5. Seeing Her

Liam

Another school day. Great.

The beeping of my alarm echos in my room, and I let out a groan at its' unrelenting, horrible sound.

Slamming my hand down on the alarm, it finally turns off and I stretch my whole body, whilst still in bed, trying to find the motivation to get up.

School, isn't enough motivation in itself. It just drains the life out of me on some days, where I can literally feel it slipping away.

If it weren't for my mates or football, school would suck so bad. Those two are the main things at keep my going really.

I was aware of the fact that I was kind of popular in school, and ideally I should be looking forward to walking through those halls, but that was far from how I felt.

It was clear enough to me, that if I wasn't somewhat alright-looking, or part of the football team, I doubt people would give me a second glance.

It was a hard truth. But honestly, sometimes that sounded better.

The constant stares and whispers were annoying. As if I was some kind of animal in a zoo.

Over the last summer, I grew taller, and helping my Dad out with work and fixing up his old car, helped me gain more muscle.

Usually, that would be something that I would be kind of proud of, but it just gave people at school more of a reason to talk about me. It wasn't fun.

I really wasn't shallow or vain, and I realised that chasing popularity was probably one of the most dumbest things I've ever done. I got happy that everyone wanted to be my friend, only to realise after, that not everyone was actually my friend.

The one that I had. I lost.

"Liam! Get your butt out of bed! I heard that alarm go off!" I then heard my Mum shout, louder than the alarm.

Unfortunately, there's no snooze button for her.

I closed my eyes once again, thinking just five more minutes and I'll get up.

"Now!" Mum shouted again, and I groaned, getting out of bed before she came up to my room.

I guess I have to get up now.

***

"Good, you're up. I don't have to come up there and bang on pots and pans," my Mum grinned at me.

She would undoubtedly do that.

"I was up already. Before my alarm," I then told her, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

Mum just gave me a skeptical look, raising her brow. She didn't believe me at all, that was clear.

"If you're going lie, at least do it better," Dad then said, sipping on his coffee.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes.

"Okay, I'm out of here," I told them, and quickly munched on my apple, before throwing it in the food bin.

I didn't really have breakfast in the mornings, usually just a fruit.

Grabbing my keys, I stepped out the front door, heading towards my car.

It was a gift from my parents when I turned sixteen. It was the one that I was fixing up with my Dad.

The car wasn't anything new in itself, but was still a classic, and I loved it. The new blue paint job we had given it, made it looked great.

As I was walked towards the car, I heard another door close and leaning up slightly, I spotted Rena, walking to her bike.

Rena.

I've always regretted losing her, through my own selfishness and greed for popularity.

She was the first friend that I made, when I first moved to this neighbourhood.

I still remember that day, when I crashed my bike outside her house and the way she ran to me, scattering her beads all over the place, just to come help me.

The way she cared for me, she really thought she was some kind of doctor.

That's what I liked best about her. She's always there to help, whenever someone is in need. Not caring about herself in the process.

However, I'm a dickhead.

When we were younger, Rena and I would spend so much time together, she really was my best friend. She steal me dessert when our parents had dinner together. We even used to build forts together and watch movies.

At school, I slowly started to get a more attention and it went straight to my head.

I shouldn't have let it. I should've carried on to be the friend that she always was to me, but instead I chose a different path. One that lost me the best friend I could've asked for.

I don't know when I stopped being so acknowledging of her existence, and now when I thought about it, I disgusted myself.

Despite everything, I still care about her.

She may not see it, or think it. Hell, she probably hates me, but I do care for her. I always will.

I let myself get sucked into this lifestyle, that I only realised after, wasn't for me.

By the time I realised that I left a good friend behind, I was too much of a coward to go to her and apologise.

When I got the chance to do something good for her, I did. Even though she didn't know that, but didn't have to either. I'd been such a prick, it was the least I could do.

Shaking my head, I stopped myself from reminiscing things I couldn't go back on.

Instead I got into my car and headed to school.

***

It already felt like it had been a long day, and was about to feel so much more longer, since we had Calc now.

Sitting in our lesson, I could hear Holden and Andre bicker with each other.

"...You get a trim every weak and still have a weak-ass fade?" Holden joked.

"Don't talk about my hair," Andre scowled at him.

Within our group, there was Holden, Andre and Chris.

Andre and Chris were with me, on the football team. Whilst Andre was of course a loud mouth, not being able to sit in silence long enough. Chris was the complete opposite to him. He was the quiet one, not really saying much, but when he did talk, we'd listen.

