"Is it me, or does something feel different?" Jordan asked us.
"No, it's just you," Declan bluntly replied.
I shook my head. "No, Jordan's right-"
"Well that's a first," Declan said with a snort.
"Yeah it is- Wait, hey!"
"Guys stop it," Bennett told them, "I think something really does feel different."
"Wow, Jordie, you're on a roll," Declan told Jordan.
Jordan winced at the name. "Dude, don't call me that."
"Why?" Declan pressed with a sly smile. "Is it a nickname only your Candy can call you?"
"First of all, it's Candice. She pretty much ruined candy for me," Jordan told him. "Second of all, she's not my Candice. That chick is..."
"Weird?" Declan offered.
"Creepy?" Bennett offered.
"Nuts," Jordan decided officially, "That chick is crazy."
"Yeah, crazy for you," Declan said with a laugh.
"You guys really don't like them, do you?"
"Not even at the slightest," Bennett answered.
"How come?" I asked, I already had a feeling I knew the answer but I wanted to see their view of them.
"Well they're mean," Jordan said.
"They're too popular," Bennett said.
"And they're too witchy," Declan said, though the word pretty much rhymes with the real one, but the point has been made.
"And too... intimidating," All three of them said in unison, shuddering at them.
I couldn't help but snort. "Says the most intimidating guys in school."
"Well our intimidating is different. We got the reputation, the looks," Jordan said. "They're just plain mean. They're bullies, living off of people's pain and insecurity. They're those same glass eyed Barbie dolls who's diet consists of salads, water, air and people's misery. And they think they're better than everyone else. Not really my type of person."
"Yeah you're right," I said half-heartedly.
Bennett looked at me. "Naomi, I know you want to be their friends and all. But of all people, why them? There are other girls- probably -in this school, why the meanest, most popular girls here?"
"It's not like I want to be their friends," I told them, leaning against my locker. "I already have you guys, and it's more than I want. But I want to be their friends too, though at the same time I don't."
"I don't get it," Declan said bluntly.
"Neither do I," I admitted sadly. "Sure they're mean, sure they bullied me on a regular basis, so much we actually have a schedule, they should have bullied me ten minutes ago. But besides that, they're popular."
"Yeah, they're popular. So what?" Jordan asked.
"That's it!" I exclaimed, punching the locker making the guys jump back in surprise. "They're popular and I'm not. I know I should be the last person who cares about this. But this is an unpopular kid's weakness, their Achilles heel, the dream, the urge to be popular. Ever since I was a little girl, getting bullied every day, every week, I've always wondered what it was like to be popular. It's a dream everyone has. And if I couldn't be popular, I just wanted to be normal. I wanted to be treated like another student, someone who isn't bullied, someone with friends, and someone with- as if this will ever happen -a boyfriend."
I looked back at them. "You guys won't know how it feels. You'll never know how it feels to be me. And I'm glad you're not bullied like me. The last thing I want is you guys, or anyone else to get bullied like me. To have to suffer what I went through. But you're popular, you're known, and you're left alone. I'm.... nothing, I'm a nobody, I'm that unpopular nerd everyone bullies." I turned away from them, looking at the ground.
"No, you're not," Declan said.
I looked up to them. "What are you talking about? Of course I am."
"No, you're not nothing, you're something." Declan said.
"No you're not a nobody, you're a somebody," Jordan said.
"And you're not any unpopular bullied nerd," Bennett said, "You're our nerd, you're our friend, and you’re our good girl."
"Or do we have to go over the contract again?" Jordan said with a grin.
I couldn't help but grin back at him.
"We know you want to be popular Naomi," Bennett told me. "And we're sorry we can't give you that. The only thing we want you to be is happy. And we understand why you want those girls as friends."
"We're guys, but that doesn't mean we're stupid. Wait does that make sense?" Jordan asked
"No, you're a guy, and only you're stupid," Declan ignored Jordan's glare and said, "What he meant to say is, we know we're guys. Sometimes it's weird for you to hang out with us, it's sometimes nice hanging out with your own kind-" He caught himself and smiled "-I mean girls like you. It sorta makes sense why you'd want to hang out with those girls."
"So if you really want to..." Bennett said. "We'll hang out with them a bit more. Just for you. We want to make you happy Naomi, and if this will do it, then I guess we have no choice but to-"
I cut him off once more by pulling him into a hug. "Thank you so much you guys, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
He paled a bit, not really knowing what to do. The other guys weren't much help, laughing at Bennett's unconformity. But they're laughter was cut off short when I grabbed both of their collars and pulled them into a huge group hug. We finally let go, and burst out laughing.
