Chapter 5 (Andrew’s POV)
Erica and I finished tutoring around 4:45 and I had to run home to make sure I made practice on time. For the first time all year, I actually understood math homework. I really had a great tutor. It took me a few minutes to get focused on the math and not on Erica’s smile and eyes. I was glad I had to leave and get my textbook. It gave me the opportunity to calm down my nerves. When I got back, she was day-dreaming about something. I have a hunch it was about me. I get to practice just in time to start rehearsing. I hook up my bass, do some quick tuning and turn to Mike.
“Are you okay, dude?” Mike asked just looking at me.
“Yeah I’m fine. I just ran here from school. I’m a tad winded.”
“Oh, alright. Well us 3 think we’ve finalized the set list for Friday. Want to check it out?”
“Really?! Sweet! Let me see it!”
Mike handed me the set-list and I looked down on it. The fact that our first gig is on Friday made me nervous and excited at the same time. I was ready for this.
“Here Comes Trouble, No Win Situation, Sing for you, Heartache in the Suburbs, Two Rebels, Over You, Why Didn’t I, Down, Nobody has to Know, and See U in the Dark.”
“Yeah, those are it. Anymore you think we could add?” Jason asked after I had read them out loud.
“These are awesome. I really hope everyone likes them.”
“Me too,” Alex added. “I also heard that supposedly there are going to be some record producers there. The school called for us and they’re coming to hear our set.”
Mike and Jason had already heard this news so they were ready for it. I wasn’t. My jaw dropped and I started jumping up and down. I had my bass around my shoulders so I couldn’t jump too much, but a record producer?! What an opportunity. Now, I was ready to rehearse.
“Okay, let’s get this going. I’d love to get a contract!”
“You’re not the only one.” Mike said sarcastically.
We decided to play through our set list. It took us about an hour and then we finished for the night. I needed to get home and do some homework. When I finally got home, I headed to my bedroom. I get out my math homework to review it a little bit. Erica’s handwriting was all over my paper. She had beautiful penmanship. Nothing could stop a smile coming onto my face. I was planning on asking her to hang out after our show tomorrow. My cell phone goes off and I look down at caller ID to see who it is. ‘Mom’ was flashing on the screen.
“Hello.”
“Hello darling. How are you?” My mom never calls unless she needs something.
“Fine. What do you want Mom?” I didn’t want to deal with her. She was probably stuck in Detroit or something, high as all get out, and needed my money so she could buy more drugs. My mom had not been a part of my life since I was 11. My father had passed away because of prostate cancer and my mother went haywire when she lost him. She started sleeping around and getting into drugs. One of her drug dealers was moving to somewhere in the Mid-West and my mom followed. She left me with my grandmother. I have never fully healed since. I will never trust my mother again.
“Oh honey, just because I call doesn’t mean I want something.”
“I haven’t talked to you in 6 months, Mom. That usually means you want something. You know I won’t give you money, so don’t even try.”
“Andy,” only my mom and the guys can really get away with calling me Andy, “I don’t want money, I want to come home. Lawrence left me and I need to get sober. I’m coming back to NYC for rehab and to be back in your life.”
I couldn’t say anything. 2 surprises in one day. 1 wanted and 1 unwanted. This one was the unwanted one. I did not want my mom back in my life. She would ruin it somehow. I didn’t even know what to say to her and I must have been quiet for awhile, because she kept on making sure I was there.
“Sweetheart, are you there? Is the line dead?”
“No, Mom. I’m here. Well, have you talked to Grandma? Does she know you’re coming?”
“Yes. I talked to her this morning. She told me I needed to tell you not her.”
“Well I appreciate it Mom. But don’t think you can just walk back into my life. You abandoned me because Dad died. I had no mother for 7 yrs of my life. It’s not going to be easy, but I will try. When are you coming back into town.”
“Saturday.”
“I will see you Saturday.”
“Bye darling. Love you.”
“Bye, Mom.”
I could not believe this. My day went from a complete high to a complete low. My mom was coming home. This brought a lot of new complications into my life. I wasn’t ready for this and I sure as hell hope I can handle the next few days.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The New Girl: Chapter 4
Chapter 4 (Erica’s POV)
When he first asked me to be his tutor, I knew there had to be ulterior motives. I had looked into his eyes and I just couldn’t say no to him. I knew I shouldn’t trust him. I had observed him in lunch yesterday, and his temperament was that of my step-dad’s and after what he did, I would never be able to trust a guy again.
