Faking Confidence

Chapter 1- 'Library Closed'

Okay Amelia, just go and talk to him. Just, just walk over and start a conversation. It's no big deal. If he doesn't say anything back, just walk away like nothing ever happened.

I take a deep breathe, preparing myself for potential public humiliation, and start walking over to his lunch table. I get that sickening feeling in my stomach when I notice all of his friends are already sitting around the circle table. All of his popular friends. I hesitate.

Most of the people at that table made fun of me at one point or another, the rest sat by idly and watched it happened. These aren't the type of people I want to have lunch with.

I sigh and turn back around in the direction of the library, a.k.a my lunch table. Where me, myself, and the books eat lunch together. It's not so bad honestly. It's quiet for one thing, none of the big commotion that lunch brings. And there's always a new story to hear.

So that's where I'll go. It's better then having lunch with him anyways.

So I tell myself...

I start walking toward the doors to the library when a sign stops me.

'Library Closed'.

What? No! I peak through the windows of the library and see a bunch of teachers sitting around the tables with laptops. A meeting.

"Ugh." I slump against the library's double doors and let my head thump softly against the wood.

"Library's closed huh?" A voice startles me and I look up to see no other then Oliver standing in front of me. He's grinning and holding an apple.

"I uh yeah." He nods his head staring in the direction of the library.

"Do you have a place to eat your lunch?"

For a minute I don't answer because his question catches me off guard.

"Um no, no I don't..." He nods and tosses his apple in the air, catching it.

"Well...why don't you come sit at my table? We have an open seat."

Okay play it cool Amelia, say something smooth. Or funny! Funny works too.

"Yeah." I say automatically.

He grins again and starts walking back to the cafeteria. I follow behind quietly and replay my bit of awkwardness in my head. 

'Yeah.' Really Amelia?

I cringe inwardly and follow behind Oliver. When we reach his table four pairs of eyes stare up at me.

"Who's the chick?" One of the guys asks.

Oliver rolls his eyes and slumps into one of the remaining chairs at the table. "The chicks name is Amelia, and she's eating lunch with us today."

They all nod, not questioning it.

I take the only open seat next to Oliver and start taking my lunch out of my bag.

"Oh my gosh you're so short. How tall are you?" One of the girls asks.

"Five one." I say and twist open the cap on my water. "Awe that's cute!" I blush and stare down at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich my mom packed me for lunch. I don't want to say anything back to the girl but at the same time I don't want to come off as rude.

"Hey we didn't do introductions!" Oliver exclaims, saving me.

Everyone groans. "Olive we don't need to do that."

"Sure we do! I bet Amelia doesn't even know half of y'alls names. Do you?"

He diverts his attention to me just as I take a bite of my sandwich. I can't talk so I just shake my head no.

"Precisely. So if you would all be ever so kind and introduce yourselves please?"

Reluctantly, one after the other everyone says their name.

"I'm Cassidy." The girl who commented on my height says rather bubbly.

"Josh."

"Amber."

"Logan."

"And I'm Olive, but you already know that." He says smiling at me.

I can't help but smile back because his smile is so contagious.

*************************

I think sometime during lunch Oliver noticed I wasn't one hundred percent comfortable being around a bunch of people I didn't know because he offered to walk me to my next class.

I of course obliged because you just don't just say no to someone like Oliver Pickett.

"Sorry about lunch." He says, breaking the comfortable silence we had obtained since walking from the lunch room.

"It's fine, really."

He sighs and runs a hand through his scruffy brown hair. "No it's not. I should have just sat with you at a new table."

I raise my eyebrows. "You don't have to do that." We stop walking as we came across the door to my classroom. "You're right, I don't have to, I want to."

He turns to face me and grins. "Sit with me tomorrow at lunch? We don't have to sit with my friends, we can find another table to sit at, like we should have originally done"

And for the second time today, Oliver Pickett shocks me. "Really?"

He nods, still grinning.

"Yeah I'd like that." I whisper.

He smiles and looks down at his scuffed shoes. "So it's a date then?"

I blush and nod. "I suppose so."

"Okay then."

"Okay." I say. We stand there just smiling at each other, probably looking like total weirdos. But I don't care, and I don't think he does either.

"See you around then Amelia." He says while turning around, still smiling, and starts walking to his own class.

I spend the rest of the school day in a blur. I zoned through the rest of my classes, vaguely collected my homework I needed to get done, threw some books in my locker, and stumbled to my car in the parking lot.

By the time I got home I was still giddy with happiness.

"Good day at school?" My mom asks me the minute I walk into the house.

"The best." I smile and toss my book bag by the door then slip my shoes off. After getting de-schooled I slump onto the couch with what I assume is the biggest grin ever on my face.

"Care to share?" She smiles and continues making dinner.

"Well....there was a boy."

She raises her eyebrows in shock. "Really? Who?"

I twiddle with the TV remote in my hands and start looking through channels. "His name's Oliver."

She sets down the tomato she was chopping and looks at me. "Oliver? As in the Oliver?"

I blush and settle on a cooking show to watch. "Maybe..."

She squeals and runs over to hug me. "Oh Amelia! Tell me everything that happened!"

I shyly replay the whole day to her, telling her about how lunch went and how Oliver walked me to class afterwards.

"He asked if I wanted to sit with him at lunch again tomorrow, but this time just me and him."

She squeals again, my mother is a big romantic. "Are you going to?"

I glance at the TV, my cheeks warming in embarrassment. "That was the plan."

She grins. "Oh Amelia!"

"Mom..." I dodge the kiss she's about to plant on my cheek. "It's not that serious."

"Oh but it is! I can't remember the last time you had a boyfriend-"

"He's not my boyfriend!" I say, feeling myself start to blush for the millionth time today.

"Oh but he could be."

"Mom!"