Chapter 7| Why Does Your Nose Run And Your Feet Smell?

*•‘Do you wonder who's gonna be captain next season?’‘Not really, do you wanna be?’‘And be stuck with the expectations of being as good as you? No thanks.’•*

Brandon Bishops & Jason Macaulay.

I sat in my English class with my head bent as I scribbled down the home assignments the teacher, Mrs Higgins was calling out like we were robots or something who had perfect hearing skills and photographic memory.

I guess I can say I'm a bit used to it because I managed to get down all of what she was saying but my handwriting looked all squished together.

“And finally,”Mrs Higgins said as she clasped her hands together in front of her,“I've figured out your end of term projects. You are to write an essay on your plans for the future. I want your essays not less than a thousand words and for the seniors, you can use this opportunity to carry out research on your college applications because I want plans of college included in the essays too.”

Great.

Just great.

And here I was thinking I still had two years to think about what I wanted to do with my life.

Not that I was particularly clueless because there the option of becoming a doctor like mom but then again, blood made me sick so that was scratched off the imaginary list.

As Mrs Higgins waited for questions to be asked about the assignment, the final bell was heard and students got up from their seats and began to exit the classroom chattering away with their friends.

I picked my books off my desk and as I made my way out the classroom, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

I had taken my sweater off after first period with Lizzie and now it was time for lunch so I was going to my locker to grab mine and later I would join Liz and Sydney at the cafeteria.

Mom or dad packed a lunch for me every morning, well most mornings and I loved it.

I had nothing on my school's cafeteria but sometimes– well, all the time–it was a bit too expensive.

A medium bag of chips for a whole twenty dollars. That was outrageous. Yes, most of the student popular were kids of millionaires but that's just wrong.

I turned to see Jason standing there in ripped jeans, white tee, a blue plaid shirt, Converses and a welcoming smile on his face.

“Hey,”he greeted,“your prediction was right.”

“My what?”I asked confused.

“You predicted that we'd see each other in English and here we are, ”Jason smiled, a hint of amusement in his tone.

A smile tugged at my lips and the next thing I know, sacarsm was rolling of my tongue.

“It’s called a class schedule, Jason,”I told him, “I'm pretty sure I don't have a sixth sense. If I did, I would have noticed by now.”

He let out a small chuckle as he fell into step beside me.

“Where are you headed?”he asked as we stepped into the hall and I felt the other students stares burning into my back.

“U-umm,”I stammered as I pushed my glasses up my nose bridge,“my locker and since it's lunch, I'm heading to the cafeteria afterwards to meet up with my friends.”

“I'm meeting Brandon there too,”Jace said and I turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised as I sensed something out of place.

Well not out of place but a bit unexpected I guess.

“Are you trying to walk me to my locker or something?”I asked and he rubbed behind his neck.

“Or something,” he said and as my lips moved to ask what he meant by that, the words stuck in my throat.

Everyone was staring.

Every single soul.

I heard their whispers which were hardly quiet seeing I could hear them from three feet away.

Who's she?

Are they dating?

Is she a new student?

Isn't that the girl Lizzie is always with?

I know her, she's in my mathematics class.

I regretted wearing my hair in a ponytail.

If I had my hair down I could have hidden my face from them.

This wasn't what I had meant my twinkling last night, was it?

I didn't want attention.

I just wanted to enjoy my junior year.

“I think you should go,”I whispered my discomfort to Jace and he turned to face me.“They’re are all staring. I don't want any rumors.”

“But we’re friends,” he said,“aren't friends supposed to hang out together at least?”

“We are friends, ”I said to him, convincing myself of that too,“but let's hang out later instead of now.”

And would you look at that?

I was actually doing this whole friendship thing with Jason.

“But–”Jace began but couldn't complete his sentence as one of his many friends called out his name from further down the hall.

“Yo! Jason!”

I recognized the owner of the voice as the jocks team captain.

I had a class with him during second period.

His name was at the tip of my tongue but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Surrounding the captain were a few other guys, some of which were members of the football team and others were not.

A familiar smirk caught my attention and I remembered the captains name instantly.

