You Could Do Better

THURSAY, JANUARY 17TH, 20081

“You know that he’s an ass, right” Nick asked me.2

I sighed heavily and tried to hit the birdie with the badminton racket. I missed. 3

“Nice one,” he said sarcastically.4

“Hey, you’re the one that wanted to partner with me. You’ve known me for three years; you know how much I suck at sports,” I reminded him.5

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that you sucked this much!” Nick told me.6

“Jerk!” I yelled, trying to hit him with the racket. He jumped out of the way and poked me in my belly with it. Something Nick had figured out about me was that I was ticklish. And that was bad for me. 7

“Stop doing that,” I told him, trying again to hit the birdie and again failing miserably.8

“Fine,” he huffed at me. The unusual silence continued for a moment. 9

“He doesn’t treat you right,” Nick continued. 10

“How the hell do you know,” I snapped. 11

What he was referring to was my boyfriend, Bryan. We had been going out for eight months and things were…not good. Not that I had told anyone that. I was completely miserable with Bryan. But as far as I knew, no one else in the world would ever go out with me, so I considered myself stuck with the baboon until the end of time. Which was something I was not pleased about; he knew nothing about relationships. 12

“I….I just know,” he said, looking away at the ground. 13

What the hell was up with this kid? All he ever did was bitch about Bryan and say what a jackass he was. But how did he know anything about our relationshit? The worst part was that we had been going out for eight months. And he still hadn’t kissed me. That was a real blow to my self-esteem. 14

“Well, things are fine, but thanks for asking,” I said, feeling slightly awkward. 15

“Sure they are.”16

“They are.”17

“Yup.”18

“Alright,” I snapped, feeling very pissed off and frustrated. It was like he could see right through all the crap I was pulling with everyone else. That he knew I felt like crap with this guy that would never answer my phone calls and ignore me all the time. I didn’t like people knowing too much about me. I hated feeling vulnerable. 19

Finally, the gym whistle blew. 20

“Thank the Holy Badger,” I muttered.21

“Yeah, I was wondering how much longer I was going to have to put up with watching you suck at badminton,” Nick said from behind me.22

“You’re such a cracker,” I told him.23

“Like a white person?”24

“No, like the kind you eat.”25

“You want to eat me?! Weirdo!” he said as he walked away to the Guy’s Locker Room. Nick was a nice guy and all, but sometimes I wondered why he acted so weird all the time around me. I think the reason I liked being friends with him so much was because he was so funny. Really. I could be crying and he could just make me laugh like there was no tomorrow. For some reason, it was him I was thinking about as I changed out of my gym clothes. Not my boyfriend.26

After we got changed, we had to meet with our crazy ass gym teacher, Mrs. Shwartz. The woman was literately NUTS. I’m talking Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs here. If you don’t dress one day for gym, she feels like she has to pull you out of class and have a heart to heart with you to see how you’re doing and how your life is going.27

“Now, boys and girls, tomorrow is you Health Final!” she said excitedly. 28

“Oh boy isn’t that exciting,” I muttered. Someone behind me snickered. I turned around and saw Nick. He was standing so close behind me that it completely confused me for a minute. I turned around quickly and shook myself mentally. What are you doing? You’re stuck with that big furry retard of a boyfriend, remember? I got back to listening to crazy lady. 29

“Now, I know that all of you are going to do your very best for me. I just want to say that you are all like my children and I love each and every one of you as if you were. You guys are so important to me,” she claimed, her voice cracking with emotion. Meanwhile, there were tears running down my face. Tears from trying to hold all my laughter in. 30

“Now, you guys go to your next class. And good luck tomorrow!”31

I waited until she had walked for away. Then I burst into hysterical laughter. 32

“You all right there?” Nick asked, raising his eyebrows.33

“She’s…so…CRAZY!” I gasped, clutching my ribs. Just then, my best friend, Andrea, walked up.34

“Wow, she’s scary,” she commented lazily. Lately, Andrea had been acting very….emo. It all kinda annoyed me since I had gone through the stupid little suicidal thing the year before and she knew how bad it really was. She just didn’t care. She also told me to not break up with Bryan. I, of course, followed her advice because she was my “best friend.” 35

"No kidding. I thought that she was going to try and adopt us all," I commented, having finally stoped laughing hysterically.36

"God, I hate her," Nick muttered. 37

"Really? I don't exactly hate her. I just think she's nuts," I said.38

He shrugged and looked away. What the hell was this kid's problem? I noted that it was the second time today that I thought he was kinda crazy. His weirdness was making me a little nervous, so I decided to steer a conversation that I knew couldn't go wrong.39

"Andrea, how many monkeys could you fit in a barrel?" I asked her very seriuosly. 40

"It all depends on the size of the barrel and the size of the monkeys," she pointed out. "Are they baby monkeys? Or big scary gorillas that will eat me and my family?" she asked in a very business-like matter. Nick looked at both of us like we were on drugs.41

