Living With Reality

Chapter 2

Getting ready for school was the slowest process. Especially since it was the beginning of a new week.

Trying to fix my hair was very hard. Buns never stay up. Ponytails fall down. All I had left to do was just straighten my hair for the day. It took a while, but I got done in time to get in my car and go to school before I got caught by the school bus that runs by my house.

***

Once I got to the cafeteria, I chatted with some of my friends.

The bell rang and I stopped my friend Naila. 

"Hey Lanaeyah!" she says.

"Hey," I say back. We walked to my 1st period and I said, "DeAndre has been avoiding me lately." with a frown.

"Yeah, he told me to tell you that he didn't want to talk to you anymore." she says.

"Why would he say that? We talk all the time."

She shrugged.

"I don't even know what I did to make him mad at me."

"Me either."

"Okay, whatever. I don't even care anymore."

But I did. It hurt to think that he didn't want to talk to me anymore. I loved him too much for that. 

I didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the period. All I could think about was DeAndre. Why would he act like that?

***

Second period came and I had forgotten I had it with him.

I tried not to make eye contact with him. I didn't understand why I was being like this. If he didn't like me the way I liked him, I should get over it. 

But I couldn't. 

"Lanaeyah?" my friend Anna said waving her hands in front of me, bringing me back to the real world.

"What?" I snap.

"Do you want to work together?" 

"Sure, I guess."

"Good, because I have no idea how to do one-step equations." she stated with a laugh.

"Me either."

I look over to see DeAndre talking and laughing with her. 

My face grew hot and I put my head down. I couldn't watch. The way he laughed at everything she said made me feel sick. There was no way a girl like me would get a guy like him.

Before I knew it, class was over. I made my way to study hall and read my book for the whole period.

After third period, everything seemed to go by so quick. That was, until 6th period came. DeAndre was with me in that class. 

I walked in hoping he wasn't there. And to my luck, he was there–talking with some friends about random things. I looked at him for the longest moment before my friend Tiffany came behind me. 

"Hey girl!" she says oddly.

"Hey," I say quietly. "Can you sit by me today?" I turned around to face her.

"Sure girl!"

I glance quickly at DeAndre. Tiffany noticed who I looked at and started forming a grin on her face.

"I see you girl. You like DeAndre. Don't hold it back. You love him!" She put too much emphasis on the word 'love'. I don't love him. Do I?

"What? No! He's just a friend. Either that or nothing at all. I honestly don't know anymore." I frowned. She looked at me with her eyebrows raised and after a while, she sat in a seat and sighed. 

As we listened to the project ideas everyone was coming up with, I'd catch DeAndre looking at me. I'd fight the urge to look at him, but every once in a while, I would catch him and he'd look away as if nothing happened. 

Soon enough, the bell rang to be dismissed to last hour. I slowly packed my things up. I was going to try to confront him about this mess. He seemed to notice me waiting on him and walked awkwardly beside his friend. 

Without thinking, I yelled his name, "DeAndre!"

He turned around to see me a few feet away from him. I was struggling to speak. After about 10 seconds I managed to spit it out. "Why haven't you been talking to me? Naila told me you didn't want to talk to me anymore. Why?" I was struggling to keep myself from falling.

"I didn't say that." he said looking away from me.

"Well then what did you say?" I say looking into his eyes and down to his lips. Oh my God Lanaeyah, control yourself! I thought.

"I said that I didn't want to talk to you the way I do."

What?! What was that even supposed to mean? He didn't even talk to me any type of way. It was obvious he didn't like me, so why would it matter the way he talked to me?

"What way is that exactly?"

"I don't know."

"Well you need to talk to me more, okay?"

"Okay." he huffed.

We walked down the hallway together and parted once we got to our hallways for class. 

"Bye." I say to him smiling.

"Bye." he said. I could tell he was forcing the smile that was on his face, but I didn't care if it was fake or not. His smile's heartwarming.

***

Last hour was the hardest time of day for me. Both of my best friends were in there. They always fight with each other to see who can get me. It has happened ever since middle school and I've pretty much gotten used to it. Most of it.

Levia and Anslee sat on either side of me talking to me about each other. I do have to admit that it does get old after a while, but I didn't care. I just stared straight and listened to them argue about each other.

After a few minutes, they calmed down. Anslee then leaned in close to me and whispered, "Nae, look at Lucas."

I looked back to see him twisting his hair. Lucas Latin. He's a blonde hair, blue-eyed white boy who seems to catch Anslee's attention with every move he makes. She studies him every time he gets up to blow his nose. I can tell he's freaked out by her, but all I can do is smile.

Lucas asked me to be his girlfriend last year. Of course I was dumb enough to say yes, but then got my heart broken two days later. He told me not to tell anyone we were together. When he told me that, I knew we wouldn't last, but I was hoping it was more than two days. He broke up with me because people found out and started talking about it. It eventually got around most of the school. It kind of broke my heart because he was sexy hunk in my opinion, but looks are obviously deceiving.

"I know. He's so freaking sexy." I say while licking my lips. I wink exaggeratedly.

"Stop it," she laughs. "He's so cute."

"He's mine." I protest.

"I don't think so," she grins. "He loves me."

"Whatever you say Anslee." I look back at Lucas and he catches my eye. I quickly look away and make wide eyes at Anslee.

"What?" she asks.

"He just looked at me!" I whisper.

"Did his eyes shine like a rainbow?"

"I think so. Hold on, let me look again." I say with a grin.

I look back and he's still staring at me. I tense up and I realize I had been staring at him for a while when he asked loudly, "Do you need anything?"

All I could do was giggle and turn around to Anslee who was turned around with everyone else who was startled by his talking.