The Worst Choice

Nash.

“Nash Carter, first day and you’re already late,” Mr. Samuels asked as I walked in, the entire class’ eyes on me. “Why am I not surprised?”

I rolled my eyes, handing him my note. “Not my fault, Mrs. Brown’s,” I told him.

He looked it over with a suspicious look. I had a thing for forging late passes and once they caught me, it was hard to get someone to believe a real pass. “Very well,” he said. “Take an empty seat.”

I scanned the room. There were two seats; one next to a girl toward the back, but she was giving me a look that made me feel violated in twenty different ways, and one in the front, next to a girl who was filing her nails, but overall looked normal. So I just plopped down in the seat next to her.

Mr. Samuels talked about the syllabus and rules for the first twenty minutes, giving me stern looks every now and then. The last twenty-five minutes were for ‘getting to know your lab partner’. The class erupted in talking, most people probably already knowing each other. But the girl next to me made no move to talk to me, so I had no problem ignoring her existence as my mind started to wander off to other places.

“Ahem,” Mr. Samuels coughed, standing in front of our desk.

“Yes?” I asked him.

“Why aren’t you two speaking?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes, before turning to the girl boredly. “Hello, I’m Nash,” I deadpanned. “Pleasure to meet you.”

The girl looked at me, then at Mr. Samuels, then back to me before sighing. “I’m Susie.”

Ashlyn.

“Colin’s staring at you weirdly,” Kat whispered to me.

“I know,” I snapped quietly. I’d known since I saw him walk through the door and I’d been trying to forget it since.

“Get Nash to kill him or something?” she suggested.

“Ladies, do you have something you’d like to share with the class?” Mrs. Jackson asked.

“Of course not, we’re just expressing our love for English,” Kat said, smiling at her.

“I’m sure, you were,” she said. “And now, be quiet and listen so I can finish before the b-“ The bell rang, cutting her off. I gave her a sheepish smile, before grabbing my things and hurrying out of the door. I waited outside of the door for Kat and Taylor to walk out.

“Ashlyn?” Colin asked as he walked out. “Listen, I-“ I didn’t know what he said after that, because I had already started rushing through other people, trying to get away from him as quick as possible.



“So why’d you get called to the office this morning?” I asked Nash as we reached the table where Jenn, Kat, Tommy and Taylor were sitting. Colin wasn’t in my second period, but he was in my third period and I could feel his stare on my back the entire time.

Nash shrugged nonchalantly. “Just telling me how I need to do good this year and shit,” he said. “Nothing serious.”

“Oh,” I said. “Well that’s good.” Nash frowned, looking around the cafeteria. “Something wrong?”

“Nah,” he murmured. “It’s weird though, I feel like someone’s staring at me.”

I subtly looked around the cafeteria, my eyes falling onto Colin, who was in the lunch line with Leah. He was glaring my way, but it looked more like he was glaring at Nash. “People are probably wondering why you’re here,” I suggested. “I mean, you are Nash Carter.”

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly, his hair cutely falling into his eyes. “You make me seem like I’m famous or something,” he said.

“You pretty much are,” I teased him. “So are you ready to blow up the school yet or is it better than you thought?”

He shrugged. “It’s as tiring as I thought,” he said, before laying his arm on the table and resting his head on it, falling asleep not long after.