Chapter 1
“Welcome Back Eagles!”, the voice distinct, “Hope you all had a FABULOUS summer!” I finally realized I’m a senior. I’ve been stuck here for three long years and this final one couldn’t have come fast enough. The announcements whined in the background while I stared at Kaitlyn White. A dirty blonde with hazel eyes, she was a dream.
“Let’s all have a GREAT year Eagles! Talk to you tomorrow!” My trance interrupted. The speaker clicked.
How many more days do I need to listen to that screechy Megan Nelson giving us the “Eagle’s Events!” during my favorite class? I can’t stand it.
“Hey Jason!”
“Oh, hey Taylor.” God I want to kill him. Three years with this kid. Why must he ruin Advanced Acting my senior year too?
“What’s up!” He tries to give me a hug but I back away. I don’t want to catch any of the handful of diseases he’s bound to have.
“Oh, nothing much. Just the usual summer stuff. I went to see some colleges and all, nothing fun. What about you?”
“Same here dude, I think I wanna go to UC Merced!” I laugh in my head. UC Merced. That’s a joke. You’d have to kill me for me to say I wanted to go to University of California at Merced. Who even knows where Merced is? But it’s perfect for him.
“Oh, I could see that.” He doesn’t catch the sarcasm, but it’s okay. I don’t know the last time I looked at him without wanting to stab him. It all started freshman year. He was a player. A major player. He used girls and he used them like toys.
During freshman year he had the nerve to two-time Natalie and this other girl Allie who were sophomores then. Taylor was so oblivious that he thought the girls wouldn’t talk but they did and they caught him. They caught him bad. Apparently he started crying and begged for forgiveness. Does it make me an awful person that it made my day? Sort of.
I would bet they’ve all slept with him and they just won’t tell me. All the girls swoon over him for some reason I can’t comprehend. They’d all trade in their freedom to be with this guy forever. He isn’t even somewhat attractive.
Since I had the pleasure of seemingly being bound to Taylor by fate I have been in six shows with him and I have two more to look forward to. Kill me now. He is loud and obnoxious and overenthusiastic and perverted and he has all the qualities cocky guys have.
I told my friend Natalie I had a bad feeling about Taylor during my freshman year. What can I say? I have good senses of losers. Natalie was the most awesome girl you’d ever meet. She kept me grounded and knocked some sense in my head, but now she goes to the University of Alabama, and I’m more alone than before.
“Jason!” I knew it was Kaitlyn’s voice right away. She called me her best guy friend but I’m not proud of that title. “Long time no see!” Sarcasm. I saw her last week when we saw a movie with friends. I was on one end, her on the complete other. Just my luck.
“Kaitlyn!” I yell and I pick her up and spin her around. It’s kind of our little thing we do since she is so tiny. She’s about 5’1, but she doesn’t like being called short. I guess everyone has their insecurities. Taylor’s over-the-top scream echoes through the theatre. “Why does he have to be in this class?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll have fun. We’re finally seniors!” Her voice sounds different than last year, but I can’t decide what it is. Maybe we’re just getting older.
“I know. I’m just ready to get out of this place. I have a bad feeling this year is going to take forever.”
“Well we’ll spend this long year together then! So what do you think about the new kids?”
“Whatever, I could care less about them. They don’t suck, so as long as they don’t piss me off I’m good. How about you?”
“I think that new blonde boy’s hot. Liam?”
“Oh yeah, I saw him last year in drama. He’s.... okay I guess.”
“Yea, we’ll see how it goes with him. I’m gonna go say hi! Wish me luck!” And there she went. Strutting away from me, staring into his stupid blue eyes. Why can’t she look at me like that. She just met him and she would already go in a corner alone with him.
The drama room is full with all twenty-five of us drama geeks, but it’s empty to me. It isn’t like last year with Natalie and all the new college freshman who left, because now I feel alone. Of course there’s Kaitlyn but she’s different. She’s complicated. I’ve known her since freshman year and I’ve always liked her for some reason. It feels like the right time. I gotta make a move this year.
“Jaaaa-sonnn!” Jessica yells at me in her loud voice, “I can’t believe it! Seniors!” I think I should start a count at how many times I’ll hear that I’m a senior today. “Wasn’t that movie last week soooooo funny!?” I have to tolerate Jessica’s obnoxious, but occasionally lovable attitude since she’s best friends with Kaitlyn. She can work magic on Kaitlyn, but she can never get us together. But trust me, she wants to help. “So how’s Kaitlyn?” She gives me an exaggerated wink. She’s known about my high school crush since freshman year.
“She’s already in love with that kid over there,” I stared at Liam and hoped he would disappear but I know he won’t, “It’ll never happen. I’m gonna try and move on.”
“We all know how that worked out last year.”
“This year I will. I just need to realize it’s never going to happen. That she is just too out of my league.”
“Don’t do it yet. I’ll try and work the good old Jessica magic. She’ll like you by homecoming, don’t worry.”
“You know how I am.” And she does. I worry. A lot. I always seem to think of the worst case scenario. I never look on the bright side when it comes to Kaitlyn. Maybe Jessica is right, maybe I do need to think positively for once.
“Ah! It’s the three of us during senior year! I can’t believe it!” Kaitlyn’s back and that brings my senior reminder count to three. She turns to me and whispers, “Oh, and Liam’s nice, but I don’t know. Kind of a douche.”
I smile to myself and I know that’s where I have the advantage. Here’s something you should know about me. I’m the standard nice guy who’s stuck in the friend zone. I’m always the one who is best friends with the girl everyone likes but never, and I mean never the boyfriend. High school isn’t like the movies. The nice guy doesn’t come out on top. “Well that’s uncommon Kaitlyn. Douche bags invading the class. Never would have guessed.”
“Shut up Jason. I just thought he was hot! That’s all.”
“Whatever you say Kaitlyn. Maybe he’ll be your first kiss.” That’s another weird thing about Kaitlyn. She hasn’t had her first kiss yet. She hasn’t even had a boyfriend. That’s not to say there aren’t guys after her, but she’s too picky.
She stares at me with her self proclaimed “death eyes” even though she knows I always return the look. Kaitlyn walks away with her sly grin and goes and talks to Liam. She knows I don’t like it but nobody cares what I think. Jessica just shrugs and follows Kaitlyn. I’m such an idiot. I guess I should start moving on now.
HOPE YOU LIKED IT!
One Geek,
Grant
I finished the AMAZING book "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" which everyone should read. I can't wait to read the next one! I saw the dance show too, which was pretty long, but my friends were in it!
FAVORITE SONG EVER! It didn't get released, so I am happy I own it :p
