Right Girl

“Oh shit, look at how she dresses. A huge Virgin sign can be seen attached to her back!”

“What a loser. She doesn’t even know what fashion is!”

“I bet she doesn’t have money to buy fashionable clothes!”

I looked at them without caring about what they say or what they actually want to point out. I am not stupid to believe in those words because the only person that knows me is I and no one else.

In a crowded place of people laughing at my corny fashion sense and my messy hair, I always end up glancing at a boy who seems to be not joining the fun of others. It was no other than Garrett Nickelsen

Garrett was part of this huge group of friends at school. They were known for being cool, awesome and most especially, they have the looks that anyone would envy. But sad to say that they are part of the crowd who likes to make fun of who I am.

I got curious about Garrett not joining the fun because usually before, he’s one of the first people to shove something humiliating down to my face then others start to laugh. Soon, the whole school body knows about it even the janitors who don’t even have a clue of who I am or what I look like. Rumors. Rumors and more rumors.

“Garrett, where are you going?” Lisa, one of his friends asked, trying all she can to get her voice louder but Garrett seems to be not listening.

I was in front of them when I heard someone murmured, “Fuck this. This is bullshit. It gets boring you know. All we do is play around, using Sam as our past time. Guys, can we do something fun and not just making someone’s life miserable?”

I watched as Garrett walk away from his friends. I was in state of shock because I know he wouldn’t do such a thing to his friends because they mattered to him the most but seeing him finding his way out of the crowd was not an expecting scene coming from him.

A few weeks ago

“Yes! Put her bag in the trash can then fill it with thrown out food from the canteen!” He ordered.

I can't do anything while Garrett ordered his friends to play with my things like kids while I just stare because once I try to stop them, they will only do worse.

“Garrett---” I called out softly.

“Are you talking to me? Oh God, she speaks! The alien speaks!” He laughed.

All his friends laughed with him while I just kept quiet looking down on the ground with my stuff torn and broke. His friends left the room and Garrett stayed with me.

“Why do you always like to pick on me? You're not a child anymore to play with someone else” I grabbed my books on the ground with an unhealthy smell coming from it.

“Why? Why? Because it's fun! Don't you see it? I'm happy, they're happy, we're happy. Just ride along!” He shouted back at me.

“We're happy? Garrett, I am not part of that we” I explained.

“Yes you are! You're the reason why we are so fucking happy!” He uttered.

I grabbed my dirty bag from the trash can leaving all the dirt behind and slowly walked out of the door. I don't know how to feel, I got used to these things, I think. Every single day, they mess with me over and over again but not once have I felt angry with them because somehow, what they say are what's really true.

“Yes, that's right. Walk away, freak” He exclaimed.

I walked down the empty hallway. It was 6pm already and it took them hours just to bully me. I wonder if I'm just dumb or I'm heartless at all. I don't feel sorry, just tired. I don't cry, I just frown.

&&

I reached my first subject and as expected, people were doing the same thing every single day. I walked to my seat and placed my bag on my desk. I rested my head on my arm desk and started to drift away to sleep.

I heard a loud bang on the desk beside me and I forced myself to lift my head up to see what’s happening. I totally forgot that Garrett Nickelsen was my seatmate all through-out the year because of the laziness our teachers have to make another seat plan.

I stared at Garrett’s bag on his desk and did not notice that he was looking at me, “Oh, did I wake you up?” he asked.

“Are you talking to me? Oh no. I was just.. I was..” I scratched my head as I think of any good excuse because in fact, he did wake me up but I can’t say it that way.

Garrett rolled his eyes and smirked, “You don’t need to find an excuse”

I bit my lower lip and forced a smile, “okay then” I answered back.

I know that one day I will talk to this guy because we have the same classes but I always thought that he was somehow different from the rest, I once thought that he was only joining his friends just to stay popular; that he just wants to stay on top.

&&

I was alone in our house all the time. My dad was always out of town because of his work along with my mom.

I dropped my bag on the couch and ran towards my room to change my clothes and to remove my glasses in exchange of contact lenses I got from my dad on my birthday last year. I tied my hair into a bun and I actually looked neat unlike the way I look at school; I was the loser girl who only has 1 to 3 friends since 1st grade.

I turned the radio on our living room and let the blasting music from the album of The Summer Set play. I was too busy enjoying the music and I didn’t hear the doorbell rang.

RING. RING. RING

I ran to the door and swinging it open carelessly. I almost dropped the spoonful of yogurt from my mouth after seeing who it was.

“Hi, can I come in?”

I accidentally closed the door. After letting the image of the person in front of me sink in, I opened the door, expecting he wasn’t there anymore but surprised to see that he still was.

