"I can't believe you nearly dragged me into a sex shop." I grumble annoyingly as I used all my arm muscles to pry open one of the many entrance doors to my high school.
From behind me, Bailey let out a bark of a laugh, "oh come on! If you expect to catch Reece's attention then you better make yourself more knowledgeable with that kind of thing."
I very nearly slammed the door in her face. "Would you not say his name out loud. Someone could overhear!" Specifically, Reece might overhear with his super hearing abilities and I do not want that to happen. "Besides, we would have never gotten into the store."
"Chillax, no one overheard me and please, don't ever doubt my superior skills. I could have gotten us into that store with a snap of my fingers!" Bailey tells me.
"Like Donkey Kong you could." I say to myself before stomping away. I hear her trying to catch up to me but I refuse to let that happen. Right now, I really don't want her to be near me. Bailey would just complain about how childish I act and how I need to grow up. So, I pick up the pace, not caring how dumb I look trying to speed walk with big stomping steps. I grin to myself when I see a corner. This is my chance to escape, to lose her.
Going even faster, I round the corner.
Only to come to a complete stop.
The grin that I thought would not leave my face vanishes as I stare up ahead. Specifically, as I stare at two individuals. The first person, I have no idea who she is but the second one I know oh too well.
How can I forget that purposely made messy brown hair and the back of the white knitted sweater that I got him for his last birthday. I told him I bought it when secretly, I actually made it. I thought it was ugly and I was worried that he'd hate it. I even tried to throw it out but he caught me and told me he loved it. Every time he wears it, the sweater looks designer. Especially now when he is wearing a dark plaid scarf to emphasize the light colour.
But now is not the time to be discussing how well my best friend wears his clothes.
I prevent myself from cringing at the sight of the two making out against the lockers but I can't prevent the twisting of my heart. There is goings again, slowly breaking. Like it always does whenever I see him with different girls.
See, here's the thing: when you think of a superhero you think bravery, strength, and intelligence. When you think about who they are behind the mask, everyone would agree that the majority of superheros tend to keep to themselves and stay away from large crowds in order to keep their loved ones safe.
Everyone would agree that a fictional superhero like Tony Stark (aka Iron Man for those who don't know) is rare because Mr. Stark doesn't have to hide from the public since his money and brains can protect him, not to mention his wits too.
Well, I'm here to tell everyone that that theory is false. Fictional superheros like Peter Parker, Clark Kent, and a whole list of other guys who are characters that are considered outcasts or nerds in the real world don't exist.
Superheros don't hide behind glasses or their textbooks. They don't spend their high school years getting bullied. In fact, they do the complete opposite.
They party.
They play sports.
They have crowds of students that drool at their feet.
They hook up at random.
And they definitely fit in with the popular crowd.
How would I know?
Because I see it everyday.
Why?
Because the Super Trio attend my high school.
"There you are, Zada! I swear, at the speeds you run, I sometimes wonder if your a super, you know?" Bailey jokes as she comes up towards me from behind. My eyes widen a bit when I see Reece flinch. Great, he knows I'm here, watching him.
But does he stop exchanging saliva with a girl he most likely met today to come say hi to his best friend that he's known since forever?
Of course not!
I hear Bailey gasp in shock and outrage but I cover her mouth with my glove before she can say anything. I do not want to give Reece any hints that this is hurting me. So I do want I normally do: act cool.
"Let's find another way to our lockers Bay. I don't want to vomit from the sight before me. Talk about no kissin' skills, ew!" Yup, I act like a douche but hey, that's what best friends do. Don't worry, judging by how suddenly Reece flinched, I'll definitely be hearing about this in Bio class. Until then, this time I grabbed Bailey by the arm and dragged her in a different direction from Reece and his girl toy.
It's the nicest word I can think of to call her. I hate to be mean towards others, it's just not me.
"The nerve of that guy!" Bailey exclaims when we finally reach our lockers. Luckily, we're side by side. She furiously opens hers and shoves her jacket, knocking something in her locker over.
