Sleepless Beauty, A Novel

Chapter Two - Lexie

Sauntering over to Mrs. Fields' desk, I handed her the test on "The Great Gatsby" that I'd just completed. The class had just finished before I'd enrolled, but I still took the test anyway. I'd reread the book about 30 times since I was 8.

Not that I'm super smart or anything... Well that's completely inaccurate. I'm super smart. I ace all my classes, even if I don't study, I get the best scores on state testing, even if I don't try, and I've been acing my PSATs ever since I took them in 7th grade to get into academic challenge. Face it. I'm super smart. Not that anyone knows it though.

It would be social suicide if anyone knew I was brainy! I was popular everywhere I went. That is if the students didn't know I was smart. So I put on an act and show the popular bimbo hot blonde that it looks like I am. It's all for the popularity.

Anyway, after giving my test to Mrs. Fields, I quickly darted out into the hall before any of my new friends could make eye contact with me. My boots clicked down the hallway, trying to find an empty room to have my free period in.

Finally, all the way down the hallway, I opened the door to the library. To my surprise, the guy I'd passed at lunch was sitting at the table in the back, empty chairs surrounding him. His papers were strewn across the table, obvious probability equations. He scribbled down work on a piece of paper as he ran his hand through his brown hair.

Before he could speak, I quickly dropped my books on the seat next to him. Startled, he looked up from the paper, red creeping up to his cheeks and neck. "Hi. I'm Lexie Morgan. I'm new here. And you are...?" I said, feeling slightly snobbish, but having to keep up my act to the stray people lurking between the shelves of books.

"Uh. Um. Yeah. Hi. Uh... Oh yeah.. My name? Yeah it's um it's Nate." He stuttered, jerkily extending his hand for a handshake but then quickly retracting it as if he thought he'd made a mistake. I nod and pull out my unfinished essay that Nate pulled out after cleaning up his strewn math problems.

"Do you have Mrs Fields' class too? I completely don't understand the essay she's having us write. I mean who cares about old people named Gatsby anyway? Am I right?" Lie. Lie. Lie. I care about Gatsby! It's all in the act, I told myself.

"Well. Actually, the essay we are supposed to be writing talks about symbolism and Gatsby has tons of it. I mean look at the green lantern across the water. What do you think that symbolizes?" He asked me, his brown eyes wide.

"I don't know and honestly, I don't care." I smirked. Mentally, I sighed. I didn't want to act like this; it's just how society works.

"Well," he started. "The green light represents the hazy future, the future that is forever elusive, as Nick claims in the last page of the novel: 'Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter – tomorrow we will run farther, stretch out our arms farther....'" He flipped through the book. "But if the green light represents Gatsby's dream of Daisy, in the past, then how does it represent the future, as well? Is the future always tied to our dreams of the past?" He smiled as if he had won a Nobel prize.

Damn this kid was smart. He nailed it straight on.

"Whatever..." I muttered, trying not to seem as impressed as I was feeling.

We both settled in a silence, the only sounds was our pencils scratching across the paper and out breathing. After an hour, Nate started to pick up his books.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Shit. Why did I ask that?! I wasn't supposed to care about geeks like him.

"Um. To my locker. Next period starts in 10 minutes." He ran a hand through his hair. After a moment, he turned on his heel and walked out the door, leaving me wondering just who he was.

Never had anyone gotten the analysis of the Gatsby that correct. Well anyone but me, of course. And he wasn't afraid to show he was smart! But by the looks of it at lunch, he obviously wasn't socially accepted. God I wish I had the nerve to show people I was smart.

Sighing, I picked up my books and headed to my locker. I quickly grabbed my science notebook and scurried down the hallway, hoping I wouldn't be late after sitting in the library for so long.

Flinging open the door, I was relieved to see that not many seats were filled. A stern looking teacher with the name tag of Prof. Abernathy, stood at the front of the room, his eyes scanning a piece of paper.

I quickly took a seat as more people filed in the room. The class droned on for what seemed like hours until he finally collected our textbooks we'd spent an hour slaving over and jotting down every other sentence as notes.

"Alright class. Before you go, I've assigned you your chem. group project partners. I'll read off your names off this list; once your name is called you may be dismissed.

Josh and Layla,
Katie and Alex,
Trent and Elsa,
Mick and Malaise,
Phoebe and Carl,
Phoenix and Lindsay,"

I politely waited for my name to be called. Every single person filed out of the room until I and the person who sat at the back of the room were left.

"And lastly, Nate and Lexie."