A Cringy, Cheesy, Cliché

Chapter 6

         During lunch I decided to exchange lines with Silas and Andrew, bestowing the two the respectable contact names of "Silas." and "Andrew 🏀". Freddie and Dani also gave them their numbers and just like that we were an unlikely group of friends. I hate to be a stickler of conforming to the status quo, but surely I can't be the only one to find this weird. With the knowledge that pretty much every one thinks me and Silas are official now, it boosts my popularity and insecurity up a bit. It is when I hear the sound of lunch finishing that my momentarily bliss passes over me and I remember where I have to go now... With a sigh I grab my backpack and woefully announce my departure to Ms. Chapman when— 

         "You'd like me to come with?"

         I look down and see Silas still sitting down but holding onto my hand. For a second I thought he was my boyfriend. "You're asking me now?"

         Silas lets go of my hand and crosses his arms, clearly unaware of this contradictory action compared to earlier. "I don't wanna overstep, so yeah I am asking you."

         I can sense onlookers and feel a slight heat on my ears. "No, it's okay. You can go walk with Andrew."

         Silas nods his head in understanding. "'Kay then, I'm going to Economics."

         "Mind if I join?" Freddie walks up to Silas, bag slung on her arm.

         "Sure, I forgot we were in the same class."

         And on theme of coupling up, Dani and Andrew were already walking up to their class. Same direction or same room is besides me, point was I was alone. But it's not like it was new, just different.

****

         I reach Chapman's class in time and sink into my seat just to see her wrapping up talking to Mr. Thompson across the hall. Ms. Chapman walks in and is wearing a frilly floral dress that touches down to her ankles. Sometimes I believe she is the epiphany of Lana Del Rey... other times Ms. Frizzle.

         "Settle down class, we have no time for silent reading. Today we will discuss the highs and lows of highschool romance."

         Oh? Did Ms. Chapman just insinuate that our writing piece can include pessimistic ideals?

         "Just by conducting a simple in-class survey, I want you guys to raise a finger for how many relationships you have been in from the start of freshman year up until 12th grade."

         What a way to out the virgins and experienced. I look to my neighboring seats and see that Shawn Owens has three fingers down, Maybelle Austin a whopping eight and somehow even the Reddit kid Lewis has one. I'm about to lie and raise a finger when Ms. Chapman outs me.

         "Really Hadley? Not a single one. I thought I see you walk with two girls all the time?"

         I'm too stun to speak. I may be an anti-romantic, but I'm one for monogamy. "I'm not in a polyamorous relationship with those girls."

         "Is it just one then...?"

         "I'm not gay either." Just then, Maybelle speaks up and makes public the hallway talk that has been surfacing around.

        "Aren't you and Silas dating though?"

         Quick to think of something, I have to justify my reason for having two closed fists. "We're just friends... talking stage."

         The sound of this sends the whole class to a frenzy, Chapman especially.

         "On that note, I will tell you guys the tale of my first boyfriend." Ms. Chapman saunters over to her desk and sits down, turning a framed portrait of her in her cap and gown towards us. "During the course of my highschool experience I had the hots for my classmate Eric. We always had one class together every semester of every year. You'd think it was fate putting us together! It wasn't until one day I worked up the courage to ask him out and he actually said 'yes'. I freaked out and told all my girlfriends about it. We went out that night and almost every other one after that!"

         "If you guys were that smitten then why did it end?" I found myself thinking.

         "Just a minute Hadley, I'm getting to that part," Ms. Chapman shot me a smirk.

         Curse my thoughts for manifesting outside of my head. I returned a sheepish smile and tuned back in to the rest of Ms. Chapman's story.

         "Well if you'd know it, turned out Eric decided to date me because he thought I'd kill him if he rejected me."

         A very abrupt change in pace got all of us to drop our mouths to a gaping hole. Finally, Shawn spoke for what was on all of our mind's.

         "HE THOUGHT YOU'D KILL HIM?"

         Ms. Chapman nodded and turned the portrait back to face her. "Mhm, I overheard his sister and her friends in the bathroom talk about me. She went on to say how her and her brother always saw me as a stalker seeing that I was always somewhere with him or lurking nearby. Well, after that I thought I'd be a good girlfriend to relieve him and we broke up."

         "That's a terrible first experience."

          "Gee, you really think so Hadley?" Ms. Chapman was making way towards me now.

         "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to speak out of li—"

         "Class, I would like to conduct another survey. After, you can head onto Google Classroom and complete your posted assignment. Now, raise your hand if your first relationship was one of your worst?"

         To my amazement most of the class had their hands up with the exception of a few. Lewis even had the audacity to mutter a not so quiet "F-tier bad," which admittedly made me chuckle.

         "Hadley," Ms. Chapman directed the main focus of the conversation back to me. "And this goes to the rest of you. Love as a teenager in highschool isn't all sweet, but it is a good mold for how to learn and improve as a person. It's not easy to leave yourself so vulnerable for another person to either love or take advantage of, but nevertheless don't waste your life waiting for Mr. or Mrs. Right."

         The weight of her advice falls heavy on me and I realize everybody's waiting for a response. "Not gay, remember?" The class laughs at my witty remark but I seriously take into account Ms. Chapman's words and I can tell she knows I am.

        Thankfully, Ms. Chapman smiles. "Right."