*Geek Boy*
Ellie Kent was the most beautiful human being on the planet.
If I'd ever doubted itâwhich I'd neverâit had been confirmed this morning, less than an hour ago.
The moment she walked into that hallway, the crowd parted. The way the students had all stared at her, in awe, was not difficult to understand.
She was amazing.
She'd strode in casually, a finger wrapped around a lock of her golden hair. She had been flanked by her friends: Gemma Henderson, Madison Jefferson and Layla Chang. Her eyes, those beautiful pair of glimmering sapphires, had been unfocused, scanning the halls. As always, her skin was flawless and her hair was done up perfectly, a few tousled strands dancing down her creamy neck. My fingers had twitched, imagining stroking a finger down her cheek.
She slammed the breath out of me.
Then her eyes had met mine and I'd completely forgot how to breathe.
Her eyes had widened slightly. Her lipsâthose perfect pair of scarlet cupid bowsâparted just slightly, as if she were trying to inhale a quick breath. Then pink spread over her cheeks like paint seeping into cloth.
Wow.
"Mr Johnson?"
I peeled my eyes away from Ellie's figure as she left the maths classroom with Katie Richards. Ellie's golden hair glimmered in the light spilling through the window and her steps were endearingly lithe.
Mr Meyer was watching me, brows furrowed and lips pursed. I could feel Catherine's glare.
"Sorry, sir, can you please repeat what you said?"
Mr Meyer frowned. "Alright. I wanted to discuss the Harvard trip. It will be taking place in two weeks. As a result, we will be having a meeting at lunch time today to discuss the details and the itinerary."
I nodded. The Harvard Trip. With everything that had happened...I'd barely thought about it. I shifted on my feet. The Trip would mean time away from Ellie. Sigh.
"I assume you can both still attend?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied.
I glanced over to Catherine for her response. She was standing as far away from me as possible, arms folded, stony glare on the wall behind Mr Meyer.
I hadn't seen her since the night of the festival. She was clearly avoiding me. And I couldn't blame her, not really. I hadn't handled her confession properly. I'd had no idea what to do when she'd told me she liked me, and, as a result, our friendship had deteriorated.
It didn't mean I wasn't still slightly angry at her. Just the memory of what she'd said to Ellie a few weeks ago made an anger I couldn't understand flare up.
There was silence.
"Ms Wilson?" Mr Meyer probed, sounding impatient.
"Yeah," she finally responded.
He nodded, looking satisfied. "Good." He glanced at the clock. "Alright, I will see you both at lunch." I watched as his figure left the room.
Silence, again.
I sighed.
She was still my friend.
"Cathâ" I began.
"Don't even," she snapped.
Her hands clenched around her arms and she wouldn't look at me.
"You dropped me off on Friday, right? I saw your jacket."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah." You vomited on Ellie.
"I saw you guys in the woods before..." she trailed off and I stiffened. Her eyes narrowed. "You were with her. I was going to talk to you before I fainted."
And vomited all over my seven-year-crush. Not your fault. But, still.
"Was she there when you dropped me off?"
I dragged a hand through my hair. I avoided her gaze as the memory of what happened after we'd dropped off Catherine flooded my brain.
Woah.
"Yes," I replied, still not meeting her eyes.
I heard a sharp gasp.
My eyes returned to Catherine, who was staring at me as if I'd grown another head. "Are you blushing?" she hissed.
I frowned, touching my face. It was hot.
Well, I'm pretty obvious.
Her eyes narrowed. "What did you guys do?" she demanded.
I looked away, biting my lip.
Talking.
Laughing.
Kissing.
Now I couldn't breathe correctly.
"Are you even kidding me right now?" she snapped. "You drop me off and then what? You go make out with her like five minutes later?"
My eyes flashed back to her. "It wasn't..." Like that.
I frowned. The way she said it made it sound wrong, when being with Ellie couldn't have been more perfect.
When I finally said words that had been burning my mind for weeks, months, years even.
When she told me she felt the same way.
Abruptly, my face was burning again.
I cannot do this.
Catherine was still glaring at me. "Are you serious? You keep pretending that you value our friendship, but you're such a fake. What did you guys do, huh? Spend hours talking about her stupid hair or designer outfits?" she mocked. "Or how excited she is for junior prom?"
