What others are saying about A and D
"I have been enjoying your story; I think you write quite well really. When I clicked on it, I'll admit that I thought what sort of a clichéd mess is this going to be? But I found I couldn't tear my eyes away. I've always kind of liked the best friend falling in love thing, it's perfect."
-TheTimelessClock
"It's absolutely amazing and it's got me hooked. You writing style is different and captivating."
-Promises
"When I read the first chapter, I was like 'hmm... good but
nothing new', "cliché" as you've mentioned. But I still
read on, mostly just to pass the time. After a few chapters, I don't
know what happened anymore. I got into the story that I’d just
read, read, read and next thing I knew, I was at the end. I took some
time to think for a while and I guess what made me eventually hooked
with A&D's story is the simple yet relatable emotions the
characters have. You got their thoughts and personalities right that
people who read this, teens especially, relate to them and root for
them as if they were cheering on for themselves. Projection, I
believe is what it's called. There’s no "OMG! WTF!"
factor in the plot but I think A&D's simpleness is its charm. :))
I also do enjoy reading your afterwords. I can imagine how much fun
you have with writing... something I’ve lost for months now. You
make me want to write for fun
again too!"
-Mari
"Wow this is such a good story. Your story makes me go through so many emotions while I am reading, it’s like I am the actual character. I am so glad that you don't write very short details and make everything go fast. I feel like this actually happened. In some stories the author makes them notice each other and then all of the sudden they are in love and yes they may hit a few complications but in the end it’s predictable. Not yours though. I am also very happy that when you write Aaron's point of view that its believable and actually sounds like a guy would think. You know some authors make the guys sound a little too emotional and you can sorta tell that it was written by a girl. But yours is the exact opposite, you are an amazing writer."
-nikiward15
"Awesome! Truly awesome! This is one of the most epic books I have ever read because it’s just so happy and funny and bubbly that it makes you wanna get up and dance and laugh and shout and that's really hard to get out of a book!!!"
-flowerchild3
"I didn't guess that the book with simple title would have such nice story line...blown away really..."
-sehreshsweet
"Awesome is an understatement for this story."
-MySkyOfBlossoms
"Funny. Witty. It's brilliant! I had a smile plastered on my face while I read this. Now my cheeks hurt. I thoought, Jock and Nerd, very typical. But then when I read it, I just got sucked in. It's so good!"
-pame1a
* * * * *
A and D
By Louisse C.
. . .
Being in love is hard.
Being in love with your best friend is harder.
Being in love with your best friend who is in anentirely different clique in High School is the hardest.
* * * * *
Text copyright © 2011 by Louisse Carreon
Illustrations and copyright © by Abigale Losantas, Marnie Tablatin, and Louisse Carreon
All rights reserved.
Published by Louisse Carreon at Smashwords
* * * * *
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
* * * * *
Inspired by Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me
* * * * *
~Acknowledgements~
God, thank you for giving me the gift of writing.
The undying support and love of my parents, Noel and Leticia Carreon. Thank you for putting up with me throughout these years. I love you both.
The help of Mary Joy Gozo to begin this story, even though we didn't finish it together because of personal problems. Still, I thank you.
My Wattpads fans, you guys became my motivation and inspiration to finish the story of Aaron and Dakota. I wouldn't have done it without you. So thanks, Wattaholics!
Sarah Sanchez, thank you for being my personal virtual guide in New Jersey. Without you, there would be a lot of incorrect facts about New Jersey and High School in this story.
Krisha Mojica, Jeimee Baybay, and Esther Comising, thanks for being few of my first A and D fans! Especially Essy!!
Jenelyn Cordero, Izel Dancel, and Janella Sango, some of the inspiration came from our Puerto days. Let's do it again in the future.
Khaida Kharial, Kharis Rodiel, and Chela Saputil, here are your names. (Haha)
Alyson Garganera, Eunikkoh Castillo, and No Hyung Uk (otherwise known as “Joseph”): thank you for letting me borrow your names for the story, guys.
Elaiza dela Cruz, Faith Laja, Venus Lapinig, few of my bookish friends. Thanks for making me feel wanted in your group. I feel like I really belong.
Of course, the help of my good friend Abigaile Losantas wouldn't be forgotten. Thanks for supporting A and D 'til the end, which is only the beginning. (Haha)
And I'd also like to thank Marnie Tablatin and Shim Yong Bo (also known as “James”) for agreeing with Gaile and I's ideas for the cover. James, thank you for doing the Photo Shoot!
* * * * *
~Dedication~
To Noel and Leticia Carreon,
the best supportive parents in the world.
To Mary Joy Gozo,
she helped me give birth to the wonderful and touching story of A and D.
To Taylor Swift,
without whose song I wouldn't be inspired to write this story.
* * * * *
Chapter One:
FREAKING FIRST DAY
Dakota:
Ugh.
I could hear his voice yelling my name, telling me to wake up. But I didn’t want to wake up. I just wanted to sleep. Couldn’t he just leave me alone? Wasn’t he getting tired of waking me up every single day of High School? I mean, I get that he was a morning person. But not all of us are. I know that he wanted to wake up early for us to catch the bus to school. That was why he also wakes me up early because I sleep ‘til late. I also didn’t and couldn’t wake up early. I guess he thinks it was his job or something since my parents let me skip school to get some sleep. Didn’t my parents rock?
Anyway, we’d been coming to school together since we were kids. After all, we lived next door and we were best friends. And – I don’t know – I guessed it became a hobby of his to wake me up every morning if it was a school day. But he couldn’t force me forever! He would eventually get tired.
What was more, it was getting way out of hand.
So I just ignored him and went back to sleep. Besides, there was nothing he could do that would surprise me anymore. He’d done literally almost every ploy to make me leave my cozy bed. I got used to every bit of it, and in the long run, I learned to ignore the tricks. Ho ho ho . . .
