What You Don't See

Compromise And Apologize

I slowly opened my backpack and groaned, pulling out my binder like I do everyday of my life.

"Well hello there sunshine, what has you in such a good mood?" Jake chuckled sarcastically, plopping down in the seat next to me. A small piece of paper floated down from the binder I was hovering over my desk. I picked it up, immediately recognizing it as the small note that was thrown at me two weeks ago. I looked over it again, seeing the words scribbled messily just how they were the first moment I read them but now the paper was slightly torn and the pencil marks smeared.

You look beautiful today.

I jumped when a book smashed against the empty desk to the right of me.

"Is anyone sitting here?" Chase asked, squeezing his body into the small chair before I even had the chance to respond.

I was about to tell him off, to smack the confident look off his face and tell him to go fuck himself but before the words fell from my mouth Mrs. Summers cleared her throat.

"Please take a seat. Welcome back, I hope you enjoyed your week off because I'm about to pass out the study guide for your final. It's coming up quickly so this week is going to be a little harder."

I let her words slip away as I leaned my head in my left hand, staring down at the note sitting on my desk. Two weeks ago I had no idea who had thrown it at me but now there were two suspects sitting on both sides of me. The two people I thought I knew so well.

"Hey Jake." I whispered, leaning towards him.

He looked up from the study guide Mrs. Summers had just handed out and stopped the pencil he was tapping violently on the desk.

I slid the small piece of paper across my desk so it was in front of him. I watched the side if his face as he looked it over carefully. After a few seconds he turned, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Thanks?" He whispered out, his words coming out as more of a question than anything.

I stared at him for a minute before throwing my hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter. I couldn't stop it, I had been so tense and stressed out that my laughter was exploding out of me in the silent classroom. Me trying to stay quiet was somehow making it worse as I buried my face in my arms and laid my head on desk.

"Ms. Tanner, is something funny?"

I took a deep shaky breath, my cheeks sore, and meekly shook my head.

Once Mrs. Summers continued talking, I turned to look at a very confused Jake, his eyes still fixed on mine, his expression threatening to make me roll into another attack of laughter.

"It's not for you, dumb ass." I whisper yelled, nudging him playfully with my shoulder. "Somebody gave it to me but I don't know who."

Jake shrugged quickly and turned back towards Mrs. Summers, obviously not knowing either, or maybe he just didn't want to get in trouble. Either way, he wasn't telling me.

I was very aware of Chase sitting so close to me, even though I was doing my very best to ignore him. I knew he was trying to get my attention but I was religiously avoiding him and I think I was doing a pretty good job. When lunch rolled around I felt a little uneasy.

"So are you going to sit with us today?" Jake asked, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.

Good question, I thought. I knew I had hit rock bottom with my alter ego but that didn't change the fact that I was never going to be the old Brooke again. However after being the center of attention, I knew that it wasn't and never will be my forte and that sometime soon I was going to have to find a middle ground. That's why this morning I chose an outfit that managed to cover most of my body without being three times too big. I straightened my hair and applied a light shade of makeup.