"Bay," I warn, wanting her to shut up. I don't need her talking about this here. If she wants, we can go to her place afterwards where she can vent her frustration at me.
Bailey crosses her arms, using her back to shut her locker, "don't Bay me. That guy needs to step it down a huge notch or two. Can't he get it through his thick skull that other people may not be interested in watching him make out with that slut!"
"Bay! Don't call her that! It's not nice." I softly say, hating myself that I'm actually agreeing with what she has to say. Though I definitely won't confess that to her. Then again, she probably knows anyways.
"Actually, slut is the nicest word I'll ever call someone like her. In fact, she should consider herself lucky that I'm not using words like-"
The bell rings, saving me from having to hear Bailey rant about a girl that is causing me serious jealousy issues. I breath a sigh in relieve, pulling out my English novel from my locker and placing it in my backpack. "Well, looks like we gotta head to our classes." I smile kindly up at her.
Bailey glares at me, knowing I have won this time around. "See you in Bio class," she mumbles in defeat and turns around to head to her Chemistry class. I stick my tongue at her jokingly thinking she won't know but in return, Bailey flips me the bird.
"That's a great friend you got there," says a deep manly British voice from behind me. I jump slightly from fright before I turn around to face Charlie.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, a bit too mean for my liking. This is kind of how I act around people I don't really know which, in this case, sucks because Charlie is pretty cute.
Not smoking hot like Reece but cute in his British way. I probably shouldn't be too harsh on him.
Charlie scratches the back of his head while not meeting my eyes, "I was heading to English class when I saw you and I figured that we could walk there together," he smiles sheepishly at me.
That's odd. No guy in the history of guys ever smiled like that at me before. Like never. Knowing that if I refuse, that would result in an awkward walk since we'd both be heading in the same direction, I shrug my shoulders and say, "sure, I guess."
With that, we make our way to English class in, you guessed it, awkward silence. Maybe I should have rejected his offer and just ran to class. It would have spared me this unbearable silence. Actually, maybe I can still runaway.
"So, how did your morning go?" Charlie asks me.
I can see our English class up ahead, with just a few more steps to go until we reach it. I'm about to answer him since if I don't, that would make me look like a total douche but then I lock eyes with a familiar brown pair across the hallway.
There, about to walk into his English AP class stands the hottest guy ever to attend Beacon High. With his hands in the pockets of his navy skinny jeans, Reece raises a curious eyebrow at me.
I just stick my tongue at him, not caring that I look like a child in front of Charlie. Oh right, Charlie. I totally forgot that he asked me a question. "My morning is going alright except for the stupid cold. Then again, you aren't used to this type of weather, right?"
I see Reece give me a smirk before he disappears into his class. Thank goodness! If I had to watch him stand there like a model posing for Vogue Men magazine any longer, I think I might have fainted. Even though I spend a lot of time with him, Reece's super good looks always make me nervous. Truthfully, I usually try to look anywhere but him when I know that I'm on the verge of blushing.
It sucks especially when the wrong move might cost me my secret and reveal my feelings to him.
"Nah, this sort of weather is starting to become the norm back home." Charlie replies, bring me back to him and away from my best friend.
"Really?" I ask in utter surprise. Didn't see that one coming.
"I come from the largest city in Wales, Cardiff. It's located at the west coast of the U.K. Well, more like on the inside of the Bristol Channel to be more specific. What I'm getting at is that we do get some crazy winds from the ocean same as New York." Charlie exclaims. Honestly, I found it hard to concentrate when all I can think about is that Reece is most likely listening in on our conversation right now.
Suddenly, my phone vibrates. I take out my blue Samsung Galaxy s5 and unlock it, only to read a text message that says 'u should reply with: how lovely! :P'.
Well that confirms my thoughts.
Just to make the guy happy, I turn to smile at Charlie and say just that, "how lovely!"
I'm pretty sure Charlie now thinks that I have insulted him. We reach our classroom and down the hallway, in the class beside ours, I hear a booming musical laugh. I can't help but smile, knowing I made Reece laugh.