I sighed. He stopped yelling. Finally, some peace and quiet . . . Hmm . . . Wait a minute . . . What was that? . . . What was that unsettling loud noise?
“Ugnnnhh . . .” I murmured. “Shut up,” I moaned. “No no no no.” Not that song, I thought. I covered my ears with my pillow, unsuccessfully drowning out the sound.
“Stop!” I complained.
But of course he wasn’t going to stop playing that unbearable rap song. You see, I hated rap songs. I found rock music comforting; while rap music, I found disturbing. I didn’t know why. I just did. And he knew how much I couldn’t stand it. As bossy as someone like him, he just wouldn’t give up.
All of a sudden, the noise became louder! As if it was in my room! Ugh! Then, I figured he must’ve had turned on the talkies – talkies were our nickname for walkie-talkies which we plastered ours on each of our bedroom walls so we can talk to each other non-stop through our windows. I couldn’t believe he could think of something like this!
I bolted right up, dizzily grabbing my big square-rimmed glasses on the way. I turned on my talkie by the window and sleepily glared at the 6’2” lean-build seventeen-year-old guy who was wearing nothing but his jogging pants in his room. I can see him through his bedroom window exactly across mine.
“Alright, alright,” I yelled through the noise. “I’m awake! You can stop the torture now.”
He grinned. “Not until you get ready for school,” he said.
Grrr. Could he be any more demanding?
“Wow,” I said sarcastically. “I didn’t know you could get that bossy, Dad.”
“Do I look like an old dude to you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Of course not. You’re the most handsome guy I have ever met. But I’m never going to admit that. Not to you, anyway.
“Oh, you’re not? Huh. You sure as hell sounded like one,” I said scornfully.
He stared at me. “Who do you thinks’ fault it is?” he asked mockingly. “Just hurry up, D. Geez, it’s the first day of senior year,” he added, shaking his head.
“All the more reason not to wake up,” I quickly replied. “Stop the music!”
“C’mon, stop being so melodramatic. It’s just school,” he shrugged, as though there was nothing wrong with it.
Um, ehem! Just school??? Is he serious? It’s like a jungle out there. And aren’t his ears bleeding from that racket?
“It’s High School, A,” I emphasized the word venomously.
“Ah, yes,” he said in understanding, as he walked toward his basketball and grabbed it, twirling it with his hands. “The I-hate-high-school-blah-blah is here. You know, that’s gotta stop. It’s not that bad.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re popular,” I muttered, looking away.
“Hmmm,” he pretended to think. “You may be right about that. I’m just kidding!” He added quickly when he saw my reaction.
“Whatever, jock,” I said as I dragged myself to the bathroom. Well, he was a jock. Tell me when a High School Varsity Basketball Player wasn’t a jock, and then I wouldn’t call him that.
I suddenly stopped walking and went back to scream at the talkie.
“TURN OFF THE FREAKING MUSIC, AARON!”
And thank God he finally did.
Aaron:
Yeah! I knew the rap song would work. Of course it would work. Her reaction was so funny. She didn’t even see it coming. Now, this ploy would certainly last ‘cause she couldn’t ever stand that kind of music. And so, she would never get used to it. I was so smart to come up with that.
I laughed out loud as I brushed my teeth. I pulled the jeans on me and wore my favorite blue three-fourths shirt. I put on my black Nike shoes, glancing through the window.
Where is she? Is she still in the bathroom? I can’t see her.
I sighed as I grabbed my gym bag and hooded jacket. I went downstairs into the dining room.
“Hey, mom,” I greeted the tall, slim lady with dark brown hair who is enjoying her breakfast.
She looked up at me and smiled sweetly.
“Hi, honey,” Mom said. “Are you going to school already? Come here, grab some bacon sandwich.”
“Nah, I can’t,” I said, shaking my head. “I gotta go catch the bus to school.”
“But it’s still early,” said Mom in confusion, frowning a little. Then, her forehead softened. She laughed gently.
“Yes,” Dad suddenly said behind his newspaper. “He’s going to force Dakota out of bed again. It has become a habit of yours, Aaron, to do that.” He lowered his newspaper to give me a meaningful look and a smile.
Which I didn’t understand – the look, I mean.
“Well, if only I have a car to school . . .” I said pointedly at Dad, changing the subject.
“Someday, son,” said Dad, and then he returned to reading.
Awe. He kept saying that. I was craving for a car. This was my last year of High School and I was one of the very few guys in the team who didn’t have one. I mean, I didn’t care if they all have cars. However, it’d be cool not to run all the time to catch the bus. And it would be so convenient for me and Dakota – me and the guys – me and Annabelle, too.
Annabelle’s my girlfriend. I hadn’t seen her for a while. Well, it doesn’t really matter. We were in a time-out over the summer. Long distance was not our thing. And I was pretty much preoccupied throughout the break. But I guessed the time-out was over now that school had started.
“It is really strange,” said Mom. “You kids are strange,” she corrected, more to herself. When Mom noticed Dad and I looking at her questioningly, she explained, “Honey, you’re the one who is supposed to be having the hard time getting up from bed, and Dakota is the one who is supposed to be waking you up. Not the other way around.”
I stared at Mom. Man, we were having a weird conversation today. I’d better leave.
“Okay, then. Bye!” I said as I quickly left the house.
It was such a nice day. Good weather for the first day of school.
I rang the Evans’ doorbell. I waited for my cue to come in.
“Come in, Aaron,” called out Mrs. Evans.
They were used to me coming so early in the morning. I’d been doing this for as long as I can remember. I peeked at the dining room and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Evans, and Jason, Dakota’s brother, who was eating his breakfast before finally leaving for college. They greeted me brightly.
