How to fix the Broken Girl

Step Three: Interest Her

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Chapter three
[STATUS: EDITED]
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I wake up in the morning and shower, taking my time in piping hot water to wake up. It soothes my sore muscles from football practice I had yesterday evening, after I took Joelle home. We don't have any games, since it isn't football season, but we practice all year. It's about 7:20 in the morning, so I take my time brushing my teeth, getting dressed and eating breakfast.

By the time I'm done, it's only 7:26. I groan, well I guess I'm going to be early.

•*JOELLE'S POV*•

My alarm goes off, I smack at it randomly trying to shut the annoying sound off. It finally comes to a stop as my thumb presses the button and I sigh, throwing my plush covers off of me and standing up. My bare feet hit the cold wooden floor, sending shivers up my back and goosebumps to arise across my skin.

It's 7:27.

I highly doubt that Justin is going to come and pick me up. People like me don't hang out or even socialize with people like him. I'm a nerd and he's a jock, that combination is a No-Go.

I jump into the shower, it is steaming hot. Steam circles it's way around me and fogs up my window and mirror in my bathroom. I know this because I don't have a shower curtain at the moment, I just moved into this apartment about a month ago and I had a glass shower door at my old house.

As I'm washing the conditioner out of my hair and finishing up shaving my legs, I hear a bang on my door. It doesn't sound like a knock, probably just my neighbors cat.

I jump out of the shower and wrap one of my soft white towels around me, then shut the water off and make my way through my kitchen and living room to the door. I peek out of the peep-hole.

It's Justin.

•*JUSTIN'S POV*•

I wait at the door, but nobody answers. It's probably not even her apartment, I don't know which door is hers, but I know she walked down here yesterday. There are only four doors, I knocked on one and a elderly women answered. I asked if she knew where Joelle lived and she pointed to the door across from hers. But she's old, she probably didn't hear me right or just doesn't remember.

The door opens slowly, breaking me from my thoughts about the women. The door only stays open a crack, but Joelle's head peeks out. Her hair is wet, drops of water drip from the brown ends and falls onto the hard wood.

"Joe?" I ask, "What are you doing?"

"I'm hiding behind the door." She answers simply, her dark hair swigs back and forth as she tries to stay balanced.

"Why?" I raise my eyebrows, a slight smirk on my face.

"Because someone said that they would be here at 7:40. It is only 7:30." She glares at me, eyebrows slightly raised.

"7:35." I correct her, my hand pushes the door open and I brush past her.

"I'm half naked!" She screeches and my head immediately snaps in her direction.

She is wearing a white towel, an insanely short towel. It comes about an inch onto her thighs, she clutches it tightly in her fist. She raises her eyebrows at me as I try to stop my eyes from mentally undressing her.

"Well, get dressed." I say, I walk over to her living room and sit on her couch.

"You're leaving tracks of dirt on my clean hard wood." She says, sighing. "I'll be back."

I watch her as she walks back the hall and enters a room, then slams the door behind her.

Man, I love how she is curvy. I don't like all the other girls in our school, stick figures with makeup caked on their faces and so much hair spray you can't light a cigarette beside them without blowing up.

Her bedroom door opens and she walks out, her hair now dry and curling down her back. She is wearing a pair of black yoga pants, which I am very happy for, and a red zip up hoodie, with a white tank top underneath.

"Let's go." She says flatly, grabbing her dark green bag and throwing the strap over her shoulder.

She doesn't wait for me and leaves me in her apartment. I furrow my brow and shake my head once, women confuse me. She was fine just a moment ago. At least I know I wasn't imagining that small little smile when I walked into her apartment.

"Coming, dear." I sing, sarcastically, and follow her out into the hallway. She closes the door behind me and then locks it with her key.

••••••••

The day passes by slowly, every class I am alone, without Joelle. When we got to school this morning, she didn't bother saying good bye or giving me thanks for driving her to school, she simply walks into the school, away from me, and into her home room class.

I take big steps walking down the hallway to lunch. I don't know what my deal is, but I don't feel like talking to anyone or eating. I don't want to do anything besides make Joelle feel better. I saw her twice today, once in the hallway and once at her locker. I tried to stop and talk to her at her locker, but the bell rang and I had to hurry to Math. I hate math, so I was going to just skip it to talk to her, but it wouldn't have helped at all. School is very important to her, so I know she wouldn't skip a class for me.

I walk into the lunch line and grab a Power-Aid, for football practice after school. It's Friday and there is a party my friend, Colin, is having a party around nine. The same old thing, drinking and dancing. It gets old after a little while, but I always get a girl. Which is good, but I never date them or stay with them. It won't matter, because in a year I'll be off to my football scholarship.

I grab a sandwich and then start walking towards my table. I see everyone sitting there, laughing and patting each other's back. The table is all full, expect my seat. The boys know to alway save me a seat. Colin and Carter are my close friends, but I have many others- Wyatt, Brody, Carson, Levi and Evan.

I walk to the table, looking down at my feet while I walk. I have a lot of stress at the moment. Between almost failing all of my classes besides gym, I have Joe to worry about. And that is enough to make me stressed beyond my breaking point.

My shoulder hits another persons, I hear a small "Excuse me."

I look down to see Joe, her head held low and her nose buried in a book, a different one then she had yesterday. I scan the cafeteria quickly for Elora and I see her sitting with Mabel, again. What a bitch.

"Come with me." I stuff my tin foiled sandwich into my other hand with my energy drink, then grab her wrist lightly. I pull her towards the outside deck, managing to brush past the teachers without being caught.

"Justin!" She gasps, "We can't be here. Let's go back." She whips her hand back towards her mid-section and cradles it with her other hand.

Students aren't allowed to be outside when it's raining or snowing, on the deck at least. In the summer, spring and fall, the deck is filled with people, listening to music on their phones or studying underneath the table's umbrella. As long as it isn't raining, but this fall is almost over and it has been raining constantly.

"This is off limits, Justin! We are going to get in so much trouble." She reaches for the handle, to enter the cafeteria again.

"Wait." I say, grabbing a hold of her wrist again. "Just for a couple minutes."

"What? No, Justin. We are going to get detention, hurry!" She grabs my forearm and tries to pull me to the door, but fails.

"Come on." I say, "You can't graduate high school without doing at least one bad thing. And this isn't even bad."

She hesitates, "Fine. But if I get detention, ISS or OSS, I'm kicking your ass."

"Ohh," I smirk at her, "There goes the good girl with her potty mouth again."

"I'm just a good girl that's never been caught." She smirks.