I hadn't ever liked football. I didn't know if it was because I was a girl, or because Sean had ruined it for me. I'd grown up with my father watching football all the time, and I had just never grown to like it very much.
"Don't Sean and Derrick look hot?" Cassie gushed, nearly melting right off the bleachers.
"They're wearing helmets," I reminded her flatly, rolling my eyes as I looked away from the field. "I can't tell who is who, so I know you can't."
She shrugged. "All the guys down there are hot. Sean's the best looking though. Derrick is a close second."
"Then why don't you just date Sean?" I snapped at her. "You seem very willing to."
"He doesn't like me like that." She sighed dramatically, and I felt like pulling my hair out. Cassie was just as pretty as I was, maybe even prettier. The only reason Sean liked me more was because he knew me longer. "He only sees me as a friend. But he really likes you, Leah! Maybe he even loves you!"
I wrinkled my nose and made a face. "He doesn't love me."
"You never know," Leslie piped up from beside us, finally looking up from her book and pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I mean, you've known him for six years. Since you've known him since you were kids, it's possible that he's in love with you."
I didn't think that it was very possible for a guy like Sean to fall in love with anyone other than himself. He may have been interested in me,but he was totally in love with himself.
"You should probably stop pushing her, Cassie," Leslie said, going back to her book and completely ignoring what was happening on the field. "If she doesn't like Sean, she doesn't like Sean."
"But what about you, huh?" Cassie smirked, completely ignoring what Leslie had said as she leaned closer to her. "You're partnered up with Derrick Smith, the hottest junior and the second hottest guy in school. You have to be excited about that, right?"
I could tell that Cassie wasn't happy that Leslie had become partners with Derrick, because she had been crushing on him ever since elementary school. She wanted me to date Sean, and then she wanted herself to date Derrick. She never expected Derrick and Leslie were going to have to spend time together.
It was obvious that Leslie was excited about being partnered with Derrick, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Anyone would have been excited to be partnered with one of the most popular guys in school.
"Yeah, sure I'm excited," Leslie shrugged, not even looking up from her book. That didn't make it look like she was excited at all. "It's better than being partnered up with Danny Duncan."
This was true.
I knew that Leslie liked Derrick, but Cassie didn't seem to notice at all. She was too busy pining after Derrick herself or trying to get me to go out with Sean that she barely noticed anything about Leslie.
Though I was with my friends, I was starting to get really bored. Cassie would gush over every guy and Leslie would read. I did absolutely nothing but look around for something, anything, to save me from this boredom.
My eyes lit up when I saw someone walking toward the parking lot. I jumped up from my spot in the bleachers, gaining the attention of my two best friends.
"Leah!" Cassie squawked. "Where are you going?"
I was hoping that she wasn't loud enough for Sean to hear, but this didn't stop me from continuing down the bleachers and toward the person I wanted to stop.
"Blake," I greeted even though he couldn't hear me, and I grabbed onto his shoulder to stop him from walking. He turned around, and I smiled at him. "Are you heading home?"
His music was as loud as it always was, but I didn't find it as annoying as I used to. "Uh, yeah," he nodded, glancing over at the scene that was taking place behind me. "So... you're r—really w—watching Sean and Derrick p—practice?"
I shrugged. "I didn't really have a choice."
Before I even knew what was happening, a football suddenly went flying and hit Blake in the side of the head, causing his headphones to rip from his iPod and fall right off his head and onto the ground. He stumbled a little, but didn't fall, and this surprised me. I would have certainly toppled over if I had been hit.
"Hey!" I shouted, turning around and glaring at the entire football team, even though I was sure of who did it. I just didn't know which one he was.
"Whoops!" Sean called out, and I could see that he was number twenty-three. He was laughing along with Derrick and the rest of their stupid friends over what he had just done. "Sorry, Solo! Didn't see you there!"
It took all my willpower not to stomp over to Sean and smack him. He deserved it after doing something like that to Blake. He would have deserved it if he had done it to anyone else, too.
"Sorry about them," I apologized with a sigh, bending over and picking his headphones up for him. I brushed the dirt off of them and handed them back. "They're really immature."
Blake was looking at me, his eyes wide. I wasn't expecting this from him, so all I did was stand there and stare right back as he held his headphones in his hands.
"You okay?" I found myself asking, just in case something was actually wrong. That football to the head couldn't have given him brain damage, right?
"It's just... your voice..." he said, blinking at me. "It's... really pretty."
I blinked at him. This was not something I was expecting from him. I felt a blush creep up my neck. Why the hell was I blushing over something Blake said?
"Th—thanks," I stuttered, biting down on my tongue right afterwards. Why was I stuttering now? "But... haven't you already heard it? I mean, that day when we ran into each other and I snapped at you..."
Blake shook his head. "I... couldn't h—hear you."
"Leah!" Sean called out, causing me to bite my tongue to stop myself from groaning. "We're gonna go change and then we're gonna go!"
"Fine!" I shouted back, not even turning toward him. There was no point in arguing.