“You know,” started Jason, “I could never understand how you can’t get tired of waking my sister up every morning. I think it’s turned into a disease. Better watch out, dude.”
“Jason,” said Mrs. Evans, as though just saying his name was a scold itself.
“No, it’s okay, Mrs. E,” I assured her, grinning. I turned to Jason and shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess I like the challenge of coming up with ploys. It’s also fun and amusing almost all the time.” My grin turned wider, remembering different irate expressions of Dakota.
“Hmmm, you should better get up there, Aaron,” said Mr. Evans. “I don’t think I hear any footsteps from her room.”
I listened, and he was right.
“Excuse me,” I said as I left the dining room and went upstairs to her bedroom. I opened the door and she wasn’t in there. I walked in, looking around. I grew suspicious. Where could she be? I gently dropped my gym bag on the floor. I walked toward the bathroom door. Slowly, I opened it.
Whoa. I shook my head in disbelief.
Dakota was still in her pajamas, a toothbrush in her mouth, and was sitting on the lavatory – the top was closed. And guess what? She was asleep.
Is it possible that there’s someone like her in the morning???
I sighed. She was a tough one. There was only one other way to do it. So I ran downstairs, took a very cool glass of water – the Evans family were watching me curiously – and went back to her room. I knelt in front of her, placed the glass on my side, and then I softly removed her huge glasses and toothbrush from her sleeping face. I laid them on the counter. After that, I took the glass of water and stood up. I poured the cold water on her and swiftly stepped back.
She screamed as she jumped up from surprise.
“Aaron!” she yelled my name as though it was some kind of bad word. I laughed. Her eyes turned to slits as she blindly searched for me. She stretched her arms, her hands exploring the air.
“Awesome,” I said, nodding impressively. “You quickly knew it was me.”
She scoffed. “No other person could be cruel enough to do something like this! Where’s my glasses?” she demanded in rage.
“Aren’t you freezing?” I asked, ignoring her fury.
As if just noticing it, she shivered. So I grabbed the towel and covered her with it.
“If I get a cold, I’ll strangle you!” she threatened.
I laughed. “I’d like to see you try. Now, hurry up. I’m the one who’s gonna strangle you if we missed the bus.”
“I’ll hurry up as soon as you give me back my glasses,” she said, holding out her hand.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I sighed, placing the glasses on her hand.
She quickly put it on, and when she saw me, she pinched me on the arm.
“Ow,” I said, widening my eyes at her. I was amused, at the same time.
She smiled sweetly – which in her case, was a devilish smile. “That’s right. ‘Ow.’ And there’s more where that came from. So get the hell out. I’ll dress up so you’ll stop whining.”
“I’m not whining,” I said indignantly, as she slammed the bathroom door on my face.
Dakota:
Wow. Pinching him felt good.
Oh, God, I’m turning into a violent person.
Well, it was his fault! Pouring cold water on me wasn’t enjoyable. Yeah, maybe it did wake up my senses but hello! It was freaking cold! I was literally shaking.
I sighed. Whatever. I rapidly pulled on my clothes: a Sabrina sweatshirt, jumper, and Converse shoes. I wiped my glasses from moist. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I didn’t even bother to brush my hair with a comb – my fingers would do. I pulled my hair into braids. And then, I was good to go.
I went out to my room. Aaron wasn’t there. He must’ve gone to eat breakfast while waiting for me. As I seized my things, I heard Aaron yell from the bottom of the stairs.
“Dakota, speed up! We’re gonna be late!”
Ooh. He only calls me by my full first name when he was serious. And right now, he was seriously pissed.
I grabbed the last of my things and ran downstairs. I dashed by the dining room saying, “Bye, guys! See you later! Take care, Jason.”
“See you, Mr. and Mrs. E. Good luck in College, Jase,” Aaron hurriedly said.
And then, we ran down the street. But, I had to say, running wasn’t really my thing. So half-way to the bus stop, I stopped running to catch my breath.
Aaron looked over his shoulder. When he saw me stop, he turned around and walked toward me. My hands were on my knees and I can barely speak.
“You’re such a nerd,” he sighed.
It was normal for us to call each other names – Jock and Nerd, mainly.
“Can’t help it,” I said, panting. “It’s in the blood.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Oh, is it?” he said, and then he laughed sarcastically. Just then, he grabbed my hand to pull me. And we ran again.
I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. He was holding my hand, for Pete’s sake. Aaron Ford was holding my hand. It was fine; we were best friends, after all. And it was normal – when we were kids. But now, it felt really strange. Okay, maybe it didn’t feel any strange back then because I didn’t know that I was in love with him yet. But I guessed now that I was fully aware of it, my hormones were kicking everywhere – especially on my hand. Yes, I was in love with my best friend who was a jock, good-looking, and probably one of the most popular guys in school. And as much as I hated to admit it, he already got a girlfriend – who was a cheerleader, by the way. Typical High School love story, I know.
While me? I was not all of those things. I wasn't a cheerleader, beautiful, and popular. I was one of the people at school who were the butt of all jokes. Someone like me can never be popular. But I didn’t really care about it all. Really, I didn’t. It was just that every freaking person in school keep reminding me how Aaron and I were way different and how we should never have been best friends in the first place. I know that I should be thankful that Aaron wasn’t blowing me off at school. But High School was not the place for two entirely different people from different cliques to be best friends. That was why I hated High School.
“Not everyone has the gift of being athletic,” I blabbed. It was my way of hiding my feelings. It’s okay, he was used to my I-hate-high-school-blah-blah. “That’s why there are cliques in High School. So that people like you can join together. Duh. Of course, it’s as if the athletic people have the right to make fun of people who are not as athletic or as cool as them. It’s like a rule or something. But I know that it’s normal for –”
“You know, if you put your energy into running rather than speaking, we might actually make it to the bus stop in time,” said Aaron, panting.
