Little Miss Nosy

Bella Anderson

-Edited-

"Seriously, Bella. Why can't you do anything right?"

I grit my teeth, closing my eyes so tight against the blazing sun that I begin to see shapes and colors dancing behind the lids.

"You okay, Bells?"

They snap open to find Macey, her concerned gaze raking over my stiff body in search of any physical discomfort. Fortunately, the only agony I feel is mental, much easier to disguise than physical. But my best friend knows me well enough to detect any tick, tone, or energy that seems the slightest bit out of character.

I spot Jake Moore making his way across the yard. His eyes dance with glee and newfound enjoyment to match what looks to be a new haircut he proudly sports. I smile at Macey, "I'm spectacular," then motion towards my target, "Jakey!"

He finds me sitting in the grass and doesn't hesitate to make his way over, needing nothing more than a wave of a hand to do what I please. Perfect. "What's up, Bella?" He asks giddily.

Poor thing. It's always a shame when they're too silly to see it coming. "That a new cut?" I raise my voice, making a point to catch the attention of those around us.

"Bells-" I hold up a finger in Macey's direction without taking my eyes off Jake, effectively silencing her.

"Yeah! You like it?" He runs his fingers through his black locks proudly. It's truly not a bad cut, but his refusal to share his homework in last week's calculus class plays in my mind, and he just so happened to cross my path on a bad day.

My smile drops. "No. It's horrendous, and proof that you can't find quality from just anywhere nowadays. Have some shame in your mistakes and make use of that hoodie, would ya?"

I recline on my backpack as snickers erupt around me with the football players doing the most to exaggerate the situation. I don't need to look at Jake to know the smile is wiped clean off his face. From the corner of my eye, I see his head dip and fingers tighten at the edge of his hood before he walks away. I exhale to release the small ball of guilt building in my chest.

It's successful until I meet Macey's disapproving glare. "What has Jake ever done to you?"

"Nothing," I shrug. Her stare doesn't waver. "What? There was a time where you would've gotten a kick out of that. Now you're all uptight and lovesick over your loser football player."

"There was a time when I was like that. One I'm not very proud of...and Trevor's not a loser," She says defensively before aggressively marking up her canvas with a soft pastel.

"Easy. I don't want you getting a bad grade because of me." She says nothing, but I know she hears me by the way her arm slows down. I know how much art and design mean to her. "What's that?" I ask, unable to make out the piece from its beginning stage. "It looks great so far."

Her lips remain shut as she concentrates on her work. I purse my lips at her silent treatment. First she keeps disappearing to hang with that band of morons, now she's punishing me for doing things we've been doing together for the past three years. Now that she's found her morality, I'm the problem.

"We can't be those people forever." Change this and change that. Well, I'm content with who I am. How I navigate this world will never change as long as I have control.

Speaking of control...

My eyes narrow as the bane of my existence enters the yard. My muscles stiffen once again as I follow Paige's movement past the trees and crowd of seniors to an isolated picnic table on the outskirts of the activity, followed by Ashton who lazily swings his backpack on the ground before taking a seat across from her.

She seems to be venting. Her arms flail around animatedly, anger creasing her brow as she looks into the distance while rehashing a seemingly frustrating moment. The corners of my lips turn up a bit.

Good.

"Nice to know I'm not the only one hating life."

Macey finally looks up, follows my line of sight to the pair before sighing. I snatch a dandelion out of the ground and pick at the stem, my anger flaring at the way Ashton stares at her. Even from this distance, I can see there's nothing but adoration in those eyes. Pure, genuine attraction that penetrates more than skin deep.

She may be too much of an idiot to tell, but I'm not. I know how these boys see me, what they can get from me. Body and status, nothing more. The feeling is mutual at times. I give them just a taste of what I have to offer, and they do my bidding. But I long for someone to want something more. To want me for more than what's on the outside. To want me in the way that Ashton wants her.

"Count backwards from ten, Bells," Macey chuckles.

I look down at the now crumpled dandelion in my palm and toss it to the side. "How is it that those who don't deserve anything have everything? What has precious Paige and her family given to get so much, besides be a nuisance to this town? It isn't fair!"

"To play devil's advocate here, it's not like she could choose what family to be born into. You're targeting someone for sins they haven't committed."

"Since I can't get my hands on her brother or mother, she'll do."

A tin foil packet hovers between us, blurring Macey in the background as I squint at the intrusion. Her eyes light up at the object, trailing her sight along a toned arm before settling on Trevor's boyish grin. "You actually brought me one?!"

"I try to keep my promises." He glances in my direction, smile dropping. "Bella."

"Trevor," I snip. Trevor could have been a part of our crowd before deciding to go off to date and befriend Thing 1 and Thing 2. I was even nice enough to extend an invitation out to Ashton just for him to rip it up and throw it back in my face. Hell, even Nick fell for their trap.

The end must be near, right? Because there's no other way.

"Pop tarts? You can't afford jewelry?"

"Bella!"

"Actually," Trevor starts, unperturbed by my jab, "We were ranking snacks based on taste, portability, convenience, and..."

"Durability. Which pop tarts don't have, by the way."

"Macey didn't believe that I liked to collect the weirdest pop-tart flavors."

She pinches the foil between her fingers, leaning against Trevor's arm a bit too casually. "So when he told me he had a pack of frosted maple bacon I needed to see if he was legit!" she beams.

"How disgusting." While the two bond over their tastelessness, my gaze drifts back to Paige. Ashton switched to her bench at some point because he's now right next to her, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers as they converse mere inches apart.

My eyes remain fixed on them before falling to the pair in front of me, then back again. Things have been a bit too peaceful lately. It would be a shame if someone were to stir something up...

"Oh, Ty!" I say flirtatiously. He turns around, a sleazy grin forming on his lips as I beckon him forward with my finger.

"What can I do for you now, Bella?" he says ever so ready to please.

"I-" I cut myself off as I make eye contact with Macey. She's still speaking with Trevor, but discreetly watches our interaction, suspicious.

Right. I can't say what I want so openly anymore now that she's back and forth between our group and theirs. Ty grunts as I grab his wrist, yanking him closer so I can whisper in his ear. "Things have been a little too quiet lately." He puffs out a breath in amusement. My eyes cut over to Paige as she throws her head back in laughter, resting a hand on Ashton ever so lightly. Too happy. "How would you feel about another cafeteria rendezvous?"