Then there was Holden. He was definitely the more nicer one out all of us, I guess.

I continued to hear them bicker, when suddenly my eyes landed on the entrance of the classroom, and I saw her.

I watched as she walked further into the classroom, looking like an angel, with beauty just radiating off of her.

She has this delicate smile on her face, beautiful. Her blonde hair shone in the light, bouncing on her shoulders as she walked. I could see her bright green eyes from here, and I couldn't help but wonder how they looked up close.

Seeing her walk towards me, I couldn't get my eyes off of her.

I'm glad she's not looking at me right now, because, I must look like a creep.

"Stop staring, man. It's creepy" Holden whispered to me, and I immediately snapped back to reality.

I looked over to him and saw him smirk.

"Fuck off," I shoved him away from me, and he let out a laugh.

I then looked back towards the girl, and watched as she took a seat in front of the row I was sat in, with Rena.

Wait, with Rena?

She's friends with her? Then why haven't I seen her before? She has to be new.

I felt this urge to know who she is.

Reaching into my writing pad, I ripped out a piece of paper from the back, and scribbled on it. Writing on it, 'who's your friend?'.

I crumpled the paper and threw it at Rena. I meant to hit her back, but it instead, it hit her head, and I winced.

Ah fuck.

"Really, man? You threw it at her head?" Holden whispered.

"It was an accident. I was aiming for her back,"

I told him.

"Your aim is shit," Andre chimed in. I didn't even realise he was watching too.

Instead of responding to him, I just showed him my middle finger, causing him to snicker.

Looking back to Rena, I watched as she picked up the paper from the floor and opened it up.

She didn't look back, like I thought she would. I could even see her write anything on it. She basically ignored it.

But then again, why would she? I'm probably not her favourite person anyway.

Instead the lesson went by, and I was left wondering on who this girl was.

***

Hearing the bell ring, we all got up and started to pack our stuff away. But I don't want to leave just yet, not until I found out something, anything, about the new girl.

I turned to Holden, and nudged his arm. "Holden, go ask her for me?" I asked him.

He just looked at me in confusion. "Ask who?"

"Go ask, Rena." I told him. However, the confusion on his face remained.

I rolled my eyes. "Can you ask Rena, about the new girl?" I whispered, not wanting them to overhear me.

Holden gave me an amused look, and shook his head.

He then walked around me, and headed towards Rena.

"Pussy," I heard Andre whisper near my ear, and then laugh.

I shoved him away from me, causing him to laugh even more.

I watch slyly, as Holden approached the two of them.

He greeted them both, and then I heard Serena introduce her.

Julie. Beautiful name.

I watched as she tilted her head up and little and then speak a little. Well, really only one word.

But nonetheless, her voice was beautiful.

She even gave Holden a little smile, and I swear it was pretty enough to light up a room.

Pretty? What the hell is wrong with me?

Holden then spoke up, causing me to snap back to reality.

"Welcome to the School. I haven't see you around so thought I should say hi and introduce myself," he said.

Yeah, sure. You thought to say hi and introduce yourself.

"Didn't you see her in History?" Rena then questioned Holden.

For fucks sake, Holden. He already saw her and didn't say anything. Dickhead.

There was a long pause before Holden said anything, and I swear I could hear the gears turning in his head, whilst he thought of an answer.

"Umm, I was going to ask, b-but I didn't want to stop you, and then make you rush to the next class after," I then heard him say.

Great, now he looks nervous. I knew I should've asked Chris instead.

"Okay then," Rena then said, and I could tell that she didn't believe him, from the way that she stretched out her words.

She used to do that when our Mum's would ask us, if we ate the cookies from the tin, when we were younger.

"Anyways, I should get back to the guys. See you around," Holden then said, and began to walk back towards us.

I gave him a questioning look, as he looked at me and he gave me a small shrug, and mouthed 'what?', as if hadn't just been a stuttering mess.

I shook my head, but then my eyes ended up meeting Rena's.

She was just looking at me, and I couldn't look away either.

I wish I could just speak to her. Tell her I'm sorry and ask her for her forgiveness and be her friend again. But I'm such a coward that it scares me if she says no.

At least not saying anything keeps the hope alive that she'll be my friend again.

Rena then looked away, back to Julie.

The two of them left the classroom, and I kept my eyes on Julie until she was out of sight.

I really need to get a grip.