Marcel

Chapter 1

A/N: After reading this chapter right now, it seems really cliché and I apologize. Don't stop reading though, it gets MUCH better. Just wait and see.

"Marcel, it's time to wake up!" I hear my mom yell from downstairs. I groan and reach over for my glasses on my nightstand.

"I'm sick," I lie, just like every other day.

She knows I’m lying because I make an excuse every day. She comes into my room and sits at the edge of my bed.

"Maybe today will be better,” she says encouragingly.

“It won’t,” I mumble from under the covers.

“You won’t know unless you try. Maybe you’ll meet a new friend.”

“Everyone hates me. I won’t make any friends.”

She sighs like she does every morning, “I’m sure you will. Come on, you’ll be fine.”

I groan and wait for her to leave, just like every other day. Every day is the same; I wake up, I have a horrible day at school, and come home. Nothing interesting ever happens, and it never will. I will always just be boring Marcel, 17 year old teenage loser.

I slowly get ready and trudge downstairs when I’m done. I already can’t wait for today to end, and it’s barely begun. The clock seems to tick slowly while I eat breakfast, and a minute feels like an hour. My anxiety builds as each minute passes, as it’s a minute closer to going to school. Maybe if I eat slowly enough I’ll miss the bus.

“Marcel, hurry up,” my mom calls, breaking my thoughts.

I hurriedly grab my bag and head outside to the bus stop. I watch my feet as I walk and count the cracks on the sidewalk to keep my mind busy. Just like every morning, there are 22 cracks. Some leaves have fallen on the pavement, and they crinkle under my feet as I walk. I get to the bus stop and awkwardly wait for the bus to come.

The bus pulls up soon after and comes to a screeching halt in front of me. The doors slowly open, and I step inside to search for an empty seat. I sit down in the nearest seat and anxiously wait to get to school. Someone behind me starts laughing, but I try to ignore it. Another person throws a piece of crumpled paper, and it lands in my lap. I pick it up and shove it in the crack between the seats. Outside, people walk with their friends, smiling widely and laughing. Meanwhile, I sit alone on the bus and worry. For the rest of the drive, I count all the red cars to keep my mind busy. 5, 6, 7…

Before I know it, the bus ride ends. I barely notice the poking and giggling anymore.

I walk to my first class, Biology. I trudge through the halls with my head down and avoid eye contact. I count each step I take. 32, 33, 34...

Someone runs past and shoves me into a locker, causing my glasses to fall into the middle of the hall. I'm blind without them. I drop to my knees and pat around aimlessly. All of a sudden, I see a figure in front of me. I back away, they're going to try to hurt me. It grabs my hand, it's a girl I think. I feel her pull my away from people. She pulls me up off the ground and brushes off my shoulder.

“Here's your glasses,” she says with a smile.

“Thanks,” I whisper. I'm shocked someone actually helped me.

“Are you alright?” she asks worriedly.

“Yeah, it happens all the time,” I mutter to the floor.

She tilts her head and frowns, “I gotta go. I'll see you around.”

I wish I had seen her face. I have no idea what she looks like. Once she handed me my glasses, my glance shifted to my feet, as usual.

I make it to Biology in one piece, thank goodness. Mr. Brown smiles sympathetically at me as I head to my seat in the back corner of the room. If we had chosen seats, I would've picked the front row. People mutter things as I sit down, but I try to ignore it. I pull out my book and begin to read. I've already learned what the class is being taught since I read ahead and take classes every Saturday at a university. Everyone else is talking or doing homework they forgot to do.

“Class, today we have a new student, her name is Cami. You can go sit wherever you would like,” Mr. Brown says.

I glance up from my book to find the girl walking over to the empty seat next to me. She smiles and I immediately look down.

Since it's Biology, it's two people to a table.

Don't sit with me.

I look at her with pleading eyes, trying to telepathically tell her not to sit here.

This will ruin her social life. Without even knowing it, she has no chance of being well liked if she sits next to me.

She sits down.

She sat down...?

Everyone in the class is intently watching us. Mr. Brown continues on with his lecture like nothing is happening. But everyone's watching.

Don't talk to me. Your life will be over if you talk to me.

She talks to me.

“What are you reading?” she whispers to me.

Everyone gasps and starts to whisper.

Nobody ever talks to me.

Ignore her, Marcel.

I lift up the cover to show her the title.

“The Fault in Our Stars... Good choice,” she says nodding her head and smirking. “I'm Cami,” she says. I don't answer her.

She sucks in her cheeks and takes a deep breath.

“Usually you would reply by introducing yourself,” she says.

“I'm not usual,” I mutter, still not looking up.

“That's okay, me neither. So are you gonna tell me your name, or no?”

I'm taken aback by her persistence. Someone would usually stop talking to me by now. My awkward shyness usually pushes people away.

“It's, I'm Marcel."

“Marcel... Nice to meet you again.”

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, “Again?” I look up at her for real this time, not just a quick glance.

She has blonde straight hair that just touches her shoulders. There's a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks and a soft smile on her lips. She's wearing a big gray cardigan and pink Doc Martins. She doesn't look like the majority of the girls here. Not much makeup or fancy hairstyles. She's different.

“I got you your glasses in the hall today,” she says smiling.

I blush. “Oh.. Well, uh, thanks.”

Everyone is still watching us.

I go back to my book.

*

She follows me out of class and tries to talk to me. It's like she's talking to herself though because I'm not replying. I don't know how to handle all this. Why does she want to talk to me? She'll start bullying my like everyone else, I know she will.

“So what's your next class?” she asks.

“History.”

“Cool, me too!! What room number?”

“72,” I say, pushing through the halls.

“Me too!”

I smile, but she can't see it. I might as well enjoy this while I have it. It's going to end soon. I say she'll leave me by the end of the week.

Today is turning out to be different from every other day.

Thank you so much for reading this! Please vote and comment to let me know if you like it! I hope you all like reading this fanfic! <3