Nerds Are Lovable

11: Nerds Are Guests

"Emma, this coffee is disgusting. Why did you bring me here?"

"I thought I'd be funny to see you drink bad coffee. I thought correctly," She smiles almost sinisterly at me.

And you think I'm sadistic. Emma paid four dollars to watch me drink black piss. Talk about friendship.

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm still your friend," I tell her with a little humor to my tone.

"Because I'm the only one that talks to you," Then she adds, "Since you're a bitch, remember?"

I fall back into the chair, setting the coffee on the table, "Am I really a bitch?"

Emma leans forward, a soft look on her face, "Don't listen to Chad, he's the bitch."

"Yeah," I avoid eye contact, "But he's right, no one talks to me."

I like to believe that I don't care about what other people think of me. But when someone calls me out so strongly, it makes me doubt myself. There was a pit in the bottom of my stomach that made me think Chad was right. Maybe I am a bitch and no one talks to me because they really don't want to. Everyone is afraid of what I might do to them if they say the wrong thing to me or look at me the wrong way. However, they don't realize that I don't do nothing about the objectifying stares or crude comments, I just let it happen.

"Hey, I talk to you," She smiles, "And isn't Jayden coming over for dinner?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So," Emma tells me, "That's two people that talk to you."

I smile lightly at Emma's slightly joking but still serious words, "Maybe you're right."

"Haley, I'm always right."

As I'm working on my painting, I think back to the conversation I had with Emma. Chad's words still felt like they held some truth to them. Even if I wasn't a bitch, nobody talked to me. Everybody just liked watching me and assuming things. That little outburst during lunch had become the talk of the school. Before that, being called to retake a test. And even before that, running into Jayden in the hall. Anything that I did became public knowledge if I wasn't careful. And to that degree, everyone thought they knew me. So it makes sense why they wouldn't want to talk to me. They have an idea of who I am through all the gossip and they don't like it.

So why did Jayden talk to me? I understood Emma, she's been my friend since before the whole school decided my tits and ass where the only thing worthwhile about me. She'd been there through everything, my ride or die. But Jayden, he barely knew me. He was like all the other kids at school, assuming things from the rumors. Yet, when he got the chance to get to know me he snatched it up with his extended version of 20 questions. Maybe he was just curious to know what could be so interesting about Haley Jones.

"Haley! Door!" I hear my dad yell.

I huff lightly, mad that I got distracted. I was planning on hiding all my art stuff before Jayden got here. Unfortunately, my wandering brain caused me to lose track of time and now everything was sprawled on my desk. I smile at the artwork, ir reminds me of Jayden when he studies at the library. All his different books and homeworks were always spread out taking up more room than he needed. It's not like he could study for all five subjects at the same time, but he sure did try.

"Why are you wearing a button up? We're eating pancakes," I laugh at the sight of Jayden.

"Always lovely to see you too, Haley," He smiles at me, walking in.

I close the door and grab onto Jayden's arm. He tenses when I touch him, looking down to me. His cheeks are red behind his glasses and his big eyes are an open book as always.