Eliza was 14 when she knew she wasn't like most of the girls in her school. instead of wanting too be gal pals with them, she wanted to be with them. that wasn't the thing that confused Eliza. what really got her was that she also liked boys.
she liked everyone, really. Just as long as they had a good personality.
No one new that she was pansexual, they all just assumed she liked guys because she had never dated anyone before. Eliza had never bothered to come out publicly, and instead only told her closest friends.
thats how she and Charlie had become so close.the two had each other to navigate life with.
When he had introduced her to Tao, Isaac, and Elle, in year 9, they had all instantly clicked and it was clear that she was a perfect fit for their friend group.
--
"So, who are you sitting next to for form, Charlie? i saw him but didn't know his name," Eliza asked, sitting down at their claimed picnic bench. Charlie popped a monster munch into his mouth, just as she asked the question.
"Eli Olsson, i think his name is," Charlie said through a full mouth of crisps. Eliza nodded her head at the reply, crossing her legs.
Tao stormed over to the picnic bench, a gruff expression on his face as he held two bottles of apple juice. "I did it again," He took a seat on the opposite side of the table, " I brought Elle's drink, again," He huffed loudly.
"Didn't you do that yesterday, as well?" Isaac smiled slightly, looking up from his book. Tao rolled his eyes, "Yes, Isaac, I did. And on Monday," He facepalmed himself.
Charlie leant forward slightly, "Elle's not here. She hasn't been here all week," At this, Eliza slightly winced. no need to rub it in.
"I know. I just keep forgetting. " Tao looked down at the bottles, before offering one to Eliza. she happily accepted it with a smile, twisting the cap off before taking a sip. "You know you are allowed to miss her, right? we all do," She smiled sympathetically, placing the bottle on the table.
"Obviously it's better she's at an all girls school now. You know Mr. Reed was still refusing to call her Elle," The black haired boy's eyes widened as he spoke, still in disbelief of the awful teacher. "Yeah, Mr. Reed's a massive transphobe," Charlie nodded his head, raising his eyebrows.
Eliza opened her lunchbox to see what she had to eat. 2 chocolate chip cookies, a banana, and a sandwich. she took one cookie out of the container and took a bite out of it while listening to Tao's rant.
"It's still weird though. There used to be 5 of us, now there's only four. Like, five is a squad, four is just a group." his face showed nothing but disgust. As he was speaking, Eliza could see Charlie beginning to zone out. she followed his line of sight to see that he was staring at none other than Nick Nelson, he was playing rugby on the courts with his friends.
"You're joking! not Nick Nelson!" Eliza gasped loudly, putting down her cookie to turn to her best friend. "Don't you sit next to him in form, Liza?" Tao asked, looking over at the blonde girl who was still in shock.
"Yeah he's really sweet, we've only talked a few time's though," She shrugged, giving one last glance at Nick, who had just scored a try.
"We'e talked a lot," Charlie's gaze is still focused on Nick, and Eliza could see him blushing. "I'm sorry, but what could you guys possibly talk about?" She giggled, which made Charlie give her a playful eye roll.
He began to explain the time when he had bumped into him in the hall on the way to form. He had nothing but a smile on his face as he spoke about the older boy. Eliza was happy that he was happy, but couldn't help but feel sorry for him. it was obvious to nearly everybody that Nick Nelson was straight.
"Just be careful," Tao reminded Charlie. "We are a squad- no. A group of borderline outcasts. He is the star player of the rugby team, and he's friends with a bunch of loud, gross year 11's who are exactly like the guys who bullied you last year." He gestured with his hands as he spoke, but was being completely serious. Eliza partially agreed with Tao. Charlie should be careful, she did not want him to end up spiralling like he did last year just because of some guy. though on the other hand, Nick did seem like a genuinely nice person.
"But like... Nick. He's different. He's nice." Charlie practically drooled over the rugby player.
"Bet he's a whole different person when he's with his bro, dude, friends," Tao said sarcastically, making Isaac and Eliza laugh.
Eliza was intriuged by Nick Nelson. Not in the 'oh i want to be with him ' way, but in the 'is he actually like the other year 11 boys' way.
--
yay
introducing Robert Keating aka Bobby Skeetz as Eli Olsson (Darcy's brother) i casted him bc i feel like him and Kizzy look SOOO similar now
