My Popular Targets

Chapter 9: An Awkward Silence

Alright so I know I haven't updated in like two weeks but I'm back and fully committed to this book and I want to thank all my patient readers. To show my thanks I have a double update. I'm like the Oprah of Wattpad. You get a update! You get a update! Remember to vote comment and share. Enjoy!♥

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It was November,  four months since school started,  and I was ready for summer. The school work was challenging yet still manageable. My lunch schedule was back to normal;eating lunch with Nicole and Wendy, chilling with Amy's group and hanging with David in what I called "our corner" hidden from the public eye.

Even though I was hanging out with Nicole and Wendy,  I could feel there was something they were keeping from me.

I have known the targets for almost four months, we have become close, and now would be a good time to ask Anthony for his help with David. I thought of so many ways I could bring it up and I finally decided; subtly.

Our first period had no assigned seats but everyday our classmates sat in the same seat they had from the first day of school,  I guess everyone was comfortable where they were. I walked past my seat and sat in a desk I knew that was empty all year long.  I saw Anthony walk into class after I sat so I started to stare off in the distance. From the corner of my eye, I saw him advance to his seat, looked around then waked over to me.

"Why are you sitting here?" he asked with a puzzled look.

I continued to stare, pretending as if I didn't hear him

"Sophia? Sophia? Sophia!" He kept repeating.  I finally decided to snap out of my trance.

"Oh. Hey Anthony. What's up?

"Are you okay? You were sitting still for like two minutes. You didn't move when I was calling you or even after the bell rang"

"Yea I guess. It's just that" I started "I don't know if I should tell you" I turned away hoping he would take the bait and try to talk me into telling him about my "problems".

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know if you can help me"

"Try me" he said as if accepting a challenge.

"WellThere'sThisBoyThatIReallyLikeAndAllMyFriendsSayHeLikeMeTooButHowDoIKnowForSure?"

I turned back to look at Anthony's reaction. He was staring at me like I was speaking another language and opened and closed his mouth like a dying fish. Finally words came out.

"Wait what?"

"I knew you couldn't help" I turned away before he could say anything else.

"Sophie" He grabbed my shoulder forcing me to look at him.  "It's not that I don't know how to help,  I'm just curious to know who this boy is because add far I'm concerned you only hang out with my friends and Wendy and Nicky"

"Nicole" I corrected him.

"What?"

"Her name is Nicole" I said through clenched teeth.

"Right, sorry" he grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.  "So who do you like?"

"Do you know David?" I asked. For a quick second,  I saw his face fall flat before smiling again.

"Oh yeah. David. Him" he said looking every where but me.

"So how?"

"How what?" he asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

I ignored it and continued "How do you know if a guy likes you?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before finally looking at me.  "I was wrong,  I can't help you"

"But you said-"

"I can't help you" He said with finality in his voice before getting up and returning to his regular seat.

What made him so angry?

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First period went by slow without Anthony sitting besides or talking to me. After the bell rang signaling the end of first,  I slowly made my way to second, Band,  where I knew Amy would be waiting for me and honestly I was in no rush to see her. I was still wondering why Anthony got so tense.

" Soo-phia! Soo-phia! Sooo-phia!"  I heard Amy yelling in my thoughts. For a girl with a lot of friends, she was desperate. She was actually calling before I took a step in the classroom.

"I'm coming. I'm coming" I muttered under my breath.

"Hey" she said as I sat down

"Hey. um can I ask you a question?"

"Ya sure"

"I was talking to Anthony about this boy I know, David, and he got upset. Do you know why?"

She turned her head so fast I thought she was going to break her neck.

"David who?" she said through clenched teeth.

"David Mathews"

"Nope,  don't know why. Why did you ask about him?"

I thought for a second; Should I tell her? The whole point of the targets was to get a guy's opinion but would it kill me to get another girl's point of view.

"Cause I like him" I said proudly. Again she did the fastest whiplash ever.

"You really shouldn't do that" I told her holding my neck.  "You going to have some kind of neck injury. And if those don't exist, you going to create some. "

"You can't like David".

"What?"

"Don't like David"

"I thought you didn't know him"

She blinked before responding "I don't"

She turned away signaling the end of the conversation and we sat in silence for the rest of the period. It wasn't a comfortable silence like it usually was between us. It was an awkward silence.