By making fun of a British boy who is actually being genuinely nice to me.
Oh my minions! I immediately face Charlie with regret plastered all over my face. I no longer care if Reece can hear this. "I'm so sorry Charlie. I shouldn't have said that. It was rude of me to do so." I manage to say that under three seconds. I think that's a new record.
To my surprise, Charlie laughs. "Don't worry about it. I've heard worse. Besides, I think you're the first to apologize so thank you for that."
"You're thanking me for apologizing?" I ask. That was actually the only thing I heard from his tiny speech. When Charlie nods, I continue, "no one has ever thanked me for apologizing before." I say more to myself, staring off into the distance in awe.
"There's a first time for everything." He states.
I raise my eyebrow at him, "using my own words against me. Clever!" Mentioning that, Charlie and I both end up cracking up. I guess we were laughing pretty hard because barely a few seconds after we started laughing, the door to our English class swings open.
"Did I not get the memo that we were having class outside my door today?" Our English teacher, Mr. Live, questions. From behind the young teacher, the classroom erupts into laughter. I instantly blush from embarrassment.
"Um," I get stuck for words while my mind is in a mess from the embarrassment. Seems like today, that's all I've been feeling. Why does this happen to me?
"Sorry Mr. Live." Charlie replies, "Zada wanted to tell me a funny joke before we came into class so we wouldn't disrupt your lecture." He tells our cranky teacher, going in for the save.
I try my hardest not to stare at Charlie in awe. He's about to save me from detention. I look at our English teacher with eyes full of hope. Mr. Live stares at Charlie for a bit until he nods his head and motions for us to come into class.
Flying ponies on steroids! Charlie saved us. I give the British lad a nod in gratitude and walk over to my seat, ignoring the stares from the students around me. When I sit down in my seat, I feel my pocket vibrate. I pull out my phone and smirk at the text message.
U got lucky Z-lee!
=====* * *=====
"I didn't know you and Morgan were buddies."
I jump from shock, placing my hand over my heart in a failed attempt to slow down it's rapid beating. I was too focused on getting as far away from Charlie as I could that I didn't notice a certain other guy approaching me.
"Since when are we buddies?" I ask him curiously. If there is one thing I know, it's that I do not see Charlie Morgan as a buddy. I see him more like an extremely adorable British guy who might have hit his head somewhere along the way between the moment he left his home to the moment he spotted me laying on the sidewalk. Somewhere there, something had to mess with his brain because no person in their right mind would want to help and then continue on talking to me.
That's all he did in English. Whenever he could, Charlie would try to chat with me. It didn't help that he decided to sit by me too. The entire time, I tried to keep my responses short as I concentrated on Mr. Live.
There is something seriously wrong with me. A great guy is trying to talk to me, maybe even become my friend, and I can't even act nice around him. Maybe I need a doctor to check out my brain.
Or maybe I'm acting this way because I already have someone else on my radar.
Reece gives me a blank look. "Really Z-lee?"
I give him the same look back, "what?"
Reece rolls his eyes, "you are so gullible at times." Before I can make a remark, we reach the horrid staircase. I only say horrid because every time, there is a swarm of students determined to get to class. I have fallen on these stair at least four times now. Thankfully, all those falls happened when I was going up the stairs. I prepare myself mentally to beginning pushing my way through the crowd but Reece beats me to it. He gently places me behind him as he heads down the staircase.
Every student moves out of the way when they notice his presence, making it easier for the two of us to go down safely. Although, I do get a few glares from some girls once they pass Reece and know he won't be able to see them doing that. Haven gotten already used to that behaviour, I ignore them and focus all my attention on Reece's back.
Bad idea
I have front row seats, meaning I have the best view of the muscles in his back. They move slightly as he gracefully makes his way down. I gulp silently, seriously hoping he didn't hear me trying to control my blushing. Okay, I seriously need to get this blushing thing under control.
"Why is your heart racing?" Reece asks me curiously with his back still facing me. We finally reached the bottom of the stairs and I could have kissed that floor then and there from the overwhelming happiness.
