*Beauty*
Will hated me.
He had to hate me.
He had to have realised I wasn't good enough for him.
Over the past week I'd only caught glimpses of Will. The few times I saw him my eyes would instantly latch on, drinking in his presence. Despite being in most of my classes, I hardly saw him anymore.
It almost felt like he was avoiding me.
If he even noticed me enough to avoid me.
I sighed.
For the first time today, my eyes clung to Will's frame as he elegantly rose up from his seat in the corner of the canteen. His limbs moved swiftly as he headed to the canteen exit.
Sigh.
He was so beautiful.
And so out of my league.
At the table he'd left sat Layla's sister Nerissa Chang, Theodore Reyes and Lilian Fabris, all people who Will hung out with now and then. This was the only time he'd hung out with them this week. I noticed Catherine's distinct absence.
I hadn't seen Catherine and Will anywhere near each other at all throughout the last week. When Will was there, Catherine wasn't. When Will didn't show up, Catherine was present.
A tiny voice in my mind told me I should be happy but anxiety slithered in my veins.
What if it was my fault she was avoiding him? What if he resented me for it? What if his mother had convinced him he could do so much better than a dumb cheerleader?
What if he regretted kissing me?
My chest ached as I watched Will slip out of the canteen doors.
In my mind, I stood up and strode after him. With one tap on the shoulder, he would turn around. Then I would bravely ask him to go out with me this Saturday.
If only I was that confident.
"So, Ellie are you up for it?"
Gemma's voice snapped me out of my daze.
I turned to see the entire table staring at me.
"Huh?"
Gemma rolled her eyes. "What's up with you? You're always out of it lately."
I shrugged as heat burned my cheeks. "Nothing." Just Will's beautiful personality, beautiful face, beautiful lips, beautiful existence... "I'm fine."
Gemma raised a brow. "So, are you coming tomorrow night? To the festival?"
I blinked as I remembered. Was it this weekend? Where had I been this last week?
My gaze jumped to the canteen doors, where Will had disappeared through. Then they jumped back to Gemma and the other expectant faces.
I beamed. "Yeah, of course."
Gemma clapped her hands, a victorious smile on her face. "Good! So we're all going to the festival and then to a party at mine, yes?"
The table agreed before dissolving into conversation.
My gaze lingered on the door. I bit my lip. How much bravery would it take to go after Will? How much bravery would it take to finally speak to him after nearly a week?
"Earth to Ellie!"
I blinked back into reality, my gaze falling on a perplexed Gemma.
"Seriously Beauty why are you so out of it? You've hardly said a word this entire lunch."
Layla and Madison had turned as well, facing me, their expressions concerned.
For a second, I imagined telling them about Will. About how long I'd liked him and about Friday night when we'd...kissed.
Just thinking the word made me blush.
The idea of them knowing how I felt, of anyone knowing, of Will knowing, frightened me.
What if he found out and rejected me?
What if he'd realised I wasn't good enough for him?
He'd said he liked me. But that was an entire week ago and we'd never spoken about it. He hadn't even approached me since Saturday.
What if he didn't like me anymore?
The words floated on my tongue.
Maybe I should be brave for once. At least attempt to be more than the insecure bundle of nerves I was on a daily basis.
A raucous laugh interrupted me.
Chelsea, at the other end of the table, had spilled herself into Tyler Benton's lap. She giggled loudly as she pawed at him. He smiled nervously, looking a little uncomfortable.
My gaze leaped to Gemma, clenching a cup in her hand. Her face went from red to purple. A vein in her neck throbbed.
The glare she shot Chelsea was deadly.
Uh oh.
Gemma abruptly stood up and strode out of the canteen.
"Crud," I muttered.
Before I could get up, Tyler hurriedly shoved Chelsea off of him, racing after Gemma. Chelsea ungracefully landed on the ground, pouting.
Conversation restored as Tyler left the room.
