Senior year

I run a comb through my tangled mass of hair. The first day of school is what I dread the most,it was unreasonably stressful. Senior year was a big deal to everyone being the last year of high school. I was not particularly excited about it.

I put on my uniform, grab my bag pack and head for the dining table.

"Good morning Mom"I greet

"Elizabeth,you are late for breakfast"she said ,totally ignoring my greeting.

"Sorry,"I mutter, seating to my breakfast of pancakes and orange juice.

"I'll be traveling to Peru today"she says, watching me closely as I gulp my juice.

I almost choke on my juice. What did she mean she was traveling?

"Why mom?"I ask,my appetite disappeared and I pushed the plate away from me.

"Business my dear" she said, gesturing with perfectly maincured finger.

I glared at her,my insides burning with rage.

"Mom,you were at Atlanta just two days ago"

"Honey,I have to work,I know you will miss me but you have Nathan".

I roll my eyes,of course I had Nathan,my mom's boyfriend who was way younger than her,that was what she said Everytime she wanted to travel for her so called business meetings.

"Why mom?"I ask,my voice now high pitched"why do you do this every freaking time"

"Don't raise your voice at me!"she yells, standing to her feet.

The air between us was tense. I could hear the heavy breathing of my mother as we glared at each other. This was not new to me,we quarrelled every single week. All I wanted was her attention and maybe a little care if she could offer that.

"Nathan would be here for you if you need anything"she says, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't want Nathan mom"I said defiantly.

"Remember everything I have ever done was for you,"she said through gritted teeth"we have a new life now and you must not ruin it".

I knew better than to argue further. Mom meant everything to me even though she was now distant recently. Asides that we had actually been through a lot,a whole lot of things that was kept locked away and never spoken of. This 'new life' meant not talking about our past and focusing on the future.

The sound of Nathan's footstep was a signal for us to end our bickering.

Nathan walks into the room, dressed in a well tailored suit.

A fake smile plastered on my mom's face

"Morning babe"he said, sharing a kiss with my mom.

Ewwww!

He glanced at me and nodded his head in greeting. There was something about the way Nathan looked at me,I really dislike him. We barely spoke and he was really nice to me but I still hated him.

"Bye Mom"I said, leaving the table.

"You barely ate your food"he said, shooting me a questioning look.

"I'm not hungry"I said, avoiding his gaze.

He shrugged his shoulders and began eating his breakfast and discussing business matters with my mother.

I slipped out of the house quietly before anyone began to ask me any stupid questions.

I prefer walking to school rather than taking the bus,there was no way I was going to be sandwiched in between teenagers and high schoolers who cared about themselves only.

The walk to my school was just fifteen minutes,I plugged in my headphones. Few feets away from me was Jake,he lived few blocks from my house.

We had been neighbours for five months and still hadn't said a word to each other. I take a slower pace,not wanting to catch up with him.

As if reading my mind,he turned back and waited. I pretend like I didn't see him. I really was not in the mood to talk.

I saw his mouth move and I took out my headphones to hear him better.

"Elizabeth right?"he asked.

It was the first time I looked at him properly. I always thought he was cute and all but boy this guy is drop dead gorgeous no wonder he had all the girls drooling over him.

"Yes"I answered in my supposed to be sexy voice. I was really the worst at doing this. I remember a time during freshman year that a senior asked me my name,I kept twirling my hair with my fingers, thinking it was cute meanwhile I had a fat booger in my nose.

The senior told me I had a booger and all my confidence melted away and somehow it didn't solidify since then.

"Do you want to walk together?"his blue eyes bold and shining.

"Uhhn"I managed to say. I didn't want to say the wrong things or show him how much of an idiot I can be.

"It's funny how we've have been neighbours for month and we haven't spoken to each other"he said and we began walking.

I wanted to tell him we didn't talk because he was really popular and I belong to the group of nerds and dorks no one cared about.

"Is that so?"

My stupid mouth didn't know when to shut up or say the right thing at all.

I was really conscious of how close our bodies were and how our arms brushed slightly.

He laughed lightly.

"Is that so?"he asked, repeating what I just said"really?"

