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~Chapter 2~
Kaylee stood outside of North Hampton High staring at the large orange entrance doors, dreading what would happen behind them the moment she stepped inside. She sighed, yesterday had gone downhill really fast and it was going to take some serious groveling and apologising to get things back to how they had been. She stared at the school some more. Did she really want things to go back to how they were? Were things really that great that she should face public humiliation and possible torture just to get them back to how they were? For the first time in her life she wasn't so sure. These questions plagued Kaylee as she stood there unmoving, now glaring at the school that was making her life so complicated.
The warning bell rang, telling her that she only had five minutes to make it to first period Geometry, and cutting short her internal battle forcing her to enter what was going to be a very strange day indeed.
She walked into her geometry class, avoiding looking at the corner where her doom sat. She practically ran to her seat and was just about to sit before she heard giggling across the room from her. Without glancing at the source of the giggling she looked at the seat of her desk. There, sitting on her seat, was a peice of paper. She sighed and picked it up, unfolding it she saw Lindsey's curly handwriting: Before you go and sit with your new friend to work on the project the girls and I need to talk to you. I suggest you don't blow us off like you did last night. -Lindsey. An extreme sadness overtook her as she hoped they weren't going to cause a scene. Ha, quit kidding yourself Kaylee, of course they're going to make a scene. Its what they do best.
So Kaylee wasn't surprised as her 'friends', after glancing at her, ran out into the lab ahead of her and stood waiting in a group, near the computer she and Matthew usually worked at when mrs. Harrison had excused them. She sighed as she gathered up her stuff, not looking forward to the tirade that she was sure was awaiting her out in the lab. She was so caught up in worrying about what was going to happen that she startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You ready to work?" A crooked smile asked her cheekily. She stepped back in order to actually see Matthew, how he had gotten that close to her without her noticing was beyond her.
"Uh.... um?" She replied intelligently. Blushing as she did so.
"That was an absolutely brilliant response my dear." He said laughing as he walked briskly toward the door, a flustered Kaylee following in his wake.
As they entered the computer lab, Kaylee was beckoned over by Lindsey. A concerned look stole over Matthew's face as Kaylee walked over, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Eh... Hi guys!" She said, grasping at cheerfullness, failing miserably.
"Don't you even dare to pretend that nothings wrong Kaylee" Lindsey snapped, glaring at her.
"Yeah," Kaitlyn agreed. "How dare you try to just act like nothings wrong after what you did." Kaylee shook her head in awe.
"What I did? What I DID?! All I DID was decide that doing my homework was more important than some silly reality T.V. show that i've NEVER liked!" She couldn't belive this was happening.
"No. Kaylee." Lindsey said, still glaring for all she was worth. "What you did was go back on a promise and personally insult me. Someone who's supposed to be your best friend." Kaylee snorted.
"Best friend?"
" YEAH BEST FRIEND!" Lindsey roared. "If you weren't my best friend do you think i would have given you this?!" She reached acrossed and grabbed the necklace around Kaylee's neck. They each had one. It was a small frog charm holding a sign that said 'best friends forever'. It was a cheap item but they had bought them when they had first met in 7th grade.
"Well.... no..." Kaylee stammered, losing some of her indignancy that had held her up until now.
"Exactly. NO. I wouldn't have. But now i'm not so sure you deserve this." And with that she pulled, breaking the chain on the necklace. She then marched over and threw it into the trash, spitting on it afterward. "Consider yourself out Kaylee. You were never one of us. All we ever needed you for was to copy your homework." And the three girls stormed off to the other side of the room, Brittany shooting slightly apologetic looks at Kaylee over her shoulder as they walked away.
Kaylee was too in shock to notice though. She floated back to her seat in dizzy unawareness. She was alone. Her only three friends in the world had just ditched her. Made it very clear that she was unwanted in the circles that they traveled in. She was lost as she sat down next to Matthew. He turned, with the intent of slamming her with another witty comment, but upon seeing the mixture of sadness and shock on her face, layed a hand on her shoulder for a moment and then without another word turned and worked silently for the rest of the class period.