I glanced in surprise at Layla and Madison.
"When did that happen?" I asked, gesturing at the doors.
The last time Gemma got in a relationship so serious that she'd storm out instead of hitting the person she was angry at was...never.
Layla and Madison exchanged looks.
"What?" I implored.
Madison placed a hand over mine. "You've got a bit of catching up to do, hon."
I frowned. "Shouldn't we at least go after her?"
Madison and Layla simultaneously shook their heads.
"Not yet. Let them sort it out," Madison quipped.
My frown deepened. "Are they that serious?" I said quietly, so the rest of the table wouldn't hear.
Layla and Madison shared another look.
Madison leaned forward. "We think it's more than a crush. Gem hasn't said anything about how she feels but she's been talking about him a lot lately."
"Wow," I exhaled, leaning back.
How had I missed that development? My best friend was in a semi-serious relationship with a guy for once in her life and I didn't even know.
I was turning out to be a pretty cruddy friend.
"But seriously," Layla intoned between pops of gum. "You need to warn your cousin Maddie. Chelsea Simmons has a death wish."
Madison sighed. "Yeah, I'm afraid she does."
My gaze lingered on the canteen doors they'd left through. I really must be out of it.
At the end of lunch, I waved away my friends, lingering in the canteen. I plucked out my phone and tapped out a quick message to Gemma:
Where are you Gem?
I waited a beat, breathing a sigh of relief when my phone chimed.
Parking lot. Maddie's car.
I typed out a response:
Coming :)
Tucking my phone away, I strode out of the canteen. It was time I stopped being such a cruddy friend.
I spotted Madison's silver Honda in its usual spot. Gemma was curled in the back seat, glaring at the ground.
I tapped on the window. Gemma didn't glance up as she unlocked the doors.
I slipped into the car.
"Don't you have that library thing?" she asked.
I shrugged. "The library lady hates me." And it was unlikely Will would be there. I took the plunge: "So, what just happened?"
Gemma maintained her glare.
I softened my voice. "Do you like him?"
Gemma bit her lip. "Maybe."
I grinned. "That's amazing Gemma! The player girl finally falls for someone, eh?"
Gemma brushed her hair away from her face as she struggled to hide her smile.
"It's about time," I smiled.
She squirmed. "Stop being so cheesy. What about you? When's Beauty going to find her prince?"
I've already found him.
I shrugged. "I think you should give him a shot."
She paused. "And what if I get hurt?" she mumbled.
I squeezed her hand. "Gemma you are the bravest person I know. Don't let a crush change that. Be brave. Everything will be fine."
If only I could take my own advice.
She glanced up at me from beneath her lashes. "I'll think about it."
*
I came home to an empty house. Tossing my cheer bag on the ground, I shuffled into the kitchen.
I hadn't seen Will at all after lunch. Gemma and I had spent the rest of our last period chatting in Madison's car before heading to cheer practice after school. I still couldn't believe how out of it I'd been lately. It was as if my brain turned to fuzz whenever Will was around.
For a moment, I mulled over the possibility that Gemma was in a serious relationship. It seemed nearly impossible. Gemma and I had been best friends since we were children. We'd always had each other's backs. Gemma defended me from all the people who made fun of the tomboy I was back then and I went up against any girl she'd antagonized. I'd known her forever, so this was... shocking to say the least
Even Gemma Henderson, female player extraordinaire, is in a relationship.
I, on the other hand, had been pining over the same guy for the last seven years and still wasn't courageous enough to ask him out.
The memory of Will's mother flitted into my mind. The image of her disdainful glare still made my cheeks burn.
Mrs. Johnson hated me. Will's mother hated me.
It was like I wanted to ruin any chance of a relationship with Will.
The sound of the landline broke me out of my moping.
I picked up the phone. "Hello?"
There was a woman's voice on the other end. "Hello, this is Coach Murphy from Forest Middle School. I'm the new coach for the school's cheer squad."
