19A/N: Um...I own everything except Led Zeppelin.
Love by Stalking
Chapter one
April and I met in kindergarten. I remember the first day of school when both of us were in the same class. I was building a tower of brightly colored blocks and I was just about to put a fluorescent pink one at the very top when that bitch came and walked right through it. So I punched her in the face. Yup! We hit it off right from the start.
Nine years later. Sophomores in high school. Same school, as it has been for the past nine years. I'm wondering how on earth I was able to stay sensible hanging out with April all my life. Nine years is a long time to be friends with the insane. April, Madison (who we met in first grade), and I invented our own little clique. The...April, Madison, and Namine clique. No one else is allowed to join.
It's the first day of school. April, Madison, and I sit in the back row of desks in our homeroom while Mrs. Sanderson goes on and on in her monotonous, droning voice about what we're supposed to do, where we're supposed to go, how we're supposed to act, you know the drill. I roll my eyes. We're sophomores, lady. We know this stuff already.
"Do you think she puts us to sleep on purpose?" April whispers to me. "Or is she just this boring by nature?"
"I think she's like this naturally," I say. "Eric told me when he was in her class she was so boring she fell asleep herself. Right in the middle of a lecture."
She snorts. "If it's Eric who said it, it's obviously an exaggeration."
"He would know. He practically lived here with her, what with all the detentions he got."
"April Hillman," Mrs. Sanderson says. "Namine Marshall. Would you like to tell the class what you two are so interested in that you would be discussing it in my class?"
April answers without hesitation. "Boys," she says, shrugging. "What else?"
Mrs. Sanderson glares at her with evil eyes and adjusts her enormous glasses. "Well, then, Ms. Hillman," she says, "I suggest you reserve your 'boy talk' for after class. Same goes for you Ms. Marshall."
April and I nod vigorously and the rest of the class snickers. Mrs. Sanderson is one of the hardest teachers to fool, but when April tells you she's talking about boys, you'd better believe her.
Let me tell you this now, April is super guy crazy. She's had a at least five different boyfriends per year ever since fifth grade. It's usually her who asks the guys out, instead of the other way around. She doesn't have to worry about them turning her down because it's been proven that no guy will miss a chance to date the cutest girl in school. She's got long, silky, light brown hair and her cheeks have just enough freckles to make her look like a doll next to my dull, thin dark hair and pale skin that makes me look creepy. She just dumped her previous boyfriend a few weeks ago when she got bored with him so she's free to go around crushing on other guys now.
I look around the classroom, trying to guess who April's next victim will be. Andrew Connors, star of the basketball team? No, too tall and skinny. Gary Walters, maybe. He's in the chess club and had a 4.0 every grading period last year. No, too nerdy (but why she finds nerdy bad, I have no idea). My eyes rest on a tall dark haired boy. His long strait hair is dangling almost down to his shoulders and covering half his face. Only the tip of his long, thin nose and what's below it is showing. What I can see of his cheeks are freckled and he's wearing a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and jeans. Probably him.
Homeroom ends and we all run out into the hall to get to our next class. Both April and Madison catch up with me and we walk in the same direction, even though our first periods are all the way across the school from the other's. "What do you have for first period?"
I look at my schedule. "Math," I say. "Mr. Williams."
"Science," April says. "Ms. Jennings."
"Phooey," pouts Madison. "I got history with Mr. Myers. I heard he, like, eats kids for breakfast."
I nod my head, the tips of my longish bangs scratching my cheeks and making them itch. "Not the whole kid. He guts them first, puts the intestines and liver in a tupperware for lunch and puts the rest of the insides in the fridge for dinner. He only eats the skin for breakfast."
"Gross, Namine!" Madison makes a face. "You're, like, disgusting!"
April grips my arm. "Oh my god," she whispers.
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Um...April? I was joking..."
"No, Namine. Look!" I follow her finger and see a tall sandy-haired boy. He's surrounded by a dozen popular guys and even more girls, all giggling like little children. He smiles flirtatiously at one of them, and his teeth are strait and white. April sighs dreamily. "Isn't he gorgeous?"
I look from her to the boy and back to her. "Sure, April," I say. "You keep thinking that."
Madison puts an arm around April's shoulder. "He's gorgeous alright," she says. "You should, like, ask him out." Madison is one of those girls who puts 'like' after every other word.
"God, Madison! Don't encourage her!"
Madison ignores me, instead whispering in April's ear, "You, like, barely know anything about him, though. How can you, like, ask him out when you, like, don't even know what his name is? You should, like, stalk him and, like, get his phone number and address and, like, locker number. Then, like, ask him out."
"Yeah!" April says and I roll my eyes. "Wait, no! I know! You guys stalk him so he doesn't know I like him. Then tell me what you see and then I'll ask him out."
"How much will you, like, pay me?"
"A quarter for everything you find out."
"Five dollars."
"One dollar."
"Three fifty."
"Two."
"Deal!" They shake hands.
I start playing with a strand of hair, twisting it through my fingers. "You guys...are you sure you should be doing this? Zane is a senior. He's major league. You are little league."
"You know who he is?"
"Duh. He's been the most popular guy in school since forever."
"Then you can help!"
I groan, sorry I let his name escape the safety of my own head. Yeah, I know who he is. Zane is the most popular guy in school. No wait, let me correct myself. He's the most popular person in school, female or male. Nearly everybody who is anybody knows who he is, but only the most perfect, beautiful, popular people can hang out with him. That would include the cheerleaders, the football team (most of the basketball players are too tall and lanky, and most of the popular kids think volleyball is a girls' sport), and anyone who is well known. The nerds and ugly people like me steer clear of them when they come into view for fear of getting beaten up by a football player for not being perfect, beautiful, and popular.
I'm actually surprised April hadn't known who Zane was. I'm sure she should have noticed him and fallen madly in love with him before this. It's almost too late now, him being a senior and on his way out of this madhouse.
My thoughts are interrupted by the hideous clanging of the bell. I give a little squeak of surprise and wave to my friends before running to class. God, late to the first period on the first day of school. And after enduring April drooling over Zane for a whole, what, five minutes? This is going to be a long school year.
A/N: Here's the drill: If you liked it, review. If not...review to tell me what I need to fix. That would make everybody happy!
I'll make it easy on you. No updates until I get at least two reviews. That way I'll know at least SOMEONE is reading and I'm not wasting my time.
-Demented Cookies