Heartbreaker in Training

Chapter 1 - I Beg to Differ

Chapter - I Beg To Differ

"I'm Lori Bennett." I said to the school's principle, Mr. Cooks, who could never remember me, nor could anyone else, seeing as if I was the most invisible girl in the sophomore class. Although I liked being invisible sometimes, other times I just wanted to die. 

He examined me a little. My short, dirty blonde, boy cut hair, my lengthy legs I had covered with black leggings this morning, my oversized wool winter sweater, since there was still snow on the ground outside, and my unbelievably huge dorky glasses I had to wear. But they weren't the bad dorky, the kind that were popular, but not at the same time (not for me anyway). 

Mr. Cooks huffed before he said, "Ah, yes! I remember you now! You were head of the mathletes!" His furrowed eye brows unclenched.

I shook my head at the memory, hating what had made me quit in the first place. 

"So what are you here for, Ms. Bennett?" His eyes looked honestly confused, and I don't know why but I got instantly nervous. I wasn't the most confident person. I fidgeted with my finger a bit, under the Geometry book I was holding for my next class. 

"I, um, I just needed to know, um," I stumbled on every word, but luckily the bell rang, and I bolted out of his office so fast I made papers fly off of his desk. 

  

                          - - -

I got into Mrs. Gordon's class (my Geometry teacher) just in time to find a seat next to Lesley, the girl that has been there for me since I transferred here to Wayne High in the middle of last year. 

"Why were you late?" She asked me, and I was too out of breath to tell her right away, but I put my finger up and said, "Don't ever let me in a room alone with Cooks again. I nearly passed out from being so nervous." 

Lesley gave me the weirdest look ever, like she smelled something sour. 

"What?" I asked her, even though I knew what she was saying. "Mathletes, kicked out, confused," I pushed, and she immediately wiped the look off her face, and replaced it with a more sympathized one.

"You have to stop worrying about that. It's not worth it." 

"Look, he didn't like me, he played me like a game of monopoly, And I didn't like him either." I said, trying to blink back tears.

"Bullshit.You were IN LOVE with him, and you know it." She was almost shouting.

"I beg to differ!" I fought back, but then the tears came .

Stop being a baby about it.  I said to myself over and over again. 

I used my large sleeve that went over my hands to wipe the tears and start writing the notes that appeared on the screen in front of the classroom. I've always thought that mathletes was something stupid to cry over, but it was what happened in the midst of it all that brought the memories. 

The guy's name was Garyn Kinley. I fell in love with him the minute I saw him, but to him, I was just another game piece to put on the playing board. 

                        - - -

"C'mon Lori, we gotta go." I heard Lesley say behind me as I stuffed my papers from my locker into my book bag. It was the last week of school so I wanted to get everything out and cleaned up so I wouldn't have to deal with people trampling over me while they clean their lockers with moldy food and crumpled papers from the beginning of the year. But sure enough, someone tripped over me. 

Lesley had left to start the car after she called me to her. 

I looked back to see who had tripped (or who didn't notice me to move). And of course, it was Garyn. 

He just stood up and left. What a jerk. 

                          - - -

We pulled up to my house and both got out. My mom was already inside making snacks, probably because se heard the rumble of Lesley's car. Lesley had picked me up this morning, so I didn't get (or have) to drive my small, crappy old Chevy pick up truck (which I adore). 

The only thing Lesley and I did was finish our Geometry homework, which took forever, and then she went home. It was late when she left though, so I just put on my blue and pink polka dot pj shorts, and a big grey St. Josheph's Golf Team shirt my grandpa's friend had given me, and went to bed. Same as every other night, I woke up in the middle of the night crying again. I have been having these dreams about my dad lately. He left last year and he hasn't come back, and he won't. My parents are divorced now but my dad and I were attached at the hip. This dream happens every single night at random times super early in the morning, and so I just hug my legs and bury my tear-drenched face in my knees. I don't like letting people know what gets to me. 

Mom has been a little distant ever since he left, but she was rarely home so I didn't care. 

                          - - -

Driving to school was always a bear, but today was different. Last night, (the dream) really rattled me. I couldn't really focus but I managed to get to school without crashing into a tree and becoming one of those "tragic" accidents on the news. Today I was really not myself. I was really agitated, which meant to stay away from me. When I got to school, I parked right at the front so I didn't have to walk far. As I was walking in the front doors of school, keys dangling on my index finger, Garyn ran into me. Like literally ran into me. My keys hit the floor and my eyes snapped to his. 

"What the hell , Kinley!" I yelled, shocking him as much as I shocked myself. 

"Whoa, calm down. Accident." He said back, calmly, before walking away again. 

I picked up my keys and did the same.

                          - - -

Lunch. Yay, now I get to be in the library (sarcasm implied). I always hated the lunch room. I sat with no one, all by my lonesome, except for Lesley, but she was always too busy texting her "boyfriend" in London. 

But something told me today to go and sit next to her and actually eat. Which was a bad idea, because apparently today was the day that Adem Moore invited everyone to a party. He walked past me with the invites, and I knew that not one of them were for me. But much to my surprise, he leaned down next to me, his long blonde hair dangling near my ear, his breathe on my neck, making me shudder, and handed me an invitation saying, "hope to see you there, Bennett." And then he smiled at me. A slight, signature smile I knew was only his.