The Sister Of Popular

Chapter Seventeen

I didn't really understand how on Earth I managed to get through the next fortnight without destroying myself in some way. There was always that saying: Everything will be okay in the end, if it's not okay; it's not the end. The thing was, though, nothing was getting any better. If anything, it was getting worse. Because I was such a ridiculously socially awkward and clumsy human being, it seemed like every time I answered a question in class, I messed up in some way. Whether it was saying the completely wrong answer or throwing a chair, I looked like a total idiot every time and that just gave the Populars more reasons to bully me. As for Levi, he slagged me off in every way possible, saying I was a disappointment to the family and a disappointment to him. I wasn't going to believe that my mum didn't think the same. My old best friends decided they would hang out in a three all the time, Holly, Robyn and Lucas, as well attaching themselves onto a few other people. They avoided me even more after the McDonald's incident, and they took the opportunity to glare at me as much as they could. I had Thomas, but he was the most embarrassing and annoying person that I had met. Sure, he was nice, and I knew why he was a geek now. I knew that we shared a strange bond together. We understood each other, and he was the best listener. But all of his attempts to stick up for me when the teasing got bad failed.

"Lexi isn't an idiot! She achieves an average of ninety-six percent on her art exams, an idiot is someone classified as having a mental age of below three years old! No three-year-old would get ninety-six percent in a GCSE-level exam!"

This just caused Ashley to almost fall over laughing, although I didn't think she could afford her designer tights to be clotted up with dust. "Probably does have a mental age of below three, seeing as she's so desperate to be popular and can't see how stupid and retarded she is."

"Yes, but she isn't mentally retarded!" Thomas protested in his Queen-like voice.

This just caused the Populars to turn back to me. "Lexi, do you want me to phone the mental hospital? I'm sure they won't doubt your presence there. Maybe Prince Stupid would like to come with you too, seeing as you're equally idiotic and big fat failures."

"No, th-" Thomas started, but I stepped on his foot casually to make him shut up, and led him out of the room. Thomas then asked me why I was going to leave them thinking they were right. I told him that they would calm down if I didn't seem to be bothered.

I knew that wasn't true.

I shut up because I was scared.

***

"Urgh, rain is horrible! How can you British people stand this weather?" A male voice, thick with an Australian accent, started ranting from downstairs as I heard the door open.

Who the hell was he and why was he in our house?

"Haha, oh, Aid, you're seriously going to have to get used to British weather," I heard Levi say.

Aid? As in Aiden?

Aiden, our Australian cousin?

The one who I hadn't seen for four years?

"Well, I guess this is better than moving to Kenya or some place like that where they have no water or anything," Aiden says, a quiet laugh at the end. "Anyway, where's Lexi?"

"Lexi's in her bedroom, I think," I hear my mum say. "Welcome to Britain, Aiden! Your spare room's upstairs, in between Levi and Lexi's. Levi will show you."

Why hadn't anyone bothered to tell me that Aiden was coming to England?

But then, to be honest, I had only even bothered going out of my bedroom when I either needed to pee, or for food. I didn't really seem to look approachable to my mother.