"Well,I'm quite busy,I really don't have time to make friends and all of that"I lied. For some sort of reason that I couldn't figure out,I wanted to give home the impression of a very busy person.

He arched his eyebrow, questioningly.

"What else do you have to do other than filling out college applications?"he asked with a cocky grin

Lie,lie. That was all that rang in my head.

"I work at a pub"

I was so stupid,of all the lies in the world,that is what I could come up with.

"We both know that's not true Elizabeth"

I blinked,how did he figure out I lied. Of course anyone could tell I lied.

"You don't work at a pub,if you did,I would have seen you around,I only see you on weekdays in school"

Oh he had been checking me out in school huh?

"I really don't just go out"I said, dropping the unnecessary lies.

"I'll see you tomorrow at five o'clock in the evening,don't keep me waiting"he smiled and walked away to his class.

I stare at his retreating figure in awe. Who the hell was he?

The bell rang and I went for first period.

"Miss Patel"Mrs Smith the English teacher,a fat pudgy woman called my name.

I sighed.

"Can you tell me what I've been teaching since the beginning of the class?"she asked,her hands placed on her hips.

Of course I wasn't listening to her blabber about nouns. I stared at her with a blank expression.

"Miss Patel kindly take the gum out of your mouth"she said sternly.

As much as I loved listening in classes and getting perfect grades,Mrs smith's class was a total bore. I could never focus in her class when all u thought about was sleeping or doing something else.

I slowly took the gum out of my mouth,I could feel everyone stare at me.

"I have been watching you closely and I noticed you pay no attention when I was teaching"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes,it was tiring,her teachingsl bored the hell out of me,I had to deal with annoying teachers and preppy rich kids who never knew what it like to suffer.

"I'm sorry ma'am"I apologized quickly, bowing my head. If there was anything I always avoided,it was detention,they made us remove gum from beneath the table which I found really disgusting.

"Take your seat,if I have to warn you again,you'll have detention for two weeks!"she said she began teaching again.

I kept an innocent and remorseful face,I sat down and pretended to be taking notes.

"Hey"Jake called quietly"way to go bad bitch"

I heard a few snickers from the kids who sat at the back.

I turned my head sharply to him, glaring holes into his handsome face.

"Aww don't twist your pretty face like that"he laughed.

I was supposed to be mad at him instead could feel the blush on my cheeks,did he just call me pretty?

OMG!

"Miss Patel"

This time I knew I was screwed and was definitely getting detention. I turned to a fuming Mrs Smith.

"I- I...."I tried to explain

"See you in detention"she cut me off sharply.

How rude of her!

I wanted to slap the sly look off Jake's perfect face.

Thankfully,the bell rang for the next period.

Elizabeth's POV

The house was awkwardly quiet when I returned from school. Mom had sent me a text during school saying she was on the next flight to Peru,no surprise there,all she did was take flights,wear expensive clothes and attend dinners.

"Elizabeth"Nathan says,walking out of the kitchen.

"Hi Nathan"I said flatly.

I didn't approve of his relationship with my mom but he was rich and he took good care of my mom,plus he also paid my tuition fees so that was some sort of consolation.

"Why are you home late?"he asks, wiping his hands on a napkin.

"Nothing"I lie sharply "I have homework to do"I said and left for my room immediately, avoiding further questions.

Sometimes, I really wished I was born into a perfect family,had a mom and dad who really cared or maybe had siblings too, probably a sister.

When I entermy room,I lock the door behind me and lean against it Just like every other day,my life was boring as hell. The only thing that was exciting was that Jake had spoken to me and he said he wanted to see me the next day. I removed my uniform and stared at my figure in the mirror,I wasn't exactly plain Jane but I definitely was not all that pretty. I got my big nose from my father,of all things he could pass down to me,he passed his awkwardly big stupid nose. My favorite thing was my hair,it was dark as midnight and ran all the way down my waist.

This senior year,I wanted to be pretty,I wanted to be popular. I love the way the cheerleaders dressed and got attention from boys,I wanted to be that girl,I wanted to know what it felt like. I know it sounded all stupid right now but I had a rough school year all my life and this was my shot at a 'new life' were people would give me attention and not call me a nerd. I stared at my body in the mirror,I wore a black lace matching underwear set. My body was toned from hours of running.

