High school: Auggie x Jack Will

Distractions

**This is very overdue, and I don't want to make excuses. Just know that I love you guys, and am very grateful for your continuous support. I really hope you like what's to come. Gonna update as much as I can. I lose motivation sometimes but you guys are really great and seeing all of your comments is helping me through that. Hope everyone's safe :)

Jack's POV

The next day is a full day at school, and although I'm dreading getting into the swing of things with high school and having to manage all of the work my favorite cheesy teen movies have yet to touch on but I'm sure is there, I am happy to have a distraction.

I constantly fantasize about Auggie, about us, and knowing that it's more than likely that nothing will ever happen between us is just too much for me to handle sometimes. Unreciprocated feelings are so vile. I probably wouldn't have even believed a thing even close to that existed in my younger, innocent years (like two years ago, maybe less) yet here I am. I feel like I'm doing something that's gross. It feels wrong, yet I can't help but chase after him anyway. Thoughts of the cruel ways my parents would be sure to react upon hearing I have thoughts about Auggie like that cross my mind with utmost urgency, and I shiver internally. Probably not just internally, actually. Geez.

I walk in the long, but packed, monotonous school hallway; Beige lockers that no one uses, no notable decor, tasteless tile flooring. The works.

Math class. I go towards my seat, the one in the very back, and this time, that new kid Marty, I think it was, is already sitting in the one he claimed, next to mine. He looks up from his notebook, unplugs from his headphones, and says hi. I don't think about it too much, and respond as warmly as I possibly can, trying my best to hide my true feelings of sadness. They're unrelated to him. I know it's not smart to take things like that out on people you don't even know, who are probably just using you to look cool and relevant. He's got the wrong person for that, I thought to myself, but it can't hurt to make new friends, so I'm not against letting him think that way for a little while longer. He seems friendly enough. I guess it's his eyes, although he's shy, something about him seems genuine. Then, Penelope, the sweet blonde, seemingly quiet, girl that I'm neither friends nor enemies with, walks in, and with this newfound fake confidence, I make an effort to smile and motion her over to sit near us. She gives a shy, closed-mouth smile, which like Marty's, seems genuine. She walks over to me us, half tripping over a chair in the process. I don't react externally, although I'll admit it was a little funny, and Marty doesn't either. I guess maybe he understands what it's like to be that kind of kid, the one that's easily targeted, and wouldn't want the make the situation worse for Penelope. That's sweet. No one in the class is overly malicious, but some kids chuckle a bit, which probably hurt. Penelope blushes but takes it like a trooper, and walks on over, sitting in the seat in front of Marty, diagonal from where I'm sitting. I'm starting to think that this school won't be so bad after all. We get to work, and before I know it, class ends, and I'm on to my next few.

Auggie's POV

The school day is finally over. I can't say it breezed by, but it wasn't too bad as far as how long it felt. Kids were brutal as always, of course. Whatever. As I'm walking through the halls, I start thinking about the theatre class that my friends are making me join. It terrifies me, being in a class like that will probably make kids think I'm even more weird than they already think I am, but Jack says he wants me to, so there's no way I can refuse. Jack's probably the closest person I have, or was. I know that him and Summer have broken up, but I never realized how close they were, apparently close enough to start dating. I wonder if they actually kissed and stuff. I mean it was only like a few days, but I guess they did. That's so weird to me. I don't really know why. Summer's very nice, definitely the voice of reason in our group. Charlotte's kinda nice too I guess, but she also has her musical camp friends and I feel like she likes them more than us. It's strange how she thinks hanging out with theatre kids is any better than hanging out with us, that she thinks it makes her look cool, but I wouldn't be able to tell her that it actually doesn't to her face. Jack's the person I care most about in our group. He annoys me a lot, but he's still by far my favorite. He's clingy, especially last week in the stairwell. I don't know what that was but he seems over it now. I'm glad I didn't have to comfort him, that he had Summer to help him out. I'm really bad at those things, which makes me feel bad, but it's just facts. I don't know why I hated Summer and him together. It just made me mad. I guess maybe I'm jealous, I just want to be able to have more time with my best friend. I decide that I'm going to invite him over after school today. I'll have my mom surprise him with his favorite food for dinner, Swedish meatballs and egg noodles, which is kinda gross, but I like how unique he is. I think he gets insecure about this often, but he really is his own person. I wish I could do that, and not have to worry so much about every little thing I do and say as long as I want people to even consider talking to me. Man does my life suck. I call Jack, I wanted to hear his voice, and he says that he can come. He seemed nervous on the phone, he was talking like a key higher than normal, and I'm 99.9% sure that he was sweating. That's weird, I wonder why. He's probably found some new girl he likes. Of course, that has the be it. Great.