"Because sometimes, all we wish is to be someone else..."
For 17-year-old Felicia Portman, being like Jackie Johnson was the most amazing thing she could dream about...
Jackie is perfect- Good looks, good brains and a too-good-to-be-true boyfriend...
"Hey bookie!" a shrill,high pitched voice shouted behind me. Rolling my eyes, I turned around.
"I've got a 'name'", I said through gritted teeth to Natasha, who was coming towards me hopping like a perpetually happy bunny. "I would be very grateful if you kindly start using it"
Natasha was my best friend. But let me tell you, we've got nothing in common- absolutely nothing. She was a well,not exactly tomboy but not girly either but I was truly girly. I was shy, she was bold. And the greatest difference- I was a bookworm and she wasn't.
-Sometimes I wonder how we became best friends.
"Oh come on", She said swinging her arms around my neck and pulling strands of my hair in the process, which made me squeak.
"Oh shit! I'm sorry, Jesus Christ" She let go when I gave her a death glare. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, patting my hair into shape.
"The thing is that, your name's too long... F-e-l-i-c-i-a, see?"
"So very long" I replied, attempting to be sarcastic. 'I don't know what my parents were thinking!'
"Exactly!" Natasha chuckled, which caused me to shake my head. She looked around the class and realized for the first time that the only people present there were her and me.
"Hey let's go! School's over"
I gave her a look which consisted of pursed lips and a single raised eyebrow.
"I know, right? I've been waiting for you to come back from God knows where. Like seriously, where did you disappear to?"
"Washroom? Didn't you see me asking Mr Heff?"
"Not buyin' that" I said with a huff.
Natasha bit her lower lip. "Fine... I'd gone to the cafeteria. I was famished". And then, as if to prove her statement, she burped loudly. Right at my face.
And I just stared at her without saying anything because her burp was so toxic it made my larynx senseless.
In the end, all I could manage was a weak 'Eww' while Natasha guffawed like donkey.
**********
As we made our way to the school parking lot, we saw a crowd standing and staring at the spot where my car was supposed to be.
"Hey what's going on?" I asked curiously, to no one specifically. A tall boy standing in front of me turned around. It was Travis, a good friend of mine.
"Well...urrmm... see for yourself", he said, revealing the braces on his teeth.
And I did. I did look.
It was my pink, second-hand-but-not-so-bad Porsche. Only it didn't look so pink right now.
There were stabs of black paint all over the car. It looked so ugly that I didn't even want to go near it.
"Gross", Natasha exclaimed.
As I furiously ran over to the driver's side, I noticed a girl standing in front of the laughing crowd. She was smirking deviously. She had a perfect figure, a flawless skin and large blue-green eyes. And her hair was of the perfect kind too- straight on the top and curly in the ends.
Her name was Jackie Johnson and she was -as you've probably guessed- the prettiest girl of our class. And I admired plus envied her...
...On second thoughts, she was the girl almost everyone in the year envied. I mean, she was the literal definition of gorgeous.
Seeing her devious, little smirking face, I knew she was the one who had done this to my car. What grudge she had against me though, was a mystery still to be unveiled.
I ran over to her, tears streaming down my eyes. Oh no, I wasn't crying. It was my dust allergy.
"Why did you do this?", I shouted at her face. Everyone was watching us but I didn't care. All I cared about was my car. Oh my poor,little car!
"Whoa!", Jackie backed away. "I didn't do anything. And seriously, do you think I would even touch that junk of yours?" Everyone laughed at this remark.
"It ain't junk you bitch", Natasha said,coming to my rescue or something. I could almost feel her very-short temper rising like the rising lava of a volcano.
"Watch your tongue, Nutsie", a deep voice called from behind.Every head turned towards the source of that baritone voice as he made his way towards us- towards Jackie I mean.
Jasper. Jasper Collins.
He had curly brunette hair which always remained cutely messy and hazel-colored eyes. He was 5'9'' tall and captain of the school football team. And his smile- Oh such a wonderful sight, it makes my ovaries go bonkers. It's really hard for me to imagine the number of girls who had a crush on him,which included me too.
Oh God... Just the mere sight of him makes a million butterflies flutter in my stomach.
Before Natasha could reply, Jackie piped up.
"Thank goodness you came Jesse. Just look at them!" Her tone was so bitchy that I wanted to grab her hair and swing her around like Hulk.
Jasper looked at her and then at my car. Our eyes met for a brief moment but I looked away awkwardly because I'm a very very awkward 'Homo sapien'.
"Here,let me take it for servicing okay?", He offered stepping a little towards us.
Oh yes Jasper, take me with the car too...
"No thanks loser!", Natasha shouted at him. She just hated Jasper, because according to her, he was a snob.
Clutching my hand, she walked towards my car and drove us home.
***********
Today was a really,really bad day,I thought, lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling.
I liked Jasper so much but he. . .
Last year in tenth grade I had confessed my feelings to him. But he had said, "Um... I don't think I want to be in a relationship right now.. I'm sorry Felicia."
Although I was sad and completely heartbroken, I'd said, "It's okay Jasper, I understand..."
And the next day, he had asked Jackie out.
I felt a pang just thinking about that day...
"Maybe I'm not meant for anyone's love", I said to myself. I felt my eyes shutting down as a teardrop fell on my pillow.
Wish I was as lucky as Jackie. . .
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