A loud knock on the door disturbed me from my main character moment. I grabbed a robe from my closet and wrapped it around me.

I opened the door to reveal a now sour face Nathan.

"I received a call from your teacher,Mrs smith,"he said coldy.

My brows furrowed, detention wasn't enough,she decided to call Nathan,what in the world was wrong with her?

"I didn't do anything wrong"I said defensively.

"Of course you didn't,that's why I got a call from school"he retorted sarcastically.

"Look Nathan,I did nothing wrong okay?"

"Elizabeth you must learn to take your grades and classes seriously" he began.

I rolled my eyes and groaned loudly. This was the point were Nathan would give me a good five minutes lecture on the importance of good grades and being in the good books of my teachers. I was a straight A student,one of the best in my class but he still went on with his lecture. This was my first time in detention. I wonder how he'll react when he heard some kids got detention throughout the whole semester.

"Nathan please,let's not do this today"I beg

"Someday,you'll see the good in this"he said,trying to go on with his lecture.

My patience was thinning out,all my life I'd been that perfect daughter who never got into trouble, always came home with good grades and belonged to society clubs.

"You're not my dad okay"I blurted out"I'm sick and tired if you telling me what to do and what not to do!"

I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes,now I wished I could take back what I said.

"I know I am not your dad"he said,his voice low"I also know you don't like me but if you give me a chance,I could show you that I really care about you"

"Understand that I'm not trying to replace your father"he added quickly.

I remianed quiet,I didn't have anything more to say to him,I felt guilty for speaking to him that way.

"Your lunch is in the microwave,you can go warm it"he said quietly and left.

Uggggh,I hated the feeling of guilt,now I'll have to apologise to him.

All these happened because of Jake,if he hadn't distracted me,Mrs Smith won't have to send me to detention.

I lay on my bed,staring at my ceiling.

I barely knew Jake and he was getting into my head already.

My phone beeped,I just got a message for Jake,perfect timing. I sat up in my bed,how did he get my number?

Sorry about today. The text read. I didn't know what to reply. I stared at the text for a while,so Jake Ashton,one of the hottest guys in my school was now texting me,I felt excitement surge through my blood,I decide not to text him back,I was going to pretend like I didn't care.

My pretense only lasted thirty seconds and then I was on my phone, texting him back

I was lucky enough to have Mr Finn during detention,he was one of the coolest teachers in school, he didn't make me pick gum from beneath the table,he just sat there and remained on his phone the whole time.

It was my first time in detention.

"Hey Elizabeth"Makayla says, taking a seat next to me.

It was not like I was a social pariah but I had issues mixing up with other students,so far I had only two friends and some other acquitances from the book club.

"Hi"I say,a little shy.

I was the type that got intimidated easily. Makayla was easily one of the prettiest girls,she was a cheerleader and she had the attention of most of the boys. She was an exemplary vision of who I wanted to be like this senior year,I wanted to know what it felt like to be important,to have people pay me so much attention.

"What brings you here?"she asks

"Well I got into trouble with Mrs Smith"

She rolls her eyes and flips her gorgeous hair.

"I also got sent here by Mrs Smith because I didn't have a hall pass"

"Oh really"I say.

Mrs Smith was such a pain in the ass,she was meanest teacher ever.

"You know,we should hangout sometime"she says

I stare at her confused,why would she want to hang out with a total nerd?

"Ummm..."I say, trying to find the right words.

"There's a party tomorrow,you should definitely come,it's going to be so much fun"she smiles.

"I'll text you the details"she adds and leaves to join her friends.

Jake's POV

One word for her is mysterious. I find her very interesting, we had been neighbors for quite a while but we never spoke to each other till this morning.

I liked the way her mouth pouted in annoyance during Mrs Smith's class. The look on her face was hilarious.

I decided to send her a text, apologizing for making her get detention.

I waited for her reply but none came,I guess I really angered her.

"Hey babe"Bianca,my self proclaimed girlfriend says, sitting in my lap.

I smile.