I'm free! I don't have to drool over Reece's back anymore otherwise I think my drool would turn into a school size pool and drown every student on the first floor. I can finally breath normally and bring my heart beat back to a normal, healthy pace.
Heart rate, right. I scratch the back of my head, feeling suddenly really nervous. "Haha, well," I scramble in my empty mind for any sort of legitimate excuse, "I'm not sure if I did the Bio lab correctly," I grumble, falling back with the classic nerd excuse.
Reece laughs and swings his arm over my shoulder casually, "I'm pretty sure the only thing you possibly could get penalized for is having your lab right up to perfection."
"For everything that is bionic, Mrs. Laymen can do that?" I gasp in horror while secretly loving the security of having a superhero's arm wrapped over me.
"She does it to you all the time cuz you're such a big nerd," Reece tells me, locking my head tightly against his side while he rubs my hair furiously like a kid.
I laugh loudly, "stop it! Stop it!" I try to pry his arm off me but he is way too strong. "Okay, uncle! Uncle!" I yell out in defeat!
"I'm sorry Z-lee but I didn't quite catch that," Reece yells back smugly. Ugh, sometimes I want him to transform into an donkey so I can prove to the world what a big ass he really is.
Instead of repeating myself and letting Reece win this battle, I lift my arm up and begin tickling his side. As soon as I began, Reece jumps up and quickly creates safe distance between us.
I grin mischievously, "why did you move away from me?" I question bringing up hands forwards and wiggling my fingers. The horror on his face is priceless, I can't help but laugh. Before Reece can say anything, a swarm of girls surround him, asking if he is alright.
Wow, do they seriously think a girl my size can harm their precious Mr. Popular? If so, there are more names to add to the list of going to the doctor to get their head checked. But they have to line up behind me, I wanna see the doc first. Charlie second.
Giving Reece one last smirk, I turn around and head my way to Biology. I maneuver through the numerous student bodies, refusing to show my annoyance when a few push me aside. These are the times when I wish my high school had a smaller student population. Then, the simple act of heading from one class to the other wouldn't seem like mission impossible!
Suddenly, someone pulls on my backpack, causing me to nearly fall back before I regain my balance. I don't need to look behind me to give my pathetic attempt at a glare. "You're such a big bully, Bay."
Bailey chuckles and walks over to my side, "don't be such a pussy." I just stick my tongue out at her. She rolls her eyes, not even phased by my action because I probably stick my tongue at her at least five times a day, even through the phone and on Skype. To me, sticking out my tongue is the equivalence of giving someone the finger.
I know, not a strong equivalence but that's all I got.
"Where's Reece?" Bay asks me. I can understand why she asked me. She usually meets the two of us making our way to Bio class together in order to form a threesome. Or that's how she puts it.
I grin at her like the answer isn't obvious. "He is currently distracted my his caring fans."
Bay's expression falls, "aw, I was hoping for us to be a threesome today."
"You're so gross, Bailey." Reece takes the words out of my mouth. He gives me a smile before arguing with Bay on why the three of us would make a horrible threesome. Being forced to hear this argument almost everyday, I tune them out and decide to think about something else.
Like what am I going to do today when I come home.
Hmm, since I am a professional procrastinator and start my homework and assignments in the evening, that means I got about three hours to do whatever I want.
I'll start by making my favourite fruit salad to which I will watch my morning recordings of Kick Buttowski. Afterwards, I'll change my T.V settings to the internet and watch YouTube videos.
Oh my jolly, I am going to have an awesome afternoon!
"Why are you smiling to yourself?" Reece and Bay ask me. We finally reached the dark blue doors to our Bio class.
Not wanting them to ruin my plans for later, I shrug my shoulders and walk into class. I'm about to head over to the back table where Reece and I sit since we're lab partners but stop in my tracks. There, in my favourite seat in this classroom, Chasity Mackenzie sits, texting furiously away on her cell phone.
