𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 ─ 𝐌𝐄𝐆𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈.

eleven

Megan's POV

I was covered in sweat as the sun shined brightly. My track meet had just ended and I was content as Kehlani and Victoria ran up to me. They greeted me with praises and a cold bottle of water. We were on good terms. I apologized for my absence and they were understanding of my situation.

"Megan you have got to start taking us to the gym with you. I want gladiator legs like yours." Kehlani joked as they walked to the parking lot. The short-haired girl went to my side and grabbed my sports bag as we approached her car. The beat-up red Honda lit up as she unlocked the doors and popped the trunk.

"I'll make sure to call you next time I go," I said as she packed my things into the back of her trunk. I climbed into the backseat as Victoria got into the passenger seat, fiddling with the radio.

"I heard a few people talking, and isn't your election speech soon?" Victoria asked while changing the radio station. Kehlani lightly hit her hand and changed it back to the old-school slow jams that always played in her car. The two made faces at one another shortly after.

"It's next week on Friday. I haven't even finished writing the damn thing. Every time I start the thoughts just leave my head." I sat back and watched out the car window. I counted the street signs as we neared closer and closer to the little bakery Normani worked at. The girl was currently on the clock. She apologized to me on our phone call saying she wished she could make it to see me beat the opposing teams. I wish she could've as well. I thought about asking Kehlani to stop but just kept my mouth closed as we passed the shop. I knew that Rome was likely there and every time I saw his face I wanted to smash it into one of the many cakes in their business.

"Maybe you just need a boost of inspiration. What's something that makes you feel good? Any activity come to mind?" Victoria asked curiously.

The only thing I could think of was a person.

"No," I sighed and silently gave up on writing the boring speech. "I'll figure something out eventually. I have to meet with Mr. Matthew to go over it anyways."

"Why are you even doing the election?" Kehlani chimed in. "Seems like the only thing it's doing is stressing you out."

Megan ignored the question. Not ready to give an answer. She knew part of the reason was for her resume but it was more that went into her making the decision.

. . .

On Monday, I found myself in Mr. Matthew's chilly classroom. I had left my second-period class early, passing on the teacher's note. Slowly, I gathered my things, reluctant to be where I was. I would have preferred to listen to my previous teacher's uninteresting lesson. In my lap sat a poorly typed speech, printed on clean white paper and held together by a small paper clip. I was nervous, my leg bouncing up and down as I waited for Mr. Matthew to return. I had spent the entire night working on the prompt, switching back and forth between options until I was too tired to change my mind. My head was pounding, begging me to go to sleep, but I couldn't rest just yet.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Megan," Mr. Matthew said as he returned to the room. The wooden door shut silently behind him, and I put on the best smile I could as he sat across from me in his desk chair.

"It's no problem," I replied, the anxiety within me building. Mr. Matthew put on a pair of metal glasses and looked over a sheet of paper. He cleared his throat and looked up at me with an easy smile.

"You can read whenever you're ready to. Take your time." He sat back and took off the reading glasses patiently waiting for me to recite the words in front of me. I listened to the clock tick for a few seconds, taking a deep breath to try to calm down my rapid nerves. I started off slow barely picking my eyes off the pages as I scanned each line. I stumbled over a few sentences and criticized myself in my head. It didn't take long for me to finish. I didn't look up curling up the small stack of pages. "Megan," He started. "I think you have a good start but," There was that word I dreaded. "I think you can dive deeper into who you are. I love the start of your story about traveling between two worlds with your parents maybe you can explore that a bit more. Overall, your writing is strong. You just have to be a little harder on yourself. You're a great contender for the position of student president." His words weren't as harsh as I pictured them to be but I was still beating myself up.

"Thank you," I quietly said. I felt like I was losing myself and the realization was adamant. The moment I left his room I wanted to fall to the floor and stay there forever. My head stayed focused on my shoes as I pushed myself through the small crowds of students heading to lunch. The confident girl in me was dying. I never thought I'd see the day.

"Megan?" The sweet voice that made my stomach twist into knots echoed through the hall. I haven't spoken face-to-face with Normani since my silent treatment. "I've been waiting to speak to you since I got here this morning." She sounded happy. It made my heart beat back to life. I looked up from the ground and instantly cried once I saw the bright smile on her face. The wall I had built so high no one could ever get across has fallen brick by brick.

"Something's wrong with me," I said through tears and Normani grabbed my hands and pulled me into an empty classroom. She pulled me into a hug and I felt safe as her arms wrapped around me. The smell of her perfume was comforting and I buried my face in her cozy sweater. I missed being touched affectionately, and the thought only made the tears pour harder.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Megan Pete." She silently said into my ear. I could detect a smile in her voice. I towered over her but at this moment I felt smaller and exposed. "Why would you say that?" She sounded hurt.

"I can't do anything right." I still spoke quietly. Scared to even admit the truth to myself.

"No, I think you have it confused." Normani pulled back and looked into my eyes. She put her hands on my cheeks, wiping the tears that fell. The worried look on her face made my heart break because I was the cause. "You are capable of doing so many things. I mean look at you. You might not always do them perfectly, but that doesn't matter. So, don't ever say that again. Okay?" I shook my head in agreement. She looked over me, her eyes scanning up and down my body and my face. I still held onto her clothing and her hands still held my face. The tears soon stopped as we stood in silence. "You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," Normani said confidently. "And I don't mean that in a friendly way." She clarified. I felt light as a feather at the confession.

"In what way do you mean it?" I asked already knowing the answer. I just wanted to hear her admit it.

"In an, I want to kiss you until you're left smiling way." She smiled as her thumbs stroked my cheeks.

"Can you? Kiss me," My hands roamed down to her hips and gripped tightly. The shorter girl stepped closer to me. I leaned into her and she stood high on her tiptoes. The distance between us closed as our lips met in a kiss.

It was perfect. I'd frame this memory in my mind for the rest of my life. The girl who had entered my life with nothing but happiness to offer was becoming the love of my life.

Our innocent kiss turned into many more. I didn't want to disconnect our lips. The soft feeling of hers against mine made the hairs on my body stand up. I could feel fire where her fingertips roamed. They went from cupping my face to holding my neck making the kiss deepen in the process. I trailed my hands underneath her sweatshirt and rubbed at the skin on her hips.

The school bell brought us out of our connection. Our breathing was fast-paced and she touched her slightly red lips. Her brown eyes said everything for her.

"Thank you, Normani." I was the first to speak. "You should get to class."

"I feel like skipping class after that."

"Go to class and after school, you can have me to yourself." 

"I have work." She frowned.

"I'll go with you," I said walking up to her one last time and kissing her cheek.

. . .

Updating this again later today hopefully because this is short.