"So... you're h—hanging out w—with him today, huh?" Blake now asked, slipping his headphones over his ears and turning his iPod back on full blast. "I... t—thought you didn't l—like h—him."
"I don't," I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and glancing over my shoulder at all the football players' retreating backs as they filed into the locker room. "But I'm doing it to please my friends. They want to hang out with Sean and his friends, and apparently they can't do it without me."
Blake nodded. "You're a g—good friend."
I sighed. "I guess I am."
I wasn't looking forward to spending any time with Sean, Derrick, or any other football players. I rarely even had fun when I hung out with Cassie.
"Are you busy today?" I found myself asking Blake, wondering if he was able to save me from spending any kind of time with Sean and his friends. I'd rather hang out with Blake than Sean, and I could have always just said that we were working on our project.
"Yeah... I am," Blake shrugged, giving me a sheepish smile. "Sorry about th—that."
"It's okay,"' I sighed, even though it really wasn't. There goes getting out of being with Sean. "How about tomorrow?"
Blake shook his head. "No, I'm... b—busy tomorrow, t—too. Sorry... I'm... I'm always busy on Mondays and Tuesdays."
"Doing what?" I asked.
He looked uncomfortable. "N—nothing important."
I didn't say anything more about it after that, because it was obvious that Blake didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, so I didn't press on for answers.
"Hey, Lee," Sean suddenly greeted out of nowhere, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. He then nodded toward Blake. "Solo."
Blake nodded, not saying a word to him. He might have been comfortable with talking to me now, but he definitely wasn't comfortable with talking to anybody else.
"You ready to go, Lee?" Sean now asked me. I hated that he was calling me Lee. He rarely ever did; I was pretty sure he was only doing it because Blake was there. But did he even know Blake could read lips?
"Yeah," I sighed, sounding unhappy and unenthusiastic. Sean didn't even notice how I was really feeling. But even though he couldn't hear me, Blake seemed to notice because he frowned.
"Awesome, babe." Sean removed his arms from my waist and reached over, taking my hand. I removed it from his grasp immediately and he glanced over at Blake. He then smirked and wrapped his arm around my waist. He was holding me so tight that I couldn't get away.
Did he seriously think that Blake was some sort of competition? I didn't like him that way! I didn't like either of them that way! At least I could stand being around Blake, unlike with Sean.
I waved goodbye to Blake before Sean could drag me off. I didn't complain as he kept his arm around my waist, and I kept silent all the way up until we got to our friends.
"Why were you talking to Blake Solo?" was the first thing Cassie said to me, her eyes in slits as she glared. I noticed that whenever she spoke about him, she used his first name as if it was some kind of swear word. "You were supposed to watch Sean and Derrick practice."
I rolled my eyes. "I can talk to my friend, can't I?"
Cassie's glare hardened. "We're your friends."
She was right, they were. It wasn't like I was saying that they weren't my friends.
"Can't I have other friends beside you guys?" I asked, a little harsher than I had meant to. Cassie looked offended. Obviously I couldn't have any other friends.
I said nothing else about the subject, and neither did the people I was with. We piled into Sean's car, and both Cassie and Sean insisted I sit in the passenger's seat even though I really didn't want to.
We ended up at an ice cream parlor a few miles away from school in town, and I really didn't have an appetite for anything. I really just wanted to go home and get away from these people for a little while.
As all five of us sat down at a table, with Sean and Cassie on either side of me, I noticed a couple at the table next to us sharing ice cream together. They looked very happy together, and I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of them. I wished I could have had that with someone. Someone who wasn't Sean or Derrick.
The boy at the table was teasing the girl, taking the spoon and lifting it toward her lips, as if he was going to feed her. But just as she was going to bite down, he removed it and ate it himself. This caused the girl to squeak and giggle, "Jesse, stop it!" every time. Every now and then he'd lead her lips over to his and kiss her. I couldn't help but find it cute. They looked like they were really in love.
Leslie wouldn't stop reading her book, and every now and then both Cassie and Derrick would look over at her and roll their eyes. They really were perfect for each other.
This just showed that Leslie was as bored as I was. At least she had something to do. I just got to sit there and listen to people talk.
"So I heard you were hanging out with Blake Solo at the diner on Saturday," Sean informed me as he draped his arm around the back of my chair, too close to my shoulders. If anyone were to see, they'd assume we were a couple. I looked over and glared at Derrick, who was looking at me and smirking. "Why were you with him?"
"He's my partner for our English project," I told him snappily. It felt like I had to retell that to everyone every single day. It was getting old. "I have to be friends with him for it. I've told everyone this already."
No one seemed to be able to get it through their heads. If it wasn't for this project, I wouldn't have had anything to do with Blake Solo. If they wanted to be mad at someone, they should have been mad at Mrs. Sparks, not Blake or me.
"Why not write a song about how much you two don't like each other?" Sean now asked, his arm moving to my shoulders when he saw that I wasn't going to pull away. "Or why don't you write a song about how you two just don't care about each other?"
