nobody | brad s.

one

brad's outfit on the top (:

"Ella!" Tristan waves to me as I walk past their table.

"I'll be right back, give me a sec."

Tristan nods and I walk back to Brad's table and sit directly across from him.

"Hello, Bradley."

He glances up and smirks. "Bradley?"

"That is your name, isn't it?" I tease.

"Yeah, I guess." He lets out a small laugh.

"Hey, I was looking for you yesterday." I say as I pick at my fingernails.

"I sort of...ditched." Brad mumbles.

"Ditched?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"It's not like anyone ever notices when I'm here or not." He shrugs.

"Well, I noticed." I glance at him as a small smile forms across his face.

"Ella!" Tristan calls. I look back at him and he motions for me to come back with a somewhat worried expression on his face.

I turn back to Brad, "You should come sit with me."

Bradley shakes his head.

"C'mon, Brad." I pout. I don't like how he sits alone. I used to be that person until Gemma sat with me one day.

"Tristan doesn't like me, neither does anyone else. I'm nobody." Brad frowns, toying with the bracelet on his wrist.

I send him a sympathetic look.

"Ella, you should really come back to our table now." Tristan grabs my hand and starts tugging on it.

Brad eyes our hands. "Just go."

"No, you shouldn't have to-"

"People are pointing and laughing at you, Ella. I'm not worth it." He sighs.

I give up, letting the blonde boy tug me up and across the cafeteria.

"What do you have against the boy, Tristan?" I stop in my tracks and fold my arms across my chest.

"What boy?" He whines, getting impatient with me.

"His name is Bradley!" I huff.

Tristan glances away from me for a moment and sighs. "Look, he's no good. Especially not for you."

"You don't know anything about him. Or me either for that matter." I defend.

"I don't expect you to understand, Ella, but-"

The lunch bell rings, and I give Tristan one last glance before turning on my heel and fixing my bag on my shoulder.

Throughout my last classes, I can't get the frown etched on Brad's face out of my mind. For some reason, it pained me seeing him sad like that. Maybe it's because he reminds me of myself.

I haven't seen him for the rest of the school day, and it shouldn't even worry me since we don't have the same classes whatsoever.

I go out the back doors of the school again, the fall breeze blowing on my bare ankles. I aimlessly kick around some leaves and watch them swirl up into the wind as I slowly walk back home. I like it out here. It's quiet and beautiful, no reckless teenagers from our generation out here to disturb anything.

"Ella."

I turn my head to see Bradley sitting cross-legged on a fallen tree, smiling at me. He looks the same as he did at lunch, only he has a beanie pulled over his head.