two

Prom: 2 months, 1 week, 5 days away

"Hey Tay, good weekend?" Brad asked me as me and Shannon took our seats on the back row of the room.

"Yeah, it was good. Shannon made me buy a new suit." I said, with a small chuckle. "It's a good thing prom is still a couple months away."

"You're telling me!" Shannon said, plonking into her seat. "I still have to find a dress. I'm thinking purple or maybe blue."

"Are we still going together?" I asked her.

"Oh, yeah definitely. Right, the suit, blue it is." She muttered and scribbled it in the back of her school journal. "Brad, have you got your suit sorted yet?"

"Yeah, I saw this really cool, bright pink suit in the shop opposite Richmond's café." He said. I looked to Shannon and we both started laughing. Brad have us a confused look as he stood on his chair, reaching upwards. "What?"

"Shan tried to get me to buy it as well." I laughed

"Okay everyone, settle down." Mr. Jones said. "Bradley, sit down." When I looked back at Brad, he was pulling his tie down from one of the lights.

"Sorry sir, one of the guys threw it up there earlier." Brad said. He had a group of friends he called the guys, I don't think I've ever heard him use their actual names.

"Right. Today, we will be starting a new unit. We are leaving behind the wonderful world of the periodic table and entering the interesting world of the universe. As a starting point, how about we focus on planetary positioning and formation." I hung my head low and groaned. I was a science prodigy, my best area being physics (universe and stuff). This stuff was child's play. "I know you feel you do not need to pay attention to all of this,Taylor, but I expect you to listen. You could always use a refresher." Mr. Jones was looking at me, eyebrows raised. "Good. Now, who can tell me the order of the planets? I know it's childish, but it is needed for your exams." His eyes scanned the room, I refused to raise my hand to answer. I wouldn't entertain him. " No one? Okay, what about you Taylor."

"I don't think I need to prove my intelligence to the rest of the class." I said. "Not a chance."

"Okay. We start with Mercury, then we have Venus...." His voice trailed off, I tilted my head and stared at the ceiling, watching the lights that hung from the ceiling flicker and blink.

"Tay, are you even listening?" Shannon asked.

"Why should I?" I asked. "I learnt this stuff in year four whilst everyone else was busy sticking crayons up their noses. It's boring, going over the same stuff."

-------

I walked from the counter to the table where Shannon was waiting for me. Brad was off having lunch with 'the guys'.

"Ugh, chili." I said as I sat down opposite her. "It's really gross, it's like tar."

"That's why I bring my own." She said and opened the plastic tub on the table. Inside sat a salad. Greens, reds and yellows sprouting from the near clear plastic.

"I think I'll stick with the chili. Can't stand rabbit food." I laughed. I spooned some into my mouth and had to spit it into my napkin. I stuck the spoon into the centre of the red mush and let go. The spoon stood upright in the bowl. "Wow, there's me thinking it couldn't get much worse."

"You were wrong." She laughed and flicked the end of the spoon. It didn't move. "So how are you feeling about double P.E after lunch?" She knew I hated sport, it's not like I wasn't good at it. I just didn't see the point of it.

"Ugh. Just don't. I've been stuck with rugby." I groaned. "Two ours of running around a field, carrying and egg shaped ball whilst dodging homicidal tanks running at me full force. Great, ecstatic."

"Ethan will be playing as well." She smirked.

"And"

"It means you can pummel him without getting into trouble. You can take him down with as much force as you want." She said. "And it's part of the rules." I smiled down at my bowl.

"You're a sociopath" I said. "A little scary sometimes too."

"You know it." She said back. "Anyway, I've been thinking, you really need to get yourself a girlfriend."

"Shan, we've been over this." I sighed. "I don't want a girlfriend. All I care about is getting into a really good college, then a really good university. I haven't got time for a girlfriend. Besides, what's the point. There's no one here who actually likes me." For the past year, Shannon had been trying to get me a girlfriend. Every time she tried, I shot her down.

"That's not strictly true." She smirked. "A little birdy tells me that Sian has a thing for you." I turned to look at Sian, her long brown hair curling around her shoulders, her glasses sat on the bridge of her nose making her hazel eye look huge. I smiled and watched the blood rise her cheeks. "Don't tease the poor girl."

"I'm not, it's just a smile." I argued

"Yeah, the smile that could win the heart of absolutely anybody." She said. "If you're going to get with her, don't toy with her feeling like you did with the last one." I shot her a dark look. I had been trying to forget about Amy. We were together for a few months, and admittedly, I got bored. Because of that, I started to plant things around my room. A hairband here, a lipstick lid there. She went mad with jealously until I ended things,telling her I was seeing someone else, which I wasn't. When the truth came out, she told me I was a narcissist and that ' just because I had intelligence, it didn't mean I could play with people's emotions like the strings of a guitar '.

"Amy was different." I said, taking another disgusting mouthful of chili.

"Yeah, how?"

"She was a psyco before we got together. I just revealed the truth of what she was really like." I defended. Shannon huffed a laugh a looked down into her half eaten lunch.

"You are unbelievable." She muttered

"I know. C'mon, lunch is almost over. We should head to the sports hall before sprin gets his shorts in a twist." I said reluctantly. She packed away the remains of her salad and stood up, slinging her handbag over her arm.

"Ugh, kill me now." She said. "I've been put with the hockey girls. All they talk about is which guy has the best package or what they're going to wear to the next party. I don't know if I can stand it anymore."

"I'd rather that then listen to the guys compare the size of their gents." I said cringing. "But then again, it's practically the same thing."  We laughed as we approached the massive looming building that was the sports hall. It's grey and turquoise walls growing from the ground in a shape that haunted my dreams. Sports. Most of the year group er were waiting outside the doors, Mr sprin stood at the front.

"Okay, shut up!." He yelled. "Everyone knows where they're going, get changed and be on the field in ten minutes." We filed through the doors and made our way to the changing rooms.

"Have fun with rugby." Shannon laughed.

"Yeah cheers." I said. I stepped into the guys changing room and went straight to my corner. I had taken possession of it in year nine. The changing room was just a square room with a bench and hooks running around the edge. Showers at one end, toilets at the other. I shot my bag down as Ethan took his spot beside me. P.E was the only time we were civil. We had something in common. We both hated sports. Once changed, I tied the places on my stud boots and flicked my way out to the field.

"Okay boys, rugby. Team captains, Bradley and William." Mr sprin announced "go ahead, pick your teams." I allowed my mind to occupy itself, I know how this went. They would through all the sporty people first, then choose between me and Ethan. A card of who would look better on their team. I had accepted this a long time ago. Mind, go wherever you-

"Taylor" Brad announced first, shocking me from my reverie. I walked over to him and he meant over to me. "Use that brain box of yours when teams are picked. I wanna know our chances."

"Uh yeah sure." I answered. I stood beside Brad was he and will took turns listing off names. With each name Brad said, I added weight - on average - and strength. Once both teams were picked, I pulled Brad aside.

"What you got?" He asked.

"Well, on our team we definitely have the strength factor, but the others have weight with Cameron. I mean, he's big but not that strong. We have the whippet," due to his small state and quick speed, he earthy p earnt the nickname and it died him well. "So we should be good." I told him.

"Nice, I knew you would be a good choice." He smiled.

"Okay teams, to your halves." Once in position, sprin blew the whistle.