Andrew walked into the library and I saw him looking for me. I put my head down hoping he couldn’t see where I was, but I saw him as he started walking to me. I took a deep breath and tried to put on a smile.
“Hey,” he said nervously. I don’t know why he was nervous. “Thanks again for helping me.”
“No problem. So what do you want to go over first?”
“All of it.” He laughed with a little quiver in his voice. I couldn’t help but get butterflies in my stomach. I noticed he had really pretty blonde hair that fell just over his eyes. He would always do a head flick to move it.
“Let’s start with surface area. I really don’t get that and since that’s what our test is on, I better learn it.”
I snapped back into reality after he said that. “Okay why don’t we go over the homework for today?” He had to grab his textbook from his locker and while he was gone I couldn’t help but get lost in my thoughts of him. His smile was something that put a smile on my face. He had a cute little gap between his two front teeth that most people have fixed with braces, but he didn’t. I am glad he didn’t because it made him that much cuter to me. He also had gorgeous blue eyes that I can see myself getting lost in a lot. I can’t wait until I get home so I can IM Sarah and tell her all about Andrew.
I was still lost in my thoughts when Andrew returned. I kept hearing someone calling my name in the distance and I looked up to see him sitting down looking at me with the ‘what-were-you-thinking-about’ type reaction. He had a cute little smirk like he knew I was thinking about him.
About an hour later, we had finished all the homework and I headed towards the subway so I could get home. I ended up not getting home until around 630pm and I headed right upstairs to do the rest of my homework. I checked my computer first and luckily Sarah was online. I NEEDED to talk to her.
movinggirl: hey ! how r u?
xoxNMxox: HHEEEYYY!! i’m great! How r u?
movinggirl: good…… soo I have some details for you!!
xoxNMxox: ooohh details, I love details. Are they about a boy?!
Again there so goes again with a boy. Of course, she was right this time, but her mind was always on the boys.
movinggirl: u n ur boys. Yes, it’s a boy. His name is Andrew.
xoxNMxox: Andrew. I like that name. how old is he? What does he look like? When’s the date??!!??
movinggirl: Slow down girl. I’m just tutoring him. He’s a senior and very cute.
xoxNMxox: let me guess, you’re tutoring him in….. math.
movinggirl: haha yeah, I have to take geometry again even though I aced it at our school. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes and the cutest smile in the world. I love it.
xoxNMxox: that’s good! Do you know if he likes you too?!?!
Movinggirl: there is a chance. He tried talking to me yesterday, but I had blown him off. But he tried again today, and I couldn’t say no.
xoxNMxox: oohh.. just be careful girl… i don’t want you to get hurt again.
Movinggirl: I know. I have told myself I will not fall in love with him…
xoxNMxox: well.. it looks like you are on your way. So either make sure the relationship is just tutoring and not more or really protect your heart. I do not want to see anything happen to you again. Oh and if he hurts you, let him know your BFF will come and castrate him!
Movinggirl: bahaha oh Sarah,… thank you! I miss you soooo much.
xoxNMxox: miss you too.. okay I have to get to some homework.
Movinggirl: me too.. it’s 6:30 here.. and I have a lot
xoxNMxox: bye hun.. love ya!
Movinggirl: love ya too!
My computer made the sign-off sound on IM. I shut it off and started working on my Social Studies project. I wasn’t able to concentrate for long because all I could think about was Andrew and his eyes. I knew I was going to have good dreams tonight.
When he first asked me to be his tutor, I knew there had to be ulterior motives. I had looked into his eyes and I just couldn’t say no to him. I knew I shouldn’t trust him. I had observed him in lunch yesterday, and his temperament was that of my step-dad’s and after what he did, I would never be able to trust a guy again.
Andrew walked into the library and I saw him looking for me. I put my head down hoping he couldn’t see where I was, but I saw him as he started walking to me. I took a deep breath and tried to put on a smile.
“Hey,” he said nervously. I don’t know why he was nervous. “Thanks again for helping me.”
“No problem. So what do you want to go over first?”
“All of it.” He laughed with a little quiver in his voice. I couldn’t help but get butterflies in my stomach. I noticed he had really pretty blonde hair that fell just over his eyes. He would always do a head flick to move it.
