The Agreement (H.G.)

4

Brooklyn

It was Monday morning again and after a whole weekend of recovery, I was back to normal and going back to school. I couldn't shake the feeling that something more serious than I could remember happened, but I had to let it slide because worrying wouldn't help.

I'm putting on my glasses and pulling my hair into a high pony tail when Taylor comes into my room.

"Aaaaaand she's back." Taylor says commenting on my outfit. A floral top and light blue jeans with sperrys.

"I'm just a nerd. All I'll ever be and all I'll ever want to be." I say and smile at Taylor as I grab my bag and walk downstairs with my phone in my hand.

We drive to school and like any other day I split from Taylor and go to my locker. No one gives me the time of day as usual. Good. Normal, just how I like it.

I smile to myself as I slowly turn the corner towards Natalia's locker, and when I get there I see her and some dude making out against it. I quickly identify him as Hayes' friend, I think his name is Aaron? Well whatever it is I guess they're dating now.

I walk up to them as they pull apart from their heated make out session. "Hey, Natles." I say cheerfully as I approach them.

"Natles? Are you friends with this nerd?" Aaron says looking at Natalia disapprovingly and pointing at me.

"W-what? No. I don't even know why she's talking to me. Get out of here, nerd. God you're pathetic trying to make people think you have even one friend. Well get this," she steps closer to me and pokes my chest, "no one likes you." she finishes and puts her hands on my shoulders, shoving me down on the ground.

At this point I'm just rolling my eyes, I knew it was too good to be true.

We have gathered a small crowd and I stand up, brush myself off and walk away with out saying anything else. I'm not wasting my time on her.

I walk into a bathroom and look in a mirror, "you had one friend. And she left you. Of course for one of Hayes Grier's friends. Who else would it be for? I hate Hayes Grier." I think to myself as I try and stay composed, remembering what happened in 4th grade.

~~~

I was running on the playground with my best friend Florence, we were playing tag with a few other people and we decided to run into the forested area of the school's playground.

"They'll never find us here." Florence whispers to me as we giggle and hide.

"Florence." I whisper and she looks at me, "we'll be best friends forever right?" She quickly nods and we hug briefly before hearing someone yell for recess to end.

We exit the wooded area and I see Hayes Grier and all his friends standing out there, looking at a piece of paper. Not only had I loved Hayes Grier for as long as I had known him, but i had just decided to tell him recently. I had given him a note.

When the group of boys saw us they all start pointing and laughing. Hayes looks at me and says "why would a cool guy like me want to like a weird nerd like you? Your not good enough for me, you're not even good enough for a normal family, that's why your parents are getting divorced." he spat his words at me like venom.

I wanted to cry and I turned to Florence, noticing she wasn't there. I looked around for her, and saw one of Hayes's friends whispering to her.

She looks at me with wide eyes, filled with disgust. "We are not best friends forever, we aren't even friends anymore you nerd." She said, looked me up and down, scoffed, and then walked away. They left me to walk back inside alone, basically drowning in my own tears

~~~

I have never felt more pathetic since then, besides now. I trusted Natalia. I really though she was going to be there for me and I really thought she would be my friend.

When I left the bathroom I saw her walking down the hall with three blonde girls with fake tans. I shake my head at her and she looks down ashamed. "She's not that kind of person." I think to myself.

"Brooklyn." I hear from beside me, I turn and see Taylor standing there with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Don't talk to me, Taylor. You don't want to ruin your reputation." I spat at him. He looked taken aback by my words, but the same, stupid, overused look was plastered on his face, oozing out sympathy.

I am beyond done with people thinking I'm not good enough. I need to change, I need a new adventure and I need the normal high school life. I need something to pull me out of this stupid pathetic world that I am wallowing in.

I sigh and pull myself out of my thoughts, those fantasies are okay while they last, but I have college to think about and I have a future to worry about and I don't need anything getting in the way of my flawless grade point average.

I start my descent towards the basement, walking down the flight of stairs and then turning right towards my piano class when someone pulls me into a practice room.

The lights are off and I can't see anything. I heard the blinds over the window on the door being closed and then the lights come on. Standing in front of me is the man, the myth, the legend, Benjamin Hayes Grier. He walks passed me and sits on the piano bench, leaving enough room for me to sit as well.

"What do you want, Hayes." I say sassily, I'm done with everyone's shit today.

"I heard about what happened this morning with Natalia." he said and started randomly pressing keys that didn't even sound good together.

"So what? You wanted to humiliate and make fun of me in private? I'm not even surprised it happened." I say truthfully.

"No I don't want to make fun of you, but don't you ever think, 'I wonder what it would be like to be popular'?" He asks and looks at me with those captivating blue eyes.

"Yeah I guess." I say quietly, getting shy around him.

"Well, I have an idea." he says and closes the piano key board.

"What kind of idea?" I say suspiciously.

"Well, it's more like an agreement." He says and starts straddling the piano bench to look at me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~