“Fine,” I grumbled. What else could I say? I was too distracted by his hand that was firmly holding mine to come up with any witty reply.
We made it to the bus in time. We were out of breath when we sat at our usual seats. It might be uncool for a popular guy like Aaron to ride the bus to school, but he liked it. I didn’t know why exactly. He said he liked the kids in the bus. I guess he was right. The kids in here were always smiling at him, giving him all the respect and everything. But seriously, who wouldn’t? He was a Basketball hero at school.
Although, that was not what I liked about those kids . . . What I liked about them was that they didn’t care about how different Aaron and I were. They simply saw us as normal teenagers and their guides or something. And that was cool.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last that long. The ride to school took only several minutes. We got there in no time at all.
“Aaron Ford is here!” yelled someone, the moment Aaron and I climbed out of the bus.
Out of nowhere, Aaron was surrounded by his usual crowd. And I was left alone. I sighed and walked passed them. Aaron didn’t see me. Not with that number of people getting his attention.
It was always like this every year. I was used to it. After not seeing Aaron for the whole summer, people at school missed him, and when school starts, they get wild and couldn’t control themselves once they see him again. I didn’t understand their state of mind. And I didn’t intend to. But it was hard not be annoyed at how they act. I mean, come on! It wasn't as if he was a celebrity. He was just an ordinary male human, too! But they couldn’t see that. All they saw was how popular Aaron was. They didn’t even know him. They didn’t know anything about him. They didn’t care because they already liked what they were seeing.
I groaned. My head spinned whenever I tried to understand why they were like that. I didn’t even know why I try. But I guessed every person has diff –
“Hey, Dakota!” exclaimed by the only friend I had – besides Aaron.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Alyson catch up beside me. Her complexion was so pretty – being a half-American and half-Latina had its kicks. She had wavy long brown hair and light brown eyes. She was an inch shorter than me, which makes her 5’4”.
She looked really excited. I smiled at her. And she beamed.
We walked side by side all the way to our lockers. I felt like I was dragging my legs to go inside the school. But there was no turning back now that I’d stepped inside.
Alyson kept telling me how she had fun in North Carolina for the summer. I mostly listened to what she was saying but it was hard to keep focus. I was nodding my head but my mind was across the hallway, which was where Aaron’s locker was located.
“So . . .” started Alyson as she waited for me to finish putting my books in my locker, “How’s your summer with your best friend? Was it fun?” she asked me expectantly.
Alyson was the only one who knew how I truly felt for Aaron. I didn’t get it, but she was intrigued by our story – my story. I didn’t actually tell her that I was in love with my best friend.
What happened was, when she was on a sleepover at my house, she saw how Aaron and I could be very close to each other without the disruptions of his subjective friends. She observed how I acted around him, and she quickly came up with the idea that I liked Aaron.
I mean, whoa! How can you tell if you like someone just by observing their actions? Okay, that’s a stupid question.
Anyway, she confronted me in order to confirm it – I didn’t even say anything! – But she got the picture anyway.
Since then, she had this Look she gave me when she was trying to tell me something but can’t out loud. That means, Annabelle had arrived, about to arrive, or she was in that area already.
“If you could call being forced to wake up early – instead of having a good time sleeping – fun,” I shrugged, “then yeah, my summer with my best friend was really fun.”
Ooooh. That was heavy sarcasm. But I can’t help it.
Alyson gave me a sad smile.
“You can drop the cynical act when you’re with me,” she said kindly. “You know that.”
Yes. I did know that.
I sighed. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Allie.” I waited after several seconds before I continued, “I had fun – seriously. I always do whenever I’m with him. The summer felt like old times; before High School, and before the drama. It was just plain fun.”
I didn’t realize that I was smiling as I said that to Alyson. She obviously noticed it, though, because she beamed at me for a long while.
I looked over my shoulder and glanced at Aaron. He was now alone with his buddies, Ethan and Luke. Aaron caught my eye and he smirked. I stuck my tongue out at him like a kid. He actually laughed, making Ethan stare at him curiously while Luke glanced at my direction. I hastily faced Alyson again. And I was surprised by her reaction.
She was giving me the Look.
Huh. Annabelle must be near. Of course, her boyfriend was here. And so, she would be here sooner or later. I sneaked a peek at her, wondering how much she turned into a Witch after the summer. And guess what? She’d improved all right. Her blonde hair was shining – literally. She was wearing a micromini denim skirt with fitted long-sleeves, and boots. Looked more and more like a Witch each day. Nice.
Aaron saw Annabelle stroll toward him. He stopped laughing but he left a grin on his face. When Annabelle got close enough, she kissed him on the lips . . . !
My heartbeat accelerated. It was suddenly hard to breath. It was like; the air was vacuumed out of the hallway –
Annabelle was kissing Aaron in front of me at a freaking corridor!!! And do you know what else she did? She opened her right eye to check if I was still looking, while she was kissing Aaron! Was she freaking out of her mind? Why, yes, she was. Wasn’t it obvious? What was more, she was doing it to provoke me and show the entire school that she owned him.
Aaron was taken by surprise; it was clear in his eyes.
Funny, isn’t it? How I can see and notice his eyes while someone is forcing herself on him? It takes lots of practice, believe me.
Anyway, I faintly heard the bell. Alyson grabbed my hand and pulled me. Wow. I was getting used to people grabbing my hand, and then suddenly pulling me away with them today. Honestly, people were so hyper on the first day.
How great. School just started and this is how it begins for me.