“Let’s start with surface area. I really don’t get that and since that’s what our test is on, I better learn it.”
I snapped back into reality after he said that. “Okay why don’t we go over the homework for today?” He had to grab his textbook from his locker and while he was gone I couldn’t help but get lost in my thoughts of him. His smile was something that put a smile on my face. He had a cute little gap between his two front teeth that most people have fixed with braces, but he didn’t. I am glad he didn’t because it made him that much cuter to me. He also had gorgeous blue eyes that I can see myself getting lost in a lot. I can’t wait until I get home so I can IM Sarah and tell her all about Andrew.
I was still lost in my thoughts when Andrew returned. I kept hearing someone calling my name in the distance and I looked up to see him sitting down looking at me with the ‘what-were-you-thinking-about’ type reaction. He had a cute little smirk like he knew I was thinking about him.
About an hour later, we had finished all the homework and I headed towards the subway so I could get home. I ended up not getting home until around 630pm and I headed right upstairs to do the rest of my homework. I checked my computer first and luckily Sarah was online. I NEEDED to talk to her.
movinggirl: hey ! how r u?
xoxNMxox: HHEEEYYY!! i’m great! How r u?
movinggirl: good…… soo I have some details for you!!
xoxNMxox: ooohh details, I love details. Are they about a boy?!
Again there so goes again with a boy. Of course, she was right this time, but her mind was always on the boys.
movinggirl: u n ur boys. Yes, it’s a boy. His name is Andrew.
xoxNMxox: Andrew. I like that name. how old is he? What does he look like? When’s the date??!!??
movinggirl: Slow down girl. I’m just tutoring him. He’s a senior and very cute.
xoxNMxox: let me guess, you’re tutoring him in….. math.
movinggirl: haha yeah, I have to take geometry again even though I aced it at our school. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes and the cutest smile in the world. I love it.
xoxNMxox: that’s good! Do you know if he likes you too?!?!
Movinggirl: there is a chance. He tried talking to me yesterday, but I had blown him off. But he tried again today, and I couldn’t say no.
xoxNMxox: oohh.. just be careful girl… i don’t want you to get hurt again.
Movinggirl: I know. I have told myself I will not fall in love with him…
xoxNMxox: well.. it looks like you are on your way. So either make sure the relationship is just tutoring and not more or really protect your heart. I do not want to see anything happen to you again. Oh and if he hurts you, let him know your BFF will come and castrate him!
Movinggirl: bahaha oh Sarah,… thank you! I miss you soooo much.
xoxNMxox: miss you too.. okay I have to get to some homework.
Movinggirl: me too.. it’s 6:30 here.. and I have a lot
xoxNMxox: bye hun.. love ya!
Movinggirl: love ya too!
My computer made the sign-off sound on IM. I shut it off and started working on my Social Studies project. I wasn’t able to concentrate for long because all I could think about was Andrew and his eyes. I knew I was going to have good dreams tonight.
The New Girl: Chapter 3
Chapter 3 (Andrew’s POV)
Today was the day. It was 7:00. Damn I was late like always. I knew I was going to be rushing to get to school like always. The guys tell me I like to be Fashionably Late. I called Alex and told him to tell the guys to not wait for me.
“Hey, running late again.”
“Andy, this is the 3rd day in a row, what are you doing?”
“I just don’t hear my alarm, sorry. I’ll see ya in homeroom.”
“Alright, bye.”
I rush to get ready. I grab the classiest thing that I have. I always seem to be complimented on this outfit. Maybe Erica will like it. It’s a skinny tie and Army-styled shirt. I grab my backpack and rush out. Practically at a full speed run, I made it to school with 1 minute to spare. As I’m stepping into the school, the bell rings.
“Mr. Lee, you’re late.” I whip around to see Mr. Opaque standing in the Main Office’s door.
“I was here before the bell rang,” I said as I quickly try to make it to homeroom.
The guys are already seated around one of the tables. I sit quickly into my seat and luckily missed the attention of Sister Sherry. She always seemed to go after my group. She wanted to catch us in trouble, but we always seemed to JUST avoid it! Geometry was first and I was ready. I already told Jason that I wasn’t going to be sitting with them at Geometry. He just gave me the “are you picking up a girl” look and I just shook my head yes. A huge smirk came over his face. I wanted to explain to him that it was different not the normal hook up that our group was famous for. Erica’s eyes and hair were implanted in my head and I couldn’t get them out.
