Nothing Special

Chapter 1

I don't believe in true love.

I mean, how can anyone?

Sure the romantic, lovey-dovey stuff they go on and on about in the books is inspiring and all, but it's still fiction. It's not real and never has been.

And don't even get me started on the movies.

I don't believe in everyone having that one person, that one true love, that one soulmate. That one fate. Because honestly, I'm pretty sure all of that was made up by the card companies. That, or the Greeks.

Whichever one came first really.

So, obviously I don't believe in the theory that "there are no coincidences", or whatever all that nonsense is. However, even I can't deny the strange way things, small accidents, could somehow completely change a persons life. You don't have to trust in some mystical force that's already decided your future to understand that if you hadn't made a specific choice at one point in your life, things would have never worked out the way that they did.

Why, you may ask, does any of this matter?

Well, I'm getting to that.

"Come on! You know I don't like going alone." Janie Mills, my crazy, nerdy best friend, was probably going to be the death of me. Now, whether or not that was going to be before or after I murdered her, I wasn't quite sure yet.

"Yeah, well, you know I don't like going at all."

She gave me her puppy dog eyes. "Please, please, please, come with me just this once! I swear, I won't ever ask you to do this ever again, if you'll just do me this big favor this one time."

I gave her my deadliest glare. "That's not fair! You know I can't say no to you when you look at me like that. Ugh! Why can't Amanda go again?"

"Because," Amanda Prescott, my other bestie, suddenly appeared out of nowhere and sat down next to me at our table, " my parents suck on epic levels."

My glare shifted to her as she picked at her apple. "Oh, whatever miss grouchy-pants. I feel no sympathy for you right now, considering you just had to get grounded the night of the first football game. And for what? Back sassing your parents? Come on, we are seniors now! Learn some self-control."

Amanda snorted at that, and even Janie risked a short break from her pleading to give me an amused look that clearly said she thought I was being melodramatic and that it was hilarious.

"Oh, come on. That was a little extra, don't you think? I mean, even for you."

I shifted my glare back to Janie, and she, understandably, balked a little in response, gulping and putting her pleading eyes back in place. I rolled my eyes at her antics and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, you win. I'll go to the stupid football game with you just so that you won't be alone while you moon over your football star boyfriend." That's the other thing. My best friends life was an actual, real cliche. She is this nerdy, straight-A type of girl, who happens to have two best friends who aren't as smart as she is, and she gets stuck tutoring the player, hot-shot star quarterback of the football team, and all the sudden they see each other for who they really are, and all that nonsense. It all seems absolutely ridiculous to me, but they've been together since freshman year, and I'm thinking they are going to also someday be cliche high school sweethearts.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I will make this up to you I promise. I'll even buy your food at the game."

I pursed my lips to try to keep from smiling. "I guess that'll do for a start."