I sighed. "Catherine," I snapped. "You need to stop. Now."
Her eyes narrowed. "Did you kiss her? Go on a date? Ask herâ"
She stopped abruptly. I'd looked away the moment she'd said kiss. My face was now burning all over again. I remembered the sensation of my my hands brushing Ellie's face, caressing her hair...
Just...goodness...
"You actually kissed her? And went on a date?" Catherine asked, her voice full of disbelief. "Like you guys were together or something?"
"Catherine, drop it," I mumbled.
"Are you kidding me Will?! You went out with that blonde idiot?"
"She's not an idiot!" I snapped.
She flinched. I hardly ever raised my voice, especially towards her.
"Catherine, you need to stop. You know nothing about Ellie and you have no right to insult her. You can insult me all you want because we're friends and I still care about you, but I refuse to let you say one word about Ellie Kent. Do you understand me?" I demanded.
Catherine just smouldered, glaring at me. "Wow, Will, you've changed."
I sighed, lowering my voice. "Catherine..."
Suddenly, her expression transformed. She brought a hand to her chin and her eyebrows furrowed over her narrowed eyes. Her voice was quieter, "Or something..."
Then she smirked and a menace I didn't recognise glowed in her eyes. "You guys may be dating," she continued quietly, "but she hasn't told anyone, has she?"
I didn't reply.
Her smirk grew. "You're her secret, aren't you? She's embarrassed of you, isn't she? She hasn't told her perfect little friends that she's dating a geek instead of a stupid jock."
"You don't know Ellie," I argued.
But her words nudged at me and pain pricked my chest. Was Ellie embarrassed of me? I knew she was too kind to admit it, but it made sense. She was so completely better than me in every single way. Was she keeping our relationship a secret?
Catherine saw it, that her words had caused me pain.
She was grinning now. "You're right, I don't know her, nor do I want to. But neither do you. You know nothing about her. It's sad, really? That she believes she has to hide you from her friends."
She stepped closer to me and her fingers brushed my shoulders. I stiffened.
"No worries after all. It's just a matter of time," she hummed, "before she stops using you for whatever she wanted, and goes back to her stupid jock boyfriend."
I gritted my teeth. "He isn't her boyfriend."
She peered up at me and laughed, the sound harsh and cold. "And you are?"
She must have seen the answer on my face.
"I thought so. I knew I was right. I always am." She continued to brush my shoulders. "You may not be her boyfriend, but he will be soon." Her eyes met mine. "Don't be upset, Will, it was bound to happen. Didn't you see it coming? The head cheerleader and the quarterback? It's so cliché I want to puke." She paused, dramatic. "She's going to break your heart Will." Then, with a twisted smile, she turned and walked out of the classroom.
I felt a lump growing in my throat. An ache crushed my chest.
Was she right?
Could she be right?
That thought haunted me all throughout the day.
At lunch, I strode towards Mr Meyer's classroom alone.
The image of Ellie with Justin at the cinema a few weeks ago filled my mind. They'd looked perfect together.
And yet I couldn't forget the way she'd looked at me. I couldn't forget her cute expressions, or her crimson blush, or the strawberry taste of her lips. I couldn't forget the way she'd stuttered on Saturday when she told me that she cared about me.
If I could have anything in the world, I'd want to be with Ellie.
It was selfish, but that was all I wanted.
"Are you coming to school tomorrow?"
I blinked out of my daze, realising Nerissa Chang was beside me. When did she get here?
She looked up at me expectantly.
I frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"
Nerissa scoffed as she shifted her glasses, pushing them up her nose. "Tomorrow? You know," she jabbed her finger in the direction of a poster next to us, "Activity's Day."
It dawned on me. "It's tomorrow."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Will. You're so out of it lately. So, are you coming?"
I thought about it. I didn't usually attend Activity's Day. The event was held yearly, switching schools from Western High to Eastern High, and vice versa, annually. Throughout the day there would be no lessons. At nine o'clock exactly, the event would begin.
Usually, Catherine and I would spend that day at the cinema or at the town library.
That obviously wasn't going to happen this year.
"No," I replied.
My entire body stiffened at the idea that I would have to stay homeâwith Jed.
"Me too," Nerissa chipped in. "My mother"âthe principalâ"keeps insisting I consider attending but to be honest, imagine how much studying time I'd lose? It's absolutely ridiculous, wasting an entire school day like that."