I straightened. That was Amelia's school. "Oh. What are you calling about?"
"This is concerning Amelia Kent." She cleared her throat. "Is Mrs. Kent home by any chance?"
I bit my lip. "Sorry, no, could I pass a message?"
I could almost see the person's frown over the phone.
"No, that's alright. When will she be home?"
I frowned. "Try calling tomorrow?"
"Alright," she replied. "Thanks. Bye."
She hung up.
I frowned as I stared at the phone. The few teachers who called home regarding Amelia usually shared positive news. The person on the phone had sounded anything but positive, which was weird because Amelia never got in trouble. Like ever.
Frowning, I made my way upstairs to change.
So many weird things were happening lately,
Amelia shuffled into the house after 5:00, lugging in her cheerleading bag. I glanced up from where I'd been having a stare down with my phone on the living room couch. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun at the crown of her skull and she was wearing her glasses.
"Hey, Amelia, do you know where Mom is?" I asked.
Amelia shot me a look. "Pregnancy scan," she clipped. "With dad."
I sucked my lips in. "Oh."
Amelia carefully dropped the weighty bag on the ground near a sofa opposite me before stalking into the kitchen. I frowned at the bag. Jutting lumps pushed against the outer material. Through a slightly open zip, I could see... were those textbooks?
"Hey, Amelia," I called, "where's your cheerleading uniform?"
I heard the sound of a spill in the kitchen. Hurriedly, Amelia raced out of the kitchen. She glared at me, hefting up the bag. "Why are you looking through my stuff for?" she snapped.
I frowned. "I wasn't. I thought I saw textbooks in there so I was just wondering--"
"Well, mind your own business," she bit out. She spun quickly, her lengthy limbs racing up the stairs.
I stared after her in surprise.
Amelia, though she was often moody lately, didn't usually specialise in making scenes or overreacting.
Still unsure what had just happened, my gaze dropped back to the Calculus textbook I'd been staring at since I'd gotten home from cheer practice an hour ago. The figures looked like nothing but scribbles to me.
Oh Will, how do you do it?
After five more minutes of attempting to decipher the ridiculous language they called mathematics, I returned to staring at my phone screen. I bit my lip as I flipped, again, through Will's gallery. Most of the pictures of Will were from people who'd tagged him: competitions, conferences, more things to intimidate stupid little me etc. But what was so blatantly clear was that most of the images featured him and Catherine.
Catherine, his childhood friend, the girl who liked him.
Catherine's face littered most of the pictures, always next to Will, always managing to inspire one of his rare smiles.
Her affection was so clear now. The way her gaze, almost glazed, stared up at him as if he was her hero. The way she smiled as if she was in paradise. A suppressed version of the face I wore whenever Will was in the vicinity.
Frankly, it was intimidating.
I couldn't compete with Catherine. And in terms, of intellectually, Catherine was closer to Will's equal than I would ever be.
I stroked Wills face in the picture, sighing as my eyes drank in his perfect features.
So out of my league.
How easy would it be for me to talk to him?
Almost on impulse, I opened my texts and stared at Will's number, locked in my phone since the very day he'd given it to me a few weeks ago.
For a moment, my fingers hovered over the keyboard as a million possibilities ran through my mind. Quickly, I typed out:
Hi
I glared at the word for several moments, feeling my heart quake in my chest.
Will had kissed me and he hadn't said anything.
That was a clear sign as any that he wasn't interested.
Will had Catherine. Whys settle for second best when you could have first?
Rapidly, I erased the letters before tossing my phone onto the couch and striding into the kitchen.
What was I thinking?
Will wasn't interested. I doubt he ever would be.
***
Thank you for reading wonderful people!!!! I hope you enjoyed it :)
By the way, check out Will's new cast member, Grant Gustin, he is so cute, especially in The Flash. Does anyone love superhero shows? Cause I do XD
God bless xxx
Yemi Everest