The bell rang, Kaylee was barely aware of this fact. She gathered her stuff up, still in a daze from the attack. It wasn't unexpected, them being upset, but she was sincerely shocked that it had gone that far. Lindsey had actually said that they had only needed her for her brains. She had always had her suspicions but to have it thrown in her face like that. She choked back tears as she walked to her next class.
She wasn't halfway there, walking down one of the junior's locker hallways, when she heard her name called out from behind her. She turned around to see her boyfriend running down the hallway, looking like he was on an unplesant mission.
"Hey, Jason." She greeted him haltingly as he approached.
"Yeah, Kaylee? We need to talk." Leave it to Jason to use the typical dreaded pre-breakup sentence.
"About?" She said, knowing what was coming next.
"Well, I heard what you did to Lindsey yesterday, and I really don't think we're going to work out. I can't date someone that treats her friends like that." Kaylee could feel the tears well up behind her eyes. "And honestly, I didn't really like you to begin with, I just dated you because you seemed nice and everyone said we should." A few tears made it past her barrier and slid slowly down her face. "But honestly? I really like Lindsey and now that I'm not dating you anymore I think I'm going to ask her out. So yeah, sorry, but it's over, guess I wont be seeing you around." And he turned, and left.
Overwhelmed, Kaylee slid down the nearest locker, collapsing in a puddle at the foot of it, bursting into tears. She wasn't even crying because he'd left her. That she really couldn't care less about, she had never really liked him in that way. It was more that now she had nobody. She was completely alone. All of her friends, and now her boyfriend, had all turned against her. And each of them had said that they had never actually liked her. People she had considered her friends since middleschool had all of a sudden up and decided that they had never liked her. And she wept, not for the loss of them, but for her own stupidity at thinking them actual friends.
~
Matthew stood, paused, at the end of the hallway. He was staring at the base of his locker in a mixture of shock and annoyance. For there sitting curled up at the foot of his locker, was the blonde preppy girl he was paired with in geometry, Kaylee, he thought her name was. He needed to get into his locker to retrieve his chemistry book, and she was crying. He sighed, why him. As if it wasn't bad enough that he had to deal with her in Geometry. Sure she was fun to pick on with how easily flustered she got around him but the fact that she was making him do most of the work on the project just like any other stupid prep would when he knew she had more brains and capability in math than most people in the school, pissed him off. He was just about to go to class without his book, claiming to have forgotten it at home, when he heard her sniffle and his curiosity got the better of him.
Gathering his wits about him he walked over to the distraught creature and cleared his throat loudly. She didn't seem to hear him. Looking nervously to either side he leaned down and put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. She jumped and looked up at him, startled, tear tracks running down her face.
"Wha-? Oh no. Not you." She said, hiccuping softly. He smiled.
"Oh no not me? Well you did pick my locker to collapse in front of." He gestured behind her. She promptly turned bright red and hid her face again. Still making no move to get out of his way. He sighed, this was going to take awhile. "What's wrong?" He asked sitting down next to her. She sniffled in response. He sighed. "Seriously, Kaylee. Whats going on? I know you don't know me that well but you obviously need a friend right now..." She snorted, leaning back and wiping the tears off with her sleeve, a derisive look on her face.
