outsider ; daniel seavey ✧

chapter two ✰

a couple hours before

     I had just finished an exhausting day at school. We had just finished last period, being dismissed was the best part of the day. I walked on, my mind a little fuzzy due to taking multiple tests on one period after the other, thankfully I had friends who were so great to make me giggle and lighten the mood a bit. I guess after starting to date a popular guy helps boost your social circle. I was a quiet kid, a nerd almost, I had wide rimmed glasses and always wore my hair up, with still a year left of having braces. As if I didn't look the part, I was top in all of my classes. I didn't really have any good friends, maybe a few mutual ones for a certain amount of times before they forget me and move on.
After dating Jessie, who knows why he started dating me anyway, but it boosted my self confidence. I was a little more social, saying bless you to those who sneezed, and giggling at someone's joke. Many of Jessie's friends came to me, and soon I had a decent amount of friends.
     I walked through the hallways, kids jostling each other since we were so packed together.  I managed to dodge a couple buff looking guys, attempting to get to my locker as soon as possible.
Jogging to my locker, hugging my books close to my chest, I saw him. I got a couple butterflies in my stomach, my smile got wider. I pushed my glasses, which were sliding down my nose, back up before giving him a side hug.
"Hey babe," he smiled, his brunette hair a mess, covered by the hood of his sweatshirt. My heart took a leap as those words came out of his mouth.
"Hey." I mumbled, my cheeks starting to turn pink.
"I'll talk to you after the football game, I have some news to tell you." I didn't fully hear the words coming out of this mouth, I just looked at his perfect face. I just nodded, smiling. Something about a football game. Who knows? He walked away from my locker, fist bumping some friends. I looked away, not realizing his little nods and winks to the other girls who stood by their locker to watch him walk by.

