More a.i.

0.1

His name is Ashton, Ashton Irwin. On a scale to one to ten on how popular a person was he is a ten. There was no doubt about that with his good looks and attitude. Yet his grades were the opposites. The only thing that made him do well in school was the fact that he played football really good. That's basically all I knew about Ashton because that's what the whole school knew about him as well.

Me being myself, I wasn't a ten. Instead, I was a seven and that meant I was just about average. Although it shouldn't bother me due to my grades being way better but I just say that to make me feel better to be honest.

Like in every high school, everyone had a ranking of being popular - a nerd etc. depending on the group of friends you hang out with. I've always thought that was shit. It made people like me feel bad about their own self and mostly because I wasn't one of those popular students who had no worries about this ranking thing. It was how it was -high ranking, low grade. At least for most people, yet there are some who are lucky and have both the good grade and the good ranking.

It was half way through the first semester of senior year and that was all I knew about after knowing him since seventh grade. Sad I know but it was like this for me for than half of the people here in school. We just didn't talk because of this social ranking and we all stayed at the same clique. Sometimes I just wished we could change this so bad.

I was taking a shower suddenly with these deep thoughts in my head with music playing from my phone. Finally deciding I didn't want to be late, I got out of the shower. After washing my body dry, putting lotion and doing my everyday routine, I was ready to head get my bag and head out.

Going out I get my keys out and lock the door. When I turned around I see Ashton walking which took me by surprised, he had his own car. He was just about to cross my house when he stopped in front of my house looking at me.

He was wearing his usual outfit I see him wear whenever he passes by. Black jeans with a printed shirt or tank top, I couldn't tell with the flannel he was wearing. Either way, he was looking like his normal self.

"You live here?" He asked which wasn't his normal self.

"Yeah," I say which are the first words I have spoken to him since the day I met him. I've known him for approximately five years and these are my first words to him, lovely world isn't it?

He just nodded and continued looking at me, not bothering to continue walking.

"I live close by," he comments and I don't know why. Maybe something happened to his car and he needed someone to drive him, me being his best choice. But doesn't he have lots of other friends who can?

"That's nice," I respond before making my way to my car. Despite knowing him for years, he still seems liked a complete stranger who has spoken to me for the first time. Therefore, there is no way I was offering him a ride to school or letting him inside my car. It was rude but it's the truth.

He didn't say anything after, he just continued walking as I opened my car warming it up. Looking at the front window I see him put his headphones in which is weird for me to see. I've never seen him actual listen to music. He was either talking with his friends or playing football.

Not bothering to think about him any longer, I get my phone out to playing some random game to waste time waiting for the car to heat up.

-

The bell finally rang which meant lunchtime for me. Getting out of my seat, I garb my bag getting out of this room. Waiting outside of the room beside me, I wait for my best friend, Lilah.

We've been friends ever since kindergarten but we aren't as close as other friends who've known watch other this long. It was strange but it was fine with me. She was the closet thing I had to someone I could rely on. We were different in some way but the same in many more ways.

She finally come out the door and she sees me, "Hi Rebbeca."

"Hey," I greet back as we walk to our lockers to grab our food and things will need for the remaining of the day.

"The Spanish test was so difficult," she groans complaining, as always.

"You didn't have to take another year of Spanish," I remind her. If she was going to complain about it why did she take it? I'm just being real here.

"I know, I wish I didn't take it. My teacher doesn't like me either. Like, I feel she has something against me or something," she continues.

"I'm sure she's not that bad." We turn left and see out locker that we were right next to each other. Somehow in freshman year, we were able to let the principal let us switch locker and have ours right next to each other. It seems unbelievable now to how strict she is ever since she got a divorce with her husband.

She let's out a tired sigh "I guess your right, that test just made me feel this way."

We open our lockers, grabbing our food and essentials before closing them. When we turn around I see Ashton wearing a tank top. So it wasn't a shirt today. His flannel was now wrapped around his waist. His eyes found me and he continue to look at me before he brought his hand out to wave at me.

"Hi Rebbeca," he called out smiling at me. It was weird for him to be talking to me being this is the most he ever talked to me. He was around his other friends, who smiled back at me.

"Hi," I simply said feeling my cheeks heat up. It was uncomfortable for people like him to talk to someone like me. I wasn't used to it and will most likely never be.

Lilah just watched and we walked for a little in silence before she looked back and spoke," since when did you talk to them?" Her full attention was on me now and not on her complaining. I still didn't know which was worst between those two.

"He saw me this morning and we spoke a little," I shrugged trying not to make this a big deal. There was no denying how someone as popular as Ashton talking to me was a big deal in a strange way. It was typical and I didn't like I was reacting to it.

"And your just telling me this now?" her voice was riding into a high pitched whiney sound. It annoyed me how this moment was so similar to a movie or a book. My life shouldn't be like one but she was clearly making it like one.

"It's not big deal really," I say hoping she won't notice that it is to me sort of.

"Don't you dare try to act like it isn't," she argues.

"It is but it shouldn't be. He's just a boy and human like all of us. Just because he is popular in this school, we shouldn't be acting like he's a really big superstar," I rant out deciding if I was trying to convince myself rather than her more.

"I guess you're right, it shouldn't be that big of a deal," she agrees with my lie.

"So what did you do in AP literature?" I question her about that class basically everyday since we have the same teacher but she has it earlier. She seems a little annoyed with my question but she tells me what we did.

No matter how much we think of each other as best friends, we weren't as close as best friends usually were. Despite that, there were some points in our lives where we've helped each other greatly and we have always there for each other. She was the best thing I had to the small I had in my life.

We make our way to the table making small talk about our classes. Thankfully, she talks about a book she started reading last night, which did sound interesting. The thing that's different about us though is that she was better at reading higher level books than me. She was also smatter than me too in educational purposes but I tried not to let it bother me too much. We were best friends and I don't want to compete with her.

~