But then I stopped. "You guys, I think Jordan really did have a point. Something feels... different."
All of us paused and looked around. A few seconds passed as our eyes scanned the halls. Then our eyes slowly widened in realization what was happening. I can't believe I haven't notice it until. I can't believe that after eleven years, I haven't notice it until. I can't believe any of this.
Everyone is leaving me alone.
Usually my day consists of the usual insults, nicknames, and jokes, followed by the trips, the kicks and punches. But today, today of all days, none of this has happened. All day I've been left alone. During my classes when the boys were forced to leave me since we had different classes, no one called me anything, no one sneaked me new bruises. Sure, people stared, they gave me weird looks, shy glances, a few glares, but no one touched me.
And when I headed towards the girls restroom, I had the guys wait for me at the next water fountain. No one tripped me, taped Kick Me signs on my back, or slammed me against the lockers. And in the restroom, I wasn't called names or told that I was in the wrong restroom. Everyone paused for a moment and stared at me. There were a few awkward glances, but no one said anything and went back to staring at themselves in the mirror.
"So it really wasn't me," Jordan said, then he looked at Declan and punched him. "See? I told you!"
"Shut up." Declan growled.
"Naomi," Bennett said hesitantly. "Has it really..."
I knew the word he was going to say. It was the word all of us were thinking. But I knew he didn't want to say it because he still wasn't sure. He wasn't sure that it has really... stopped.
"There's only one way to find out." I told them.
"Naomi, don't-" Declan started but Bennett and Jordan held him back.
I walked towards David Sanchez and Marco Simpson with a bunch of their other athletic friends. A few were in the basketball team, others were just some huge sports fan who liked to play at the courts during P.E or lunch. I knew that the two must still have a huge grudge on me. I also knew that I must have a huge death wish doing this, but I needed to know if this was true.
I came up to them as they hanged out near the vending machines. They were talking, laughing with each other around the two machines, one with drinks, the other with snacks. David was leaning against the vending machine, talking with Marco and another guy. But when they noticed me, they immediately stopped talking and stared at me.
"Hey David, Marco," I acknowledged them with slight nods.
"Naomi," the two of them greeted back in unison.
So far no names, no insults or petty jokes at all.
I took out a dollar from my pocket. I made a huge gesture of it, but they didn't snatch it out of my hands to either run away with it or rip it right in front of me.
"I want to buy something," I told them, gesturing to the drinks vending machine, "Could you…"
David blinked and moved away. "Sure, sorry."
I flinched as if he feigned to hit me. "What?"
"I said sorry," David said unsurely, looking at his friends with the same looks of confusion.
"Yeah, I know that," I said. "I just didn't know you had that word in your vocabulary."
David snorted. "Man, you're funny. Here, let me treat you."
I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead I watched as David pulled out his wallet from his back pocket, taking out a dollar. He then slipped it into the vending machine as it ate it up. David pressed for the water and it dropped to the bottom with a loud thud. He grabbed the water and handed it to me. I looked at the bottle, at him, then back at the bottle. I unconsciously took a step backwards as if the water bottle was a grenade or the water was poisoned.
David raised an eyebrow. "You wanted water right? Or did you want some soda? I never really did ask you, did I? I could buy that for you, I think have some more-" He looked in his wallet and a moth might as well have flown out of it because it was empty. David turned to his friends and asked, "Hey guys, do any of you can lend me a buck?"
Marco was the one who handed him a dollar. "Hey Naomi, so do you want Sprite or-?" But when David turned back to me, I was long gone.
I went back to the water fountain where the guys were. Declan was taking a drink from it and Jordan- stupid yet funny he is -positioned himself so the faucet of the water fountain was... down south. He was wearing a stupid grin on his face with his eyes glinting mischievously. So it looked liked Jordan was taking a number one and Declan was- Well you get the picture. Declan was too busy taking a drink to notice this whole thing. Despite my confused situation, I couldn't help but giggle.
"Dude, take a picture of this," Jordan whispered to us.
"Already did," Bennett said when there was a small click coming from his phone. "This will be going to the internet right... now."
Declan paused from drinking water and asked, "Take a picture of-?" A loud curse from him.
"Jordan, that's sick!" Declan roared.
Jordan laughed. "Says the guy who actually-"
Declan scooped some water into his hand and threw it at Jordan's jeans.