“Sorry Garrett. But.. Why.. Why are you here?” I know my question was somewhat rude but that doesn’t matter because all that mattered was why was he there standing in front of me, smiling like a freak.

“I came by to visit you. Is that bad?”

Before I could respond he pushed me out of the way and he entered the house like it was his own. I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind me.

Garrett sat down on our couch comfortably while I am still trying to figure out what was he doing in our house.

“Why are you here? I’m sorry. I think your answer wasn’t true, I believe” I repeated.

Garrett sighed and patted the empty space beside him, ordering me to sit beside him while he answers my question, “Well, ever since day 1, I treated you like shit so I came here to make it up to you”

I smiled sarcastically, “I don’t believe you, jerk”

He sighed and rolled his eyes again, “I’m telling the truth okay! What makes you think that I walked away a while ago while the whole school was laughing at you? Or why did I even talked to you at class without even saying harsh things at you, huh?”

“Should I say thank you for being nice, Garrett? Cause I won’t. I won’t. I was in deep shit ever since you started saying bad things about me and I became the school loser. Do you know how hard it is to be stabbed to the back by the people who thought were your friends? Suddenly, they became part of the people who cursed at me for being a loser” I argued.

“I’m sorry, Sam” He replied.

My eyes turned back at him and pity was painted all over his face, “What?” I shrieked.

I was shocked. He wasn’t the type of person who says sorry to a normal person unless you are a music genius.

“Didn’t you hear? I don’t say this often but.. Yeah, I- I- I am s- s- s- sorry” Garrett stuttered.

I smiled and patted his back, “You should learn how to say that often, you know. It makes your image different”

Garrett smiled and chuckled, “Yeah, okay. Fuck you!” He shouted.

I slapped his hand with his rudeness showing off again after he said sorry to me, “What are you saying?” I shouted.

Garrett pointed at my vintage shirt, “No, not you, Sam. I mean, your shirt has some Winnie The What What on it. What kind of people make you wear those childish clothes? Are they mad at you or they want to kill you?”

I walked to the door and opened it, “You are now free to go, sir. Do not ever come back. I mean, never ever again come back!”

Garrett crossed his arms around his chest and said, “Nope. I won’t go home. I’m here to make it up to you and yet I am still so rude. I won’t go until I learn my lessons, Sam”

I pushed the door to close and went back to my old position beside him. Then there were awkward silence filling up the room.

“So.. You like The Summer Set?” He asked.

I nodded and smiled, “I idolize Jess Bowen. She’s pretty awesome and cool. I want to be just like her one day”

Garrett giggled, “You have dreams, Brooks. Awesome dreams”

I nodded again and bit my lower lip, “I have lots of it in my mind though”

I can feel Garrett’s eyes looking straight at me. A second or two, I swear, I can melt already.

“Do you know The Maine?” Garrett asked.

I shook my head with disappointment for not knowing who he’s talking about, “Sorry but no”

Garrett’s head fell on the pillow beside him and sighed, “How could you not know our band but you know The Summer Set?”

I laughed so hard because I don’t know why he was acting so weird all of a sudden, “Because I like their songs and I watched them live before. Well, you do know that Arizona has a lot of cool bands, right?”

Garrett smirked and laughed a little to himself, “I’m in a band called The Maine. I am the band’s bassist since forever and I have very weird band mates who likes to hit on girls.. Sometimes guys but yeah, they’re awesome. We’re awesome and you need to watch our gig, Sam. Seriously, you need to watch us”

I listened to every word Garrett said and every band that he introduced to me. I felt different being with Garrett because he wasn't the snob-ish and annoying boy you usually pass by at the hallways at school who likes to push people around and humiliate them in front of everybody.

I didn't realize I was spacing out until Garrett waved his hand freely in the space in front of my face, “Hey! Are you listening?” He uttered.

I nodded and smiled, “Of course I am. Continue speaking about some band that you hate”

“As I was saying, the vocalist has a voice of a goat...” He continued.

I laughed at how bad he can be but how honest he was at the same time.

“..Seriously, I can be a hot bassist and an awesome bassist at the same time. That's why the girls love me, Sam. They love me because I'm cool”

Or maybe I am wrong in some points because he is still very proud of himself that he even thinks that many girls will drop dead just to be with him. Maybe it is true but still, I won't be one of those girls ever.

“You know you should wear contact lenses at school too because you look so much better without your glasses, don't you know that?” He asked.

I shook my head and bit my lower lip, “I'm just different at home. Maybe normal, like the others. But at school, I can never be normal. I can never like the others. I don't even know why”

Garrett kept quiet for a second and sighed, “Look. I'm sorry okay. Hate me all you want, blame me all you want. But my sorry is really true!”

I giggled, “Fine Garrett. Okay!”

Everything was fine and nothing hurts that time.