"You are so weird," he told me. 42

"So? You got a problem with that?" I asked. I could feel myself turning red and I didn't know why. I just didn't want him to say yes.43

"I can't beileve I'm saying this, but no. I actually like it," he said, smiling.44

"Ummm...that's good..." I stuttered. I wasn't very good at any feedback that was posotive on account that I currently had a boyfriend that let me think that I was fat and ugly. Then something grabbed me from behind. And I knew only one person that would do that. Matt. 45

He was, in my opinion, the nastiest human being on the planet. He smoked weed, got drunk every night and screwed every girl he could. Matt also smelled like a big, stinking pile of shit. He was a senior...for the second time. He only dated Freshman and Sophpmores, though, because those were the easiest in out school to nail. Matt was gross, a pervert, and big. I hated him.46

"Matt, let go of me," I snapped. He giggled like a girl. 47

"Why should I do that?" he asked happily. Bastard.48

"Because I said so," I snapped, slowly getting very pissed off.49

"Matt, get the fuck off," Nick said. And it was in a tone that clearly said "if you do not stop what you are doing, I will beat you to the ground." Which suprised me. A lot. I really wasn't expecting that from Nick. Another thing that suprised me was that Matt let go.50

"Thanks," I told Nick.51

"No problem..." he said.52

And the bell rang.53

"Well...I have to go to English..." I told him.54

"And I'm going to Geometry..." Nick responded.55

"They're on opposite sides of the building."56

"That sucks."57

"Yeah...well...I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Finals."58

"Ok...see you later," he told me.59

"Bye."60

And as I walked to English class I wondered why on Earth my heart was thumping so fast in my chest.61

FRIDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 200862

Finals. One of the many torments of school. I walked into room B100 with Andrea and looked around. Not many people were here yet. but Nick was. Except he was sitting with two of his friends, Mitch and Nate. He saw me enter though, and grabbed his backpack, making his was over to me. Why was he leaving all his good friends to come by me?63

"So, where are we sitting?" he asked me.64

Andrea shot me a look like "What the hell is going on here?" I tried to keep my cool. 65

"Dunno. Let's go find some seats," I said.66

We picked three all the way in the back. Nick sat in the middle. 67

The finals were long and boring. I didn't really care if I did good or not. I just wanted to finish so I could write notes to Andrea. I had written a couple of new poems and I wanted her to read them and tell me what she thought. 68

It took me only 37 minutes to complete the final. The only person to finish before me was Nick. A few niutes later, Andrea finished too. I immediatly pulled out two folded pieces of paper from my purse and tried to extend them far enough to reach Andea. Sadly, not only am I short, but my arms are short as well. Nick took the papers out of my hands and for a second I was struck with fear because I though that he was going to read them. But he handed them to Andrea. I sighed with relief. He turned to me.69

"You scared the hell out of me!" I hissed.70

"Why?!" he asked.71

"I thought that you were going to read them," I explained.72

"Would it be bad if I did?" he questioned. 73

I nodded and he raised his eyebrow at me. I huffed and got put a blank piece of paper from my backpack. We wrote to eachother:74

I don't want you to know how weird I am.75

I already think that you're weird.76

I mean a different kind of weird.77

Like what?78

I can't tell you.79

Why?80

Because whenever people find out things like this about me, they aren't my friends anymore.81

Did you ever think that I may be different from all those people?82

Maybe.83

Did Bryan ever read anything you wrote?84

Yeah, a long time ago.85

And what did he say?86

Nothing...87

What a nice guy.88

Ok.89

Just let me read something. It can't be that bad.90

FINE!91

I tore through my backpack, looking for something short. I finally found something that I had written the night previously. I handed it to him and put my head on the table. Finally he tapped me shoulder and motioned for me to come closer to him. I did. 92

"Stop beating yourself up. It's good. Write more," he whispered in my ear. I couldn't do anything else but nod. I wasn't sure what he had just done to me, but I was like a deer in headlights. 93

For the rest of the class, it was Nick and I writing little notes to eachother. I told him about how much I liked writing and singing and he told me about his guitar and piano. Before I knew it, the bell had rung. We walked out of the classroom together. Since it was the last final, we were to now go home. 94

"See you Monday," he said, looking unusally cheerfull.95

"Yeah...Monday," I repeated as he walked away. He went to the right. I stayed outside the classroom waiting for Andrea. Finally, she came out of the classroom. Just as she walked out of the room, Nick walked by with his friend, Jason.96

Jason was....odd. There was no other way to explain that. That was all I knew about him. That and he loved Lamb of God and hated emos. As the two walked by me, Nick looked at me and smiled. A smile that made my heart race and my legs turn into jelly. That was when a thought struck me.97

I might just be in love.98