I glimpsed at Aaron and the Witch as I ran down the hallway with Alyson. The last I saw was Aaron gently pushing Annabelle away from his face. Heh. That was really sweet of him.
Aaron:
“See you on second period, Aaron,” said Ethan to me, as he took a thick book from his locker. “I got the moldiest luck to get Calculus for my first period. Hey, Luke, tell me what you have for your first period.”
Luke sneered at Ethan. “Reading and Study Time,” he said.
I sniggered. RST – or Reading and Study Time – was a really cool period. Mrs. Roberts let us do anything we want during that time, as long as we didn’t leave the classroom, which was fine by us since we can do a lot of things without leaving the classroom.
“What?” demanded Ethan in disbelief. He grabbed Luke’s schedule and stared at it for the longest time. “Awe, lucky dude,” he grumbled.
After that, he left for his class, scowling. Luke and I exchanged amused looks.
“I’ve got to bounce, too,” he said, patting me on the shoulder and looking pointedly from me to Annabelle.
When Luke was out of sight, I raised my eyebrow at Annabelle.
“What?” she asked, pouting. Then, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, all right. I guess I missed you so much that I couldn’t help myself.” She shrugged.
I snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“I did!” she said indignantly, widening her eyes. “Didn’t you miss me, too?”
“Of course I did,” I said automatically, frowning a little. I frowned because it felt weird saying it. I don’t know, but I think I didn’t miss her at all. It's harsh but it was true.
The summer I spent with the Dakota was like when we were kids: we were problem-free. We hadn’t been like that for so long. And it felt good. All we did was woke up early and rode our bikes to the nearby park. We’d, sometimes, watch as the sun rose from New York City. For the rest of the day, we watched the latest movies we illegally downloaded from the internet while we ate snacks we experimented on. Or when we were feeling like it, we rent old movies from the video store. And then for the rest of the night, we spent time talking about the movies we watched for the day by our windows – using the talkies, obviously. Awesome, huh? Now, that was life.
Annabelle wasn’t that type of person. She watched E! and read gossip on any magazine she can find. She only listened to Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers. I couldn’t even understand what was so cool about those dudes that almost all the girls drooled over them. If Annabelle was a guy, I’d bet everything I have that he was gay.
I came back to reality when Annabelle gave me a huge smile.
“It’s time for our French,” she said, kind of seductively.
“We’d better go, then,” I said, slightly touching her chin for a moment.
After saying the last word, I started walking.
Annabelle and I walked together to French class, holding hands. Only the people in the hallway stared. Most of the students were already inside their first periods. It was better that way. It wasn't that easy to greet everyone at the same time.
“Hiyah, Aaron!”
“Yo, Aaron!”
“What’s up, Ford?”
“How you guys doin’?”
I greeted them in turn. I couldn’t just ignore them. It wasn't in my nature to do so. Annabelle liked the attention, but I know she gets annoyed sometimes, too – even if she didn’t show it.
At any rate, we made it to our French class. We sat next to each other by the fourth row. Our teacher, Monsieur Delacroix, was late. That was why when he entered; he didn’t get the full attention of the class. After a few minutes, the class eventually settled down. That was when the boredom began.
This class makes me want to snooze, I thought. Suddenly, it dawned on me. Oh, man. I’m turning into D. Ha ha . . .
A coyly smile stretched across my face. And then, Annabelle, who was seating next to me, apparently saw me because she tossed me a note saying,
Been thinking about me?
I slowly faced her and lightly shook my head, giving her a smirk. Annabelle’s mouth immediately dropped. Soon afterwards, she kept throwing me pieces of crumpled paper. We were both laughing so hard, only we did it silently.
“Y a-t-il un problème?” asked Monsieur Delacroix, eyeing us. He meant, “Is there any problem?” in English.
Annabelle and I glanced at each other and answered, “Non.” Which you might’ve guessed that means “No.”
Whoa. It surprised me how much I missed this. I wasn't in love with Annabelle or anything. But I was truly attracted to her “debonair cheerleader” image. We were perfectly matched. She was very attracted and full of self-esteem, while I was the same. I might seem like I was an egocentric, but I was just aware of what I look.
The bell rang. Finally.
“That seemed like forever,” I said with solace as I got up from my seat and followed Annabelle.
Turning to me, she said, “Looks like you’ll miss me until lunch.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, grinning. “We still have third period together.”
“I know,” she replied with dignity and confidence. Then, she looked at me carefully. “You are having lunch with me today, aren’t you?”
She asked me that question because I always sat with Dakota every lunch hour, except when I was sitting with the guys or with Annabelle.
“Absolutely,” I answered, and then, I kissed her on the forehead. “C’mon, I’ll take you to your class.”
Dakota:
Okay. An incredibly weird thing just happened minutes before the bell rang: someone talked to me. Not just an ordinary someone, as a matter of fact. He was a handsome someone.
Here was what happened:
I felt better when I regained my focus. Besides, Creative Writing was my first period. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right? I liked that class and I absolutely enjoyed it.
Our first class started with Mr. Darwin – or Mr. D – introducing a transferee. Yeah, we had the same nickname. It was okay. Only Aaron called me “D” so it wasn't that confusing.
Anyway, at that moment, I was so sure that the new guy would be part of the popular people as soon as he left this class. He was maybe 5’11” tall, with blonde hair. He has the kind of muscular body that got girls my age following him around.
Ugh. Nice. They just kept on adding the popular people so that many more can torture us. Just lovely.
But then Mr. D paired us off. And guess who he paired me with? Yup. Dwayne Richardson, the new guy. Instead of pairing me with the one person I was comfortable with – which was Alyson, he paired me with the new addition to the athletic people. Wasn’t Mr. D the kindest teacher?
And so, my “partner” came near, pulling a chair next to me.
“Hi! I’m Dwayne,” he said, smiling at me.