I listened, but my mind was elsewhere.
"The cheerleaders are getting really excited though," she continued, snorting. "I have no idea why, considering they hate getting sweaty or messy. But Layla is going all out. She invited over Gemma Henderson a few times to do game plans. I think her and her groupies are bringing in matching outfits. I can just sense how trashed the school is going to be the next day. I guess I'll have to skip both days. The Activity's Day and the clean up day."
The clean up day, the day after, when the entire school worked together to clear up the destruction.
Another day I usually spent with Catherine.
Sigh.
I wondered if Ellie enjoyed Activity's Day. I'd seen a few pictures in the school paper following the day and she'd always been centre stage, grinning ear to ear, surrounded by her best friends.
We arrived at Mr Meyer's classroom in a few minutes.
As soon as she was in the room, Nerissa strode over to Lilian Fabris, chirping away about how she was going to spend the entirety of the next two days getting ahead in maths. Theodore Reyes was perched on a desk beside Lilian, as usual, and fiddled with a small mechanical device.
Catherine walked in shortly after we did, smirking in my direction, before jumping into the conversation with Lilian and Nerissa.
Her words from earlier echoed in my head.
She's going to break your heart Will.
I leaned on a desk by a window, thinking of what Catherine had said as my gaze roamed the field outside.
Mr Meyer arrived a few minutes later, followed by Ms Kensington. They both appeared annoyed, muttering to each other.
It took them only a few minutes to explain the itinerary of the Harvard trip to the handful of peopleâsevenâin the room.
The first week of the trip would be spent on campus, and we would be allowed to experience the school like students. We'd be given schedules to follow for classes, activities and periods of free time, during which we'd have access to school grounds plus surrounding areas.
The second week would be spent at a hotel. We'd all have our own suites and access to the food and facilities provided by the hotel. We'd explore the town areas as a group as well as go into lectures that related to our interests and future career.
It was only near the end of their explanation that we finally found out why both of them were so irritated.
"As you all know, we will, as sister schools, be attending with some Western High students. Unfortunately, along with that stretch of resources, another trip will be taking place from Eastern and Western High. It concerns a different matter but we will have to share both the coach as well as the plane ride with them." Meyer trailed off, muttering something about 'stupid extracurricular activities' and how 'no one values education any more.'
I fiddled with the pen between my fingers until we were finally dismissed.
Ms. Kensington called me to the front as I was about to leave.
"Mr Johnson," she said, smiling. "It's very good to see you again. I missed you in my classes."
Mr Meyer scoffed. "I think he quite prefers my classes, more challenging."
Ms Kensington shot him a glare. "Anyway," she said, a tenuous smile stretching over her face as her gaze returned to me. "I know this might seem a little ridiculous to you. You already have a university degree in maths, correct? Under the Harvard accelerated program?"
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"And now you're working on a masters or PhD, which I'm guessing you'll be receiving next year?"
I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
She nodded, still smiling. "So, it may seem odd to attend this, but I believe it could provide you with fantastic opportunities to get into other courses as well. What career do you plan to go into?"
Ellie's voice popped into my mind. This time the words came out easier.
"Medical research, ma'am." James slipped into my thoughts.
She nodded, satisfied. "Of course. There is little doubt you will be accepted. I can introduce you to a few specialists when we arrive at the university, they are very forward in medical research there."
"Little doubt?" Mr Meyer huffed. "Of course he'll get in."
I shuffled as they went back and forth, discussing the programs. It was uncomfortable watching them discuss my future. It reminded me of my mother.
I'd told her once, about how I wanted to study medical research. It was out of curiosity, to see how she would react.
The moment I'd said medical research, it had clicked in her head. She'd stood up from the dining table, washed her plate, and left the house. She didn't return for a week.
The following week, she'd come home and told me to apply for the Harvard accelerated maths program.
In every way, she separated me from them, the other side of my family. The other side of myself.
I glanced at my watch. One of the university classes my mother had emailed me was about to start. "I'm sorry, I have a class to attend, is it alright if I leave now?"
Ms. Kensington finally looked at me. "Of course. Don't let us get in the way of your work."
I nodded and began to leave the room.
"I didn't know you had a university degree already," Nerissa said, eyes wide.
