was at least happy my mom didn't try to talk to me about it.

I guess breakfast was out of the question I thought to myself as I made a beeline to the door and into my mom's car. "Thanks for waking me up!" I said sarcastically as I looked at how smug she looked in her penguin pajamas.

"Coffee?" She asked and handed me a mug. "And I did wake you up, but you fell back to sleep! I assumed you had a bad time yesterday and needed time to rest."

"I did! But that doesn't mean you allow me to be late to school! What if I never woke up? You were just sitting here! You don't even have work today!" I said exasperated. "Would you have sat here all day?"

"Ahh be quiet! Your internal clock doesn't allow you to be late to school even if you're running late. Your brain has never once allowed you to sleep in too late and I would be shocked if it started happening now." She finalized turning on the radio to some 80's station. Ugh.

I got to school right before the bell rang and smiled lightly to myself at my punctuality. I suppose my mom was right. I got out my notebook and started flipping through the pages when somebody opened the door. I looked up to see Clyde and two of his friends walk in with him. The classroom got a bit quieter as these kids were pretty well known and liked, for whatever reason that could possibly be.

We made eye contact, his face looking bored out of its mind and I looked down quickly to rummage my bag for a pen. I could feel the cold sweat run down my spine as I felt just a tad bit nervous.

When he ignored me and just made his way to the back of the classroom with his group, I knew I was good. Well why would he have spoken to me now anyways? He's not one to care for anything anyways.

The day went on as usual. I met up with my best friend Dani, short for Danielle, and we spoke and laughed. I was finally in good spirits. And then double physics happened.

"Since everytime I allow you all to pick your own partners you don't get much work done I have to resort to picking your partners." My physics teacher said, recieving loads of groans and sighs as a response. "However, if you all do this thoroughly, you can choose your partners next time. And next time if you don't work again, I'll do this for the rest of the year!" He announced, and went to grab a sheet of paper.

"Okay. Jacob, you will be working with Jennifer. Nicholas, you are with Briana. Clyde, you are with Alexa." He laughed demonically, and came up to my desk chanting, 'I know what happened to you yesterday, and I'm hear to make you suffer!'

Well, he didn't do all that, but when I looked over to see a smirk on Clyde's face, I knew they must have plotted this.

He came up to my table, which was good because I was definitely not going to him, and he just sat there twirling his pencil. I opened my textbook and started to read the directions on how to assemble the contents of the mini briefcase my teacher gave to each group. "So, we have to put 3 lightbulbs on this board, and see if when we remove one at a time if the light gets brighter; more or less." I explained simply to him.

"So, you left really abruptly yesterday. My mom said it looked like you were about to cry, is that true?" He said, now looking at me, still twirling his pencil.

I don't understand why he found such pleasure in making girls cry and I definitely didn't want to tell him I actually did, so I ignored him and started assembling the project.

It was quiet for a small while, and I was happy to have something to do. "I don't understand any of this." Clyde sighed, and looked intently at what I was doing. I really didn't want to try and explain it to him, he didn't even seem to care about the project anyways, just the grade.

"Listen, I'll just do it and we can both take credit in the end." I stated simply, not once looking at him.

"Wow, your hot-tempered today. I bet you really did cry yesterday and now your holding a grudge." He put down his pencil and from the corner of my eye I could see him lean back in his chair. "Your pathetic. But if you want to do this stupid project alone, I couldn't care less." He breathed.

I felt a bit peeved at how mean he was with no reserve, but I couldn't bring myself to shut him up. So I continued working on the project, not caring if I was being pathetic like he believed.

I was glad he stayed quiet for the rest of the period. I think he was just doodling in his notebook, but I didn't dare look at him.

Now was lunch time. And it only pained me that my school didn't seperate the seniors from the juniors at lunch time. He was a senior, I the junior, and although his table was pretty far from mine, where I sat and he sat was facing each other on the same side.

"Hi Dani, hi Rick." I greeted my two friends at my table. Dani was like my twin, although she was hispanic, and I was half black and white. Are skin tones were fairly the same, mine darker, and her hair straighter. We stood at the same height and only her boobs were a cup bigger than mine. I didn't care, my b-cups suited my thinner stature.

Rick was extremely funny, and he was black with the most gorgeous honey brown eyes, he almost appeared blind. My eyes, were golden brown and just a few shades darker than his. I loved these two people so much they were simply A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

"Hey girly." Dani greeted with her usualy greeting. "Why you look so glum?" She said as she sat down, grabbing her pizza, only to stuff it in her mouth. She wasn't very classy.

I told them what happened with Clyde and couldn't help but cry as they looked so sorry for me. Telling people what was wrong was almost as bad as the expierience itself. They gave me their sympathizing words, Rick telling me to curse him the buck out.

As they spoke I looked over at Clyde who happened to glance my way. I looked down, wiped at my face and when I looked up again, I notice his look wasn't just a glance. He was openly staring at me with his signature bored look. The feeling of anxiety grew within me as I looked back down at my half eaten burger. He's not supposed to get the satisfaction of seeing me cry. And something by the staring told me he knew it was because of him.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go into the bathroom and wipe my face," I paused to sniffle, "I'll see you in class Dani." I stated and didn't even bother with my tray just turned around quickly and was just glad that I didn't have to pass anybody since the door was right by my table.

In the bathroom mirror I glared at my stupid face. My eyes were bloodshot, and I had red splotches on my entire face. My hair, that was done sloppily in the morning, did not do me justice. Was I really walking around with a birdsnest on my head? No wonder my friends felt so bad for me. I looked like I just recieved news that my mom and dad were slaughtered and I would have to move to a shelter and drop out of school.

I sat in a stall, as I actually have done a few times in the past, and just played some games on my phone, waiting for the reddness to dissolve before going to class. I was just glad that lunch still had 20 more minutes left.

2 days in a row, I managed to cry for Clyde Wood. He definitely gained a spot on my list of people I had to avoid. I was too forgiving, and being in his path would only destroy me. But seeing how the universe has worked for me in the past, I couldn't help but feel like life had turned on its xbox, and I was the new character in its game.