Owen Black.

Matt's bestfriend.

I'd seen him around a couple times, seeing Matt's my neighbor and all but I guess I kinda forgot he existed because Matt hasn't been around for a while.

After Jason quit the team last year, the football coach moved all the spot light to the second next best thing after Brandon refused the position.

Though Owen was constantly compared to Jason, the two seemed to harbor no hatred for one another.

If anything, they were buddies because some of the times I had seen Jason, he was with Brandon and Owen talking about something in the halls and the three of them would be laughing like they were brothers or something.

I guess they were Owen's step in friends with Matt being at Britain then.

As Owen took long strides towards us, panic filled me.

“I'll see you later,”I mumbled to Jace before I took the quickest exit; down the hall on my left.

I heard Jace call my name but I didn't turn back.

I couldn't.

I know I said that I wanted to ‘twinkle’ but this wasn't what I had meant.

The more people you know, the more drama you have to deal with and drama was the last thing I wanted.

Not now, not ever.

✿

I stared at the picture at the side of my locker.

I never really paid attention to it because it's been there for quite a while.

It was of Mg, Lizzie and I from before Mg for college.

It was also Lizzie and I’s of high school.

Lizzie and her dad had decided to come pick me up and my mom took the picture.

Lizzie wore the brightest smile and on that day you could feel her excitement from Jupiter.

She had her blonde hair in set of bouncy, beautiful curls behind her, a bubble gum pink shirt, a white skirt and white rain girl boots.

Mg wore his University T-shirt and an uncomfortable look on his face.

Then I, who stood between Mg and Liz, wasn't even looking at the camera.

I wore pair and light blue jeans, blue, purple and black plaid shirt and black Converses. My hair was styled into two pigtails.

I was staring at my mom so my eyes were focused a bit above the camera.

I felt a buzz in my side pocket and I pulled my phone out.

ẞIGẞRØTH3R

I’m sorry for this morning

11:03am.

6ã6ySîster

Me too(ᗒᗩᗕ) 11:04am.

Can we talk about it later? 11:04am.

ẞIGẞRØTH3R

At the store?

I can be there after

your school's over

11:04am.

6ã6ySîster

I’ll be there

11:05am.

ẞIGẞRØTH3R

I’ll always be there

for you Si 11:06am.

6ã6ySîster

I know 11:06am.

I love you too 11:06am.

I tucked my phone back into my jeans pocket then I took out my lunch from my locker and let my feet lead me to the cafeteria.

A minute later, I walked into the cafeteria and then I made my way to the regular table I shared with Liz.

Liz was there but Sydney was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Syd?”I asked as I took out a fresh green apple from the brown paper bag my lunch was packed in.

“She decided to skip with Owen, ”Lizzie said, her usual enthusiasm lacking in her voice.

I studied my best friend carefully.

“Are you okay?”I asked.

Liz bit on her bottom lip as she gave me a weird look.

“Remember how you said you'd never go to another party again? ”Lizzie asked and I nodded.

“Yeah,”I told her,“and I plan on–”

“I need you to go to a party with me on Sunday,”Lizzie blurted and I stared at her questionably.

Did she just ask that?

“No,”I said defiantly, “I am not going to another party and especially not one that's on a school night.”

“Si,”Lizzie drawled out, her tone pleading,“please?”

“I can't go,”I told her,“my parents won't let me.”

“But it’s a bff emergency,”Lizzie cried like she would have back when we were thirteen or something, “Brandon asked me to be his date to the Halloween party on Sunday.”

“I thought you guys were going to go watch a movie or eat at some fancy restaurant,”I wondered.

“Me too,”Liz pouted, “that's why I was talking about movies and stuff all morning.”

“Can't they just move it to Saturday or something?”I asked her.

“So you'll go?”Lizzie asked hopefully.

“Nope,”I told her, popping the P.

“Well, they can't have a Halloween party on a day that not Halloween, Si,” she said with the pout reappearing on her lips.

“Lizzie I can't go to another party, ”I told her,“it's hot, loud and sweaty and this time the host might not to nice enough to let us stay the night.”

