Harvey

Two

Two

The New Kid And The School's Obsession

My life was going great. I was top of the class, popular in school, had the best friends ever and my mom had started getting me small acting gigs here and there. She had even enrolled me in a private acting class which I took on weekends. 

All in all, life was good. That is until senior year when a new kid joined our school. His name was Toby Meyers and he was the most annoying human being I had ever set my eyes on. 

The moment he stepped foot in my class, the girls were already going absolutely crazy over him. 

Toby this, Toby that, Toby did this, Toby did that. 

I told Maria about this when we were hanging out during lunch and she started to laugh.

"Well, it's not their fault, he is handsome. And he smells so good" she sighed dramatically. 

"How do you know what he smells like?" I asked. 

"I may or may not have been stalking him". She looked guilty. 

"Ugh". I was disgusted. 

It turned out Maria had the biggest crush on him and she didn't even try to hide it. 

She followed him everywhere! And it was beginning to get on my nerves, such that I started ditching her and hanging out all by myself. 

All my friends didn't even look for me. They were too busy trying to get the new boy to notice them. 

One day, when I was having lunch and studying by myself out in the school garden, Maria quickly ran to me, almost knocking over my food. 

I quickly got up to help her maintain balance. "Maria!". 

"Sorry, Harvey" Maria apologized. "I just really had to talk to you". 

"Yeah? What about?" I said hesitantly, hoping she wouldn't ask why I had been hanging out alone these days. 

"It's about Toby". She answered me immediately, hands on my shoulders. 

I groaned and rolled my eyes, taking her hands off of me. "Then, I'm not interested". I turned around to pack my lunch. 

"What? Why?". 

"Why?". I spun around. "Well, when was the last time we hung out". 

Maria paused and started to think. She scratched her head and looked up above her, probably into the sky. 

"See?". I put all my things into my backpack and hung it over my shoulder. "We don't even do anything together anymore and you don't even seem to care. All you want to do is talk about someone who doesn't even know you exist". 

"Okay, I'm sorry", she apologized. "I realize I haven't really been the best friend lately, but I promise if you help me out with this, it'll go back to how it was before". 

"Promise?". I was very hesitant. 

"Cross my heart, hope to bleep". 

I chuckled and took her hand, letting her lead me to wherever. 

She filled me in on the way to the cafeteria. 

It seemed like this Toby boy was ignoring all the girls in the school and was only talking to one girl. Penelope or Penny for short. 

Penny was this really shy and quiet girl in my class who was always picked on by bullies. She was basically, honestly considered a nobody by every other person, so I genuinely wondered what Toby Meyers saw in her. 

I mean, she was pretty, but there were other girls far prettier. Like Maria. 

Or me. 

Me and Maria hid behind the cafeteria door, watching him eat lunch with her. 

"Gross". I whined. "I can't believe a whole Harvey Celestine is spying on some random person eating lunch with another random person, all because you like him". 

"He's not random, Harv, I swear he's beautiful. You can't tell me you can't see it. Come on, look closely". 

I rolled my eyes and squinted at him. 

Toby had long ink black hair which he packed neatly up in a ponytail and beautiful verdant eyes that seemed to shine a little bit when he smiled at whatever joke Penny seemed to tell him. I could see his muscles peeking through his shirt which made my cheeks kinda hot. His smooth round face seemed rounder when he smiled at Penny. His nose was small and straight and his lips were baby pink, his brows full and perfect. 

I rolled my eyes and removed myself from the sight, leaning back against the door and folding my arms. "I don't see it". 

Maria groaned and copied my actions such that she was leaning back against the door just like me. "I don't and will never understand you, Harvey". 

I smiled and looked to the left at her. "So, what do you want to do, girl? I hate to say it, but if I didn't know better I'd say he likes Penny. Heck, if not that he's been here only two weeks, I'd say it was love". 

Maria stood straight to look at me. "we can't let that happen!". 

"We?". I narrowed my eyes before laughing a little. "Yeah, you're out of your mind". 

"Come on! You're my best friend, right?". 

"Yeah, and I will be supporting you......from a distance". I turned to leave but she pulled me back by my backpack and gave me a face. 

"No". 

She pouted and put her hands together. 

"I said, no". 

She sighed and looked down, seeming to finally give up. 

But I gave in right then. Fine, if she wanted to play chase with some guy who liked some girl then I'd be her coach, or whatever. "Fine". 

"Huh? What did you say?". She seemed not to believe it. 

"I said fine. I'll help". 

Suddenly, Maria erupted in a loud scream and threw her arms around me, jumping you and down. 

The students in the hall turned to us briefly and I tried to get her to stop yelling so much but it was almost like she was deaf or something because she screamed louder. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Harvey!". 

I tried to calm her down and from the corner of my eye, caught the boy, Toby Meyers briefly glancing over at us. At me. He furrowed his brows momentarily before locking eyes with me and giving me a polite smile that kind of looked like he was amused. 

I swallowed.