A Cliche Teenage Story

Chapter 24

       I turn around slowly and deliberately. "I don't want the player, Kelly. Get that straight. I don't want any guy who'd go behind my back to kiss a skank like you turned into. Actually, I wouldn't want any guy who kissed you, behind my back or not. Because you, Kelly, are disgusting," I spat at her, and her evil smile falters the tiniest bit, before growing larger. She's hiding her hurt, being her friend for so many years has let me be able to see that she is hurt, even if she is trying to hide it.

       "Your just jealous of me. I'm popular. Your a loser. I got Josh, you failed to do so. I rose up in the social ladder, you stayed at the bottom rung. I was brave enough to abandon you; you have not an inch of bravery anywhere in you. 'm pretty. Your ok, but that's the only good thing about you. Guys like me, they dislike you," She lists, counting on her fingers all the reasons I am supposedly supposed to be jealous of her.

        I just raise my eyebrows. "You really think I should be jealous of you? You? You who freely kisses boys, is mean to everyone, and is someone everyone secretly hates. You who abandons her best friend, then kisses her date in the darkened hallway? Uh, no way. You wish. Nobody would ever be jealous of you, Kelly. Yeah, maybe there are boys who "like" you. But the reason they like you? It's because your easy; your their play thing. Have you noticed how none have asked you out? None at all? It's because they don't want you. It's because you, Kelly, are a revolting girl, somebody you'd find in darkened alley was when their older, or find in a bar dancing on some table while men leer at you. Nobody really wants that kind of girl."

       Kelly just stares at me, her eyes becoming large, round saucers. She knows it's true; she knows I am right. "See? Your jealous, your making things up now, trying to feel better," she retorts weakly. She then turns on her heel, walks around me, and into some waiting arms of some boy staring at her chest. She smiles suggestively at him, and they go off dancing. What has our world come too? Since when was there girls like that, especially in middle school?

       Whatever, I won't think about that now. My friend is lost from me forever, I know that. So why is there some lingering hope that she'll become better? Not become my friend, I definitely don't want that, but for her to become a better, more normal teenage girl?

       I shrug, as if to shake the feeling off, and walk away from the sight of my spat with Kelly. Maybe I'll grab some pretzels or something.

*****

       I walk into homeroom that morning early, because I didn't want to run into Josh at my locker. I want to confront him here, in homeroom.

       So I sit in my seat, now off to the side and not by Selena anymore, drumming the table with my fingers, impatient for him to come in. I want to get this over with. Luckily, he comes in a few minutes later, before I die from waiting. He immediately walks over to me, dropping his stuff off at his desk in the process. "Hey Christine!" He greets, and I glare at him. He doesn't notice. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to stay at the dance. Here, I hoped this would help make it up."

        He holds up a white rose from behind his back, presenting it to me, wrapped in a pale oink ribbon. I stare at it, not moving. It's such a sweet gesture, but he is such a huge player. Probably knew roses made girls swoon. I snap out of it, and glare at him some more. "You really think I'm gonna just let you off this easily? A rose doesn't fix anything."

       His brow wrinkles, and I remember he never saw me witness his kissing Kelly. "I knew you'd be upset about me leaving the dance, but not this upset," He tells me, confused.

       "Oh, this is most definitely not about the dance!" I whisper yell at him.

       "Then what's it about?" He asks, and he look pretty worried, as he should.

       "It's about you kissing my ex-best friend behind my, your dates back! It's about you being what I thought you to be before, a player!" I whisper yell again, except now it's more of a yell. Some people look interestedly at us, wanting some amusement out of the scene. I scowl at Josh, and he reddens.

        "What are you talking about?" He tries, although weakly.

       "You know exactly what I am talking about."

       "You saw that! How come I didn't see you?"

        "Is that seriously what your worried about right now? Why you didn't see me? The point is that I did see you, and I'm not very happy about the whole thing. Did you really think I wouldn't find out? Well, let me tell you, Josh Williams, it's not hard to find out. Maybe if I hadn't found out yesterday, you would have had more time with playing me. But trust me on this point at least. I would have found out one way or another. And you will pay for it," I threaten, glaring even more at him.

        He swallows. "Yeah, right what can you do about it?" He says uncertainly. "I'm popular, and hot. Your not popular."

       I shrug. "You'll see. All you've lost so far because of me is a great girlfriend, and your best friend, and your other friend, Jacob. Other then that, you haven't lost much."

       "Aidan's not my friend anymore?!!" He says, looking frantic. "But..."

       "But you cheated on his girlfriends best friend, and he's a way better person then you'll ever be," I finish for him. "Now go away, back to your seat, go on and flirt with all those girls that will still fall over their feet to get you. Although once it spreads around, I doubt half as many girls will go after you. So enjoy it while you can."

       "Yeah, you wish. I'll always be popular and hot. Girls will always go after me, no matter what I do." And with that, he glares at me and marches off into his group of admirers. Some of them have heard my conversation with him though, and tell him off. He turns towards me and glares again, realizing my words are true. But there are always those girls who only care about looks. They will stil go after him, unfortunately.

        That's the way it always is.

*****

       I sit down at our usual table, and Will and Josh are the only ones who seem to avoid it. Josh sits at a table with some of the girls who are left still trying to get him, and Will is with him. Will is like osh it turns out, which is to bad for Jenny, who's sitting with us with tear stained eyes. I sigh, and move to comfort her. "Hey, it's ok Jenny. If he's like that, he's nothing good anyways. You deserve better."

        "But but he's popular! And was so nice!" She wails, and I cringe. She always was one of the more shallow types of girls.

        "But it's good you got rid of him," I reassure her. "I'm sure more popular, cute guys will fall over their feet for you. One that might actually deserve you."

        She wipes her eyes, afresh with tears. "Thanks Christine. I'll try thinking about that."

        "Well, trying is progress," I sigh. "Better then longing for him and begging for him to take you back."

         She perks up. "You think that would work?"

         "Really, Jenny!"

         "Oh. Yeah right, never mind," She says, blushing. I sigh again. What hotness does to a girl.

         Aidan clears his throat. "So uh."

        "So uh, what," Selena asks him.

         "They're idiots, we've clarified that. Could we like talk about something else?"

        "Like what? How hot and nice Jacob is?" Lisa says, holding on to Jacobs arm. He blushes.

        "Actually, sorry to disappoint you Lisa, but no," Aidan replies, though smiling at the little darling named Lisa.

        "Oh, well. I'll just think it in my head then," Lisa says forlornly, laughing.

        I laugh too, and our table joins in. Josh glares at us, Holly stares at us. At least she's not glaring. In fact, she almost seems.... sorry? Sorry for me, and sorry she's not laughing with us? Huh. Maybe I am imagining things again. She doesn't seem to be very happy with Kelly though, that's for sure.

         Maybe Holly's better then I thought?