A bouquet of flowers and a note falls out of my locker. I put my books in my locker, and bend down to pick up my little gift.
I read the note first, wanting to know who it's from.
Dear Ellie,
Something happened during our little run-in, causing me to be a bit disturbed.
I asked for a handshake, and you refused. No girl has ever turned me down before, and I'd like to talk to you.
Meet me in the library at lunch.
Signed,
Nick.
Nick. Of course it would bother him that I didn't shake his hand! I text Kylie the situation, pick up my flowers, and head to the library. I've never gone to the library at lunch, and it's kinda nice. It's silent, and it has the smell of old books.
I spot Nick in the far corner, sitting at a table. I walk over to join him, and throw my bag on the table.
"What?" I ask harshly. "You made me abandon my friend, this better be worth it."
He looks at me with amusement dancing behind his eyes.
"Oh it's worth it." He gives a light chuckle. "Any particular reason why you didn't want to shake my hand?"
I look at his hands and reply. "I just didn't want to. That's all.
"I see." He says thoughtfully. "Well let me tell you something Ellie. I'm the star Quarterback on the football team, my parents own a hotel, and I'm good looking. How can you not like me?"
"Because I'm not a brainwashed cheerleader. Girls only like you because of your money and fame in this school. I'm not like that." I say with confidence.
"I've noticed. You're..." He trails off. "Different."
"How so?" I ask curiously.
"You just are. I like that." He says, and gets up. "I'm going for lunch now, see you around Elle." Nick says, and leaves the library.
He likes that I'm different? And he gave me a nickname? Nah, he probably just forgot my name, I tell myself.
I get up from the table too, and check my phone for the time. I still have half an hour left of lunch, so I make my way to the cafeteria to join Kylie.
"Ellie!" Kylie yells my name across the cafeteria.
"Kylie! Shut up." I say, with no expression.
She looks away, and ignores the stares of everybody else.
"What did Nick want?" She asks me.
"To know why I don't like him." I say, leaving out the part where he messed up my name and said he liked that I was different.
"Who cares what he wanted, you just talked to Nick Sadre!" She gushes.
"Not a big deal." I grumble, and start eating the salad Kylie has so kindly bought for me.
"Yes a big deal! He's so popular, and we're so... Us." Kylie says, sounding disgusted when she says Us.
"Hey! Being us has benefits!" I say, enthusiasm finally appearing in my tone. "We don't have to deal with our lives being exposed, and we don't have to deal with the load of crap Sierra dumps on her posse."
At the mention of the Queen Bee's name, Kylie cringes.
"True. But still, you get my point." Kylie says.
"Ladies!" A male voice says behind us.
I turn around, and see Brian Spenlock, Nick's best friend, heading towards us, one envelope in each hand.
"You're both invited to my big birthday celebration, all info on the invite." He says proudly.
"What's her name?" I ask Brian, gesturing to Kylie.
"Excuse me?" Brian asks confused.
"I asked you to tell me what her name is." I say firmly.
"I don't know! Why should I care?" Brian says.
"That's what I thought. What's my name?" I ask Brian.
"That's easy, Elle. Nick just told us about you."
I spit out the lettuce I was chewing. "What? Nick talked about me?" I ask, surprised.
"Yeah, he said that was the nickname he gave you, and he told me to invite you to my party." Brian says.
"Nickname?" I repeat, once again, spitting out my lettuce. If this keeps up, I won't have any lunch left.
"Yeah, he said you're pretty cool, and he thinks the rest of us guys will like you." Brian says.
"He really said that?" I ask.
Brian nods, and hands me my invitation. He rocks on his heels for a second, then dashes back to the popular table. I open my invite.
"I'll pass." I tell Kylie.
Her eyes widen. "Why? This could be the party of a lifetime! We can be with the popular people!" She exclaims.
"What if I don't want to be?" I snap, getting up from the table.
"Are you okay?" Kylie asks, concerned.
"Yeah." I say, sitting back down. "I just hate talking about the popular people like they're some sort of Greek gods. Sorry for snapping at you." I apologize.
"It's okay. And we don't have to talk about them anymore, but please come to this party with me! I can't be alone!" Kylie pleads.
"I'll think about it. But first, I need to actually try and swallow a piece of lettuce first, without someone surprising me, making me spit it out." I laugh.
Kylie then leans across the table and whispers."Don't spit it out now, but Nick's coming."
----------------------------------------------
A/N: Hey guys! Chapter two is up! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the first one!
Let me know what you think by commenting, voting, and sharing!
Read gabsmel's story, January First, and our writing tips book!
(I just realized that literally every sentence above this ends with an exclamation mark... Oops.)
Ps. Above/To the side is a picture of Kelli Berglund, and I've put a filter on it. She is playing Ellie in my story.
Anyway, keep reading this story 😉
Love,
-Gabrielle
YOU ARE READING
Choices
Teen Fiction"He looks shocked, probably because no girl has ever turned him down before. I glance over my shoulder, and find him still standing at my locker, looking right at me." Ellie Laster has never been noticed by boys. When she bumps into Nick Sadre, the...
