Matt
Over the next few days, it became a routine for me to sit with the girls at lunch. I had always been labeled as a loner because I tended to stay quiet and keep to myself with only my books for company. I had been teased for it, amongst other things, all throughout elementary and middle school and as a result, didn’t have any friends so it actually came as a relief when Addison called out for me to sit with them on that first day. She saved me from having to wolf down my lunch at an empty table before spending the rest of the period holed up in the library. Not that I would have minded too much. I was obsessed with reading and libraries had always been somewhat of a sanctuary to me after my mom died when I was real little. I found that getting lost in a good book was the perfect distraction.
However, now it appeared that I had myself a different distraction in the form of one mysterious brunette and her outspoken friend with the pretty green eyes. I found myself actually quite liking them both and was amazed that I didn’t balk at their company like I tended to do with most others. Maybe it was because they were actually nice to me. I kept waiting for the day though when I would set my tray of food down at their table as they broke out into giggles and confess the whole thing had been a prank so could I please leave them alone, but that day never came. There had to have been some catch though.
I quickly caught on that Addison was quite popular and adored by her classmates so I couldn’t fathom why she chose to have lunch with Matt, the boy that was regarded as a wimp and a loser because he couldn’t keep it together and had cried nearly every day for the first couple of years after his mom had passed. She tended to be blunt so I knew if she had an opinion on me, it should have come out by now.
Regardless, I still found myself thinking that she was cool and fun to be around. It didn’t hurt either that she was really pretty but she was a flirt and had most of the boys in the freshman and sophomore class wrapped around her finger so a guy would do well to stay away from any kind of romantic entanglement with her. She was out to break hearts. Not that I would have gone after her anyways. She was too girly and high maintenance for my taste. She wore bright clothing, thought of glitter as its own color, and nearly cried when she broke a nail opening a can of coke.
Vanessa was nothing like that. She was far more reserved and seemed like she was contemplating every thought before she spoke it. And when she did speak, she had an intelligence about her that left me hanging on her every word. However, she was far from boring. She was witty and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we shared the same sarcastic sense of humor. We often found ourselves joking about things that the other students would do. Like the time Tommy Smith thought that he would try and be smooth and plant a kiss on Ally Hart while she was leaning up against her locker but she had ducked out of his grasp at the last second and instead, he ended up locking lips with the metal.
Like me, she didn’t care to follow trends or try to be something she was not. She wasn’t like everyone else our age and didn’t make a fool out of herself just to try and impress others. She didn’t need to fit in. She was just herself and I admired that about her.
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As the summer gave way into the fall, I began to look forward to our lunches together as well as the math class I shared with her. A fast friendship had formed between us and although I considered Addison to be a friend as well, I felt more of a deeper connection with Vanessa. Addison and I had the teasing kind of friendship that resembled that of a brother and sister but with Vanessa, I found that it was something different. We shared similar interests such as our passion for books and love of astronomy and the more I got to know her, the easier it was to talk to her. I had begun to find myself opening up to her even though I had generally remained closed off to others.
I was used to the whispers and snickers that I would get from my classmates as I walked by, saying things like,
“Matt went two whole days without crying; I think that’s a new record for him,” or “There he goes reading his book again. He’s such a loser,” but as I entered into high school I found that slowly the snide remarks had changed into something of a completely different caliber.
“When did Matt get so cute?”
“I think he’s dating Vanessa though. They’re always together.”
“What does a guy like him see in a timid girl like her anyways?”
And just like that, I had gone from being labeled as quiet and closed off to brooding and mysterious. Funny, how all it had taken was one summer and an upgrade to my wardrobe for me to now be viewed as a hot commodity instead of something the girls just used to giggle at and run away from. Well, I suppose they still did that but it was no longer because they were making fun of me, it was because I made them nervous. However, I paid them no mind. Their cutting remarks from years prior had stuck with me and I had learned who was actually genuine and who was nothing but a fake.
As far as Vanessa went, the assumptions that I was dating her didn’t bother me and I never felt the need to correct them. We knew what the truth was and that was all that mattered. Ok, so maybe I could admit that she was attractive but I didn’t much think of her in that way. I didn’t really think of any girl in that way, yet. Other boys my age had begun dating but I was still content with just being single. I supposed that when I got a little older I would entertain the idea of having a girlfriend but for now, it was off the table. I was only 15 after all.
***
Vanessa
“Do you think Matt will ever ask me out?” I plopped my lunch tray down on the table as I slid into a seat across from Addison.
She licked chocolate pudding off of her spoon before pointing the utensil at me. “Why don’t you ask him out?”
Widening my eyes, I shook my head. “You know I could never be brave enough to do that. It’s not fair,” I pouted as I crossed my arms. “All the other girls in our class have boyfriends. When will a boy ever want to date me?”
Addison put her pudding cup down and clasped my hand between hers. “Hey now, don’t sell yourself short. Alex Banks would date you in a heartbeat. He’s been drooling over you since the 7th grade.”
I wrinkled my nose. “He doesn’t count, Addie. I don’t think he even knows what a shower is. I want a hunk like Matt, with dreamy blue-grey eyes and hair that I can run my fingers through,” I gushed, imaging what our children would like. I was sure as long as they had most of his genes, they would be absolutely gorgeous.
Addison rolled her eyes. “Here we go.”
I had maybe just been ever so slightly obsessing over Matt for the past couple of months and Addison was no doubt growing tired of it. She had admitted that she thought he was really good-looking but had immediately backed off from pursuing him after she began to realize that I was developing a full-blown crush on him. That’s how our friendship was. We didn’t compete over boys and whoever had an interest in the guy first got to have dibs.
She was quite understanding about the whole thing, however, I was pretty sure she would probably still take a fork to her brain if she had to hear one more time about “how beautiful Matt’s eyes were” or the leg brush under the table that had me bugging her for days about whether she thought it was intentional or not. She remained a supportive friend nonetheless and never complained or told me to just get over it.
I continued to go on about Matt and his cute dimple until suddenly, Addison let out a loud cough. “Code Red. Code Red,” she hissed.
I instantly sat upright, pretending to be engrossed in my pizza. She had just used the secret phrase we had come up with to alert each other when Matt was approaching and that all topics of conversation surrounding him must cease.
Addison scrambled to change the subject, blurting out the first thing that came to her mind. “So yea, I just really like flamingoes,” she said lamely.
Matt gave her a weird look as he slid into the seat beside her. “How long have you been holding that juicy confession in for?” he quipped. Raising one eyebrow, he added, “If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn you two ladies were just gossiping about me.”
The color drained from my face as I exchanged a worried look with Addison. Crap. How much had he overheard? I poked at my green beans with my fork, refusing to make eye contact with him. I was so sure my secret crush had just been blown.
Luckily, Addison, thinking quickly on her feet, piped up. She snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself, Matthew. We were just discussing our periods and didn’t think you would want to hear about that.” She looked pointedly at him. “Unless of course, you want us to continue because I’ve got some killer cramps right now and-“
Matt held his hands over his ears, a disgusted look on his face. “No. Please don’t. I’ve already heard more than enough.” He busied himself opening his milk carton, the slightest hint of a blush coloring his skin. I wonder if he knew how absolutely adorable he was when he was embarrassed.
Addison smirked at me from across the table. “Ok then, if you insist but I could really use some Midol right about now.” She nudged him in the ribs. “You happen to have any?”
He spit out his drink, quickly busying himself with wiping up his mess. I silently breathed a sigh of relief before mouthing a “Thank you” to Addison. Maybe that didn’t make the situation any less mortifying but at least my secret was still safe and for now, that would do.
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