The bell finally rings and I book it out of homeroom. I’m the first one into Mr. Opaque’s classroom and I head to the seat where Erica was sitting at yesterday. I take a deep breath and act like nothing is wrong as I see her walk into the room. She stops as she enters and looks over to where I am. I see her take a deep sigh and slowly roll her eyes. She has to sit next to me because all the other seats are taken by other students in the class. The table we were at was the only open spot. As she sat down, I said hello.
“Hi.” She responded back coldly. This was going to be harder than I thought.
“How was your evening? Did you understand the homework?” I was trying to make some sort of conversation.
“Yeah, it was easy.” I would have loved to know what she was thinking, she seemed so aloof. Mr. Opaque walked into the classroom and the class got quiet. Mr. Opaque might have been a little odd but we all respected him because he respected us. Throughout the whole class, I noticed Erica slowly was moving her chair away from me. Her back was also facing me and she had her feet in the aisle instead of under the desk. I start to drown Mr. Opaque out again and just stare at the back of Erica’s head. I noticed she would do quick look backs at me throughout the class while she was taking notes. The bell rang and I noticed that Erica was packing up slower than she did yesterday.
“What was the homework again?” I asked. I really didn’t know the homework but I also wanted to talk with her.
“Pages 230-231 in the textbook, all the odd problems.”
“Oh, thanks. Are you really good at math?” This was all a part of my place
“I’m decent. I got all A’s at my school in Albuquerque.”
“Would you want to help me some? I never get it and really need some help.” I was holding my breath. If she said yes, I would be okay. If she said no, I had NO idea how to get her to talk to me more.
“Well, I’m really busy getting used to the city…”
“Please!” I interrupted her. She looked up at me with tons of questions in her eyes. I could tell she was trying to figure me out.
“Okay. Can you do today after school? Meet in the library?”
“Yeah, that’s fine!” I tried not to show the excitement in my voice but it was hard to hide. Part 1 of the plan was crushed. “Thank you so much. I will you see later, have to get to gym class.
I ran into the locker room with the cheesiest smile on my face.
“Uh oh, someone’s got a hot date.” Mike said hitting me in the arm.
I laughed nervously. “No, just a math tutor.” I was hoping it would turn into a hot date, but I don’t want to resort to my old ways.
“A math ‘tutor’” Jason said mockingly. He moved his fingers like he was putting quotation marks over tutor, implying something more. His mind was always in the gutter.
“Guys, seriously, she’s just helping me with math. I need to pass the class to graduate. I don’t think you want me to be stuck here while you guys are off getting all famous.”
The guys simultaneously agreed with me. I knew they needed me in the band. The rest of the day passed by slowly as I continued to watch the clock for 3:43 to come so school was over. The bell rang and I booked it out of my History class, to my locker, and finally made it to the library. I looked around at all the tables and found her. I took a deep breath and sat down.
Today was the day. It was 7:00. Damn I was late like always. I knew I was going to be rushing to get to school like always. The guys tell me I like to be Fashionably Late. I called Alex and told him to tell the guys to not wait for me.
“Hey, running late again.”
“Andy, this is the 3rd day in a row, what are you doing?”
“I just don’t hear my alarm, sorry. I’ll see ya in homeroom.”
“Alright, bye.”
I rush to get ready. I grab the classiest thing that I have. I always seem to be complimented on this outfit. Maybe Erica will like it. It’s a skinny tie and Army-styled shirt. I grab my backpack and rush out. Practically at a full speed run, I made it to school with 1 minute to spare. As I’m stepping into the school, the bell rings.
“Mr. Lee, you’re late.” I whip around to see Mr. Opaque standing in the Main Office’s door.
“I was here before the bell rang,” I said as I quickly try to make it to homeroom.
The guys are already seated around one of the tables. I sit quickly into my seat and luckily missed the attention of Sister Sherry. She always seemed to go after my group. She wanted to catch us in trouble, but we always seemed to JUST avoid it! Geometry was first and I was ready. I already told Jason that I wasn’t going to be sitting with them at Geometry. He just gave me the “are you picking up a girl” look and I just shook my head yes. A huge smirk came over his face. I wanted to explain to him that it was different not the normal hook up that our group was famous for. Erica’s eyes and hair were implanted in my head and I couldn’t get them out.