"Aw man, not cool," Jordan whined, looking down at himself.
"Well, now you're revealing your true self, bed wetter," Declan growled with a grin.
"Piss off," Jordan growled.
"Looks like you already did," Declan retorted back with a grin still on his face.
Bennett took another picture which got a yell from a Jordan. Jordan lunged to Declan and they began to play fight with each other, calling each other names. When Bennett was about to put his phone back into his pocket, a teacher came out of nowhere and plucked it out of Bennett's hand.
"You'll be getting this back at the end of the day," the teacher told Bennett as he walked away, leaving Bennett staring at him.
He looked back at me, and then gave a slight shrug. Bennett took out another phone out of his pocket. He took a picture of Declan and Jordan, where Declan was putting Jordan's face over the water fountain where the water was running.
"You have another phone?" I asked Bennett incredulously.
Bennett shrugged. "It's a back up, in case I lose it or it gets- well, taken away." He explained as he put his phone away.
Then he turned back to me and asked, "So Naomi, has it really..."
I nodded. "Yes." I told them about them about what happened back at the vending machines when Jordan and Declan paused from fighting.
"Will this be temporary or permanent?" Declan asked me.
"Forget about that," Jordan said. "How did this happen in the first place? There's no way any of this can happen over the weekend."
"Do you think someone paid them?" I asked.
Bennett snorted. "You think someone actually paid the whole school to leave you alone? The only guy who's rich enough to do that is-"
"You," Declan, Jordan and I said in unison.
Bennett paused and thought it over. "Yeah, I could have done that, couldn't I? It would have made things a lot easier, and more efficient including faster."
"Bennett, did you actually pay the whole school to leave me alone?" I asked him in disbelief.
He looked at me. "What? No. I mean, I could have, I should have thought of that sooner..." I snapped my fingers in front of him, making him turn back to us.
"Bennett, focus. Did you or did you not?"
"No, Naomi. I didn't. Yes, I had the money. But I didn't do it. I swear." He promised me.
"Well if it wasn't him-"
"We don't know for sure it's him," Jordan told him. "He could be lying right in front of us." He suddenly grabbed Bennett's collar.
Bennett's eyes widened in surprised. "Hey, what are you-?"
Jordan cut him off by shoving him against the wall. Bennett grunted at the impact and glared at his friend. His fists clenched, but I knew he was trying hold himself back. Not wanting to make a scene in the middle of school, right here in public.
I gasped. "Jordan, what are you doing? Let him go."
"I'm interrogating him, duh." He told me. "I'm the bad cop. Declan, you be the good cop."
"Why do I have to be the good cop?" Declan practically whined. "How come you're the bad cop?"
"Cause I called dibs," Jordan replied, then he turned back at Bennett. "Where were you Saturday?"
"At Starbucks," Bennett growled.
"And where were you at Sunday afternoon?" Jordan ventured on.
"I was at the movies. Then I went the mall followed by a small cafe." Bennett said, his eyes narrowing.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Jordan asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"Because you were there, you idiot!" Bennett said in exasperation, shoving Jordan who stumbled backwards.
Jordan paused. "I was? Or right, I was." He said in realization, recalling this fact.
Bennett pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Hey!"
"Sorry Jordan," Bennett said.
"No, I was the one who said it," I informed him, my arms crossed.
Bennett blinked. "Oh right. Let me rephrase that then. I'm surround by an idiot. Better?" He asked me with a hint of a smile.
I smiled back at him. "Better."
"Not to me," Jordan said with a pout, his hands in his pockets.
"Well don't take it personal," Declan assured him, patting him at the back. "Oh wait, you should."
"You guys, be serious," I told them. "If Bennett really didn't do it-"
"Which I didn't," Bennett growled, glaring at Jordan who shrugged innocently.
"-then who did? And how?" I finished, looking at them.
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Declan said, cracking his knuckles.
"Declan, don't beat it out of them," I whined. The last thing I wanted was Declan to be sent to the principal's office again.
"I'm not going to beat it out of them," Declan assured me. "I'm just going to ask them."
I sighed with relief. "Thank you."
"With force." Declan added with a grin.
"Like Star Wars?" Jordan asked.
"What?"
"You know," Jordan said. "May the Force be with you?"
Declan gave him a blank look.
"Luke, I am your father?" Jordan offered.
"Jordan," I said, patting him in the back. "Please stop while you still have your dignity."
He waved his hand at me with a swift movement. "Your Jedi mind tricks don't work on me."
