You're Not in this Alone
You're Not in this Alone
Sasha put her chin on her arms in that familiar bored gesture and sighed, waiting for the bell.
This is so boring, she thought, I already know all this.
She noticed an error in the teacher’s work, but didn’t bother telling him. He’d only find a way to save his pride and make her look like an idiot. It wasn’t worth the effort.
Sasha’s best friend, Ira, sat next to her, tearing a piece of paper into strips. Sasha resisted the urge to jerk the paper out of Ira’s hands and throw it into the rubbish bin. Instead she turned away, staring out the window. Not a breath of air entered the room, and Sasha was half asleep.
Suddenly the bell rang, and half the class jumped out of their seats. Sasha was not one of these. She knew better. Sure enough, the teacher turned around, waving his marker angrily.
“The bell does not dismiss you! I dismiss you!”
The class returned to their seats. After a moment of silence, the teacher nodded.
“Alright, boys and girls, you may go.”
Sasha followed Ira out of the classroom, and after stopping at their lockers to dump their books and grab their lunch boxes, they headed out to the playground. On the edge of the field they were stopped by a group of girls. Sasha’s heart sank, for she knew what that meant. Lunchtime spent alone, that’s what. The girls barely glanced at Sasha before switching their attention to Ira.
“Come eat with us, Ira. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
Ira smiled and nodded.
“I’ll see you after lunch, okay?”
Sasha nodded tiredly and turned away. There were lots of people sitting on the benches at the side of the building, and none of their company appealed much to Sasha. So she turned and walked across the field, to the shade of the trees. She sat down on the cool grass and opened her lunch box. The food was all neatly wrapped, and she pulled out some sandwiches. She had just bitten into the first one when she heard a noise above her. She looked up just in time to see a boy fall out of the tree and land right beside her. She recognized him as the shy boy in her French class.
“Hello...”
He grinned at her.
“Hi. It’s Sasha, isn’t it?”
She nodded slowly. The boy sat up.
“I’m Matt. I’m in your French class.”
“I know.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of rather squashed biscuits. After a moment he took a deep breath and said,
“Bemygirlfriend.”
Sasha looked at him.
“What did you say?”
He took another deep breath and said, more slowly,
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
Sasha blinked at him for a moment. Then she laughed.
“You’re joking, right?”
Matt shook his head. Sasha shook hers more firmly and said,
“You don’t want me. Believe me, you don’t. I’m unpopular-”
“You’re independent!”
“- I don’t have any friends-”
“You’ve got Ira...”
“- And I’m not girlfriend material.”
“But I like you...”
Sasha laughed again.
“Yeah right. You hang around with Alecsandra and James and Danielle! The brilliant, not-anti-social kids of famous people! You don’t want me!”
He set his mouth and tried again.
“Alecsandra likes you. She thinks you’re pretty cool. She wants you in our band and everything.”
“Yeah right. I can’t play anything.”
“You play guitar, and pretty damn well too, I might add.”
“So it’s the flattery game now, is it?”
“It’s only the truth. I think you’re awesome, I think you’re brilliant. Please go out with me?”
Sasha considered it. The boy sitting beside her looked eager and hopeful, and something in his face made Sasha’s heart flip over. When she considered it, Matt was not much more popular than Sasha herself. The people he hung around with were not exactly popular either. Alecsandra was a target for bullies, and her boyfriend James looked slightly nerdy... And Matt was pretty cute, and he looked so eager... Why not?
“Okay,” she said, “let’s say I do... what then?”
He launched himself onto her in a great big hug.
“You wouldn’t regret it, I promise.”
Sasha laughed.
“Okay, whatever. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
“Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
He stood up and pulled her to her feet as the bell rang. The most popular girl in Sasha’s year, Laura, walked past with her friends.
“Ooh! Sasha and Matt, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
Sasha sighed as Laura walked away. The bullies would never go away, but at least she wasn’t so alone any more...
This is so boring, she thought, I already know all this.
She noticed an error in the teacher’s work, but didn’t bother telling him. He’d only find a way to save his pride and make her look like an idiot. It wasn’t worth the effort.
Sasha’s best friend, Ira, sat next to her, tearing a piece of paper into strips. Sasha resisted the urge to jerk the paper out of Ira’s hands and throw it into the rubbish bin. Instead she turned away, staring out the window. Not a breath of air entered the room, and Sasha was half asleep.
Suddenly the bell rang, and half the class jumped out of their seats. Sasha was not one of these. She knew better. Sure enough, the teacher turned around, waving his marker angrily.
“The bell does not dismiss you! I dismiss you!”
The class returned to their seats. After a moment of silence, the teacher nodded.
“Alright, boys and girls, you may go.”
Sasha followed Ira out of the classroom, and after stopping at their lockers to dump their books and grab their lunch boxes, they headed out to the playground. On the edge of the field they were stopped by a group of girls. Sasha’s heart sank, for she knew what that meant. Lunchtime spent alone, that’s what. The girls barely glanced at Sasha before switching their attention to Ira.
“Come eat with us, Ira. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
Ira smiled and nodded.
“I’ll see you after lunch, okay?”
Sasha nodded tiredly and turned away. There were lots of people sitting on the benches at the side of the building, and none of their company appealed much to Sasha. So she turned and walked across the field, to the shade of the trees. She sat down on the cool grass and opened her lunch box. The food was all neatly wrapped, and she pulled out some sandwiches. She had just bitten into the first one when she heard a noise above her. She looked up just in time to see a boy fall out of the tree and land right beside her. She recognized him as the shy boy in her French class.
“Hello...”
He grinned at her.
“Hi. It’s Sasha, isn’t it?”
She nodded slowly. The boy sat up.
“I’m Matt. I’m in your French class.”
“I know.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of rather squashed biscuits. After a moment he took a deep breath and said,
“Bemygirlfriend.”
Sasha looked at him.
“What did you say?”
He took another deep breath and said, more slowly,
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
Sasha blinked at him for a moment. Then she laughed.
“You’re joking, right?”
Matt shook his head. Sasha shook hers more firmly and said,
“You don’t want me. Believe me, you don’t. I’m unpopular-”
“You’re independent!”
“- I don’t have any friends-”
“You’ve got Ira...”
“- And I’m not girlfriend material.”
“But I like you...”
Sasha laughed again.
“Yeah right. You hang around with Alecsandra and James and Danielle! The brilliant, not-anti-social kids of famous people! You don’t want me!”
He set his mouth and tried again.
“Alecsandra likes you. She thinks you’re pretty cool. She wants you in our band and everything.”
“Yeah right. I can’t play anything.”
“You play guitar, and pretty damn well too, I might add.”
“So it’s the flattery game now, is it?”
“It’s only the truth. I think you’re awesome, I think you’re brilliant. Please go out with me?”
Sasha considered it. The boy sitting beside her looked eager and hopeful, and something in his face made Sasha’s heart flip over. When she considered it, Matt was not much more popular than Sasha herself. The people he hung around with were not exactly popular either. Alecsandra was a target for bullies, and her boyfriend James looked slightly nerdy... And Matt was pretty cute, and he looked so eager... Why not?
“Okay,” she said, “let’s say I do... what then?”
He launched himself onto her in a great big hug.
“You wouldn’t regret it, I promise.”
Sasha laughed.
“Okay, whatever. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
“Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
He stood up and pulled her to her feet as the bell rang. The most popular girl in Sasha’s year, Laura, walked past with her friends.
“Ooh! Sasha and Matt, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
Sasha sighed as Laura walked away. The bullies would never go away, but at least she wasn’t so alone any more...