nerd.

deux

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Arielle Evans 

 Every time my eyes close, I see Mason's fist connecting with Nick's jaw and a smile immediately comes to my lips. A popular actually stood up for me. And not just any popular. Mason Richards, the face of Liberty High, stood up for me, Arielle Evans. I take a bite of my turkey sandwich and flick particles of dust off the table that I sit alone at. I can feel Mason's gaze burning into the back of my skull, but I choose to ignore it and continue eating my sandwich.

  "Oh, no! Oops!" An annoyingly familiar voice shrieks, and the next thing I know, I have strawberry milk in my hair. "Sorry, Mermaid, I didn't see you there." Chelsea sneers, giving me a nasty smirk. I fight the tears pricking at my eyes.

  "It's okay." I mumble. She smirks sickeningly at me before strutting away with her two clones trotting behind her. She perkily sashays between the tables until she bumps into a muscular chest. "Oh, hi Mason!" Chelsea chirps. I focus on my sandwich but look up every few seconds just to see what they're talking about.

  "Say you're sorry." Mason snaps.

  "Excuse me?" Chelsea cocks an eyebrow.

  "You heard me. Apologize to Arielle, or you can't sit with us." Mason repeats. I suck in a gasp and try not to hyperventilate.

  "There's no way I'm doing that." Chelsea barks, rolling her eyes.

  "Then pack up your things, you're out of the group." Mason retorts with just as much attitude.

 "What? This is idiotic." Chelsea spits. She storms over to me, and I keep my eyes glued on my sandwich, which is now mushed from my fingertips squeezing it so hard. "Sorry, freak."

  "Properly, Chelsea." Mason interrupts.

  "I'm sorry, Arielle." Chelsea sighs, and I can see Mason's smirk from the corner of my eye.

 "That's okay." I reply softly. She huffs and storms back to her table, red in the face. "Thank you." I mouth to Mason as he walks away. He shoots me a smile, and I return it, feeling on top of the world. I finish my sandwich and grin when I pull my red velvet cupcake or of my backpack. I peel back the liner and gobble the delicious piece of heaven up.

 The bell rings, and I groan, pack up my things, and head to language arts. My favorite. Miss Love smiles at me sympathetically when I ask her for a pass to the bathroom, and she quickly scribbles on one and hands it to me. I smile thankfully and head to the bathroom to wash the milk out of my hair. By the time I get all the milk out of my hair, my entire head is soaked. I dry what I can with the cheap paper towels and head back to class. Then I see him. Mason. Walking around with his arm slung on Ashley's shoulder, laughing with her. His varsity jacket is baggy around the arms, and his skinny jeans suit his figure perfectly. I smile and walk into the classroom. Miss Love explains to me that we are having free reading time, and I immediately grin and pull out "The Fault in Our Stars". By the end of the period, I only have a few pages left until I finish the book. I hear a few people talking about how the movie is coming out in a few weeks. I can't wait. Finally, the day is over. I pack up quietly, ignoring the hisses and insults thrown at me.

 "Hey, Mermaid!" Chelsea shouts. I turn around, not wanting to start another fight. "I thought I told you to stay away from Mason."

 "And I thought I told you to leave her alone." Mason interrupts. Chelsea's face flushes, and I look up at Mason. This is the third time he has stood up for me today. And he's a popular.

 "Why?" Chelsea spits. "Why is she so special?"

 "She's not special, she's innocent. You're picking on her for no reason. Tell me why you pick on her." Mason says equally as icily.

"She's a nerd, Mason. We're populars. This is what we do." Chelsea barks.

"Not anymore. You're out of the group, Chelsea." Mason declares.

  "What?" Chelsea yells.

 "You heard me. Out." Mason barks. I've never seen him this angry before. Chelsea huffs and stomps away, her silvery blonde hair flying behind her.

 "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." I whisper softly.

 "No, it's not. You didn't do anything wrong." Mason assures me. I look up into his perfect chocolate brown eyes and find myself almost swooning. "Happy birthday, Arielle." Mason wishes me before walking away. I find myself smiling like an idiot in the middle of the hallway, because I have never felt this much protection and security at school before, and I am hoping and praying that it will stay that way.