I returned the gesture. "You're making a fool out of yourself."
We heard a yell and turned back to Declan. He grabbed the first kid in the halls, some sophomore, and slammed him against the lockers. The poor guy looked like he was about to wet himself- unlike Jordan, who already did. He probably was thinking what he did to deserve this, how unlucky he was. His hands were gripping Declan's hand which was tightened around his collar. The kid's feet weren't even touching the flooring, it was instead pathetically kicking in the air. He struggled under Declan's death grip as he glared at the kid who was this close to fainting. Kids passing by the scene in the halls stopped and stared. But no one did anything to stop them, just the usual bystanders.
"Whatever I did, I didn't do it," The kid cried. "It wasn't me, I swear!"
Declan paused and raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"
The kid looked at Declan. "I don't know... What do you think I did?"
"I don't know-" Declan shook his head and slammed the guy against the lockers again. The kid winced, maybe a lock was driven into his back. I know from experience. "Don't try to change the subject!"
The sophomore put his hands up to shield his face. "I'm not- Just... please don't hurt me." The kid whimpered.
"Just answer my question." Declan threatened, his voice low.
"You can have my homework! Or I'll sneak you the answers for the test!" The kid promised Declan, "Just spare me, please! I'm too young to die."
"I don't want your homework," Declan looked back at us. "Why does everyone think I need help in school?"
"Maybe because you're all muscle and no brains?" Jordan offered with a small shrug.
Declan pointed a finger at Jordan. "I'll get you later." He turned back to the kid. "Do you know Naomi?"
The kid stopped whimpering and looked at Declan in confusion. "What?"
"Don't make me repeat myself." Declan growled.
"Naomi? Do you mean Nerdy Naomi?"
You know, it's sad that even kids younger than me call me this. I wouldn't be surprised if kids in middle maybe even grade school know about me.
"Her name is Naomi," Declan corrected, his eyes narrowing at him.
"Right, right, Naomi, Naomi Lorraine. Yeah, I know her, everyone does. What about her?"
"How come everyone is leaving her alone?"
"You mean you don't know?" The guy asked, even more confused.
"I don't know what?" Declan asked, his grip loosening.
The kid shifted his collar. "Yeah, haven't you checked it? Everyone got it."
Declan turned to us. "What is he talking about?" He looked back at the guy. "What are you-" But when he turned back to the sophomore, he was gone.
His head whipped around, seeing as the kid raced down the hall as fast as he could. Declan muttered something under his breath, but didn't chase after the kid, to my relief. Nothing seemed more scarier than a pissed of Declan racing after you at high speeds wanting to snap you in half like a twig.
"Hey you guys, check this out," Jordan said.
All of us turned to Jordan who was looking at his phone. All of us went over to him. We surrounded him as he showed what he was talking about. I wasn't as tall as the guys so I had to stand on my tippy toes and look over Jordan's shoulder to get a good look. When I saw what was shone on the screen of his phone, I could help but gasp. Not even the guys couldn't help but gasp.
It was a web page, starring... me.
This is a pretty quick update of a chapter, don't you think? I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. And it's been a while since I ended a chapter as a cliffhanger. Mwah ha ha.
Plus, I re-wrote Chapter Thirteen: Can You Guys Just Go? Someone pointed out how Naomi could have gotten away with the whole "bedroom scene" with Raymond. I felt bad not thinking the chapter through and through and found a way to add reasons why she can't get away with it. If you're satisfied with that chapter just fine, great. But if you're curious or think that the chapter didn't make sense, reread the chapter.
Go on, I'll wait.
You guys are back? That quick? I could have updated this chapter sooner if I weren't too busy procrastinating by watching... EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY! If you've never heard of them before, it's when two historical figures go on an all out rap battle with awesome burns but a few cuss words. I've been re-watching videos and watching the behind the scenes videos. My favorites are: Gandhi VS Martin Luther King Jr., Moses VS Santa Claus, Einstein VS Stephen Hawking, Steve Jobs VS Bill Gates, Superman VS Goku, and Michael Jackson VS Elvis Presley. The best ones, but there are some other good ones too. Watch some of them, you'll learn something too and have fun about it at the same time. School should do this, it would at least keep kids awake.
Anyway, I once again am hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you soon.
RubixCube89201
PS- "There are ten million, million, million, million, million, million, million, million, million particles that we can observe, your mamma took the ugly ones and put them into one nerd." - Stephen Hawking, Einstein VS Stephen Hawking Epic Rap Battles of History