Accidents Happen

“Are you going to the Valentines Day dance?” Luna Mae asked on our way into school.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Probably not. Are you?”

“Only if Landon asks me to go with him.” She replied dreamily. “I’ve been getting this vibe from him lately.”

“A vibe, huh?” I asked, laughing quietly. “Well you take that and run with it. At least you’ve got a guy to hope for. I swear there are no good guys left at our school.”

“Um, hello!” She waved her hands wildly. “Have you forgotten about Gavin? He’s actually kind of cute.”

“He’s just a friend.” I assured. “I couldn’t really see myself having those kind of feelings for him.”

“You know why there aren’t any good guys at this school?” She asked rhetorically. “Because they’re either gay, or stuck in the Friend Zone.”

“I’ll keep that in-,”

“Hey Looney Tunes.” Landon interrupted, offering her his arm. She took it excitedly, giving me a wink before walking off with him.

“You’ll never have those kind of feelings for me, huh?” Gavin asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air. I nearly jumped ten feet back and my heart started beating like I’d just run a marathon.

“A warning would be nice next time.” I snapped. He ruffled my hair playfully.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking.” He started while I tried to smooth my mane.

“Really? Since when?” I retorted.

“Anyway…,” he went on dramatically, ignoring my jibe. “How would you like to come go to my friend’s party with me?”

“It’s not formal, is it?”

“Not extremely.” He answered.

“Define not extremely formal.”

“No ball gowns, but a skirt would be preferable.”

“I suppose I could manage to scrounge up a skirt and a nice shirt.” I shrugged. My first high school party? Bring it on.

“Awesome, because I need a date.”

My jaw nearly collided with the hideous tiled floor. Be Gavin’s date?

Be cool, I told myself. It doesn’t mean anything; if he can be nonchalant, so can you. He might think you like him if you start blushing like you want to, but you don’t like him. You’ll go to the party, look awesome, and have fun.

“When is this party?” I asked.

“It’s tomorrow at 6 in in my old town, like an hour away.” He informed. “I’ll pick you up at around 4:30, sound good?”

“Great.” I replied with a nod.

***

Lunch rolled around, my stomach grumbling as I walked into the cafeteria. Gavin was already at our table, engaged in conversation with some brunette. They were standing, everyone else at our table wide eyed while they ate on the other side of the table. I sat down in my usual spot, not giving a flying fuck whether I was in this girl’s way or not. She kind of stumbled to the side, looking at me with shock, allowing me to see her face.

Julia Reynolds. Of course.

She sat at my table in art. She was the amazing artist, singer, scholar extraordinaire. She was amazingly pretty and let’s face it: she had junk in her trunk. Everyone envied her, even her own friends, and she was pretty much the most popular girl in school.

And she was probably about to take Gavin from me. Show him how low I am on the social ladder, bring him over to her table, and make him ditch me. He’d realize he had basically been socializing with dirt, and that he was one of the Beautiful People and needed to be with them instead, not some lower middle-class girl who had the style and coordination of a toddler.

Exactly why I didn’t get attached.

“So, do you want to come sit with me?” She asked, catching my attention. I looked behind me as discreetly as I could, pretending to glance at the big clock behind Gavin and Julia. She had her hand on his arm, awaiting his response. He gave a brilliant smile, flashing his teeth.

“No, I think I’ll stay over here.” He replied. Had my ears failed me? Did he just turn down Julia Reynolds down for me? I looked to her, taking in the disbelief that flashed across her face. She quickly tucked it away though, flashing a stunning smile of her own.

“Maybe some other time.” She suggested, patting his arm one more time before heading off to her table. I could just hear her now, especially by the way she talked about people in art.

‘He didn’t want to come over here,’ she was probably saying. ‘I don’t see why he’s friends with that Fiona girl. She never says anything in art, she seems pretty awkward.’ I at least hoped Luna Mae was coming to my rescue, if she even heard.

“What was that all about?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow at Gavin. He just murmured something about what sounded suspiciously like ‘bread crumbs and water’.

“I can’t believe you didn’t sit with her.” Annabelle cut in, wide eyed as usual.

“I didn’t want to.” He shrugged, staring down at his tray, poking at his package of crackers with a fork.

“I don’t see why.” I admitted. “She’s like the queen bee of the school. Smart, artsy, and hot.” I added the last part in as my impression of what I’ve heard guys saying about her. “Triple threat.”

“She’s threatening alright.” He joked. “She’s just…not someone that I could see myself hanging out with.”

I didn’t question him further, but I did let my mind wander. I knew I shouldn’t have because I always over think things. Someone accidentally nudges me and somehow I end up convincing myself that they work for the government, trying to train teenage girls to use as military weapons and want me to be a part of it.

But this? This wasn’t as subtle as an accidental nudge, this was a blatant disregard for the most popular girl in school. Thinking about this, it all sounded so juvenile to me. But this wasn’t. It was a big thing in my mind.

Calm down, Fiona. I breathed, catching the scent of Gavin’s cologne, which reminded me of how I had a friend of the opposite gender. A boy. Almost a different breed.

I looked around at all the pretty faces at my table, realizing that these were my people. I also remembered why I never had any male friends before. Guys made me nervous.