A High School Story

“Hurry up!” I yelled and I heard Keyla yell a muffled response from inside her house.
“She takes her time! I’ve already learned that!” Joe laughed as he came out of the house next door.
“Trust me, I learned that the first time I gave her a ride to school,” I replied and he smiled as he headed over.
“You need to take a chill pill!” Keyla yelled as she walked unsteadily out of the house with her book bag over her shoulder.
“Why the hell are you wearing heels that high?! You almost broke an ankle last time!” I scolded her and she rolled her eyes before tossing her book bag into the back seat.
“Hey Joe,” she said and climbed carefully into the car.
“Skinny Jeans and high heels are the worst combination for you!” I continued and she gave me her shut-up-or-die look.
“You look great,” Joe sighed and Keyla blushed a light pink.
“Thanks, do you want a ride?” she replied in the same unfamiliar flirtatious voice she had been using with Joe every time since we met them on Friday.
“Nah, the University is quite a drive out of the way. It’d probably make you guys late,” he answered and smiled smoothly at her.
“How about Nick? Does he need a ride?” I asked trying to butt my way back into the conversation.
“Nah, he has a ride already,” he assured me and smirked.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he laughed and then shot yet another ‘inconspicuous’ wink to Keyla, “You guys should probably get going.”
“No we can-“
“Keyl, the bell rings in fifteen minutes,” I interrupted her and she glared at me momentarily before sitting back in her seat and buckling her seat belt, “We’ll see you later Joe.”
“Bye,” Keyla added before I backed out of the driveway and waved to him once last time before driving off, “You couldn’t have given me three more minutes?!”
“To do what? Flirt shamelessly and bat your eyes?” I asked laughing.
“You know, I was going to tell you what I found out about Nick but maybe I won’t now-“
“What’d you find out?” I demanded.
“Well…he loves music, he’s gorgeous beyond measure-“
“I already figured that part out for myself-“
“And he is completely and utterly available.”
“He’s single?”
“Did you not just hear me say that?”
“Oh stop being a priss,” I scoffed and she grumbled something inaudible, “You know where I’m going with this Keyl, he’s completely gorgeous and he’s single?”
“Yes m’am. The information came from his oh so adorable brother,” she answered while adjusting the belt on her shirt.
“How on earth did you get the chance to find this out?” I looked over at her while raising an eyebrow and she smirked, “Babe, I do hope that you’re not paying for this information with sex with the oh so adorable brother.”
“Mollie!” Keyla yelled and gaped at me, “You know that I would never-“
“I was joking Keyl,” I chuckled and she rolled her eyes, “So how did you get this information if not by sexual favors?”
“The same way I got the rest of it; Mrs. Jonas invited us over for dinner last night after I got back,” she explained.
“What else did you find out?” I asked curiously as I pulled into the school parking lot and looked around for a decent parking spot, no way was I parking in the back with these heels.
“Well, the oldest brother that we met last night, his name is Kevin and he just got married to Danielle. They actually moved out here first but then the guys dad got transferred-“
“Transferred? Is he in the military or something?”
“To be perfectly honest I do not know. The subject of everyone’s occupation wasn’t able to get brought up before my parents stormed out the door screaming at each other-“
“They didn’t!”
“Moving on, Joe is the second oldest behind Kevin and is studying climatology at the Arts Institute-“
“Nice-“
“Please stop interrupting me,” Keyla scolded as we climbed out of my now parked car and into the crowed student parking lot, “And then there’s Nick who’s going here with us. The last of the Jonas clan is Frankie; he is the most adorable nine-year-old you will meet in your life!”
“So Nick is single?” I repeated and Keyla let out a large huff of air.
“Yes Mollie, you’re gorgeous man is single,” she answered, “I don’t see why you’re so interested anyway. Your mom would never let you-“
“I know,” I sighed as we walked slowly to the front doors, neither of us were the most skilled in high heels, “I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much about him. Even if he did get past the fact that I’m a complete brainster-“
“A very sexy brainster-“
“There’s still the fact my mom would murder me if she even saw me looking at him,” I continued on with my rambling like she hadn’t interrupted me.
“Who is that?!” one of the nearby girls gasped causing Keyla and I both to turn around and see a motorcycle pulling up into the parking lot with a very familiar curly haired head driving it.
“I don’t believe it,” Keyla laughed while shaking her head.
I stared at him in shock as he pulled into a vacant spot and smoothly slide off the bike before throwing his bag over his shoulder. I saw a group a freshman girls staring in topmost interest along with most of the female school population.
“Hey,” he said and smiled down at the two of us.
“Well isn’t someone trying to be Mr. Cool,” I teased him and he rolled his eyes playfully, trying to be secretive as he took every ounce of my outfit in.
“Oh no, Mike alert,” Keyla whispered in my ear and I turned to see a very irritated Mike walking towards us.
“Oh shit,” I groaned and Nick looked from me to Mike and back again with a confused expression on his face.
“I don’t know who you are, but you better back away from my girl,” Mike growled at Nick and I put on my best glare face before stepping up to him.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you before you’re microscopic brain registers but I’ll tell you again, I-am-not-your-girlfriend,” I drew out the last five words slowly and he scowled down at me.
“Nothing ever ends until I say it does,” he whispered and I intensified my glare.
“Then maybe you should tell that to the police,” I whispered back and he stared at me for a few more seconds before turning and walking away with his minions.
“Um, who was that?” Nick asked as I turned around to face him and Keyla again.
“The jock of the school that doesn’t know how to take a hint,” Keyla grumbled while glaring at Mike’s retreating back.
“We better get going if we want to be on time,” I sighed, “Do you know you’re homeroom yet?”
“Got it right here,” Nick answered and pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket.
“You’re in the same homeroom as us!” Keyla yelled happily and I observed many glares out of the corner of my eyes.
“Then lead the way,” Nick smiled and ushered to the door.
“Are you sure you want to be seen with us on your first day?” I laughed while walking on his right as Keyla look his left, “It’s kind of a new kid no-no.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mollie and I are the crazy freaks of the school. No one pays any attention to us.”
“Besides Mike,” I scoffed and Keyla nodded in agreement.
“Are you guys serious?” he asked while exchanging glances with each of us as we walked down the hallway, “I mean, I just sort of figured that since Mollie had this fancy car and you’re both so pretty that you two would be like the head of the school-“
“Only works that way in the movies,” I protested and exchanged an amused look with Keyla, “I’m the rich brainster of the school. If you ever find an AP or Honors class in this achool that I’ve taken or applied into for next year then I’ll die from shock.”
“And I am simply to the rich brainsters best friend who has parents that can’t stand each other but refuse to get divorced. If you want the popular type then you want Mike, not us,” Keyla explained and Nick nodded absentmindedly.
“Thought you had an in?” I guessed while smiling up at him.
“Nah, just sort of thought wrong,” he replied and Keyla scoffed.
“No worries, Mollie will probably have more brain farts in homeroom then you will for the rest of the month,” she said and I laughed along with her as the three of us walked into homeroom.
“I like to save all of my brain power for class thank you very much,” I replied and she rolled her eyes as we both took our usual seats and I watched Nick give his transfer slip to the teacher.

