We're Still Nerds

10~ Stupid Nerves

         Oh, Theresa. Ever so ignorant. 

          After we had finished dinner and Mr. Heaton had granted my mother an almost certain position at his firm, Theresa continued to talk amiably with my mother as I stood up, collecting everyone's plates like a good daughter would and stacking them up to take to the sink. It was then that Tinsley turned to me, her strange hazel eyes glinting in curiosity. "Aren't you Cassie Grey?" she asked me in a rush, and i had a feeling she'd been dying to ask that question since she got here. "Oh, I hope so," I said, lifting the plates up. "Otherwise, I might have a bit of a personality disorder." 

            Tinsley smiled, the dimple popping out on her chin. "I'll take that as a yes. You're all the school can talk about at the moment- next week it'll be something about one of Darcy's hook-ups," Tinsley added and then snapped her mouth shut, eyes widening as if regretting what she'd said. I just grinned. "Oh, don't worry, I think I'm at the very top of her  'to eat alive' list. I don't like her either." Tinsley breathed a sigh of relief and said "Thank goodness." I walked slowly towards the kitchen, as careful as possible to avoid dropping the plates. Tinsley followed after me. 

                "Honestly, I didn't expect you to be so... " Tinsley groped for the right word. "Normal?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I suppose," she admitted. "I sort of expected you to be just like everyone described you when you were in the eighth grade." I chuckled and dumped the dishes in the sink. "Yeah, I've changed a lot since then. I'm not so nerdy... though my nerdiness does show sometimes. So if I say something you don't understand, like if I start talking about 'the infinity gauntlet' or something, that's my inner nerd talking. Just ignore it." 

                 Tinsley laughed, the sound like wind chimes. Once again I felt a pang of jealousy- I sounded like a piglet when I laughed. Quickly changing the subject, I said, "Wasn't that you that Alex was hitting on?" Tinsley rolled her eyes, suddenly annoyed. "Yes. It always has to be me, doesn't it?" I smiled slightly. "That's because you're just about the only single girl in the school who has the sense to stay the hell away from him. You know players- they get bored with how easy girls are, so they choose the girl that hates their guts and chases after them. Looks like you're it."  Tinsley frowned at this. 

                     "You sound like you have experience," she said like a question. Suddenly, that stone wall went up, my expression guarded. It wasn't so much as a touchy subject for me, but such a personal question from a person I never met made me suspicious. "Yeah, I've got a little experience with players," I admitted, seeing no danger in it. " My boyfriend wasn't so loyal, but it didn't really matter. He was never that memorable out of the few boys that I dated." Tinsley's eyes danced with a strange sparkle as she said in a tone that made me think she was quoting something, "You weren't the first, or the last, or the worst." I recognized the tone in her voice immediately- it was the same way I spoke when I quoted books or comics. She was speaking of something she had great passion in. 

                             "What's that from?" I asked her. "Oh, it's from a song," she said nonchalantly, but I could tell from her voice and the look in her eyes that her brain was screaming 'IT'S FROM THE AWESOME SONG IN THE WORLD WITH THIS AWESOME TUNE AND THE SINGER HAS AN AWESOME VOICE AND IT'S JUST AWESOME!" It was the same way I thought when someone asked me if a book I was reading was any good. "A song from one of my favorite bands," she continued. "When I Get Home You're So Dead by Mayday Parade." I smiled in humor at the name. "I love the title. You should let me listen to it sometime." 

                             Tinsley's eyes brightened at the idea. "That'd be wonderful! I'll bring my ipod and we can listen to it in the back of the classroom first period. Though, I admit, that's probably more so I don't have to sit next to Alex for an hour," she said sheepishly, and then wrinkled her nose. "You pretty much hate him, don't you?" I asked. "No, I don't hate anyone. But.... I despise him," Tinsley decided. I frowned at this, turning away. I'd certainly hated many people, including Alex. Being around Tinsley made me feel like a horrible person.