Varisty Tide Pod (leaveit2liz)

Chapter 1

Liz's P.O.V

Ugh, Monday. Walking through the bleak halls of Oakland High to period 1 feels like an eternity. With finals coming up, the biggest game of my life this Friday , I have way bigger things to be thinking about than Mr Sherman's AP bio class. He stinks of onions and spits every time he talks about plants (which is weirdly a lot) ; he is not  who I want to be dealing with at 9am on a Monday.

I feel something hit my back, knocking me out of my miserable trance.

"Ow! What the?" I turn and see her. "Good one, what do you want?"

"Hey Liz! You ready for the bio test on Friday?" My best friend Dee says.

Shit.

I forgot about that.

"I thought finals didn't start till Monday?" I can't help but drum my fingers against the desk.

"They don't, but Mr Sherman's got his 'highly important' trip to the national centre for Canadian cacti museum on Monday, so they pushed the bio exam back just for him." She rolls her eyes.

Seriously, the stuff this guy gets away with, national cacti museum?! Who the hell would move their biggest exam of the year for that. I can't believe him.

"That's so stupid. I've got the game on Friday, how the hell am I gonna be able to focus?"

"I don't know Liz, but I can always come over and help you study if you need me to?" Dee offered.

She's so sweet. Dee and I have been best friends since the 3rd grade, we're sort of like an odd pair of socks. She's super into music, I'm really sporty and couldn't give a damn about Beethoven's 9th symphony. She's a vegetarian, I'm obsessed with chicken wings; but we weirdly get each other, and I guess that's all we've needed to keep us so close for so long.

"Thanks Dee, but I might have to study alone to try and get this stuff memorised. Could I borrow your notes though?"

She nods and smiles. Damn, she's always there for me. Truth is, I don't know what I'd do without her.

"Alright class! If you have checked your email-" nope  "-You would know that our big test has been moved to Friday. So study up!" Mr Sherman speaks way too enthusiastically.

"But anyway, what's more important is today's topic: photosynthesis in sunflowers!"

Oh no, I can feel the spit coming from here.

"So, can anyone tell me what the part of the plant that absorbs the sunlight is on the sunflo-"

He is interrupted by a clatter of books falling through the doorway as it slams open, a person's face barely visible behind their black hoodie mumbles apologies.

"Well that's one way to make an entrance!" Mr Sherman laughs to himself.

Dee slips me a note;

The old bat thinks he's so funny.

I smile to myself and crumple up the paper, popping it into my hoodie pocket.

"I'm so sorry sir, my name is Bra-"

"Brandon Yokana! I've been waiting for you, please take a seat over there next to Liz. You're just in time for my sunflowers lecture!" I watch Brandon's face fall as he realises what he's in for in this class and smirk to myself.

He puts his pile of textbooks into his backpack and slumps it over the back of his chair, sinking down into his seat, avoiding eye contact.

"Well someone's in a bad mood. I'm Liz." I introduce myself to him. It's hard being the new kid, I've moved schools a couple times myself on scholarships, so I know what it's like for him.

"Brandon." He mumbles. "Sorry, I really should be nicer, it's just hard getting thrown into all these classes so quickly, especially since finals are coming up soon." He smiles apologetically.

You know, now that I'm looking at him up close, he's kinda cute.

Dee hits me with another paper ball.

"Ow! Dee! What the hell?"

"Open it!" She whispers, pointing at the paper ball sitting at my feet.

I lean down and open it:

Brandon Yokana, big deal back at his old school, first kid to get a 100 on every single AP quiz and captain of the lacrosse team. And his dad is like the CEO of tide or something.

At the bottom there's a little drawing of a dude with massive biceps and a lacrosse stick. Typical Dee.

I glance back over to him and he's already flirting with Margo, the Small Forward on my Basketball team. Emphasis on small, the girl is barely scraping 5'1.

I write back to Dee.

Wait, tide, as in the tide?! - L

Yeah, apparently his dad is like, loaded.  - D

I don't need another run with that stupid company, you remember what happened? - L

Yes, and we don't need that to happen again. Stay away from him, he's looking for trouble Liz- D

Yes ma'am - L

I go to pass the note again, thinking the coast is clear after seeing Mr Sherman walk to the back of the classroom.

"Liz Cruz, I see you're passing notes with Dee Harper, hm? What could be so important that you simply must discuss it in the middle of my very important biology lesson?" Before I could reach for the paper, he snatches it up.

Damn, for an old dude he sure is fast.

What I didn't expect was for him to start reading our notes out to the full class. In front of the boy we were writing about.

Nonononono

I sank further into my chair in embarrassment as he read the whole conversation aloud. It felt like 4000 years until he finally put down the paper.

"Well, wasn't that interesting?" Mr Sherman grinned at Dee and I, who were already hiding our faces in shame.

Brandon turned to me, a smirk spreading across his face.

"You think I'm trouble?" He grins, "And what's the deal with tide?"

"None of your business, asshole." Dee snaps at him.

Oh God.