The bell finally rings and I book it out of homeroom. I’m the first one into Mr. Opaque’s classroom and I head to the seat where Erica was sitting at yesterday. I take a deep breath and act like nothing is wrong as I see her walk into the room. She stops as she enters and looks over to where I am. I see her take a deep sigh and slowly roll her eyes. She has to sit next to me because all the other seats are taken by other students in the class. The table we were at was the only open spot. As she sat down, I said hello.
“Hi.” She responded back coldly. This was going to be harder than I thought.
“How was your evening? Did you understand the homework?” I was trying to make some sort of conversation.
“Yeah, it was easy.” I would have loved to know what she was thinking, she seemed so aloof. Mr. Opaque walked into the classroom and the class got quiet. Mr. Opaque might have been a little odd but we all respected him because he respected us. Throughout the whole class, I noticed Erica slowly was moving her chair away from me. Her back was also facing me and she had her feet in the aisle instead of under the desk. I start to drown Mr. Opaque out again and just stare at the back of Erica’s head. I noticed she would do quick look backs at me throughout the class while she was taking notes. The bell rang and I noticed that Erica was packing up slower than she did yesterday.
“What was the homework again?” I asked. I really didn’t know the homework but I also wanted to talk with her.
“Pages 230-231 in the textbook, all the odd problems.”
“Oh, thanks. Are you really good at math?” This was all a part of my place
“I’m decent. I got all A’s at my school in Albuquerque.”
“Would you want to help me some? I never get it and really need some help.” I was holding my breath. If she said yes, I would be okay. If she said no, I had NO idea how to get her to talk to me more.
“Well, I’m really busy getting used to the city…”
“Please!” I interrupted her. She looked up at me with tons of questions in her eyes. I could tell she was trying to figure me out.
“Okay. Can you do today after school? Meet in the library?”
“Yeah, that’s fine!” I tried not to show the excitement in my voice but it was hard to hide. Part 1 of the plan was crushed. “Thank you so much. I will you see later, have to get to gym class.
I ran into the locker room with the cheesiest smile on my face.
“Uh oh, someone’s got a hot date.” Mike said hitting me in the arm.
I laughed nervously. “No, just a math tutor.” I was hoping it would turn into a hot date, but I don’t want to resort to my old ways.
“A math ‘tutor’” Jason said mockingly. He moved his fingers like he was putting quotation marks over tutor, implying something more. His mind was always in the gutter.
“Guys, seriously, she’s just helping me with math. I need to pass the class to graduate. I don’t think you want me to be stuck here while you guys are off getting all famous.”
The guys simultaneously agreed with me. I knew they needed me in the band. The rest of the day passed by slowly as I continued to watch the clock for 3:43 to come so school was over. The bell rang and I booked it out of my History class, to my locker, and finally made it to the library. I looked around at all the tables and found her. I took a deep breath and sat down.
The New Girl Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Erica couldn’t get that blue-eyed boy out of her head for the rest of the school day. She heads on the subway to Queens to get to her parent’s new apartment. She lived about 30 minutes from the school because her parents didn’t want to send her to a public school and St. Claude’s was the closest school that they could afford. She finally gets home and walks in the door. She has to walk around tons of boxes and bubble wrap just to get to the kitchen. She gets a glass of lemonade and head up to her bedroom. She gets on her laptop and checks her email. Nothing. Checks her buddy list and sees her best friend from Albuquerque online. She IMs her.
movinggirl: Hola.
xoxNMxox: Hey!!!!!!!! How was ur 1st day of school?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Sarah was a little too enthusiastic about everything.
movinggirl: It was my first day. Same old. Awkward. Evry1 starin @ me. The classes seem a lot easier than Western though.
xoxNMxox: AWESOME! So.. any cute boys?!?!
Of course. The first thing she asks is about a boy. Erica doesn’t want to talk about this Andrew kid because she knows Sarah will take it out of proportion and will have me off and married within 5 minutes from now.
xoxNMxox: I need ALL the deets. I miss ya!
movinggirl: Nah. No1 that caught my eye. I g2g 2 much hw.
xoxNMxox: kk. Call me asap! Luv ya lots!
movinggirl: luv ya 2.