"Because we won't get a good grade if we write a song like that," I sighed, removing his arm and scooting away from him. "And this project is really important for my grade. I'll probably fail the class if I fail the project."
Sean shrugged. "It's just one class. It wouldn't be a big deal if you failed it."
It was obvious that Sean was jealous, and he really thought that Blake was competition, but it wasn't like he had anything to worry about. I didn't like Blake that way. He was barely even my friend, though that was going to change once time went on. But I didn't like Sean that way either, so it didn't even matter!
I wasn't in the mood for ice cream anymore. I hadn't even been in the mood in the first place. I just wasn't really in the mood for anything right then. I just wanted to go home.
"Um, Cassie," I stalled, unsure of what her reaction would be once I told her this. "I... uh... I think I'm going to go home."
"What?" she screeched, getting everyone's in the ice cream parlor's attention. I sunk down in my seat a little. I had been whispering, but I should have known Cassie would have done something like this.
"What's wrong?" Derrick asked, his eyebrows furrowing at us in confusion.
"I'm not feeling well," I lied, standing up from my seat and brushing myself off even though I didn't even need to. "I'm going to go home. I don't want to get anyone else sick."
"That's fine," Sean said, grabbing onto my wrist and pulling me down onto his lap. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from squawking out. "I'm fine with getting sick if it's from you."
I knew he was trying to be romantic or whatever, but it really wasn't working.
"No, no," I disagreed, standing up from his lap and moving away so he couldn't grab me again. "I really feel sick. I'm just going to go. I'll see you tomorrow!"
I hightailed it out of there before anyone could stop me. I was not about to stay for a moment longer. I didn't feel sick to my stomach, but I knew I could have if I stayed by Sean for too long.
I was kind of afraid to go home, because I knew Cassie was going to call my mother and tell her that I just got up and left. I knew I was going to be yelled at for leaving Sean once I got home.
But I found myself smiling when I saw who was walking opposite me down the street. Now what were the odds of seeing him here?
"Hey," I greeted with a smile once he saw me. "I thought you were busy today."
"I was," he nodded, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "But I just f—finished with that and w—was walking home."
I smiled at him. "What a coincidence that I ran into you."
Blake smiled back, just a little bit. "Y—Yeah. But weren't you h—hanging out with your f—friends and Sean t—today? And that Derrick g—guy too, right?"
"It's just... they aren't the kind of people I want to hang out with," I sighed, running my hands up and down my arms as the wind picked up a little. "I mean, they're just... I don't know. I love Leslie and Cassie, they've been my best friends since forever, but sometimes I just don't want to hang out with them."
"Then who are the k—kind of p—people that you w—want to hang o—out with?" he asked me now.
"I don't know." I shrugged, no longer rubbing my arms but cupping my elbows instead. "I guess I want to hang out with someone who doesn't make me do things I don't want to do, someone who won't make me go somewhere I don't want to go or hang out with people I don't want to hang out with."
For twelve years I had known Cassie, and she really hadn't changed at all since when we were kids. She was bossy, rude, and controlling. And yet I was still friends with her. I still trusted her and I still considered her one of my best friends. I didn't know why, but I did.
"W—why don't you hang out with me s—sometimes then?" Blake suggested, not looking very sure of himself as he said this. "I mean... I know I'm not as p—popular as you and the r—rest of your friends, but... you know. We're p—partners. I don't like s—seeing you unhappy."
I felt my smile grow now. This was the happiest I had been all day. Around Blake, I could be myself. I didn't have to worry about him hitting on me. I just felt so much better around him.
"I'd love to sit with you at lunch sometime," I informed him, my smile still big and wide. "If that's okay with you and all."
"That's fine," Blake nodded.
My friends were definitely not going to be happy about this, but I didn't really care very much. Because Cassie was wrong; I could have as many friends as I wanted to. She and Leslie weren't my only two friends. Leslie and I might have been her only friends, but that didn't mean it had to be the other way around.
Blake and I parted ways shortly after that, saying our goodbyes after we established that I'd be sitting with him at lunch the next day. I was actually a little excited.
I was so happy with my decision that I came right through the front door without even thinking about what would happen if my mother knew I was home. Taking a break from my friends was definitely going to be a good thing.
I thought I was clear of my mother once I got to the doorway of my room, but I was definitely wrong. "Leah! Come here! Now!"
I knew it. Cassie had called my mother. But honestly, I didn't even care anymore.
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Another trailer on the side! Except this one was made by brookieismyname!
I realized this story is kind of based off Beauty and the Beast. Only a little, but it's still there. Leah's like Belle, Sean's like Gaston (their names even rhyme... -_-), and Blake is like the Beast. Everyone loves Sean but Leah, who he's pursuing, and then everyone is afraid of Blake and doesn't like him because he's different. I DIDN'T DO THIS ON PURPOSE I SWEAR. :D
Please COMMENT, VOTE, and FAN! <3