The Girlfriend: Fake It Till You Make It

Chapter 2: Meeting Jordan

"What are you going to each for lunch?" I asked Sarah as I put my bag in my locker.

"I know it's not healthy, but I can't go past the chicken nuggets," she giggles.

"Ah... Shit!" As I closed the locker door, Ryan had suddenly appeared, scaring the crap out of me.

"Going for lunch, Em?" he asked. "Why don't you join me?"

"No. For the fiftieth time. No." All I can do now is roll my eyes. This guy really doesn't get the hint.

Before I could move toward the cafeteria, Ryan had blocked my path with his hand against the locker. He must have seen this move on TV somewhere. Does he watch asian dramas, maybe?

"Come on..." he pleaded. "Just one time, how bout it?"

By now, I was garnering the stares of the other female students. Some curious, some bored. But most were jealous. Ryan was certainly popular with most of the girls in the school. I went to step around him, but he blocked my way again.

On the third attempt, as Ryan went to block again, he was bumped out of the way by another student.

"Ooops, sorry. Didn't see you there," the girl said with a clearly mocking tone. She then gave me a wink and continued on her way.

 Jordan Taylor. She normally wears a black jacket, ripped jeans, and army boots. Sporting a pixie haircut, she's a mix of cute girls meets heavy metal rocker. I've seen her around before, but never spoken. We weren't really the types to mix.

I'd also heard a rumour that she was a lesbian. Which didn't faze me in the least. Each to their own. She likes girls, and I liked, well, books.

Jordan 'came out' when she was sixteen and suffered a bit of backlash from the other students at the time. She was one of the first to be openly gay at school(at least that I knew of). I had to admire that level of commitment. I'm not sure if I could do something like that. Maybe if I was under pressure?

Jordan's parents were an odd match. Her father, David, was a lawyer. He kept an orderly and structured environment at home.

Her mother, Laura, is an artist who encourages Jordan to be a free spirit and creative. They divorced when she was twelve. Splitting her time evenly between the two very different living environments had shaped her to be the very adaptable and independent woman she was today.

She also has an older sister who is studying abroad. Megan and Jordan were close, despite the distance, regularly video chatting or messaging.

While Jordan's approach to academia is pretty loose and fast, when it comes to her art or her band, she is extremely committed.

Taking the opportunity Jordan had made for me, I dodged past Ryan and dragged Sarah along with me. Running past Jordan, I gave her my biggest smile and mouthed out, "Thank you."

Jordan gave me a nod of acknowledgement.