Erica takes a deep breath. She avoided that conflict. Now she just needs to avoid her mother. Erica’s mom and dad met their freshmen year of high school and were married when they were 19. Her mom wants Erica to have the same life and since she’s 18 she’s running out of time to find that perfect one. Erica gets to doing her Geometry homework then begins reading the first few chapters of Pride and Prejudice for English. Luckily she’s read the book about 20 times and knows the story backwards and forwards. Erica always thought she would find her Mr. Darcy: a charming, allusive, handsome, and sweet man. She had yet to find that boy but it seemed that whenever she thought of Mr. Darcy, Andrew came to her mind instead of her usual picture, Colin Firth. Erica shakes her head trying to get Andrew’s face out of her mind and goes to make dinner before her parents get home.
***
Andrew and the rest of the gentlemen head to Jason’s house for band practice. They’ve just started a new band called Honor Society and have their first gig, St. Claude’s homecoming. Andrew is a little disappointed because he couldn’t find Erica the rest of the day. Even at lunch, he looked for her and didn’t see her sitting at any of the tables. Michael and Jason began tuning their guitars as Alex played a few beats on the drums. Andrew tried to tune his guitar but he just can’t seem to concentrate. He can’t get that picture of Erica out of his mind as she raced off to her English class.
Jason throws a pick right at Andy’s head. “What is with you today?” “Yeah Dude,” Mike adds, “You’ve been out of it since gym class. Where has your mind been?”
“Just thinking about the Geometry test on Friday,” Andrew said nervously, hoping that no one notices what he is really thinking.
“Well that’s 3 days away. Our show’s on Saturday that’s what we need to be focusing on right now!” Alex responded enthusiastically! It seemed like everyone else was ready for the show, so Andrew shook it off and began rocking out with the rest of the band. It turned out to be one of the best practices the band has had in awhile.
Practice ended about an hour later and they all headed off to their respective houses. Alex and Andy live on the same block so they took the Subway together to get to their houses.
“Alright, I’ve known you almost my whole life, who is the girl?” Alex states matter of factly while they were waiting for the train to come.
“I, uh,um,” Andy begins to studder, “It’s uh.. no one..”
“Like I’m ever going to believe that. Name. Where did you meet her.” For a guy, Alex was always the one who was most interested in the other guys’ relationships. It was just part of his personality. He was always willing to share everything and expected the same from his friends.
“Well, you know that new girl, in our Geometry class.”
“Yeah, Brenda or something.”
“No. Erica. Well I went to talk to her after class.”
“You go. So did you get her number, when’s the date.”
“Well…” Andy sighs, shaking his head. He was still upset about what had happened earlier today. “She sort of blew me off. I tried to find her the rest of the day but I couldn’t. I can’t get her off my mind, man. This has never happened. What do I do?
“Woah. Just get over her. Maybe try and see other girls or something. There are about 50 other girls at our school who would want to be with you man.” Alex was right. Out of all 4 guys, Andrew was the one most girls wanted to be with.
“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out.”
Andy and Alex arrived to their block and headed into their houses. Andrew already had a plan formulating in his head of how he was going to get Erica to talk to him. Hopefully it will work. Andrew finishes his homework and tries to sleep as the plan keeps playing in his head.
Erica couldn’t get that blue-eyed boy out of her head for the rest of the school day. She heads on the subway to Queens to get to her parent’s new apartment. She lived about 30 minutes from the school because her parents didn’t want to send her to a public school and St. Claude’s was the closest school that they could afford. She finally gets home and walks in the door. She has to walk around tons of boxes and bubble wrap just to get to the kitchen. She gets a glass of lemonade and head up to her bedroom. She gets on her laptop and checks her email. Nothing. Checks her buddy list and sees her best friend from Albuquerque online. She IMs her.
movinggirl: Hola.
xoxNMxox: Hey!!!!!!!! How was ur 1st day of school?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Sarah was a little too enthusiastic about everything.
movinggirl: It was my first day. Same old. Awkward. Evry1 starin @ me. The classes seem a lot easier than Western though.
xoxNMxox: AWESOME! So.. any cute boys?!?!
Of course. The first thing she asks is about a boy. Erica doesn’t want to talk about this Andrew kid because she knows Sarah will take it out of proportion and will have me off and married within 5 minutes from now.
xoxNMxox: I need ALL the deets. I miss ya!
movinggirl: Nah. No1 that caught my eye. I g2g 2 much hw.
xoxNMxox: kk. Call me asap! Luv ya lots!
movinggirl: luv ya 2.
