X-Kid

Gives You Hell

The next morning, after my grandpa dropped me off at school, I walked to the gas station across the street from school. I had an especially hard time getting to sleep the night before, so I was grabbing some coffee to get my morning started properly with the little amount of money I had.

It had been nearly 2 months since I’d talked to Drake, my ex boyfriend, and I was happy about that. I had mostly gotten over him, though he still hung around my thoughts every once in awhile. I figured I was in the clear since he went to a different school, but I had apparently forgotten that his bus stop was by my school, and that he stopped at the gas station every morning.

I had just poured the French Vanilla and Hazelnut creamers into my styrofoam cup and began stirring when I heard the bell on the front door chime. I ignored it, and tasted my coffee to make sure it was just right before putting a lid on it. I walked up to the counter, only for Drake to stand right behind me in line.

“Nora?” He said, and I turned around.

I suddenly felt awkward in his presence. “Hey, Drake. What’s up?”

“Not much. Did you have a good rest of your summer?” he wondered.

“Yeah, it’s been great. What about you?” I asked.

“I got an Xbox 360, so that was cool,” he replied.

“I know, you told me,” I mentioned. His goddamned video game obsession was one of the many reasons I ended it. That, and I was pretty sure he still didn’t love me after dating for a year. I turned back around and paid for my coffee before quickly leaving the gas station, trying to avoid further conversation.

I walked back across the street and inside the building to where I’d left my backpack so Luna would know I was there. To my surprise, she was sitting there with the guys. “Sorry I’m sorta late,” I mentioned. “I’m dragging ass today due to insomnia.”

“You look kinda shaken up,” Luna stated. “Is everything okay?”

“While I was across the street I saw and spoke to Drake,” I replied.

“Shit. Are you okay? What did he say?” she questioned.

“I’m fine. It was just weird,” I explained.

“Hold on,” Alex cut in. “Who the fuck is Drake?”

“He’s my ex,” I commented.

“Yeah, and he’s a fucking cunt because he treated you like shit for almost a year,” Luna seethed.

“What did he do?” Zack asked.

“We never did anything really, and he was always ditching me for his friends and picking fights with me,” I said.

“They never acted like a couple. They rarely held hands or hugged or anything,” Luna added.

“That’s bullshit,” Jack stated. “At least you’re out of that one.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” I said.

We moved on from talking about my previous relationship to random chatter until it was time for first hour. I managed to survive the first two hours of the day, but by the time French rolled around, I was about ready to collapse. Since we didn’t have a seating chart, I sat next to Rian.

“Bonjour Monsieur Dawson,” I greeted sleepily.

“Nora, you look like death,” he replied.

“Thanks, love you too,” I laughed. “But yeah, I’m exhausted. I have serious issues sleeping.”

“So does Zack actually,” he mentioned. “He’s got Sleep Apnea.”

“Ew, that sucks for him. I’m just an insomniac,” I commented.

Rian and I hung out the whole hour and walked to the lunch spot together. We walked through the band hallway, and I explained that it was usually called Stoner Hallway. Luna tickled me as soon as we arrived, causing me to fall to the floor.

She laughed. “You’re way too ticklish.”

“Yeah, and now the guys all know. Thanks,” I joked. A devilish grin crossed Jack’s face and I used my backpack as a shield.

“Biology is gonna be great!” he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes, but I smiled at him. He sat down next to me against the wall.

“If you tickle me, I will slap you,” I warned.

He laughed. “No, I’m not going to...yet. I just want to say I’m sorry about your ex.”

I looked at him confused. “Why?”

“Luna told me that you loved him even when you broke up. That must be hard,” he said.

I sighed. “It was, but I deserve better.”

“Don’t you worry,” he grinned again. “I’ll set you up with someone awesome.”

“Thanks Jack,” I replied. “But I think I’m fine being single, at least for now.”

He glanced over at Luna and Alex. “Hey, I bet you five bucks they’re together in a week.”

“I’ll take that. I say two weeks,” I mentioned.

We shook hands on our bet, and then continued to talk about whatever came to mind. Already, I was closer to Jack than any of the other guys, though Rian was a close second. I was looking forward to getting to know them all better.