I stand frozen in my spot because I don't want to sit anywhere else but I also don't to argue with Chasity. Reece takes the lead and yells across the classroom, "Yo Chas, you're in the wrong seat girl!" Every head that hasn't yet been staring at Reece now has. I squirm slightly at all the eyes, shuffling a bit away from Reece to avoid the attention.
A middle aged woman in her early forties gets up from her desk with her arms at her hips, "Reece Castellano, I do not appreciate such disrespectful manners. If you walked into my class peacefully then you would have realized instantly that there is a new seating arrangement."
I stare wide eyed at what used to be my favourite teacher. The reason why she was on the top of my list was because she allowed Reece and I to be lab partners. Why would she have a seating arrangement now when winter break is just a few days away? We barely caused any trouble. Reece and I would chat in silence if we wanted to and other than that, we were good students in her class. Then again, maybe she just moved Reece and I to another section of the classroom.
"Reece, you will be Chasity's lab partner." I look at Reece to see him staring at me with disappointment. He gives me a warm smile before heading over to Chasity where they have a stare down together. Looks like Reece embarrassed Chasity just a while ago therefore she is not pleased with him.
"So does that make Zada and I lab partners?" Bay asks which causes me to grin. If I can't be partners with Reece then Bay is my next option. We can totally work together when we're not having heated conversation about which Marvel superhero is more kickass.
"I'm glad you asked politely Bailey. You will be partnered up with Cameron Dallas while you, Zada, will be with Charlie."
"I heard my name?" Charlie asks, I turn around to see him walking into class. Bailey sighs and I walks over to her lab partner while I'm left standing with mine.
"Yah, we're lab buddies." I exclaim though there isn't any excitement in my voice. Not wanting to be the center of attention any longer, I turn around and scan the classroom for an empty lab desk. Just my luck, it's right behind the head cheerleader and Mr. Popular who is glaring at Charlie.
Charlie takes the lead and walks over to our desks with me in toe. To my surprise, he pulls my chair forward for me to seat. I stare at the British gentleman in shock and guilt. Okay, this guy is seriously too nice to me. Maybe I should stop acting like a bitch to him, get over my nervousness around new people, and get to know him.
I hear Reece scoff in the background and turn to give him a warning glare to stay out of my business.
"Alright class, now that we are settled down and everyone here is fully aware of the new arrangements, let me begin this class by explaining your new lab project." Mrs. Layman explains earning a huge groan from the class.
But we just finished this last Bio lab, now we have another. Wait, speaking of recent Bio lab...
"Mrs. Layman, should we hand in our last assignment?" The entire classroom turns to glare at my table. I turn my head to stare at Charlie who took the question right out of my mouth. Usually it's me who reminds the teacher of handing in things and getting glares from the rest of the class. Reece would, at that point, elbow me lightly in the rib.
Now, the roles are reversed where Charlie is asking the question but I'm not going to elbow him. I won't cause pain to a dude who is practically a guy nerd version of me.
"Thank you for the reminder Mr. Morgan. I want everyone to hand in their labs at the end of class. Those who are late will be penalized." Again, the class groans except for Charlie and I who probably are the only ones who finished the lab.
"Thanks a bunch, Charlie." Chasity whispers in annoyance. I hear Reece grumble in agreement but I pay them no such attention. I already knew those two hadn't finished their work.
I grin at Charile and give him a fist pump, which he gladly complies. "Nice one," I compliment him on his previous actions to which he smiles gratefully in response.
"I figured since your always the one asking and dealing with the aftermath that someone else should deal with this shit for a change." Charlie speaks softly.
I immediately turn my head so that my hair falls down to hide my face. With even wider eyes, I stare intently at Mrs. Layman as I feel a blush forming on my cheeks.
Today marks a day in all history books.
Zada Leela Porter is blushing at a man who isn't Reece.
__________
If you haven't been drawn to the picture to the side yet then please do so now and you will see the fine Brazilian model whom I picked to play Reece!
Hope you all liked this chapter and thanks for reading!
~Till Next time