Erica takes a deep breath. She avoided that conflict. Now she just needs to avoid her mother. Erica’s mom and dad met their freshmen year of high school and were married when they were 19. Her mom wants Erica to have the same life and since she’s 18 she’s running out of time to find that perfect one. Erica gets to doing her Geometry homework then begins reading the first few chapters of Pride and Prejudice for English. Luckily she’s read the book about 20 times and knows the story backwards and forwards. Erica always thought she would find her Mr. Darcy: a charming, allusive, handsome, and sweet man. She had yet to find that boy but it seemed that whenever she thought of Mr. Darcy, Andrew came to her mind instead of her usual picture, Colin Firth. Erica shakes her head trying to get Andrew’s face out of her mind and goes to make dinner before her parents get home.
***
Andrew and the rest of the gentlemen head to Jason’s house for band practice. They’ve just started a new band called Honor Society and have their first gig, St. Claude’s homecoming. Andrew is a little disappointed because he couldn’t find Erica the rest of the day. Even at lunch, he looked for her and didn’t see her sitting at any of the tables. Michael and Jason began tuning their guitars as Alex played a few beats on the drums. Andrew tried to tune his guitar but he just can’t seem to concentrate. He can’t get that picture of Erica out of his mind as she raced off to her English class.
Jason throws a pick right at Andy’s head. “What is with you today?” “Yeah Dude,” Mike adds, “You’ve been out of it since gym class. Where has your mind been?”
“Just thinking about the Geometry test on Friday,” Andrew said nervously, hoping that no one notices what he is really thinking.
“Well that’s 3 days away. Our show’s on Saturday that’s what we need to be focusing on right now!” Alex responded enthusiastically! It seemed like everyone else was ready for the show, so Andrew shook it off and began rocking out with the rest of the band. It turned out to be one of the best practices the band has had in awhile.
Practice ended about an hour later and they all headed off to their respective houses. Alex and Andy live on the same block so they took the Subway together to get to their houses.
“Alright, I’ve known you almost my whole life, who is the girl?” Alex states matter of factly while they were waiting for the train to come.
“I, uh,um,” Andy begins to studder, “It’s uh.. no one..”
“Like I’m ever going to believe that. Name. Where did you meet her.” For a guy, Alex was always the one who was most interested in the other guys’ relationships. It was just part of his personality. He was always willing to share everything and expected the same from his friends.
“Well, you know that new girl, in our Geometry class.”
“Yeah, Brenda or something.”
“No. Erica. Well I went to talk to her after class.”
“You go. So did you get her number, when’s the date.”
“Well…” Andy sighs, shaking his head. He was still upset about what had happened earlier today. “She sort of blew me off. I tried to find her the rest of the day but I couldn’t. I can’t get her off my mind, man. This has never happened. What do I do?
“Woah. Just get over her. Maybe try and see other girls or something. There are about 50 other girls at our school who would want to be with you man.” Alex was right. Out of all 4 guys, Andrew was the one most girls wanted to be with.
“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out.”
Andy and Alex arrived to their block and headed into their houses. Andrew already had a plan formulating in his head of how he was going to get Erica to talk to him. Hopefully it will work. Andrew finishes his homework and tries to sleep as the plan keeps playing in his head.
The New Girl: Chapter 1
It’s the first day of school and Erica is beyond nervous. Her parents picked up and moved her from her comfort zone in Albuquerque and moved her to NYC so her mom could pursue a Broadway career. Erica was infuriated. It was another ‘dream’ of her mother’s which she knew would fade in the next year just like everything else: becoming a painter, becoming a writer, and taking a whack at professional volleyball. Well, here she goes. Erica starts her first day at St. Claude’s Catholic a little nervous. It seems like everyone has their eyes on her. Erica does not like being the center of attention and has always gone through school being the invisible one. I HATE being the new girl, Erica thinks as she heads to her first class. Geometry, she’s already taken this course but for some reason St. Claude’s wanted her to take it again. She knew this would be a breeze and didn’t really pay attention as the teacher started to rant about surface area. 15 minutes into the class and the teacher sounded like the teachers in Charlie Brown. Erica starts to look around and sees a few cute boys in the back of the class. They all have their ties loosened up and are sitting back with the ‘I rule the world’ type attitude and stance. Their chairs are back on their hind legs and Erica rolls her eyes. She’s dealt with guys like that before and she wasn’t about to get herself in trouble. She takes one more, quick look back then starts to focus on taking notes.