"Yeah. Right. Friends... Look what happened last time i thought i had friends eh? Mess up one time. Don't listen to them ONE TIME and get told how stupid i was to think that they really liked me. You know? ******** em. I don't need people who 'only hung out with me because i was smart." She leaned her head back against the locker. "Gods, how could i have been so blind. I mean she even referred to me as 'the smart girl' multiple times on accident in class. Stupid. Stupid STUPID!" She yelled, hitting her head against the locker to accentuate each word. "And Jason... Hahaha.. Stupid, airheaded, pretty boy, Jason. That relationship was doomed from the beginning. Well Lindsey can have him, the stuck up b***h, i hope she's happy hanging off his arm like a ragdoll at this next dance." She sighed, another tear rolling down her cheek. "You know?" She looked at Mathew for the first time since she started her tirade and he was struck at that moment, with an immense hatred for whatever assholes had made her cry. Shaking his head slightly at the awkward emotion and the things it implied he tuned back in to what she was saying. "I'm really not sad that they're gone. The fact that i'm no longer associated with Lindsey, and Kaitlyn, or Jason, really doesn't bother me. It's more... now I have noone. They were my only friends. Crappy friends, sure. But they were all I had. And now? They're gone... And i'm alone." She said this last really quietly and Matthew could almost see the absolute despair and misery overtake the righteous indignation. Before she could start crying again, however, Matthew stood up.
"Get up." He said as levelly as he could. She started a bit as though she had just realised where she was.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" She said, hurriedly scrambling out of his way. "I should have moved... Blocking your locker... What was i thinking? Telling you... I mean... sorry.." She tried backing away from him, looking at her feet. But as she was stepping away an extrodinarily strong hand clamped around her arm.
"Just stop a moment will you?" Matthew said, the note of exasperation clear in his voice. Kaylee looked up in time to see the look of utter incredulity be replaced by one of determination. Incredulous? About me trying to get away or about him stopping me from leaving? She wondered as she was steered by that iron grip to stand right in front of him. "Now let me get this straight." He said capturing her gaze again. "Those girls you talked to in math today. They're your friends?" She shook her head, anger flashing over her features. "Okay but they WERE your friends. Right?" She nodded, sighing in defeat. "Okay. And you did something that upset them. So they told you that they only liked you because you were smart and could help them with their classes. Correct?" She nodded again. "And then this, this... Jason guy. Dumps you because you're no longer part of their group?" Kaylee slumped forward unable to bear it put like that. Nodding, Matthew pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.
Kaylee was frozen in shock. He was hugging her. Matthew. The extremely cool and mysterious guy that had been occupying her thoughts for the better part of two days was hugging her. Trying to make her feel better. It was mind blowing. And oh, he gives the best hugs in the world. Just as she relaxed into his embrace he let go, leaving her disgruntled and staring at him in awe. He smiled at the look on her face. His adorable crooked smile.
"Okay, so what. They're assholes. The people I hang out with have known that those people are assholes their whole lives. So. What you're going to do. Is after this next class, which by the way we're both late for, you're going to come find me at lunch and you're going to sit with me. And me and my group will make you forget those assholes ever existed okay?" Her eyes widened in shock, still numb and unable to process thought from the hug, and she nodded. He smiled again. "Good, now run along to class so i can get into my locker." She nodded again, and turning around, left the hallway in the opposite direction of her class. He watched her round the corner and shook his head in surprise. "What have I gotten myself into now?"
~
For the second time that day, Kaylee stood in front of a pair of orange doors, shaking in fear. This time it was the doors that led from the library hallway to the cafeteria. She had spent the entire class period in said library, not able to face a class full of her ex-friends, worrying about what they were going to try to do next to hurt her. Now, however, she wasn't thinking about them. Instead she was frozen by the thought of going to sit with that enigma, Matthew and his friends. She still wasn't sure if she hadn't imagined the whole thing. She sucked in a breath and pushed open the doors. Well I guess we're going to find out...
