The Square Root

“Hazelyn,” I heard him say with a grin on his face, I wanted to walk over there and punch it off.

“Fuck,” I muttered. Why does every class that I have with him need to have partners?! Hell, why do I even have classes with him?!

“Okay, everyone, go with your partner and just get to know each other. And they will be your partner for the remainder of the year,” he said and walked out the door.

“I guess you’re stuck with me,” Jay grinned. I groaned. Oh yeah, stuck would be the best word choice.

“So, you dance?,” he asked. I didn’t say anything. “Sing?” Nothing. “Act?” Nothing. “Instrument?” Nothing. “Come on Haze, cooperate please?”

“Don’t feel like it,” I said and crossed my arms, leaning back on the chair.

“You’re gonna have to, one way or another, so stop bitching” he said.

“Me being a bitch? Maybe you should start acting like a descent human being than a conceited Jerk,” I growled.

“If you actually get to know me, then maybe I’m not such a jerk like who you think I am,” he said. He had a point. “Some people just says stuff about me, but they don’t know me,” he mumbled.

“Fine,” I agreed.

“Fine?” he smiled triumphantly.

“Want me to change my mind?” I raised an eyebrow.

“No no no,” he quickly said.

I shook my head at him and smiled a little. “To answer your questions. Not really because I suck, Sure, A little bit, and Piano and Drums”, I said. Changing the topic.

“How do you remember my questions?” he asked. “And drums? Hot,” he ‘phewed’.

I just rolled my eyes. “What about you?” I asked.

“Yup, Kind of, A little bit and Drums, Piano, Guitar and Bass,” he proudly said.

“Impressive,” I smirked.

“Hazelyn Mae DeLuca,” I heard a voice say.

“Yes?” I turned around to see a brunette, a little shorter than me, with doll brown eyes.

“It’s me! Crystal Dane!” she squealed and tackled me in a hug.

“Cry- Oh! Crystal!” I returned her hug and stood up. “Damn, it’s been a hell of a long time.”

“I know, like what? 6 years?!” she squealed giving me another hug.

“I’m so sorry I lost contact,” I apologized.

“It’s okay, at least you’re back!” she smiled

“Are you in this class?,” I asked.

“No, I was just delivering a message for Jr,” she said batting her eyelashes at Jay. “There’s no practice today, it’ll start next week,” she said to her, and he just nodded with his lips pursed in a thin line. “I gotta go, but let’s catch up later, yes?” she asked.

“Yeah sure, what’s your number?” I asked her, pulling my phone out.

We exchanged numbers and smiled at me again. “Well I’m gonna go,” she said. “Bye Jr,” she flirtily waved and winked at him. I realized that she was the bimbo he was making out with earlier. I grimaced as I sat back down next to my manslut of a partner.

“So, how do you know Crystal?” he asked casually.

“We went to the same school from 1st grade too 6th,” I told him.

“Ahhh.. So are you guys close?”

“We used to be,” I answered. “But I lost contact with her”.

“That’s good,” he muttered

“What?”, I chuckled, knowing exactly what he just said.

“Nothing”, he said changing the subject to favorite bands, genres and songs we know how to play throughout the period.

“You listen to The Maine?” I asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah? What’s so surprising about that?” he asked me.

“Nothing, nothing at all. John Cornelius O’callaghan the fifth is one sexy man that’s all,” I dreamily stated.

“He’s all weird and awkward though,” he frowned.

“Which makes him a lot hotter,” I pointed out.

His phone rang, and he quickly looked at it skimming through the message quickly and his face contorted with such disgusts.

“Why do you look like you just drank some expired milk?” I asked him with a laugh.

He rolled his eyes at me as he put his phone back into his pocket. “Another spoiled brat is making us other children of wealthy people look horrible. You know what? Sometimes that’s what I hate. People judge you because you’re either in the same social class as somebody, even if you’re not even friends with them,” he shook his head at me.