"You've been staring at your phone,what's going on?"she asks

"Nothing babe"I reply,shoving my phone into my pocket

"I am going Los Angeles during summer"she says

I stare at her,watching her chatter about how

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket,I push her away and reach for my phone. Elizabeth replied,all she typed was okay. I was confused,I get only an okay after apologizing to her

I expected a long text telling me how much of an ass hole I was.

"Babe,what's wrong?"Bianca asks,her face held irritation.

"I have soccer practice now"I lie

"You have soccer practices only in Fridays Jake"she squeals.

I roll my eyes.

"Please Bianca I don't have time for this today"I say and leave her.

I could hear her mumble something about being selfish at me but I didn't care.

Sometimes, I wonder why I put up with her and her attitude.

My mind went back to Elizabeth, I felt guilt for making her get detention,she was a good kid, I decide to send her another text asking her if we were still on for tomorrow evening.

I wait patiently for her response. I never waited for anyone to text me back, I had girls double text me,some even apologize when I don't reply their messages.

Her message came in,it was a no,written in cap locks.

I blinked severally,this had to be a mistake,I can't believe she just turned me down,no one ever turned me down.

This was unbelievable,she should be grateful I texted her.

I shove my phone into my back pocket. The little brat turned me down. I never knew how to handle rejection especially when it came to girls because I never got any rejection.

The girls love the handsome quarterback.

I pull out my phone to check if she sent a message, she didn't. I was surprised.

"Hey man,you good?"Lucas my best friend asks.

"Sure"I lied.

"There's band practice today, we'll meet by nine at Christian's house"

"Jeez,I totally forgot man"

"Don't be late"he said and went off on his skateboard.

I sit on an empty bench in the park,my mind went back Elizabeth. I couldn't explain what it was about her that drew me.

I noticed her from the first day she walked into the class. Principal Williams introduced her as a transfer student. She looked so fragile and innocent. Her head remained bowed the whole time,she barely spoke to anyone.

She wasn't exactly pretty or drop dead gorgeous but she could pass.

I took my phone out and deleted our conversation. I only wanted her to accompany me to the dinner my father was throwing tonight. He said to bring a decent girl and Elizabeth was the perfect person,she got straight A's,had a clean record and she was pretty smart.

I walked to school today so I could have an opportunity to talk to her. I expected her to jump at my offer but she rather seemed uninterested to me.

It felt like didn't even give a shit about me in the first place because she lied she worked at a pub,she probably lied because she didn't want to hangout with me in case I asked.

My phone beeped,a text from my dad came in, reminding me to wear a tuxedo and tie and to also ensure my date was properly dressed.

I rolled my eyes. The old man always threw dinners and introduced me to his business associates, telling them I would take over the business when I'm done with college.

He didn't care if I wasn't interested in the business or not.

I heaved a sigh,I couldn't take Bianca home for the dinner,the one time I did,she got drunk and created a mess,my dad was so mad he said he never wanted to see her in our home again.

I text Makayla quickly, asking her to be my date. Makayla and I were friends since birth,she was more of a sister and I knew she'd turn up for me.

"You look smart in that tie"Makayla said, playfully nugding me.

The dinner was in full swing, business men I recognized from dad's office were in attendance.

Dad talked about how I was going into business as usual. I slipped out of their discussion unnoticed.

Makayla and I were seated at the backyard.

"Oh please"I say, taking a long swig of my beer.

"My son is going to be a great business man,he's definitely going to take over the company"she said, mimicking dad.

I laughed lightly.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if my parents care about what I really want for myself"

"My parents don't really care,so long as I don't get into trouble"she said.

"That's way better than forcing kids into what they don't have passion for"I sighed

"I got detention today"she said, changing the topic

"Let me guess,Mrs Smith?"

"Of course,she's one bitter lady"she said, twisting her face like Mrs Smith did when ever she was mad.

"Oh I was in detention with Elizabeth,she got there because of you"she continued

There was the slightest flutter in my heart.

"I didn't mean to get her in trouble,I was only teasing her and boom,Mrs Smith came"

"Well I talked to her"

"You did?"

"Yeah,she pretty chill"

"Oh"

I didn't want to tell Makayla that I spoken to her before so I left it at that.