I step on the scale after taking a deep breath and shutting my eyes close in fear of what it might read. I look down after gathering some courage. I sigh when I see it's the same like last time.
"What's wrong honey? Why the long face?", my mum asks, walking down the stairs with her laptop in hand. Her eyes move to the scale underneath my feet and she sighs.
"I thought I told you to take that to the bathroom", she says, moving to the couch.
My mum would rather we kept the scale in the bathroom like normal people than in the living room like some house orphanage.
"Yeah..", I drag, getting down from it.
My mum sighs again, "Abby you can't lose weight without exercise. Just because you eat less and healthier doesn't mean you'll magically lose weight",
"You've got to do more than that", she says and I sigh picking the scale up. "Okay?".
"Yes mum", I say with a frown as I head upstairs to my room.
I put the scale in my bathroom then walk back in to my closet. I fling it open then pull out my work out outfit. Time to head out for some jogging.
I put my hair in a ponytail as I walk out the door, catching a quick smile from my mum before closing the door. She must be thinking how good of a motivational speaker she is.
I walk down the street and just as I get to the Kushner's their front door flies open, bringing fort Noah with some shorts and a white tee on.
He feigns shock when he sees me, "What a coincidence or is it fate?", he questions and I scoff. Such poor acting, probably saw me getting ready through the window.
"Yeah right", I say then continue down the road, he follows me.
"Think about it, what always leads all princesses to their prince charming if not fate",
"I'm not a princess", I argue then sadly say, "Princesses aren't.. fat". The last part comes out like a whisper but he catches it, frowning a bit.
"Not everything revolves around your size, Abby", he says and I look at him.
"Think about Red Shoes, the prince loved her either way", he smiles and I let out a small smile. I wish I had shoes like that.
"Now c'mon, if you catch me I'll let you keep another shirt", he says then runs off. I chuckle a bit then run after him.
Noah and I run round the neighborhood with me almost passing out a few times.
I pant as I take a seat on the sidewalk. Noah walks back to me looking breathtaking and not breathless like me.
"Guess who's not getting a shirt", he says and I roll my eyes. He sits next to me and I place my head on his shoulder panting. I seriously need to take a breather.
We sit there for a while and my breathing slowly calms down, going back to normal.
"I'm going to study camp", I quietly blurt out and he places his head on mine.
"Me too",
I move away so he straightens himself and turns to me.
"What'd you mean?", I ask, curiously. There's no way he flunked a paper.
"I might've flunked my AP government", he says and I give him a look.
"Probably just a C", I say, shaking my head as I look ahead. He's good at AP government, isn't he? or was I just too focused on the fact that he got a C last year and couldn't possibly fail.
"No..", he trails, resting his head on my shoulder, "Pretty sure it's an F".
I sigh. Just gotta wait till we find out.
**
Word had got out, the Principal thought she could actually keep it a secret but if she knew it wasn't from the day she told me then she wouldn't have.
People were frantic, mostly people with bad grades. The chilliest was Hernandez, he didn't care if he ended up in study camp this holiday instead of drinking expensive wine in his dad's equally expensive yacht.
Apart from those who feared to be tutored, people were also eager to know the tutors. I was too. I wondered about on who I'd be stuck with for three weeks.
If Noah did do well in his AP government then maybe I'd think straight to him since he's the best P.E student. But now that he's uncertain I can't help but think he can't be.
Principal Shelby preferred she'd send everyone's parents an email instead of letters because apparently a lot of people were going to the study camp. Now she wished she told us about it so people would have at least done their best to stay away from the camp.
Those who won't receive an email will be the happiest. Even the tutors are gonna wish they weren't too smart because in actuality not everyone likes tutoring.
"I really wished you pulled this off Abby", principal Shelby says from across her table and the way the sun reflected on her black silky hair, I had an urge to sketch her.
"Yeah.. wish I did too",
NOAH
The more people talked about the study camp, the happier I was that I made the right decision to join Abby.