The cafeteria at North Hampton was possibly the most clique oriented and organized in the world. Sure the room was loud, but there were never any inter-clique conversations unless the preppys were picking on some 'lower' group that day. The math geeks stayed over by the back doors, the ravers played their metal near the a' la carte line, and the senior jocks played catch with a football over underneath the bulliten boards. The only group that ever left their designated area and wreaked havoc in the other groups was the misfits. Possibly the largest group in the school, it was compiled of all of the loud and obnoxious people that had decided they were too good for the groups they would otherwise belong in. They were considered both the low lifes and the coolest people in the school because not a single one of them gave a s**t about what everyone thought of them. At the heart of this group of strangers Matthew was sitting, beckoning Kaylee over, that adorably lopsided smile playing across his face. She smiled timidly in response and walked over, sitting quickly in what she was imagining as Matthews bubble of protection. As she sat, the room went quiet around her. Well not literally, but thats how it seemed. Everyone in the immediate vicinity, including Matthew, fell silent as she sat. Oh no! OH NO! Her thoughts scrame I was wrong. He DIDN'T invite me to sit with him. Oh no! What am I going to do? Before she could reach full panic attack, Matthew wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said.
"Wow I honestly didn't expect you to show up. You're braver than i thought." She blushed and went to hang her head in embarrassment but her head's downward travel was halted by a hand being shoved in her face.
"Hi, I'm Katy." A medium height, red headed girl announced, a slightly pompous tone in her voice. "Are you this mysterious Kaylee girl that Matthew was just telling us about?" Kaylee blanched.
"Um, yes, I'm Kaylee." She shook the girl's hand, then turned to Matthew. "You told them about me?"
"Yeah. He hasn't been able to shut up about you since lunch started." A short brunette slid into the bench across from them, glaring at Kaylee as she did so. "The name's Bethany, by the way." She continued to look at Kaylee in half admirement, half annoyance. Kaylee nodded at her, but before she could say anything in response another girl slid in next to her, another brunette. "Ohe Beth don't act like that. Just because he still is ignoring your humongous crush on him is no reason to get pissed at the girl who's finally caught his eye." She smiled a very toothy smile. "I'm Sunny." She proclaimed, hugging Kaylee.
"Kaylee, and what do you mean caught his eye? He's just being nice because i collapsed in front of his locker this morning." She was slowly turning red again. Sunny shrugged.
"Eh whatever works. Right Beth?" Bethany grunted in response, looking put out. Sunny laughed. "So whats your story? Matthew managed to get out a few things about your crisis before Andrew got him talking about what you looked like." And so Kaylee began to explain. You would think that given the circumstances Kaylee would be nervous around these overly friendly people and their probing questions. But oddly, Kaylee felt she belonged here and found herself telling these people, who she had just met, more than she had ever told her old group. It was only when she had finished that she realised that Matthew had left the table.
"Uh. What? Where did Matthew go?" She asked looking wildly around. Katy shrugged.
"He does that occasionally. Erm... I think he's... Uh..." She squinted toward the courtyard. "Over there talking to Andrew, Slimeboy and Midget."
"Slimeboy and Midget?" Kaylee asked incrediously.
"The other two Andrew's... Somehow these three idiots ended up with the same name, and are now best friends because of that and their love of video games. But yeah. I'll let Matthew do any further explanation if its needed." Kaylee nodded and stood up, heading over.
"Soooo, you like her?" A tall brunette boy was asking Matthew. He shrugged in response.
"I don't know Andy just leave me alone about it 'k?" Kaylee reached up
and poked him in the shoulder. He jumped slightly and turned around.
"You ditched me." She said a slightly accusing note marring the light hearted tone she had been aiming for. He smiled.
"You seemed to be getting along with them pretty well without my help."
"What are they? Your harem?" She asked smirking. One of the other Andrews snorted.
"They wish. Especially Bethany." the shortest of the three, midget she presumed, supplied.
"Nah, they're just friends." Matthew said a slight rose tint brushing his cheeks.
"Yeah i figured as much. But still..." She leaned over and gave Matthew a hug. "Thanks." He hugged her back.
"Any time." And the bell for lunch to end rang.
 bubble_blower17 · Thu Jun 26, 2008 @ 12:04pm · 0 Comments |
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