The Hopeless Romantic ✔️

Chapter ten.

"I want you all to do activity one to ten." Our History teacher announced just as Jace carelessly strolled into the classroom, late again. I took a quick glance at him and I never noticed that he wore a piecing above his eyebrow, making him look even hotter than he did before.

Wait, what?

I shook the feeling off and continued on with the History activity about Pearl Harbour. I felt Jace behind me. I didn't really know what Jace did in History since he sat behind me and I never turned around to take a quick glance. I assumed he sat on his phone all lesson and since our teacher was a pushover, he didn't exactly care.

I also didn't want to be the good student who did all of their work but that was me. It felt like I had to do it even though most of the class were on their phones and talking to each other. Gwen and I usually worked together on these activities especially when we couldn't be bothered to do them.

Once the class nearly came to an end, everyone packed up their stuff and waited by the door for the bell. I was still packing up my stuff and Gwen had a worried look on her face as she felt in her pockets and looked around the desk area. "I've lost my house key." She said in distress.

I looked around the desk and pictured what it looked like. It was a single key with a green keychain attached to it. "Where did you last put it?" I asked as she was so excited to go home at the end of this day which was any minute now.

She checked her bag and shook her head in annoyance. Gwen quickly headed to the teachers desk where all of the textbooks stacked up neatly. She scanned through them all just in case it ended up in there somehow. I followed as more students began lining up by the door, anxiously waiting for the bell to ring.

I strolled over and I saw more students go past just as the bell rung. I waited for a few to go and Jace just happened to be in that line. He stopped with only a few people behind him. I didn't make the slightest eye contact with him and I knew he was letting me go past.

I froze for a minute, staring directly at Gwen who scanned the textbooks. A few seconds later, I clicked back to reality and ran to where Gwen stood. I felt so stupid in that moment but Gwen didn't seem too concentrated on Jace or the fact that the bell rang. "I might have to go into the library to have a look proper otherwise I can't get into my house!"

I followed her out of the classroom and into the corridors where Jace and a few others strolled down the corridors and into the daylight. "Okay, let's go-"

"Found it!" She sighed with relief. "Now we can head to the bus."

*

Sitting outside in the courtyard eating lunch the next day, I glanced at the popular kids hanging out by the brick wall. They were laughing and looking better than the rest of us. I sighed, wishing I was somebody but, I didn't wish I was part of their group. Not to my surprise, Jace was hanging out with all the cheerleaders, the football players and the pretty girls that like to bat their eyelashes at him and his friends.

I looked like a loner at this point, watching all the popular kids be, well, popular.

Gwen finally reached my table as I casually ate a small packet of popcorn. I still stared at them, wondering why everyone liked them so much. They were snobs and they thought they were above everyone else and if you're not in their group then they would turn their noses up at you.

"Hey, stop staring!" Gwen said as she waved her hand in front of my face. Sure, Gwen went to parties but that was because she had popular friends. Probably not in that specific group but they were near the top of the food chain. That was why Gwen went to parties but unlike me, I didn't even talk to those people. I was at the bottom of the food chain.