I watch as the guys in the locker room discuss about it and some not contributing look worried. Man that place is gonna have a lot of people.
"I hope my tutor isn't some nerdy brat", Don honestly says and my brows furrow. Nerdy brat?, I thought teachers were tutoring.
I walk forward to the gathering causing everyone to look up, "Wait, they got the students tutoring?", I ask.
"Yeah, you in?", Don asks and Tyrese, the team's runner with dread locks nudges him.
"What you mean you in?, email don't come till tomorrow", he says.
"Yeah but you'd be able to know", Don says and he pats him on the back.
"Do you believe in miracles?", Tyrese asks, sounding like a Buddhist and everyone laughs.
I'm too stunned to react as I walk back to my locker. If they have students tutoring then I didn't need to flunk my AP government on purpose. I should have just let them pick me as her tutor.
Abby has to be the only one failing P.E so they would want the best to tutor her and I'm the best.
I refrain myself from punching the locker as I quietly curse under my breath.
"So Noah..", Don trails, catching my attention. "You in?", I turn around to the looking crowd.
"Yeah.. I'm in".
**
AMBER
Word got out, Noah was in and I had to give first hand news to her before anyone did.
I catch Loren re-fixing her makeup as I approach her. She smacks her lips together, looking at her reflection through the mirror in her locker.
"Do I look prettier or you're gonna tell me something?", she asks not sparing me a glance but I have a feeling the news I'm about to give her will send her neck snapping towards me.
"Did you hear about the study camp?", I ask and she sighs.
"Only nitwits would be prancing about that", she says, putting her magenta color lipstick on. She always has the best shade of lipsticks.
"Well..", I trail, opening my locker so I can re-fix my makeup as well. "Then only nitwits would know Noah's gonna be there", I finish and I'm not surprised when she quickly turns to me.
I hide a smile.
"How true is this?", she asks, pulling me by the shoulder. The only time Loren was ever desperate, was if it involved Noah. Same thing with the cookie fundraiser last year. She only joined because she heard Noah would be involved.
Some people might think she was obsessed with him but she wasn't. She was just obsessed with the idea of being with him, the idea of how perfect they'd look together.
"True as how pretty you are", I say and she gasps.
"So legit", she says then closes her locker. I watch as she saunters to the door so I stop her.
"Where are you going?", I ask and she turns to me dramatically causing her hair to flip like she's in some pageantry.
"To get my name on that tutor list, what else?".
HERNANDEZ
Whatever is school related I don't let it get to my dad, I handle it. What I've come to learn from him.
We weren't always as wealthy as we are now. This isn't some generational wealth, we had it really rough. Before we moved to America, Columbia was our home and if you know Columbia, you know how rough it gets.
I didn't really leave a life of stub my toe and get a band-aid. Instead I got stub my toe and wear a shoe over it cause to my father nothing was too big to put a man down except losing the love of his life.
So when things got really tough he'd say, 'You're a man, Manejarlo'. Even at the age of two, he told me that or so I thought since I could fully understand him at that age for all I know he could have been telling me that since I was born.
My dad wasn't going to know about my failing grades cause I didn't give the school his email address, I gave them mine.
My dad and I have the same name so who would figure.
I walk up to Abby by her locker, "Hey", I say, putting my hands in my pocket.
Abby turns to me, looking sad but she manages to send me a smile.
"Hi", her calm voice gets into my ear and it emulates a smile on my face. A bright one.
"Why so gloomy?", I ask and she shrugs.
"I just wish I was a tutor and not.. the tutored", she slowly says. Must be hard for her since she's smart. People like me don't give an f.
"Hey", I nudge her, looking down at her. She's not too short but she's the right height a girl should be. Tall girls can never be in my league.
"At least you have me for the long run", I say, trying to cheer her up. When the smile on her lips widen, I offer her my hand.
She slowly takes it, "Let's have an afternoon that says.. no worries".
She nods but then pauses, "We should find Callie to join us",
As much as I want it to be just the two of us, Callie's like our last pea in the pod.
"Sure".