High School Never Ends (Jardougall)

Chapter 2

Tay's P.O.V.

"Have you seen the new girl yet?" Alex asked.

I slowly looked up from my tray as Sierra, Lynn, and Alexa all gave confused looks. Neither of those girls were in AP classes (which I didn't understand why I was) so there's no way either of them could've seen the new girl unless they'd called her names in the hallway already. She seemed nice, I guess. She was definitely pretty. Beyond it, I'd say. And she was a sophomore. I got my hopes up, the idea that she could be my new tutor.

"What new girl?" Sierra asked. Then she forgot about it as she observed to make sure her new acrylic nails were okay. "Oh, my God, I chipped this one a little."

"When?" Lynn asked, completely worried about Sierra's nails. I rolled my eyes and then looked at my nails. Hypocrisy was one of my many talents.

"I don't know, Lyndsey! Maybe when Cameron smiled at me and I ran into the wall."

I suppressed a small laugh and both girls looked at me. "I'm sorry. I just can't believe you ran into a wall over Cameron Hurley."

"He's hot," Sierra defended as we all looked at her.

"Cameron's such a social outcast," Alex said with a laugh. "Why do you even like him?"

"I don't like him!" She growled. "I just think he's cute, okay?"

"Leave her alone," I said. "Let her look at whoever she wants."

Sierra thanked me as Lynn, Alexa, Alex rolled their eyes at me. My twin sister Lindsey and twin brother Devin (yes, triplets) gave me confused looks. I understood where Sierra was coming from, so of course I was going to defend her. Me being me, I now expected her to do the same if I was ever to admit that for a split second I admired that new girl's perfect features. Okay, maybe perfect was overexaggerating. But her smile was so...gah. It gave me a warm, funny feeling. That was crazy. I'd never looked at a social outcast in that way, had never been so instantly infatuated with someone who wasn't even close to being on the same social radar I was. Yet I was so fascinated with her.

The bell for the end of lunch snapped me out of my thoughts as Alex set his hand on my shoulder, asking if I was okay. I smiled and nodded. Did I seem out of it to them? I was actually very okay, just lost in thoughts.

I didn't see the girl until I was walking to Trigonometry and Alex was trying to ask if I wanted to hang out that night. I would have loved to, really, but I got distracted by the blonde girl trying to avoid detection.

"Hey, girl," Alex called to her. I felt my heart leap in my chest. What did this idiot have planned?

She stopped moving entirely and very slowly turned to face us, not once looking at us, though. I wondered why she tried so hard to make herself invisible.

"Look at me when I talk to you, for fuck's sake," Alex said, then laughed.

I hit him in the chest. I didn't want him to do what he always did: hurt people for fun. He looked at me with a smile and shook his head. He was going to keep trying. Oh, my God, Alex.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"I...I have to go," she muttered and turned around.

"No, come here."

"Alex, stop," I said through gritted teeth.

He looked at me, realizing that I actually didn't want him to do this. He nodded and I saw the girl turn her head a little bit towards me. I wish I would've actually paid attention when Mr. Armstrong said her name in Biology, but I was too busy talking to Alex. Now I had to wait for Mr. Dirnt to say it.