➶➷ time skip ➶➷

     The football game was over, I'm pretty sure Jessie won.  I spent the entire game rereading a classic, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I was just up to the part where Harry had scheduled a Midnight Duel with Malfoy when the game had ended.
     Jessie met me outside, he was still sweating, now in a sweatshirt and basketball shorts.  I gave him a hug, ignoring the heat coming off of his body.  I was cold, so this was the closest thing I had to warmth.  He pulled away first, a look of worry and, regret?, in his eyes.  I ignored the gesture, immediately looking into his eyes, smiling as his lips started moving.
     He said it all in one breath, "I'm sorry Mikayla, I only dated you so you could help me with my project. Now that the project is over and I got a passing grade, I think we should be seeing other people." The words hadn't processed at first, then my grin faltered, my hands finally releasing themselves from his shoulders. I stepped back looking up at him.
"Oh." Was all I got to say before walking back to the stands. Tears threatened to leave my eyes but I refused. I ran over to some friends hoping to speak to them. As I got closer they looked at me, a look of disgust, before turning around and whispering. I stopped completely. I was being used this entire time. I mentally screamed. How could I be so blind. Tears started escaping, a few running down my cheek, staining it. I looked at my surroundings and decided to take a check. People looked at me, keeping their distance, laughing and giggling. A few looked my way before smirking and continuing their conversations. I caught another boy's eye, his bright blue eyes piercing my green ones. He looked almost sorry for me. I bit my lip, before walking away slowly, before full out sprinting. The book was still in my hand, I ran all the way to my house.
The boy who I locked eyes with was Daniel. Daniel Seavey, the quiet fragile boy who happened to make lots of friends with the right people. You would never see him sad, he was usually joking with his four other friends. I had known Daniel since first grade. Both being shy kids, we never actually talked. We had a mutual bond, taking care of each other. We would look the others' way, protecting them if needed. However, we had started spreading apart. Being in few classes with each other. We didn't seem to have that bond anymore, maybe a few side glances but that was it. It was nothing compared to our friendship in elementary school and partially middle school.
It was beginners' volleyball in gym, teams of four. We were all in fourth grade. It was Dylan, Kaya, Dexter, and me. The other three were pretty decent, hitting the ball immediately with strong power. They were the reason we were undefeated in our class championship. Then there was me. I couldn't serve to save my life. I hit the ball too soft, hitting the net. Or I hit the ball too hard, causing it to fly out of the boundaries. We rotated in a square rotation every time we lost a point. From beginning to start my team hated when I served, I had accepted it too. Daniel hadn't known about my horrible skills.
It was the final round, the winner would get free bagels courtesy of the gym teacher himself. Turns out my team was facing Daniel's. It was him, Jack, Cayl, and Christina. They were extremely good. The game had gone on for a solid 15 minutes so far. The entire rest of the class watching the final match intensely. Soon, it was my turn to serve. As I walked to the spot where I would serve the ball, my team groaned loudly. I laughed, agreeing with them.  A sudden voice stopped my laughing short.
     "Leave her alone, she's just trying."  It was Daniel.  I stood there, dumbstruck as I turned to my team mates, same expressions as me. They quickly stopped their groaning and let me serve. I swear it was a miracle. Whether it was Daniel giving me confidence, or God just deciding to bless me with this sudden action, I served. However I didn't just serve, i HIT the ball. It went flying upwards, almost hitting the gym's high ceiling before going to the other team's court. It was too fast for anyone to react, we gained a point. I had smiled. After a couple of my serves, gaining us 7 points. We lost after all, they were too good of a team. However, I felt a lot more confident in myself thanks to Daniel.
     I ran into my house, tears flowing down my face. I stopped short when I came face to face with both my parents, looking at me sternly.
"You never told us you got an F in math."
"Probably because you're always on that phone of yours.  We're settling limits, we're going to discipline you a lot more now."
     "And what about that volunteer work we told you to sign up for? I said that a couple months ago yet you still can't get it through you're tiny teenager skull that you need this for college."
     "We're doing what's best for you.  Yet you can't seem to try hard enough.  You deserve what's coming to you.  You won't go anywhere in life if you stay the way you are right now."
     My parents went back and forth, yelling at me.  I'm such a disappointment was the only thing running through my mind.  I only nodded, holding back another wave of tears that was about to fall.
"Are you even gonna reply?" Their eyes were blazing. However, I couldn't open my mouth or I would only hysterically cry. I managed to open my mouth a centimeter before I was slapped. My head snapped to the side, I was sure there would be a red mark there. I bit my lip.
"You answer your parents. That's disrespectful."
"Yes, I am sorry. I will be sure to apply to the volunteer work and study harder." They finally released me, I ran upstairs.  Locking myself in the bathroom, taking a breath, I took a shower.
     The warm water ran down my face, washing away my tears and my dignity.  I gulped before letting it all out.  I cried and cried, only pausing to catch a breath or two.  After taking a while in the shower I stepped out, drying and wrapping myself in a towel.  I was sputtering, my lips trembling, attempting to slow my breathing to a normal.  My fingers were prunes, my legs wobbly sticks. I changed and blow dried my hair. My thoughts a complete mess. I'm such a disappointment, no wonder I was slapped. No one wants to be friends with a lazy, annoying, clingy, introvert anyway. My leaned my back against the bathroom door, sliding downwards until my butt was on the floor. I then pulled my legs to my chest, hugging them. I cried again. I'm just an outsider.

a/n
hey, fun fact, that memory with dani about volleyball is actually factually 100% based off of an experience with me in fourth grade with this boy we were mutually friends with, protecting each other since we were in every class together from first to fifth grade. Now, it sorta sucks now that he's popular and we weren't in the same class from sixth to seventh grade. Now, in seventh grade we're actually in a lot of classes together, but it's not the same anymore. Just a few side glances and looks, I think it has to do with the fact he somehow figured out I developed an old crush on him in fifth grade.  I also found out from a friend of his that he had a crush on me in third grade, go figure.  I doubt he still likes me but eh oh whale :/ sorry if this is a trashy chapter I'm just rly sad, have a good day <3 I didn't proofread so pls don't hate