My Brother Zach

Hiding From The Popular Girl

Courtney in the pic? Yes? Maybe? No?

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"Oh, I forgot to mention, but I've got a forty minute detention after school," Zach told Courtney with a sorry smile and shrug. "You won't mind waiting for me, do you?" He took her bag from her and swung it over his shoulder. Courtney shot her friends a quick smirk, before turning to him with a fake-but-perfect smile.
"Of course not!" she said perkily. "I'll just hold a cheerleading practise after school. Because, you know, I'm the captain of the squad." I could tell she was analysing his expression to see if he was impressed.
As usual, Zach plucked the right strings.
"Wow, you are so talented," he said, making her evil smile widen. She giggled and began walking down the hallway with him.

Gross.

"It's so unfair that she gets so much attention!" Maddie complained to me as we made our way to English. "Can't someone as perfect as Zach see that Courtney's just using him?"
"First of all, he's far from perfect, and second, the only reason she gets so much attention is because she's an empty-headed, mean, cunning, greedy witch of a Barbie. Trust me, Mads, you're better than her any day," I said to my best friend.
Maddie frowned, but chewed her lip, thinking.
"Hmm, I see where you're going with the cunning stuff, but 'witch of a Barbie'? Girl, you know Barbie can't ever be ugly," Maddie said.
That's my girl.
"True, true," I agreed. "Because you can never go wrong when you're five feet and nine inches."
"And can do everything in the world," Maddie added.
"And happen to be the kindest person, the most talented person, the best looking person, and the person who is a princess of some sort."
"And don't forget the pink puffy dresses and white pets."
"Oh yeah."

Once we got into English, we both took a seat at the front. We were both in set one.
Unfortunately, someone else was also in set one.
Courtney.
Hahahahaha, yeah right. She's the last person I'd expect to ever see here.
So, there's only one other person who it could be.
Yup.
My mum.
Ok, fine.
Zach.

"Today we are moving on to study Shakespeare's Macbeth," Miss Jenkins began. She's young and one of my favourite teachers because she's so interesting and fun. "For the starter activity, we're going to play a little game." Her blue eyes scanned the two halves of the class, taking everyone in.
"This side versus this side," she said, pointing to each half of the classroom. So, that was why she had split the desks so boringly today. (Miss Jenkins changed the desks around every lesson. They're always random and crazy. After she watched Frozen, we came back to tables which formed a snowflake. After she read The Fault In Our Stars, they were shaped in two clouds. She also made us speak in metaphors the whole lesson, and made a point that we kept saying "okay" "okay").

"Each side pick four people to represent your team," she continued. "And one of those should be your captain."
In the end, it was me as captain with Maddie, Luke and Joseph, against the other side, whose captain was Zach. His team consisted of Ruby, Ella and Michael.

"We are going to have a Quiz Off!" Miss Jenkins beamed enthusiastically. "Umm...Sofia, pick a book." Sofia Healey was one of Courtney's nicer, quieter friends. While she thought, Miss Jenkins ushered us onto the four seats behind each of the two long tables at the front facing each other.
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," she finally said.
"Ok, good," Miss Jenkins said. "Ok, guys, now I'm going to ask a question, and whoever holds their card up first, well, their team gets to answer the question. The winning team gets chocolate and a token to miss their next two subjects!" The class cheered and watched us expectantly. I just stared down at the green square card in front of me. The other team had red.
"Let's start," she said. "May the odds be ever in your favour." A couple of laughs sounded then died down.
"What is the arena based on?"
Ella shot up her red card before any of us had a chance to. "A clock!"
"Correct!" Miss Jenkins said. Zach's team cheered. Our side glared at us.
"What is the name of Finnick's secret love back home?" Miss Jenkins read from her the question sheet she had quickly printed out.
I quickly held up blue card, but not before Zach did.
"Annabelle...Best?" he asked. Miss Jenkins shook her head. Nobody said anything to Zach. Instead they gave him sympathetic smiles. Which he returned, cockily.
"The question goes to the next team. You guys have thirty seconds to refer with each other," Mrs Jenkins said.
"The first name is Annie, right?" Joseph whispered.
"Yeah, Annie, and the last name begins with a C, I think," Maddie said. "Luke and Liberty, what do you think?"
"Cresta," we both said. I nodded.
"Four, three..."
"So we are going with that?" I asked my team, who nodded.
"Two, one, time's up," Miss Jenkins said. "Team captain, what is your answer?"
"Annie Cresta," I announced.
Our teacher looked down at her sheet. "Correct! You guys are tying!" Our team cheered this time, while the other scowled.
"Next question - this is best of three, by the way - what did Enobaria do to alter her appearance after winning her Games?"
Joseph shot his card up. "Filed her teeth down into fangs."
"Excellent! You guys win!" Mrs Jenkins cried.
Our side of the classroom erupted into noise and cheers.
"Woohoo!" shouted Luke, slapping Joseph on the back. "Well done, man!"

While everyone else was excited and noisy, all I could do was sit back with a satisfied smile when Zach gave me a look which could make honey lose its sweetness.

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"So, what are you coming as to Felicia's party?" Courtney asked Zach, looking up at him and fluttering her fake eyelashes. I've never understood why people where them. They're so...fake! Why would you want to put some cheap man made hairy thing on your eyes? Ok, so both Zach and I have quite long, thick eyelashes, but even if I hadn't, I wouldn't resort to fake ones!
They were both walking ahead ten metres in front of me, but I could still hear her annoying endless babble.
"I don't know what to wear," she said with a sigh, glancing to check if he was still listening. "Everyone says I look good in everything."
"Umm, yeah, you do," Zach said. He tugged at the corner of his T-shirt, one of the habits he had which showed he was hesitant.
"What do you think I should wear?" Courtney asked. "Hey, I know! I'll come as like, Cinderella or something and you can come as Prince Charming! Or even better, we could be Romeo and Juliet!"
"Whaa?" Zach exclaimed, obviously alarmed. I laughed, and quickly snuck behind a tree when Courtney looked back over her shoulder suspiciously.
"It will be totally cute!" she then continued, clutching his arm possessively.
"Umm...I don't have any clothes suitable for those characters," Zach lied hurriedly. "Hey, let's talk about something else, because I really want to surprise you on the day." I saw Courtney throw her head back and laugh.
"Ok then! Oh, and have I ever told you how much I love your accent?"
Yup. The whole school tells that to Zach a dozen times a day! And while he gets admired for his British accent, my identical one sits sad and unnoticed.
Ok, so that was a bit dramatic, but it's unfair how everyone adores him for someone he isn't!
"Have I ever told you how much I love yours too?" Zach told her. Oh, yuck. PG 99 conversation alert!
"Oh wait, we're here...too soon," he said suddenly, and stopped at our gate. He then lead Courtney inside. I waited five minutes and thirty seven seconds before climbing the tree near my bedroom window and sliding off a branch into it. Then I quickly closed the curtains and spun around to see...Courtney Bates staring at me.