Friend Zoned

Chapter 1 - Pilot

As the morning sunlight was beaming through the window, the room began to fill with a warm glow, signaling the start of a new day. The sound of birds chirping outside added to the peaceful atmosphere, inviting a sense of comfort into the space. 16-year-old Malaya, with beautiful, straight black hair, thick eyebrows, lucious lips, and fairly white and brown-toned skin, standing at exactly 5 feet, woke up from her deep slumber, slowly opened her eyes, and stretched, feeling a sense of contentment wash over her. She took a deep breath, ready to face whatever challenges the day might bring. As she finished her morning routine, Malaya went ahead and wore her school uniform; she has been studying at the same school ever since she was in grade school. She went downstairs, where her parents, Melissa and Marcelo, and her siblings, Mackenzie and Milan, were waiting for her at the table with breakfast.

"Hi guys, good morning," I said in a cheerful voice.

"Good morning, sweetie," said mom and dad at the same time, giving me a kiss on my forehead.

"Morning, sis," said Mack and Millie.

I sat down on the table and began eating breakfast with everybody. After finishing breakfast, I grabbed my backpack and headed out the door to catch the school bus. I waved goodbye to my family, feeling grateful for their love and support. The school bus was right on time when I got to the stop, so I hopped in, and the driver drove us to campus. As high school teenagers with boy classmates, we can't help but feel those romantic, cheesy, and giddy feelings when we see our crush anywhere in close proximity to us. As the bus stopped at its last pickup destination, Roman, the campus crush, stepped forward in the bus, and suddenly, all the chattering and busy bees stopped and stared at him. Roman was a tall boy for a 19 year old. Yes, he is three years older, but only a grade higher than me. He has gorgeous curly locks with cat-eye shapes, a prominent jawline, broad shoulders, a slim but fit build, and a smile that could light up the room. It's no wonder he catches the attention of everyone whenever he walks by. His presence alone can make any ordinary day feel like a scene from a romantic movie.

As he made his way to an empty seat, the girls sitting nearby couldn't help but whisper and giggle amongst themselves. Roman's confident demeanor and easy smile seemed to have a magnetic effect on those around him. He was wearing a mask over his face and headphones that were probably booming with maximum volume. He was also wearing an all black outfit, which was a hoodie and tight pants with matching black boots, and rings on his middle and pointer fingers. The seat he took was the one behind me, and since I was one of the girls who had a major crush on the guy, my heart was beating faster every second, knowing I was just an arm away for me to be able to touch him. I literally froze in my seat because I was alone. And me, being a mixture of an extroverted and an introverted person, turned around and said, "Hi Roman! Good morning," with a smile on my face. He looked up at me and looked up from his phone, then to me with expressionless eyes. Then he completely ignored what I just said and turned back to using his phone. The two of us are childhood friends, or in my eyes at least. We used to go to school together during grade school, and we were actually classmates during that time as well. And when we reached high school, which is our present situation at the moment, he advanced grade levels. The bus dropped us off at the campus gate. I got up and sling my bag on my shoulder, but before I could even take a step, Roman purposely bumped me, harder than I expected from a normal bump, making me hold on to the seat railing and feeling a sting on my stomach from the force, realizing the seat railing hit me.

Roman gave me one last look before smirking and chuckling at the action he just took. I ignored him and walked away, trying to shake off the pain and embarrassment. Roman's behavior towards me had been getting worse lately, and I knew I needed to find a way to handle it before things escalated further. I think it's the fact that I always talk to him casually, unlike the other girls who can't. And that probably made him feel embarrassed about his reputation in school. I brushed it off and went off the bus, towards my locker, and got my things for my first class, which was physics. I don't like physics that much since it involves a lot of math and equations, but I knew I had to focus and try my best to succeed. As I walked into the classroom, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the day ahead. All my classes ended early, and lunch was calling me. So I met up with Elaina (17 years old), my best friend ever since I started high school here in this new town. We talked about our plans for the weekend and laughed about some inside jokes before heading to the cafeteria to grab some food. After lunch, we headed to our next class together, which was history, and it was the last class of the day. Mondays are always so stressful. Aside from the constant nagging of his Roman's friends to me, my professor told us to continue doing our project, which was due in two days. After class, Laina and I went ahead to our lockers to put our things away before heading out the front gate and deciding to hang out at my house.

Laina said that she wanted to play volleyball for our upcoming practice match with our teammates against another team from our rival school.

"What if we practice and play volleyball instead of just sitting and lazing around trying to break our heads with this stupid history assignment, ugh?" said Laina with an annoyed face and an iced coffee in her hands.

"I'm down for that," I replied, feeling relieved at the idea of doing something more active and fun. "Let's grab our gear and head to the park to get some practice in before it gets dark."

"Alright, bet," Laina said.

We headed to the gym, only to find it closed and rented for another local team and their practice. So I told her to just use the one from the other village, and we did. We were able to use the court because Laina knew the head officer. "Thanks for hooking us up," I said, grateful for Laina's connections. As we started practicing, I felt confident that we would be prepared for the upcoming practice game. "Always, babe, always," Laina said, giving me her signature wink, and the both of us ended up laughing. We went ahead and practiced. Three hours into the practice, a group of guys entered the court with a basketball. The court was mainly for basketball, so we had to stop the practice. While I was packing my volleyball gear, someone pulled my hair backwards, making me hold my body jolt to the side and crouch down a bit. Only for me to see Roman, the captain of the basketball team, standing there with a mischievous grin on his face. "Looks like we're taking over the court, ladies," he said playfully as Laina and I exchanged amused and annoyed glances before finishing up our gear and leaving them alone. But before we could fully leave the court, Laina shouted, "Take over all you want; you don't even know how to get a point; let alone girl. Suck it, losers." Making them look at us with a glare. And we just laughed it off and went home to have a sleepover.