I blinked. Was it just my imagination or . . . did he just greeted me?
“What’s your name?” he asked slowly, seeing as I didn’t greet him back whatsoever.
The way he asked me that was what made me come back to my senses. Do I look like I was retarded to him?
“Dakota,” I answered. The moment after I answered him, I tried to ignore him. But of course I couldn’t do that if he kept on talking to me. That was just what makes me crazy! Why was he talking to me?
“’Dakota,’” repeated Dwayne, lost in thought. Suddenly, he looked at me curiously. “Interesting . . .” he added.
Hmmm . . . strange . . . People at school didn’t usually talk to me – let alone talk nicely about my name. At least, compared to the usual bad jokes made from my name, his comment makes it nice.
I didn’t notice I was staring at him until Mr. D spoke up.
“Settle down,” he told us.
I immediately turned my eyes on him, ignoring Dwayne’s nice smile that was plastered on his face.
When the class was finally quiet, Mr. D continued, “Now that I have paired you all up, you are to talk about your first day as a Senior High School student with your partner.”
Dwayne raised his hand up. Mr. D’s eyes looked around the room, and then rested on Dwayne. We were all watching at him.
“Yes, Mr. Richardson?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow – it was his way of making us fear him. Yeah, right. Like I was gonna fear a teacher like him. Dwayne was expressionless, though.
“I was just wondering, sir,” he started, slightly frowning, “How are we supposed to talk about our first day as a ‘Senior High School student’ when the day barely started?”
Mr. D looked like he expected the question all along, because he looked pleased.
“Good point,” he said. “Well, then. Talk about what happened to your day so far. At the end of the day, write it on a piece of paper. It will be served as your assignment that is due tomorrow.”
“Awe,” the class groaned in unison. Most of the class glared at Dwayne. But it was only for a moment, because like me, they obviously thought that he was a soon-to-be popular guy.
“How’s your day, Dakota?” he asked me innocently.
That was the one question that got me hyper with irritation at that moment. My day? My day? It was freaking awesome! Couldn’t he tell by the look I was giving him?
I wanted to answer him with, “Oh my first day? It was freaking great. Everyone was so nice and friendly. They were kind enough to form their own cliques and isolate those who don’t belong to their kind. But I’m fine with it. No big deal.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell him that. That was just way too rude. Suddenly, I caught sight of Alyson, looking at me meaningfully. She was also eyeing Dwayne.
Yes, I get what she was trying to tell me.
Why are you doing nothing there? She was saying. He’s talking to you, girl!
I scowled at her and turned my attention to Dwayne.
“Um, nothing new,” I answered him, with a little bit of sheepish smile. Yes, I kind of smiled at him. But that was because he was kind enough to make a conversation with me. Even though I was still skeptical about it, he was nice as he did his part without being a jerk that I expected him to be.
“Wow,” said Dwayne, mocking a surprise. “Sounds striking.”
I stared at him. Was he trying to be funny? I didn’t get it.
Then, he finally said, “Just kidding.”
Oh. So it was a joke.
“Anyway, school’s just started,” Dwayne continued, shrugging. “New things happen unexpectedly. We can’t do anything but be surprised – and of course, just let things fall where they may.”
I laughed. “I bet,” was all I can reply to him, but I was saying it more to myself.
Since then, I looked at Dwayne a bit differently than before. I could obviously hear some knowledge coming out from his mouth. However, that still didn’t prove that he wasn't like the others. And by “others”, I mean – you know who I mean.
I glimpsed at him from the corner of my eye. He didn’t look all that bad up close. He had gray eyes – from afar it looked black. He even had an elegant posture, despite his muscular body.
I turned back my eyes to the blank piece of paper that was on my desk. I didn’t know how, but as I was thinking about how nice and good-looking Dwayne looked, Aaron’s face popped in my mind. Everything I loved about him. His bluish-green eyes, playful smile, his dark hair that seemed so soft and cool in that sort of tousled style, attitude towards kids, and passion for basketball . . . I can go on and on.
Thankfully, the bell rang. Just like that, I was back to reality.
This morning just seemed so surreal. One minute, things were normal: I was the nerd who no one talks to – with the exception of Aaron and Alyson, of course. Next thing I knew, a handsome guy was talking to me.
That was why I wasn’t paying the least bit attention in Calculus class. My mind was drifting off to Dwayne and to the reason to why he talked to me. Because if he didn’t want to be my partner in Creative Writing class, he could surely make up an excuse and get away with it.
If you were me, can you pay attention in class? No. I didn’t think so.
. . .
Oh. Now I get it. Dwayne was being sarcastic earlier. Huh. It was totally weird when somebody else does it besides me.
Aaron:
Hmmm . . . Time passed by quickly. By Second Period, I was having the class with Ethan and Luke. The teacher introduced a transferee but the guys and I didn’t pay attention because we were discussing the try-outs that would happen this afternoon.
By the Third Period, which I had with Annabelle, was Creative Writing Class. It was fine. We were given an assignment, though – which was a bummer, considering that this was the first day of school. Mr. D couldn’t just wait to distress us, can he?
And of course, I didn’t want to bother to say anything about Calculus because I didn’t listen to a word in the discussion.
Was this the senior year that we had all anticipated? All the teachers were being all serious about college and lessons. . . I mean, we still had all year long to talk about college.
Geez, no need to pressure us into applying to Ivy League Colleges . . . not all of us were interested.
Without me noticing, it was lunch time – finally. I didn’t have any breakfast this morning. I couldn’t wait to wolf down some food.
Dakota:
YES!!! It was lunch break! I was starving! My stomach was grumbling all through History class. And in that kind of quiet class, a stomach’s grumble can be easily heard.
