the cheerleader and the outcast >> dan howell

Chapter 13

"When I wake up...oh you know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the one who wakes up next to you.
And when I'm dreaming...oh you know I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna dream about the time when I'm with you."

-The Proclaimers

~

The bell rings as me and Dan rush to Social Studies class.

"This is what we get for you waking up late!" I say exasperatedly to Dan as we both run side by side to class, the halls empty.

"Sorry, geez." Dan breaths, somewhat winded as we approach the classroom door. I look over at him and his face is flushed from running. I laugh at him, knowing that he absolutely hates running. He glares at me and opens the door.

"Ah, there you 2 are!" Mr. Hurch exclaims, and the whole class turns their heads to us. I smile awkwardly and me and Dan both sit down. I look around and notice that Julisa's seat is empty. I look back at Mr. Hurch who is still rambling on.

When class ends, I run to the girls bathroom to pee. After I finish my business, I wash my hands. I notice sniffling in one of the stalls.

"Hello?" I call out. Silence.

"Rachel? Is that you?" I hear the voice of Julisa say from the end stall.

"Julisa? Yeah it's me..." I say awkwardly. "Why weren't you in class?" I ask. The stall door opens and Julisa walks out, her face glistening with tears.

"Ethan broke up with me." She cries, wrapping her arms around me and crying into my shoulder. Why the hell is she hugging me?

"I um...I'm sorry to hear that." I say searching for something to say to make her feel better. Why am I even being nice to her? Well, I guess I shouldn't sink down to her level.

"He says he's not interesting anymore! He likes someone else!" She says through tears. She lets go of me and walks over to the sink, looking at herself in the mirror.
"And now my mascara is running!" She yells in frustration and splashes water on her face. I awkwardly stand there and slowly inch toward the door. I need to get out of here.

"You're leaving me?!" Julisa cries again, more of her mascara dripping down her face and she runs toward me. Okay this is just getting ridiculous.

"Okay I get it, he broke up with you!" I burst out, and Julisa stops crying and stares at me.

"What are you trying to say?" She whispers slightly.

"What I'm trying to say is that you hated me, and now all of a sudden you're all over me! I get your boyfriend broke up with you, but that doesn't make what you did before okay." I say and she scoffs at me.

"Fine then." She huffs and walks out of the bathroom, her face still wet with tears and her mascara smudged around her eyes. I sigh and raise my eyebrows. Okay then.

I walk out of the bathroom a few seconds later and I walk into art class. I sit in my usual seat next to Dan and we wait for class to start.

"Hey, what's up with Julisa?" Dan whispers gesturing to Julisa sitting next to Hannah and sobbing behind us.

"Ethan broke up with her." I whisper back. Dan mutters something I can't hear and shakes his head.

After our morning classes; Dan, Gwen and I sit at our usual table.

"I heard it's because he likes someone else." Gwen shrugs as she explains why Ethan broke up with Julisa.

"Mhm, that's what she told me." I say nodding my head and taking a bite of a tortilla chip, making my mouth dry. I look around and notice that I don't have a drink.