The Bad Boy Nerd

Chapter Eight: Setting Things Straight

Chapter Eight: Setting Things Straight

I was a bit early in school that day too & believe me, this time I've a proper reason to give than the previous time. I arrived at the football field to find the guys practicing diligently. There was a football match last weekend but I couldn't attend it since I had fallen very ill. Though they won the match anyway, Mark was sad like me as I couldn't be there in the audience. They have another match coming up in the next couple of weeks & I won't miss that for anything!

The coach Mr Jones blew the whistle, signaling end of practice. Daniel waved in my direction once he saw me & sprinted to the stands where I was sitting.

"Hey, wassup?" he asked.

"I realized today was the last day for you to return the books to the library that you had issued for me. So, there you go!" I replied, handing him those journals.

"Oh yeah. I think you saved me from receiving rude warnings from the librarian for not returning the books on time." he joked.

"My pleasure!" I quipped, laughing.

We talked for a bit about football & classes till it was time for me to take leave. As I was leaving, I happened to overhear the coach talking to Drake.

"Jack isn't upto the mark. We were on the verge of losing the last match because of him. You have one week. If he doesn't improve, he is out of the team." the coach said.

"Yes Sir." Drake replied quietly.

The brown haired guy Jack sat gloomily in the stands when Drake approached him.

"It doesn't matter how much I love football, the truth is I don't have it in me to be in this team. You get me replaced Drake & find a better player." Jack said sadly.

"I didn't include you in the team because I wanted to do charity, I selected you because you play really well. You're ridiculing your own self by not trusting your abilities so others won't take you seriously as well. You need to give yourself a chance to succeed by getting rid of your self-doubts. If you respect yourself, failure will be very easy to defeat." I heard Drake say that in conviction.

I almost thought I needed a new pair of ears as it’s hard to imagine Drake saying all that. However, his words hit me somewhere....

It was break-time after two English classes. I walked into the canteen. Sophia had saved a seat for me at a table.

"So Laura won't be joining us for lunch even today?" I asked her, taking a seat at the table.

"Seems so." Soph replied, sighing.

Laura hasn't been on talking terms with us since that incident. She is even quieter nowadays & chooses to be alone shut in her shell. And I didn't know how to set things right.

"Where is she?"I asked, "She wasn't even present in the English period."

"I had seen her walk into Room 315." my friend said.

I took her leave & made my way to that classroom. Since it was break time, the room was empty except Laura sitting in one of the benches. She didn't even seem aware of my presence.

"Laura...." I called out to her. She looked up at me but then lowered her gaze back to the floor.

I can't see her in distress anymore. I took a deep breath & spoke,