***
Andrew hates this class. He has always struggled with math and the only thing that got him through was the fact that his 3 best friends were in the class. Mr. Opaque was talking about surface area and Andrew begins to drown him out like he does every other day. He sits in the back so he can scan the class and still look like he’s paying attention. Mike is to his right, Jason to his left, and Alex next to Jason. Everyone in the school calls them the Gentlemen. They are always dressed to the nines and are known to treat girls like princesses. They are also known to have a different girlfriend every week. They were players but every girl wanted to be with them. In the corner of his eye, Andrew sees someone staring at him. He turns quickly to see a new girl. Andrew has never seen her before. The way her brown, wavy hair flows down the back is kind of pretty. For the rest of the period, Andrew thinks of a way he can talk to her. Maybe the same suave and debonair way he talks to every girl or maybe another way. All Andrew has seen is the back of her but every time he looks at her gorgeous locks, a knot forms in his stomach.
***
“Hey,” Andrew says approaching the new girl. His voice cracked. That hasn’t happened in 2 years.
Erica turns around. “Oh, Hey.” She starts to walk faster. Andrew has to walk at a speedwalk just to keep up.
“I saw you in Mr. Opaque’s Geometry class. Just want to introduce myself. I’m Andrew.” “Oh hi, I’m Erica. Love to chat but got to get to English.”
Andrew just stands there. He’s never been rejected like that before. Andrew made it his goal. He will get Erica to talk to him by the end of the day. Andrew runs to catch up with the rest of the Gentlemen. They head off to gym together. Thank the Lord for being seniors. They all have the same classes together. As he begins to change though, he just can’t get those chestnut brown eyes out of his mind.
Erica can’t believe it. The reason she did a double take in Geometry had talked to her. It took her until she sat down in Miss. Lamstead’s for her to catch her breath. She was able to compose herself on the outside but she was like mush on the inside. Focus Erica. He’s just a boy, is what she kept repeating to herself. Erica wasn’t going to let her get caught up in a romance when she knew her mom would be changing her mind in the next few months.
Erica and Andrew start their next classes trying to pay attention but they couldn’t get each other out of their minds.
***
Andrew hates this class. He has always struggled with math and the only thing that got him through was the fact that his 3 best friends were in the class. Mr. Opaque was talking about surface area and Andrew begins to drown him out like he does every other day. He sits in the back so he can scan the class and still look like he’s paying attention. Mike is to his right, Jason to his left, and Alex next to Jason. Everyone in the school calls them the Gentlemen. They are always dressed to the nines and are known to treat girls like princesses. They are also known to have a different girlfriend every week. They were players but every girl wanted to be with them. In the corner of his eye, Andrew sees someone staring at him. He turns quickly to see a new girl. Andrew has never seen her before. The way her brown, wavy hair flows down the back is kind of pretty. For the rest of the period, Andrew thinks of a way he can talk to her. Maybe the same suave and debonair way he talks to every girl or maybe another way. All Andrew has seen is the back of her but every time he looks at her gorgeous locks, a knot forms in his stomach.
***
“Hey,” Andrew says approaching the new girl. His voice cracked. That hasn’t happened in 2 years.
Erica turns around. “Oh, Hey.” She starts to walk faster. Andrew has to walk at a speedwalk just to keep up.
“I saw you in Mr. Opaque’s Geometry class. Just want to introduce myself. I’m Andrew.” “Oh hi, I’m Erica. Love to chat but got to get to English.”
Andrew just stands there. He’s never been rejected like that before. Andrew made it his goal. He will get Erica to talk to him by the end of the day. Andrew runs to catch up with the rest of the Gentlemen. They head off to gym together. Thank the Lord for being seniors. They all have the same classes together. As he begins to change though, he just can’t get those chestnut brown eyes out of his mind.
Erica can’t believe it. The reason she did a double take in Geometry had talked to her. It took her until she sat down in Miss. Lamstead’s for her to catch her breath. She was able to compose herself on the outside but she was like mush on the inside. Focus Erica. He’s just a boy, is what she kept repeating to herself. Erica wasn’t going to let her get caught up in a romance when she knew her mom would be changing her mind in the next few months.
Erica and Andrew start their next classes trying to pay attention but they couldn’t get each other out of their minds.
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