After what felt like a million years,the bell finally rang,signaling the end of the class period.Indie quickly shoved her books in her bag.She stayed in her seat,waiting til everybody else in her aisle walked past..The last thing she needed was someone getting ticked off if she accidently bumped into them with them.Once the coast was clear,Indie stood up,swinging her backpack over one shoulder.
Indie walked out of her class into the crowded hallway. To her surprise,Sami wasn't outside the door waiting on her as usual.Indie pulled out her cellphone to see she had a text message.
'Have to stay behind in class,save me a seat in music'.the text read
Indie shoved her phone back in her pocket and began walking down the hall.A crowded hallway was a fat girl's nightmare.It meant that Indie had to duck and dodge to make sure she didn't bump into anyone.She sidestepped people and paused to let others pass.She would rather be late than cause a scene.
And despite every measure Indie took to make sure she didn't bump into anyone,that didn't stop someone from purposely knocking into her.Indie let out a small cry as the impact caused her to stumble and fall.She would have hit the ground if it wasn't for someone grabbing her shoulders.
"Whoa there." the person said,releasing her shoulders
Indie had no doubt in her mind that her face was as red as the hair on Callie's Ariel doll. She felt like disappearing right then and there.She readjusted her backpack and looked up to see a tall,blonde boy standing there looking at her.He had his blonde hair spiked up and eyes the color of the sky on a sunny day.And how could Indie forget the lip ring.
Whether the lump lodged in Indie's throat was because of how cute this guy was or because of how embarrassed Indie was,she couldn't tell.Gosh,how Indie wished her teacher would have asked her to stay behind like Sami's teacher did.
"I'm really sorry." Indie apologized immediately,"I'm a klutz.I should watch where I'm going.I didn't mean–"
"It's okay." the boy stopped her rambling
"No, it's not.I'm–"
"Really." the boy insisted,"It's not a big deal."
Indie was too embarrassed to even form a proper sentence.So instead she gave another apology,carefully stepped around him, and walked as fast she could down the hall.
The boy was still in her head when Indie took her seat in the music room.A guy other than Calum or Ashton had actually been polite to her.Not to say that all guys at her school were jerks, Indie was sure there at least some that had some manners.But most of the ones she came into encounter with were total douchebags.Maybe Indie should have tried to spark a conversation or got his name or something.
Don't even think about it. Indie's heard her subconscious remark.He's not going to want you with your stomach that looks like pancakes stacked on top of each other.
Knowing that her subconscious was right,Indie forced every thought about the boy in the hallway out of her head.A guy like that wouldn't want a girl like Indie even if she was the only single girl available in their school.No one ever wanted the fat girl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm telling you." Sami walked in sync with Indie down the hall,"McGrath has had something against me since the beginning of the year."
Indie rolled her eyes and listened as her best friend ranted. This was a common thing with Sami after her 1st period.
"I'm telling you there isn't one person that gets in as much trouble as I do."
"Could it possibly be because none of the other students listen to My Chemical Romance instead of paying attention?" Indie asked playfully
Sami narrowed her eyes at the question and shoved Indie, luckily not forceful enough to cause to her fall.Thank goodness.
"That," Sami poked Indie's chest with her index finger,"Is not my fault.Have you ever heard his lectures? They're more boring than those book club meets my mom goes to."
"What? You didn't think Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was a good read?" Indie teased
"I'm this close to smacking you."
Indie brought her index and thumb finger together and made a zipping motion across her lips.Sami smiled at that, playfully nudging Indie with her hip as they entered the bathroom.
Indie began to say something but stopped at hearing a female voice.A voice that Indie knew very well.
Indie and Sami walked in to see a tall, brunette girl talking to someone through one of the stalls.
Just as Indie had thought. Sophia.
The brunette turned to look at Sami and Indie.Sami crossed her arms while Indie just looked right back at her.For a moment,Indie swore something flashed in Sophia's eyes.
"Hi Sophia." Indie forced herself to say
Sophia opened her mouth to respond when a flushing noise came from one of the stalls. And out came Lyla. Lyla turned her head to see who else was in the bathroom.
"Why were you talking to these two?" Lyla sneered
"I wasn't." Sophia immediately answered
Indie internally winced.Even after all these years,it still stung a little.
"And if she was,what's the big deal?" Sami asked Lyla
"Did it look like I was talking to you?"
"You're about to not be able to talk at all." Sami took a step forward with her fists clenched
"Sami,stop." Indie broke in
"Come on,Lyla." Sophia grabbed Lyla's arm,"We should get going."
"Good idea. Because I'd hate for you to have to cheer with a few teeth missing." Sami threatened
Lyla shot Sami a dirty glare as she left the bathroom,Sophia trailing right behind her.