“Okay,”Lizzie let out a disappointed sigh, “I'll tell Brandon it's a no on the date.”

“Why?”I asked, confused on why she making her decisions based on mine.

“Because I'll be a mess,” Lizzie cried like it was the most obvious thing in the world,“I'll stutter and drink and say random shit like ‘why does your nose run and your feet smell?’”

“Why does your nose run and your feet smell?”I wondered.

“Because life isn't fair,”Lizzie said with a huff.

“You'll be fine,”I said, “you can do this. It's just a date.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because I know you,”I told her matter of factly,“You'll wing it. I know it.”

“I don't want to wing it,”Lizzie said.

“Then don't,”I said,“you walk into that on Sunday and you be that amazing girl I've known all my life.”

Lizzie sighed,“I guess I can do this.”

✧

I waited till all the other students in my English-literature class had left before I made my way to the door.

As the last period of the day, the noise in the halls were so much worst.

“Hey,”a voice beside me and I turned to see Jason leaning against the wall beside the English-literature classroom.

“Oh, hey,”I said nervously as I studied his features for any sign of annoyance.

I mean, I literally ran away from the guy a few hours ago.

“So about earlier,” Jason said as he fell into step beside me.

“I'm sorry,”I blurted out but then a lie followed behind,“Lizzie had emergency and she needed my help ASAP.”

“Oh,”Jason nodded like he had an understanding of girl drama or something if that sorts,“Did it have anything to do with her date with Brandon?”

“You know about it?”I asked before I mentally face palmed myself.

Of course he knew.

Brandon is his bestfriend.

“Yeah, he's had a crush on Elizabeth since last year, ” Jason told me,“but don't tell her that. We don't want her any more nervous that she already is.”

“How do you know she nervous?”I asked.

“I have an older sister,” Jason shrugged.

“Umm, I'll try then,”I said though I wasn't sure I'd be able to.

I've never kept anything from Lizzie before.

Ever.

“Are you coming?” Jason asked as I stopped at the middle part of the hallway.

I stared ahead all while resisting the urge to bend my head to side and examine his features more effectively.

Was he trying to walk t me to my locker?

“Coming where?”I asked, going my notebook close to my chest.

Jason chuckled before he answered, “your locker,” he said matter of factly,“isn't that what happens when you leave the classroom with someone?”

I blinked once, then twice before I stammered up a reply.

“U-umm, no,”I said,“this is the part where we go out seperate ways.”

“But I want to walk to your locker,” Jason said slowly, probably wondering why I was acting so strangely.

But why? I wanted to ask but I stopped myself.

“Okay,”I nodded as Jason and I slowly fell into step again.

Not slowly as in slow motion or anything but a bit awkwardly I guess.

He seemed like he was thinking about something and I stared away from him, looking straight ahead not wanting to be accused for checking him out.

“So are you coming to the party?” Jason asked and I pushed my glasses up my nose bridge and shook my head–no.

“Not really your scene, huh?” Jason asked and I nodded.

“Yeah, especially not after last time,”I said as we came to a stop at locker and I put in my combination.

“It's at Brandon’s house so I'm sure you can sleepover if it comes to that again,” he said.

“Yeah, I guess but the party's on a school night and I already told Lizzie and my parents that I wasn't going to parties anymore,”I said as I pulled my bag from my locker and stuffed it with books.

“But you came to mine,” he pointed out,“was there a particular reason why?”

“Not really,”I shrugged,“I didn't want to but Lizzie forced me to.”

I noticed Jason's lips move to speak.

Not that I was staring at them or anything as gross as that but anyway, I never got to hear what he was going to say because someone else spoke.

A shrilly girly voice that I had never heard before but I could guess it's owner.

“Jason,”Alisha Warren drawled out as she appeared at Jason’s side with a small pout on her pink lipgloss covered lips, “I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing in the part of the hallway anyway?”

As Alisha Warren's brown eyes wandered around for the reason, they noticed me.

They were confused for a second then all of a sudden, they lit up like a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

“Oh my Gosh, hi,” She said,“you must be Sasha right? Jason told me about you. You know, most people have no alcohol tolerance so it's pretty normal.”

