Foolproof

“Alright, fine, I’ll do it,” Cameron said annoyed as he sat down with his friends during lunch in the cafeteria. The girls smiled and the guys grinned.

“This is should be fun,” Olivia smiled.

“Yeah, it’s about time you do something about her hideously nerdy clothes, it’s gross,” said Harlow.

Cameron rolled his eyes. He was not a girl so he would never understand what so wrong or gross dressing like a nerd was. He did not care though. He had to get her into better clothes, obviously taking Harlow advices. “Who am I playing again?”

“Mallory, the teacher’s pet,” Olivia said.

“Who the hell is she?”

Harlow sneered, “Beats me.”

“You guys are pathetic,” Olivia chuckled. She looked around in search for Mallory then pointed at her. Cameron nodded. She’s kinda cute, he thought.

“What are you thinking?” Harlow said.

Cameron gave it a minute before saying, “I don’t have to get in her pants.”

Harlow gasped, “Look, I regret taking that bet and sleeping with that fat ass, but at least I got your mustang car.”

Cameron snarled, “I thought we both agreed not to talk about it.”

“Then next time you should think before you talk. You started it,” she pouted.

“And you wonder why you both broke up,” Olivia said aloud. The guys laughed. Cameron and Harlow deathly glared at each other before he took off to see Mallory.

Mallory was afraid to look up when she saw a girl pointing at her. She kept her eyes in her book and ignored whatever possible sayings they were making about her. She had finished her lunch and was enjoying her new novel her father bought her. She was completely into it that she jumped when Cameron spoke.

“Did I scare you?” he chuckled.

Mallory did not move, did not smile, she did not even speak.

“Are you mute?” he asked as he sat down. Mallory quickly realized that he was sitting down and gathered her things to leave. “Wait!” he called. She did not look back and left the cafeteria in a hurry. Cameron was confused about what had just happened. However, he shrugged it off and rejoined his friends at the other table.

“What’s her problem?” he asked.

“Probably scared cause no one ever talks to her,” Tomas said.

“Is she mute or something?” Cameron asked.

Patrick shook his head then laughed, “Obviously not if she talks in class, idiot.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have Calculus with her,” Patrick reminded him. “She’s always giving answers.”

“That’s her?” Cameron said shock, “Oh,” he then laughed. “Well, I’m going to need a little bit of background on her here so I know what to do and what to say.”

No one said anything. No one could say anything because they did not know her.

“All I know is that she plays soccer,” Olivia said after a minute of awkwardness.

**

Cameron found out that there was another soccer practice going on after school and decided to stay despite the promise he made to his mother that he would look after his sister after school. He sat in the stand and watch the girl play. He was a soccer player himself and as a guy, he always though – no, he knew he was better than the girls. At least, he knew he was better than the girls on the team at his school. However, watching Mallory, he began to doubt. He would never admit it, but he could see that she was good. She was awesome. The energy she had in her. He could tell she had a plan in her head because it was well played out on the field according the Mallory. He also noticed all the other girls were given her cold shoulders, but nevertheless they played as a team.

I have to change her style in clothes, what else could I change about her? Then it came. Her attitude. She needs a more positive attitude or something, he thought to himself.

After an hour of practice, Cameron waited by the parking lot for her. When she appeared in his sight, he walked up to her. “Can I give you a ride?”

“You obviously don’t know anything about me.” She took out her car key and unlocked her car. Cameron was surprised.

“That’s your car?!”

Mallory shrugged as she opened the door and hoped in. “I come from a rich neighborhood where everyone has an expensive car, but you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” she said rather rudely to him before closing the door and starting her car.

Cameron stood there speechless. This girl definitely has attitude, but needs some adjustment. Mallory drove off. Cameron watched her drive away. “Well, this should be interesting,” he grinned.

**

That night, Mallory checked her Facebook. Not that there was anything to check considering she had no friends, but she did have close family. Her older brother and sister posted something on her wall. She read the messages then replied.

Just as she was about to get off, she had a new friend request. She looked and saw it was Cameron Hoxie. She rolled her eyes and denied the request. She signed offline and started on her homework.

“Guess who’s coming home?” her mother walked in.

“Who?” she muttered.

“Holden and Sheldon,” her mother smiled.

“Seriously!?” she freaked. She got up and hugged her mother. “I miss them like crazy.”

“Yeah, I told grandma and grandpa that they had the twins long enough and that they needed to come home.”

Mallory smiled with satisfactory. “I can’t wait.” That night, for the first time in a long time, she did not shed a tear before she fell asleep. Things were finally starting to turn around. Oh, if only she knew where it was going wrong.