“Where do you think he is?” I asked Keyla and looked around the lunch room.
“He could have the next round of lunch,” she answered as she took another bite of her chicken finger, “Sweetie, I think you’re getting a bit too obsessed with this boy.”
“Is this coming from the one who was doddling Joe’s name all over her History notebook?” I laughed and held up her notebook so she could see the multiple scribbles off Joe’s name.
“That is completely different!” she protested and pulled the notebook back into her own hands before stuffing it into her bag.
“Yeah, whatever you say,” I scoffed before returning my attention to my pasta.
“Oh no!” I heard Keyla gasp and I looked up to see her staring towards the other end of the cafeteria behind me.
I rose an eyebrow at her horrified, stunned, and shocked face before turning around and letting my mouth drop open. There they were, Nick Jonas and Mike Webster laughing as if they’d been friends for their whole life. This couldn’t be happening! Nick was nice and caring and Mike was…he was Mike!
“I don’t believe it,” Keyla whispered to herself and I nodded as I slowly turned around, “You don’t think he knows do you?”
“Of course he doesn’t,” I snapped at her, “If he knew then he wouldn’t be within twenty feet of that idiot.”
“Mollie-“
“He’s perfectly capable of being friends with Mike if he wants to. Doesn’t bother me. It’s his life,” I interrupted her while fighting back a light batch of tears.
None of this made any sense. Even if he still didn’t know that all the rumors that surrounded Mike and I were true, he was too good for Mike. He was better than that. Better than…him.
“So how’s Cooper?” I asked randomly after a minute of two of rare silence.
“Lazy and adorable. Same as always,” Keyla answered happily and I smiled as I listened to her ramble on about how amazing her dog was.

“Call me later, okay?” Keyla whispered to me as she got out of the car and Nick got off of his motorcycle next door.
“I have a lot of work to do tonight,” I lied and she sighed before blowing me a kiss and stumbling to her front door.
I backed out of the driveway for the second time that day and cast a quick glance a Nick as he watched me drive away down the road. His eyes were so caring and harmless but yet his new friendship with Mike made him seem so much more dangerous. It was obvious that if he was going to get involved with Mike, then I couldn’t get involved with him. This was the best way for things after all. Mom would just tell me I was too good for him and that I should wait until all the good guys came lining up after college. Maybe she was right, maybe I couldn’t chance another slip up like I did before.
“I’m home!” I yelled while walking in the front door.
“Did you have a good day?” Angelica asked as she looked up from scrubbing the floor, “What’s wrong sweetie?”
“Nothing,” I lied and looked around for mom.
“She had to go into work,” Angelica answered my unasked question and I sighed before leaning against the front door and sliding down it until by butt hit the floor, “I knew these classes were putting too much pressure on you!”
“It’s not the classes Ang,” I whispered through my hands and she stared me blankly, “This is about Nick.”
“Nick?”
“Nevermind,” I half laughed before standing back up and running upstairs, “It’s nothing.”
“Mollie!” she yelled after me but I had already closed and locked my bedroom door.
I threw my bag down onto my bed a little harder than necessary before collapsing into a heap on the floor. Why was I getting so upset about this? He was just a guy that I had met four days ago. I was stupid to think that he would want anything to do with me. I was stupid to even considering letting him get in the way of Harvard and my future.
“Even if he did care then he’d just end leaving like the one before him,” I whispered to myself while twirling the small silver ring that I wore around my finger, “He’s not worth the pain or the slip ups. He’s just a guy. They leave, your future stays.”
I repeated my mother’s own words before pulling myself up from the floor and wiping away the tears that had started to gather at the rims of my eyes.