“I know what it feels like,” I mumbled.

“And how people can’t be legit anymore. Just because we’re wealthy doesn’t mean we’ll do something horrible to the environment or think that we can do everything we wanna do,” he huffed. I sunk low in my seat sighing and was thankful that Mr. S came back in.

“So, how were your conversations?” he asked.

The class just said “Ehhhh..”, and he just chuckled.

“First assignment”, he said, and more groans could be heard. “You and your partner have to work on something to present on Friday. Anything, as long as there are instruments,” he said, and then the bell rang. “Class dismissed,” he announced and I got up, grabbing my bag.

“What the hell are we going to work on?” I asked Jay.

“Wanna meet up after school, and maybe we can talk about it?” he asked, winking. “You know, maybe, discuss other things as well,” he suggested, putting his arms around me.

I shrugged his arms off. “I have nothing to discuss with you, other than this project, and it can be done during school hours, plus, I have to attend to some thing,” I said, grabbing my bag and heading for the door.

“These things being?”

“None of you business,” I shrugged walking towards the main building.

“But this is a project,” he argued.

I shrugged. “Tomorrow then, we have until Friday anyways”

“So you’ll meet up with me after school then?”

“We can work on it during PA, Mr. S said we can work on It during class.”

“Nope, you didn’t make it clear the first time, so tomorrow, we’re meeting up after school”, he smirked.

“Whatever floats your boat Dolciani, whatever floats your boat,” I shook my head.

“Jr!” a girl called out, and Ryan muttered a ‘crap’. Shouldn’t he be liking this attention? Well, a group of them came over and threw themselves at Ryan. I rolled my eyes and walked away from the group of sluts in cheerleading uniforms surrounding Ryan. I called Crystal.

“Hey Zel,” she said.

“Hey Crys. You still in school?”, I asked.

“Yeah, where are you?”

“My locker”

“Where’s that?”

“First floor, 157,” I told her.

“Kay, I’ll see you in a little bit. Bye”, she said and hung up.

“Hey Hazel,” Alexa greeted. “That’s what I’m gonna call you now. Hazel”, she said smiling. I laughed

“Hey Lexa.”

“What you doing after school?”

“Gonna chat with an old friend for a bit and then go scan my itunes library for something for PA, so I don’t have to meet up with my partner anytime after school”, I mumbled.

“Who’s your PA partner?” she asked

I looked at her. “Dolciani,” I said and slammed my locker shut.

“Bummer,” she frowned.

“I have school hours to keep up with seeing his face, and I would hate to give my after school hours now too!” I huffed.

“You’ll be fine. Just watch out if he tries to hit on you,” she scowled.

“I know,” I told her. “He disgusts me. After I saw hit little session with that cheerleader,” whom seemed to be Crystal, “and today when he had no problem having a group of sluts surrounding him,” I told her, cutting off the part where he seemed displeased.

“Zel!” I heard Crystal yell.

“Crys!” I yelled back smiling.

“You know her?” Alexa asked, grinding her teeth

“Yeah, she was my friend from before”, I said awkwardly, not knowing what the relationship between them was.

“Well, I’ll catch you later,” she said quickly and walked off.

“So, you’re friends with Alexa?” Crystal asked, unsuccessfully hiding the distaste in her voice. I nodded. “Cool,” she said with a nod. “You wanna go get a drink or something?” she asked. I agreed and I told her I’ll just follow her with my car.

“So, how have you been Zel?” she asked, sipping her water.

I shrugged. “Okay I guess. Happy. I don’t have to move anymore”.

“Really? Why?”

“Nate and Tristan are both in legal age, and they’re my legal guardians, so I don’t have to live with mom and dad”

“Oh, how are they?”

“They’re good. Here and there,” I whispered the latter.

“Sorry, what?”

“Nothing. They’re touring the country,” I lied.

