Not So Natalie

Chapter 1

Today is the day my so called best friend, Rebecca, finally decided to cut the string and stop talking to me. I knew this was going to happen eventually, I mean, who would want to be friends with The Nerd.

Unfortunately, that's what everyone labels me as. I'm that stereotypical nerd of high school. The girl popular kids can't stand, teachers adore, and no one wants to associate themselves with. The girl who's utterly stuck at the very bottom of the social hierarchy.

I didn't ask for this, it just came to me. I guess it's what happens when you actually care about your future and have your hopes on Stanford. It's not my fault that I have bad eyesight and crooked teeth and I can't help it if my hair is impossible to fix and that it's become a black hole for any entering hairbrushes. 

Rebecca and I have been sharing secrets and painting each other's nails ever since I shared my green skittles with her in kindergarten. Those were the simpler days, where we could be who we were without being teased about it. Except for boys, cause everyone knows that boys have cooties.

But today, she finally had enough and decided she wanted to have more than one friend, i.e, me as that one friend. 

According to Samantha, the stereotypical queen bee of our high school, anyone who interacts with me is considered a social pariah. Therefore, must be shunned from social existence unless specified otherwise. 

I don't blame Rebecca for not wanting to hang out with me anymore. She totally has the looks to be a part of the A list, with her silk like blonde hair that falls to her collarbones and large green eyes. Plus, she has an exuberant personality, anyone who comes her way just can't help but smile along with her. Now without me dragging her down, she can hopefully become more popular and fulfill her high school dream of being a cheerleader.

I gather my unruly dirty blonde tangles into a ponytail and bring the makeshift icepack to my side, where Samantha jabbed her hydro flask in during lunch, leaving the start of a nasty bruise in its place.

I wince at the pain and iciness of the bag of frozen strawberries, but keep it situated on my torso. This isn't the only present Samantha left for me, there are a couple other aches and bruises on my body, but this is the most recent one.

The thought of tattling on her crossed my mind a few times but it never went far. Knowing Samantha, she always gets what she wants with the way she mastered the act of innocence in front of adults. Not to mention her dad happens to be the dean of our school. Oh, the irony. 

"Natalie! Brian! Can you come down for a moment. We need to go over some ground rules for tonight!" my mother yells from downstairs.

I set the icepack on my desk and pull my shirt over my stomach before heading towards the living room.

I walk in with my younger brother, Brian closely trailing behind me.

"Alright kids, as you know, George will be coming over for dinner tonight. He just called me to tell me that his daughter will also be coming along." My mom clasps her hands together excitedly. 

"Wow, that's great!" I tell my mom, feeding in to her enthusiasm. I don't get why we need ground rules for this new piece of information but my mom seems really eager about it.

My dad left us eight years ago after he couldn't handle the weight of a family. I don't remember a lot of details, seeing as I was nine, but I recall a lot of yelling from my parents and crying from my baby brother which probably added to the stress of my dad. 

My mom was absolutely broken hearted but she didn't let it get in the way of raising two kids and continuing on with her life. She has that stubborn streak where she powers through challenges and never gives up.