Rewritten

Chapter 6: Nick

Current Time Syndrome (CTS) The situation perceived by a rewrite to be their present day after alterations have been made to the past. Some rewrites refer to this as their "reality" in slang terms.

"Bathroom," Christie demanded as soon as class was over. She grabbed my arm and pushed me toward the cubicle before I could protest. When Nick followed us, she focussed a one of her trademark glares on him. "What do you want, new boy?"

   Maybe she was more immune to his looks than I thought. Nick raised his hands in surrender. "Nothing. Only goddess here happens to be the only person I know and without her I won't know where my classes are."

   At Nick's nickname for me, Christie's eye's narrowed. "Wait here." She slammed the bathroom door in his face before whirling around to face me by the sinks. "Spill. Who is that guy?"

   "Nick Anderson, the new boy from America," I replied in my are you an idiot? voice. Christie clearly didn't appreciate that because now she glared at me.

   "So why'd he call you goddess?" Christie fixed her hair in the mirror, seemingly unconcerned, but I could tell she was looking at me.

   "Because he found it funny to take the piss," I retorted. "I met him literally this morning." 

   "Why didn't you at least tell me about this?"

   "I didn't exactly have time."

   Christie sighed, then applied her lip gloss as she contemplated my words. "Okay fine. But make sure to tell Connor that he's only following you around because he has to."

   I sighed. "Whatever."

   Christie turned to me. "I mean it, Fee. Connor cares about you, okay? Really cares about you." I got the idea that she was trying to tell me something here, so I actually listened to her for once. "I'm warning you now -don't mess with his emotions just for the sake of it, understand? He's not like other guys."

   I struggled to understand what she was trying to say. Did she think this was all a game to me? And I hoped she wasn't trying to tell me that Connor was in love with me or something. Technically I'd only known him in a way that wasn't as my tormentor for just over a week. No way could I handle declarations of love right now. "Do you think this is all a joke to me?"

   Christie rolled her eyes. I couldn't help comparing her to Lyann. The two of them would probably get along well if Christie hadn't been inclined to murder Lee solely because of her genetic coding. They were so alike it was unbelievable.

   "Until Connor, you'd date a guy for about a month before dumping him. People actually took bets on when you would finally be serious about a guy. To be fair, Connor was pretty similar, but he's a guy so nobody said anything. You have no idea how nervous I was when you two, of all people, began dating. I've known Connor since we were six. I could have sworn my parents were trying to hook us up even from then, but he's more like a brother to me. So I'm speaking from the point of view of a sister when I tell you now -don't toy with him. He deserves better."

   She turned from the mirror, face perfectly made. Looking at her, I realised that in a way, everybody wore a mask. I may have worn one the most often in my many roles as a rewrite, but Christie wore a mask just as well, if not better. She may have portrayed a stone-cold bitch to the majority of London City High and the world in general, but underneath she was fiercely loyal to her friends and would defend them to the end - even against her own friends. I nodded.

   "I won't."

 ***

Christie was the complete opposite towards Nick coming out of the bathroom than she was coming in. She held out her hand, introduced herself and asked questions. By the time we'd got to the dining hall, Nick was laughing at a joke she'd made and it was me who almost felt like the third wheel. No wonder she was the queen bee -there were few people I knew who could be a total bitch to someone one moment and practically their best friend the next.