I realised the others had still been in the room.
I wasn't sure how to respond. I hadn't seen a point in mentioning it. "It never came up."
I glanced at my watch again before leaving the room.
But I still heard the whispers.
"It's a wonder he's still at school," someone said. "A high school degree and a university degree? Why hasn't he left yet? He still attends like he's a Junior when he's already finished school."
"I heard he got a hundred per cent in every test."
"He's talented, obviously."
"His parents are probably hardcore."
"Didn't he finish high school when he was twelve?"
"I didn't know that."
I gritted my teeth. I could feel their gazes pricking my back.
I knew how they looked at me.
Like I was a lab rat.
*
I opened my locker, pulling out books to keep me busy at home tomorrow.
If I didn't leave soon, I'd be late to the class.
The halls were nearly empty, the odd straggler strolling through.
The bell's going to ring soon.
I wondered what Ellie was doing. Usually, I'd see her during my last period, in the library, but I wouldn't be able to attend my free period in the library and attend my university classes at the same time. With him home, it was better to stave off any confrontations with my mother.
As I thought that, the bell rang, and a mass of bodies spilled into the hall.
I froze as my gaze honed in on one.
Ellie Kent walked through the entrance of the school, followed by a group of cheerleaders and jocks. Her eyes were unfocused again. This time she gnawed on her lip, as she thought something over. Her cheeks were red.
Had someone made her blush?
Suddenly, she glanced up and her eyes met mine.
My heart slowed to a stop.
More red filled her face and, if I could find the strength to move, I would have chuckled. She's so adorable.
What she did next stopped my breathing altogether.
Her lips, reddened from her biting, twitched into a perfect cupid bow smile. Her eyes lit up, as if she'd just seen something she was looking forward to all day. She lifted her fingers and gave me a tentative wave.
Well, that's it.
I can't do it.
I'll never be able to get over her.
Not now, not ever.
Before I could respond, before I could snap myself out of the daze I was in, bodies converged around her and I watched as her blonde hair disappeared around a corner.
It was only when the hallways emptied and the bell rang again, that I finally forced my frozen muscles to shut my locker door and head to the parking lot.
The university classes sped by in mere seconds. I could barely concentrate, my mind on Ellie.
She was just...
I couldn't stifle the grin stretched across my face.
When I finally pulled into my driveway at seven, the sun was sinking behind the horizon, splattering bursts of orange and red into the sky. The glow of yellow reminded me of Ellie's hair.
I hesitated, the warmth of Ellie's smile dissipating.
I didn't want to enter the house. Not when they were there.
Finally, I sighed and stepped out of the car, heading towards the house.
I heard laughter as soon as I walked in.
My mother was sitting at the kitchen island, smiling up at Jed as if he were the most perfect son in the entire world.
Jed stood at the stove. A familiar scent filled the room. A lump manifested in my throat.
I was surprised my mother hadn't kicked him out.
There he was, casually cooking my father's spaghetti Bolognese recipe like it meant nothing. Like it wasn't the meal we ate the night before The Incident. Like my dad still cared about me.
In that moment, I hated him with my whole being.
He looked up, and a grin stretched across his face. "Hey, little bro. You're finally home."
My mother cleared her throat, straightening.
He inclined his chin to the food. "We're just about to have dinner. I made your favourite."
I was cold, so cold.
"I'm not hungry."
Then I turned and strode up the stairs.
This time I didn't even bother listening to their whispering as I slammed the door shut behind me.
Instead, I dragged off my shoes, pulled my shirt off, and laid in bed. I shut my eyes and Ellie filled my mind.
It felt as if I'd lost everything.
I didn't want to lose her too.
*
Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter :) If you did, pretty please vote and tell me what you think in the comments :) I adore your contributions! Also, do you think the story may be getting a little depressing? Or is everyone ok with the development in Will's life? I wrote this story to make the readers smile, so the idea that it may be upsetting bothers me a bit.
This chapter is dedicated to a special person who brings my mood up with her wonderful comments, and who reads faster than I can type, thank you so much for bringing your brightness into the comments and improving my mood whenever I read them ;)
BTW, school is starting up again. (For any one who's curious, my results were good, but there is still room for improvement. Thank you all for your support and prayers :D)
See you later my chocolates  ;D
God bless
xxx
Yemi Everest