It was all Aaron’s fault. He hurried me to get out of bed so much that I didn’t get the chance to eat breakfast. But whatever, I was going to eat now, anyway, so it didn’t really matter much whose fault it was.
In any case, as I was grabbing a tray full of carbs – Buffalo wings, Hash brown, Quarter pounder, and a ‘DIET’ coke, I was guessing that everything that had been happening to me was just a part of fate’s diabolical scheme.
In case you are not aware, I was destiny’s new target to annoy. I was so touched.
Out of nowhere, someone gasped loudly behind my back. Her aura was so powerfully evil that I already knew who it was.
“Oh, my!” exclaimed by none other than the Witch – Annabelle. “No wonder you look like that!”
I instantly turned to her. She was staring disgustedly at my food. I didn’t have to glance around the cafeteria to know that they all heard what Annabelle said.
I rolled my eyes at her. “What now?”
Seriously, if she was going to start teasing me about how fat I was, she was totally blind. I happen to know for a fact that I was not grossly disfigured. So, what was up with the Witch?
“Go look at yourself in the mirror, pig,” Annabelle whispered to me in the most cheerleader-ish voice. “I’d like to see you eat all of that grease. If you’re lucky, you might just do the world a favor and explode.”
And just like that. I snapped.
“If this bothers you so much,” I said with a low voice, throwing daggers at her with the use of my eyes, “why don’t you blame your boyfriend for being such a morning person? After all, he’s the reason why I didn’t eat my breakfast this morning. That’s why I’m eating all this ‘grease’ to satisfy my appetite.”
Whoa. That was so not like me. I didn’t usually say things like that.
Usually, I would’ve said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have time for this nonsense. Can you just step aside and mind your own food?”
But I can't take it anymore. Yeah, like I wasn’t having enough of a bad day without Annabelle doing her usual remarks about me.
Anyhow, Annabelle just blinked. She was probably just stunned that I was capable of saying things like that – especially to her.
I didn’t know what else to do, because she wasn't saying anything, so I just left her there and went over to where Alyson was seating. The students in the cafeteria were all wondering what Annabelle and I talked about – because we had our little conversation quietly. And it was very obvious that they were also wondering what I said to Annabelle to make her glare like that to me as she sat on their table.
I ignored them and turned to Alyson, who was eating her favorite Ice Cream sandwich. She was looking at me weirdly – or might I say – curiously.
“Care on telling me what’s gotten into you?” Alyson asked, grinning broadly.
“Starving is what happened to me,” I answered, tiredly.
She nodded. “People do strange things when they’re hungry.”
“Ok, fine,” I said impatiently. “That Witch’s getting on my nerves and I didn’t have time to be mature about dealing with her because I’m starved. So can we please drop it and eat, Allie?” I added, begging Alyson.
She nodded again, with an amused reaction.
“Thank you.”
Just as I was devouring my quarter pounder, Aaron went by our table.
“I’m gonna have lunch with Annabelle today,” he said, smiling.
I guessed he would. I mean, it was the first day. He and Annabelle hadn’t seen each other all summer. Of course, they’d spend time together on the first day of school. But it was still a bit heartbreaking to think that he was smiling about spending time with that Witch.
Hmmm . . . I wondered if Annabelle was going to tell Aaron about our chit-chat.
“See you at class,” Aaron told me, wiggling his eyebrows.
“I think there’s something wrong with your eyebrows,” I said seriously, frowning a little.
Aaron rolled his eyes. “And I think you’ve grown fifty years old since this morning. C’mon, lighten up. You’re a nerd. You should be happy that school’s started.”
“Oh, yes. I’m very happy that those witches can torture me again. Wee . . . I’m jumping for joy,” I said very sarcastically.
“Here,” Aaron said as he placed a plate of sliced apple pie in front of me – my favorite food of all time. “Now, can you lighten up?”
I knew my eyes glowed after seeing that food. I slowly pulled the plate toward me and started eating it.
“What, got nothing to say?” asked Aaron, because I ignored his question. He widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Wow. That’s a first.”
“Ssshh. I’m trying to lighten up. Go away,” I added, still focused on my apple pie. Man, this was freaking delicious.
I think I saw him smile widely in amusement as he left.
“You’re welcome,” I heard Aaron say over his shoulder.
I glanced at him for a moment. I’ll thank him later, I thought.
“He’s really sweet,” Alyson blurted out, thoughtfully. I quickly looked at her. “To you, especially. Being mean to him, that’s your defense mechanism. You may think it’s a way of hiding your feelings, but the truth is, it is way obvious, girl. Why do you think Annabelle’s been nasty to you all this time?” she added, raising an eyebrow.
“Huh. I thought she’s just plain evil.”
“Or maybe, she’s just plain jealous.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “What could she possibly be jealous about?” I paused for a moment. Then I said in realization, “Oh.”
Of course, I was close to her boyfriend. I was the best friend. And if the way I felt for Aaron was noticeable, then Annabelle would surely be jealous because she can’t do anything about the fact that I can be close to Aaron whenever. Because – duh, again – I was his best friend, wasn’t I? There was no malicious thing about it. However, she was overestimating me. I mean, she was the girlfriend.
My eyes wandered to Annabelle and Aaron’s table. They were being sweet, that was for sure. Watching it made me lose my appetite, which didn’t made any sense because I was almost finished. But that was even worse because I felt like I was going to barf.
I hated having this feeling. Ugh. Why did I have to fall for my best friend? There were gazillions of other guys to fall for. Why did it had to be him? Was this a curse, for being a cynical person? I didn’t think so.
I sighed.
If only things would change this year. If only I get to meet a guy who would notice me as someone to like. If only that guy would look at me past the physical looks. If only I get to feel what it was like to be loved – or even just liked. If only . . .
