One of Them (On Hold)

Chapter 1

         I HATE THEM ALL. Every single last one of them. You would think that after all these years of going to the same school and sitting through the same boring classes together that they would all just mature and be civil to me for once. But no, even now, in tenth grade, I am still "Patrice the Loser," "Patrice the Geek," or sometimes simply "That Thing." I've tried so hard to put on a brave face and listen to Archie's advice, to ignore them and just enjoy my life. I try, but sometimes they make it so difficult. Take today's incident for example. I was just sitting down, minding my own business, when Lucy walked by and knocked all my books to the ground. Then she just stared at me and laughed as I scrambled on the floor, picking up books. "Maybe you should get the cripple to help you pick them up," she said. The nerve! It makes me so mad when she makes jokes about Archie's disease. It is a FATAL DISEASE! It is the least funny thing in the world! Not that Archie cares. He is the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. He never lets their insults hurt him. I wish I could do the same, but I'm just not as strong as he is. No matter how hard I try to ignore them, their words always sting.

        "HEEYYY, geek!" a voice says. I look up. Great. It's Brett. I'm surprised he is even talking to me. Usually, he ignores me and lets Lucy be the one to insult me.

        "What do you want, Brett?" I say with a sigh.

        "I have a little proposition for you. See, I have this English essay due in two weeks, but the problem is, I have football practice every day after school. So here's the deal. If you do my essay for me, I'll tell everyone that you're cool and then, BOOM! Just like that, you'll be popular!" He grins at me and looks at me expectantly, as if he thinks I am going to start groveling at his feet in thanks.

        "Seriously?" I say with a snort. "You really think I can be bought over that easily? First of all, I don't cheat, no matter how much you pay me. Second of all, what makes you think I want to be popular?"

        "Everyone wants to be popular!" Brett exclaims. "Come on, I see the way Lucy's insults hurt you. I can take all that pain away. Heck, I can make you even more popular than Lucy! Besides, do you really want to hang out with that cripple the rest of your life?"

        "His name is Archie," I snap. "And I would rather hang out with him than with you. At least he has manners."

        "Who cares about manners when you're popular? Come on, Patrice, you know that deep in your heart you want this."

        Patrice. It's the first time he has called me anything other than "geek." For a crazy moment, I am tempted. I imagine what it would be like to walk down the school halls with confidence, to not have to hear insults everywhere I go. Then I shake my head. No, I'm not the kind of person who betrays her identity to make people like her. "Go away and leave me alone, Brett," I say, giving him an icy glare.

        "Whatever, geek," he says. "But if you change your mind, just give me a call."

        He pulls out a slip of paper from his pocket, presses it in my hand, and then runs off. I look at the paper and see that his phone number is scribbled on the front in messy handwriting. I roll my eyes and walk over to the trash can, about to throw it away, when something stops me. I pause, look at the paper again, and, for a reason I can't explain, tuck it into the front pocket of my backpack.

(Author's Note: Hey everyone, so this is my first non-Les Mis fanfic! I hope you all like it. :) The attached video is actually a clip of me singing "Lamest Place in the World" when I played Patrice at a local theater.)