“Ohh. They still work for that company?”, she asked. She didn’t know that they were the CEO’s. As far as she knew, they’re just employees, which they are. I nodded. We just ate and talked about stuff that happened in the past 6 years that we haven’t seen each other. I was trying to keep it cool, knowing her rep in school. I don’t wanna start drama, yet. Hell, I’d avoid it as much as I could.

“Anyone asked you to the dance yet?” she asked me.

“Dance?” I wondered.

She nodded. “The valentines day dance, silly,” she smiled at me.

“Crys, I’ve only been in school for a day,” I chuckled softly.

“But still, the guys were talking about you at the table today,” she winked. I shook my head and laughed a little.

“What about you? Been asked yet?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation towards her.

She laughed. “Yeah, but I have my eyes on this one guy,” she said, followed with a giggle.

I raised an eyebrow. “Tell me about him,” I said cluelessly, though I had a pretty good idea whom she was talking about.

She blushed. “He’s cute, he’s hot, he’s athletic, he’s mysterious, he’s rich, and did I mention he’s hot? Well, he is,” she said dreamily.

“Rich? How does that change how you look at somebody?”, I asked, slightly irritated.

“Oh come one, Zel, you know damn well that changes lots of things,” she giggled. I internally rolled my eyes. I kind of felt bad for Jr, and I knew how it was like to always be on the look out on who’s real, and who just wanted to use you for your money. Hence me hiding my real identity.

“So, how are your parents?” I asked her, trying to keep my head off the topic that was running through my mind.

“They’re good I guess, but they’re not together anymore,” she said carelessly. “Daddy got a new wife, mommy left. End of story,” she laughed dryly.

I sighed. “I’m sorry Crys.”

She waved a hand in the air as if clearing the sympathetic atmosphere. “It’s okay, I mean, Mom didn’t do a very good job raising a child anyways.” You’re telling me. I smirked.

Though, the thing with my parents, no matter how busy they are and how they can’t find time to raise me, they find time to spend some time with us a couple times a year. We had our differences, but they’re still my parents.

* When you left, she was a wreck
'Cause she said, you left a mess -*

It’s my ‘brother alert’ ringtone, so I had to look at the name to know which one it was. “Excuse me,” I told Crystal, who just nodded. I stood up and rushed outside to pick up the call. “Yes?” I answered.

“Hey, you home?” Nathaniel asked.

“No, I’m with Crystal Dane at Starbucks”

“Oh, cool. I didn’t know she was still here say hi to her for me,” he said. “But listen, I’m going to the Gym, I was wondering if you wanted to come along.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Meet you in like, an hour at the house?” I asked.

“Sure. See ya”

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” I said and hung up, walking back into the restaurant. “Sorry, that was my brother,” I said sitting down, and seeing Crystal texting somebody.

She looked up at me and bit her lip. “It’s okay, so where were we?” she laughed looking up from her phone.

“I don’t really know,” I chuckled. “But Nathaniel says hi.”

“Oh, say hi to him for me too I guess,” she giggled. “What about your other brother, Tristan right? Where’s he now?” she wondered.

“He’s here. He’s in college,” I told her. She immediately perked up.

“How is he?” she asked with a smile I knew so well. Most girls give it off when they think a guy is cute.

“Oh, he’s very well,” I chuckled.

“I haven’t seen him in awhile,” she frowned.

“I’m pretty sure you have,” I laughed. She gave me another confused look and was about to say something, but her phone vibrated. She quickly opened it, and gave me a sympathetic look.

“It’s my turn to apologize. I have to go. Cheerleading practice in 20 minutes,” she said hurriedly, and stood up.

“Oh that’s okay, it was good to catch up with you,” I smiled, not really knowing my feelings toward the new Crystal Dane.

“Definitely. Oh! And cheerleading tryouts tomorrow after school, you should try out!” she suggested.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good. Now I gotta go! See ya!” she called running out of the door.