My mom was upset when I got home earlier than usual. I didn't bother trying to explain to her what happened for long. I went to my room and spent the rest of the evening in my bed .I had a lot to think about.
Brad Kinns talked to me and he didn't freak out. But most importantly, I was still in one piece. I did not burst out into pieces! The next couple of questions were, how should I behave the next day towards Brad? Should I greet him like normal people do? I imagined random conversations between us in my head. I stared at Brad's giant poster on top of my ceiling until I fell asleep.
Suddenly, I was coming back from school. I saw my mom sitting down in the living room with someone. I would recognize Brad's back everywhere but not in my Aunt's sofa. When he turned to greet me with a smile, I knew it was Brad.
"How did he get here?" I asked my mom who was smiling.
I hated staring at her when she was doing embarrassing things. It was like staring at me. She had my black curly hair that she kept real short, my brown eyes, my bony cheeks. The only difference, she was old.
"Well, he stopped by and said that he goes to your school so..." She tried to explain.
"You mean you let him in the living room?" I started to panic.
"Not only in the living room, honey." My mom winked at me. "While we were waiting for you, we went to your room."
"What?" I yelled.
I looked at Brad who was smiling. If he saw my room that meant that he saw all of these posters of him... My heart raced faster than horse. I started to sweat... Then I woke up.
On my way to school, I did some serious thinking. I did not take the school bus. Since I woke up early thanks to my nightmare, I had time. I concluded that I was not ready to have a normal conversation with Brad. I was too obsessed. All I could do was to stay in shadow and follow him.
I opened my locker and noticed the hot football player--- who I thought considered me next his locker a disaster--- was smiling at me!
"Hi," He said.
I looked behind me to see if I was not mistaken. No, he was not talking to some blond behind me. The Troy-Bolton-looking football player was talking to me! I did my best to smile. And the bell saved me. He waved me goodbye and left. I walked in the hallway like a ghost. And for some reason, the whole school was greeting and smiling at me.
"Am I still dreaming?" I mumbled to myself.
I pinched myself but it actually hurt. So I was not dreaming. Even the cheerleader team said hi. I could not believe what I was living. In class, Brad said hi. I didn't answer. I went straight to my corner in the back.
After we said the pledge, the principal, came and said something about me!
"Attention all students," His voice echoed in the, now, quiet school. "In the name of Phoenix High, Katie's parents and herself, I sincerely thank Magalie Hogan for saving Katie Ashford's life yesterday..."
The class clapped cheerfully. I figured the whole school did too. I did not understand what was going on but I was no longer the outcast or the bully I was yesterday. I was a hero now. I glanced at Brad who was also clapping and smiling at me.
"Yea," I said in my head. "It's a good thing."
The English teacher interrupted the noisy classroom. He said brief words to me that, I was sure, meant "thank you" and then started with the boring class.
After the first period, I walked toward Brad. It was now or never to talk to him. But a nerdy looking girl threw her books and binders between Brad and I. Brad, of course as a gentleman, bended right away to pick up the things spread on the floor.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," The girl said.
I get it, I wanted to shout. You don't have to say it thrice! She was really small. She had medium dark red hair. She had braces and glasses. She had the complete nerd outcast package, I thought.
I wanted to push away that girl who came between me and Brad but I was afraid that she would die in the process. She was so small that her presence in the classroom was invisible. She was always there but i didn't even know her name.
"Here you go," Brad said handing the books and binders that suddenly looked gigantic.
"Thank you," the girl said showing her braces.
"On the other hand," Brad said hesitating. "I might get you to your next class. What do you say?"
What is he doing, I thought. That girl has been carrying herself for at least fifteen or sixteen years and if she could not, she would have been to an hospital where sick people belonged.
"I am going to my locker. But it’s totally fine, I can go by myself"
Something inside of me told me that this girl was lying. Brad insisted and they both went to the girl's locker. I secretly followed them. What? I could not let my man walk alone with a random girl---no matter how insignificant she was!
To my surprise, she also got Brad to accompany her to the cafeteria to eat! I slowly walked toward her locker after painfully watching My Brad at the end of the hallway.
Since I knew nothing about that girl, I had to find out at least her name. And the best way to do that was to break into her locker. I was a master at opening locks with keys. I spent an entire summer, when I was six years old, trying to open a lock with a hair pin. Opening this simple lock was a piece of cake.
Inside the locker was dull. There were no stickers, no picture, nothing--- only books and binders. I took a pile of books out and noticed a small square box. I placed the books on the floor and opened the box. There was a lavender diary-like notebook with a picture of Brad on it!!
I quickly flipped through the pages. There was everything about Brad such as his school schedule, soccer practice and games, doctor's appointment! Small drops of tears fell on the diary.
I realized two things that I've been missing out:
1- I was not the only one obsessed with Brad!
2- The other obsessed girl was already making her move and I was not.
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