"I swear,one day..." Sami walked over to the bathroom mirror
Indie didn't hear the rest of what Sami said because she was too busy thinking about how Sophia almost talked to her.
She remembered the days when she and Sophia used to get in trouble for always talking.Now Sophia acted like she wouldn't be caught dead talking to Indie.
"Hey,are you okay?"
Indie turned her head when she realized Sami had asked her a question.Sami was looking at her like she knew what Indie was thinking.Shrugging,Indie nodded.
"Yeah,I'm fine."
"Lyla is a conceited tramp that sleeps with every guy that has a pulse."
Sophia has no issue being her best friend though. Indie's subconscious pointed out to her
"And you're way better than her." Sami continued,"So don't let her get to you."
"If anything,I should be telling you this. I can't have you suspended for fighting."
Indie was 100% serious. Going to school was a challenge enough for Indie.But having to go for a straight10 days without Sami being there,Indie would probably lose her mind.Sami however wasn't as concerned.
"Did you see her expression when I threatened to beat her face in?"
Indie rolled her eyes,refusing to entertain her best friend.
"Oh come on," Sami called out as Indie was exiting the restroom,"I thought it was kinda funny."
~~~~~~~~
"So what did you think of Hardwicke's class?" Calum asked, entering the locker rooms followed by Luke
Luke answered with a casual shrug. Besides not being impressed by the fact that she made him introduce himself in front of the whole class,(they were suppose to be in high school not elementary school) Luke couldn't really think of an opinion to have about the class.Could it be because he spent more time thinking about the girl in the hallway then about what makes up the integumentary system? Yes,but he wasn't about to tell Calum that.
Luke considered asking Calum about the girl in the hallway as he changed.He played over what he could say in his head.
I saved this girl from falling in the hallway,do you know her?
Yeah except there was a lot of girls at this school.And there was also the fact that he didn't know her name.
He couldn't just be like the beautiful girl with skin the color of coffee, and almond colored eyes. Calum would look at him like he was nuts.
"Just give it a few days.She gives a lot of homework but she's nice to look at."
Luke walked out of the stall just in time to see Calum wink with his signature smirk on his face.Typical Calum.
"So tired of being rejected by girls your own age you decided to move on to older ones?" Luke joked
"Ha ha. Very funny." Calum responded dryly,his smirk gone
Luke smiled,giving another shrug in response.
Outside they heard a loud whistle.Calum nodded his head signaling they needed to get out there.Luke trailed behind Calum, watching as students exited the locker rooms.He scanned the group to see if any of them was the girl from earlier.
He had just met the girl and somehow she had managed to fill every crevice in his mind.He found her interesting even though they had barely said more than 20 words to one another.
"Luke!" Calum snapped his fingers in the blonde boy's face
"Huh?" Luke focused his attention on Calum
"I said,let's go get you introduced to Coach." Calum repeated,saying it as if Luke was a toddler who had a hard time understanding directions
"Oh,yeah.Sure let's go."
Calum looked like he was about to question Luke on how he was acting.Instead,he wrapped an arm around Luke's shoulder and lead him in the direction of the coach. However he's sure he heard Calum mutter something about how weird Luke could be sometimes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indie smiled when the bell rang signaling lunch.Finally freedom to do the one thing she enjoyed doing in school. Reading in the library.Bouncing on her heels,she waited for Sami to pack her stuff,proceeding to follow her out into the hallway.
"See you after lunch."
Indie had barely turned around to walk in the direction of the library when she felt someone tug on her backpack.She stopped,turning her head to look at Sami who still had a grip on her backpack.
"Uh no.You're coming to lunch with me and Ash."
"But I haven't been to the library in like 3 days." Indie complained
"Oh gosh,how will you survive? Indie,you practically live in that library!"
Because it's safe. Indie practically yelled in her mind
No one was ever in the school library.Well at least no one that was exactly popular. It was either filled with geeks or bookworms similar to herself.And it was always quiet.It was the comfort that Indie seeked when she was at school.
"If this is about Lyla or those guys from this morning,you know Ash and I–"
"Who even said anything about them?" Indie wrapped an arm around her body
She loved Sami,they were best friends.But sometimes she wished Sami didn't always feel like she had to defend Indie.
Indie wasn't a child,she could take care of herself.She just chose to deal with it by making herself as invisible as possible.
"You didn't have to say it,I just knew."
Indie huffed.Sami didn't know everything when it came to Indie.Okay,she probably did,but that wasn't the point.
"I just wanna finish reading my book."
"Just come have lunch with us.I'll buy you a sweet tea."