I started at her a bit confused.

Was this actually happening right now?

Mean cheer team captain staking her claim on the most popular guy at school but in this case lawn tennis team captain.

“It's Sienna,”I corrected.

“I'm sorry,”Alisha smiled,“I'm Alisha by the way. My friends call my Ali or Al or Lisha or just Alisha. It's nice to finally meet you.”

Jason was about to speak again but this time he was cut off by this phone ringing in his pocket.

“Excuse me,”he said as he pulled it out of his jean pocket and walked a bit backwards to take the call.

Alisha watched as he retreated before she turned back to me still wearing a smile which I was beginning to think it was permanently plastered on her face.

“Precious, isn't he?” She said as pulled her long brown hair to rest on her shoulders.

“What?”I asked confused.

“Jason,” she pointed out,“Most guys don't even have the courtesy to leave a conversation the right way and he's so lovable and chilvarous, right?”

Before I could offer a reply, she continued,“Like how he let a stranger sleepover at his house and how he's being so friendly though he doesn't owe you anything.”

I searched Alisha's face for any kind hidden meaning or annoyance behind what she said.

I found none.

She seemed like she just blunt.

“You could just fall in love with him,” she giggled and then stopped,“wait, do you have a crush on him?”

I stared her blankly.

I couldn't believe it.

My life has actually turned to one of those teen romance novels I loved to read.

I started at Jason Macaulay and then back at Alisha.

The answer was so obvious.

“No,”I said, staring at Jason, “I don't like him. We're just friends I guess.”

Alisha's eyebrows were raised as she stared at me in confusion.

They were perfectly plucked, her eyebrows I mean and so was the rest of her.

Her eyelashes were curled and no, they weren't false lashes.

Her lipstick was applied to perfection and her light brown hair was styled in a sleek ponytail.

“You guess? ”she questioned, “what does that mean?”

“Nothing really, ”I said as I chewed on my lip.

Guess I couldn't just give a straight answer.

“Thank God,”Alisha breathed, “I kinda have feelings for him but we've been friends since forever and he basically sees me as his little sister because he does all this little things for that proves we'd be so perfect together but he's not really catching on so sucks to be Alisha right?”

“U-umm,”I stammered, unsure of what to say.

Alisha let out a small laugh as she smoothened out her white school tennis skirt.

“I know,” she said though she understood me even though I hadn't said anything,“This is so awkward.”

Tell me about it.

“No offense to you though,”she quickly added,“I actually like you. You're pretty and I love your hair, is it natural?”

I nodded,“Yeah, it is.”

“I love it,”Alisha repeated with as much enthusiasm,“and I also love that you're acting so cool. Other girls would be like ‘Omg! Alisha you're so pretty!’ but you're just chill, I like that. I can see why Jason is friends with you.”

“Thanks,”I said honestly and just then Jason decided to rejoin us.

“Can we leave now? ”Alisha asked him before she turned back to me, offering an explanation I didn't mind or ask for,“Jason is helping my bestfriend Belvia and I shop for Halloween costumes for Brandon's party on Sunday. Don't you just love her name?”

“Yeah, I should probably get going,”I told them as I shut my locker,“I'm meeting up with someone.”

“Who?”Jason asked and Alisha elbowed his side.

“Ja-son,”she scolded,“it's know of your business.”

“Sorry,”Jason chuckled and Alisha rolled her eyes.

I could tell they were always like this.

I was beginning to understand what she meant by her little sister statement.

I really hope it works out for them. They'd make the best couple.

“But do have a costume for the party?”Alisha asked kindly,“it’s a costume party after all. I honestly think you'd look great in a butterfly costume–Oh! You can put your hair in this cute updo and it would totally match your necklace. I mean look at it, it's so pretty! And you could put flowers in your hair too and– ”

“I'm not,”I shook my head and Alisha stared at me, confused,“I'm not going. Parties aren't really my scene and it’s a school night so I can't.”

“Oh, okay,”Alisha said as she linked her arm with Jason's,“guess we'll see you around then Sienna.”