“You okay?” asked suddenly by Alyson, making me jump back into reality again.
“Yeah,” I said vaguely, not meeting her eyes.
Krrrriiiiiing!
There goes the bell. We better get to class. Our Physics teacher was a very strict one so we had to behave for the next hour.
So you see how bad my first day can get? I wonder how peaceful my day could’ve been if I just stayed at home.
Oops, I just saw Annabelle quickly walking past me – with a venomous glare, by the way. Awe, man. I hope she didn’t make a big deal out of our chit-chat at lunch. I was not myself! She should understand. People say strange things when they were hungry (got that line from Alyson). But why should I be bothered? Wasn’t it about time that I stood up to her? . . . Nah. It was not very diplomatic and mature of me to stoop down to her level. Anyways, it was her fault for being such a provocative cheerleader/Witch.
* * * * *
Alyson and I got to the Physics Lab in time – thank goodness.
The moment we all took our seat, Mr. Clinton paired us off to do some lab work, on the first day of school! Ugh. Today, we would do a trial assessment about a moving object’s momentum. In our case, that moving thing was a golf ball.
I looked around the room and didn’t see Aaron. Where was he? He knew perfectly well how strict Mr. Clinton could be.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Aaron and Luke came in.
“Being late in my class is not tolerated, Mr. Ford and Mr. Wright,” grumbled Mr. Clinton, with an expression that can make little kids run away.
Aaron, however, was expressionless. Uh-oh. I know that look.
Luke was the one who replied, “We know, Mr. C. It won’t happen again.”
Mr. Clinton stared at them for a minute, as though searching for any signs of disobedience.
“Very well,” Mr. Clinton finally said. “Miss Wallace, I’d like you to be paired with Mr. Wright,” he told Alyson. Then, he turned to me, “And Miss Evans, with Mr. Ford. This,” – he faced Aaron and Luke again – “is to make sure that both of you will behave righteously in my laboratory.”
After the last word, Mr. Clinton went on to get the golf balls in the cabinet. Alyson stood up from the seat beside me, smiled sheepishly at me, and went to sit beside Luke. Aaron gazed at me as he took his seat at our counter. I tried to look away but he kept on staring at me as Mr. Clinton handed us a golf ball.
“What?” I asked, a bit annoyed but nervous at the same time.
“Did anything happen at lunch today?” Aaron asked casually, but I can guess where he’s going.
This was it. This was why he wore that look on his face. He was angry. Annabelle told him what happened at the jet line. And I can tell that Annabelle exaggerated on her story.
“Yeah,” I answered indifferently, turning my eyes on the golf ball.
“Really?”
“Yup – I ate a delicious apple pie, remember?” I said, all smiles.
“Dakota,” Aaron said my full name, making me face him again. His face was stone hard. “Why did you have to tell Annabelle our ritual every morning?”
“You call it ‘ritual’?” I snorted, but stopped immediately when I looked at his eyes. I frowned. “What’s the big deal?”
“She misunderstood what you said – that’s the big deal,” he hissed, trying not to be loud with his angry voice.
“And what did I say that upset your girlfriend so much?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“You told her that I’m the reason you didn’t eat breakfast this morning,” he answered, still trying to keep his voice in whisper. “She jumped to conclusions and got mad at me. We had a fight – that’s why I was late.”
Oh. So now, he was blaming me for having a fight with Annabelle. . . Great. Just great. Everything was my fault now?
“First of all, you are the reason. Second, don’t blame me for snapping at her at lunch today. Third, it is absolutely not my fault that she freaking jumped to conclusions.” This time, I was hissing already, too.
“I’m not blaming you for anything. I just wanted to ask why did you have to say that to her? It ruined our first day together.”
I stared at him in disbelief. How dare he say that? I ruined their day??? How about my day – no, how about my entire High School life?
“You selfish jock,” I said, gritting my teeth. “You think that I’m having such a swell day? Who do you think forced me to go to school this morning then suddenly blames me for the fight he had with his girlfriend in the afternoon?”
He scowled. “I already told you. I’m not blaming you –”
“Funny. You sure as hell did.”
“Dakota –”
“I can’t believe this,” I said, cutting him off. I shook my head. “You two are making such a big deal over what I said that it even ruined your precious day. Amazing. . .”
That was it. This day officially sucked. There was no doubt about it.
“You’re right, D,” Aaron said in a low voice, after a moment of silence. “I –”
“Well, congratulations!” I whispered, interrupting him. And I gotta say, even though it was rude, cutting him off like that made me feel good. “We just had the conversation that completely made this freaking day a disaster.”
And with that, I picked up the golf ball and started working.
Aaron opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything, Mr. Clinton said in a loud voice, “I hate to interrupt but could the both of you please stop murmuring and start on the observation?”
Aaron:
Geez, I screwed up. I didn’t mean to blame Dakota. It just slipped because I was upset. Man, I’d never heard her so quiet before. But I was counting the minutes.
When bell rang a couple of minutes ago, Dakota shot up from her seat and almost ran toward the door, ignoring me.
I quickly followed her to apologize. I watched her briefly say goodbye to Alyson.
Luke caught up with me.
“What’s up, dude?” he asked, concerned.
“I . . .” I trailed off, distracted as I tried to keep up with Dakota. She wasn't a runner so I should be able to do that in no time.
I think Luke nodded as though he understood.
“See you later at try-outs,” he called over as he turned to the other direction.
Soon, I caught up with Dakota’s pace.
“C’mon, Dakota,” I apologized sincerely. “I’m sorry. I just overreacted.”
She gave me the look that says, “You think?” Then, she focused on out-walking me. That was okay with me. She wasn't that fast.
“You have to forgive me. You owe me with the apple pie. So I say this makes us even.”