Indie raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"Are you trying to bribe me?"
"No.I am simply offering to buy you an ice tea.It's an offer not a bribe.Now come on,Ash is probably waiting for us."
Indie let a reluctant groan but didn't resist as Sami pushed her forward in the direction of the cafeteria.So much for reading more Sarah Dessen during lunch.
"It's about time you two showed up!" Ashton announced once Sami and Indie neared the lunch table
"Oh look who's actually happy to see us." Sami flashed him a fake smile taking a seat next to Indie
Ashton scoffed at that. "I'm happy to see Indie.You could have stayed wherever you were at."
Sami balled up a napkin and threw it at him causing him to simply stick out his tongue at her.Indie just watched the two of them.So these crazy people were her best friends.
"Anyways,mom made chicken tetrazzini last night." Ash pulled out a tupperware bowl
"Did you pack enough to share?" Indie asked excited
"Indie." Ash faked hurt,"I can't believe after all these years,you would ask such a question."
Sami rolled her eyes as Indie waited for Ashton to cave and do his bright eyed smile.Once he did,she smiled too.
"Of course she did.She knows as much as I do how much you love her cooking."
Ever since middle school,Indie had loved Ashton's mom's cooking. Ashton would come to school bringing different dishes that his mom had made the night before such as shrimp scampi or beef bourguignon. Ashton got so tired of Indie always asking for him to share he started asking his mom to pack enough for two.
"Well don't just sit there." Indie bumped her shoulder against his,"Go warm it up."
Ashton mocked Indie playfully before taking the bowl to the microwave.Indie turned to look at Sami who was munching on her goldfish.
"Don't you owe me a sweet tea?"
"Can't I finish my goldfish?"
"Of course you can," Indie nodded,"after you get my sweet tea."
Sami wrinkled her nose.Indie simply shrugged as Sami left to get Indie what she promised.
"Well didn't she look delighted." Ashton sat back down
"She's getting me a sweet tea."
Ashton nodded,handing Indie a fork.
"Just the people I was looking for." Calum said as he sat down
"Why were you looking? We sit in the same place every day." Ashton noted
Calum gave his best friend a look as Sami returned.Ashton didn't say anything else just took a bite out of his food.
"As I was trying to say before, I have someone I want you guys to meet."
"It's not another girl, is it?" Sami asked,"Cause no offense,but the last couple of girls you've been interested in–"
"None of us liked." Ashton finished
Calum hmphed in response."I don't see why. Auden was pretty cool."
"Is that the one that only dated him because he reminded her of that guy from America's Next Best Dance Crew?" Indie asked
"No,that was Jennifer." Ashton answered
"Auden was one that was insanely jealous." Sami told her
"She was not insanely jealous!" Calum argued
"She literally threatened me on kik!"
"I remember that." Indie piped in
"Hey,anyone's better than Edith."
Ashton,Sami,and Indie collectively shuddered at the memory.
"Can we please move on?" Calum asked,irked by the direction the conversation had taken
"Sure,mate.Who's this person you want us to meet?"
"Remember I told you that one of my old mates was transferring to our school."
"Oh yeah." Ashton nodded,"Luke right?"
The dark haired boy nodded. "His first day was today.Here he comes now."
Indie looked up from Ashton's tupperware bowl to see the same boy from earlier standing directly across from her.
"Guys,this is Luke." Calum introduced
"Hiya." Luke smiled,"My name's Luke."
Indie's mind quickly started calculating an escape route. She could just get up and leave.No,that would be rude. She could always use an excuse but with Sami around, any excuse she could come up with would fall on deaf ears.
"Sup Luke,I'm Ashton."
To keep from having to talk,Indie shoved a forkful of chicken tetrazzini in her mouth
"And I'm his cousin,Sami."
"Sadly." Ashton mumbled,causing Sami to shoot him a glare
Indie hoped that if she kept chewing the food in her mouth,she wouldn't be expected to talk.
"And this," Indie felt Sami place a hand on her shoulder,"Is Indie."
Indie looked up to see Luke's eyes on her. Indie suddenly had the urge to crawl inside her skin and disappear.
"Indie." Luke said her name aloud,"I like that name. It's neat."
Indie could practically feel her face turn as hot as those stones they put on people's backs during massages.It was like Indie had been placed right in front of a bonfire.
Indie couldn't wait for the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.She was going to wring Sami's neck.This was what happened when she chose eating lunch over reading Sarah Dessen.
A/N: Omg I wanted to post this like days ago but so many stuff got in the way.Omg let's not even talk about this ending,because I know it sucked. But I think the rest of the chapter was pretty good.But what do you guys think? Leave a comment and vote...you know all that good stuff. ;)