"Hey there pretty lady." Brian said, leaning on Katie's locker door.
Katie smiled at Brian's antics. "Hi." She said flatly.
Brian beamed. "YOu like me; I knew it." He said, still grinning.
"I don't think so."
"Aw, come on."
"Come on what?"
"Just once, could you flirt back?"
"Brian, I told you. I have a boyfriend, whom I am blissfully happy with."
"You can have two at once. All the more fun."
Katie cringed, then shook her head. "I dont' think so."
"Aw, come on." Brian said. Katie knew he was just joking, so she didn't press it.
"Brian...no." She said.
Katie grabbed her bookbag and tried to shut her locker door.
"Wait! Why the rush?"
"Brian, please-"
"Can I walk you to class?"
"No." Katie said.
"Can I at least talk to you for more than five minutes?"
"No!" Katie said, giving an exasperated sigh. Her patience was running thin.
"Can I call you sometime?" He asked.
"No." A voice said from behind them.
"WHat?" Brian turned around, faced with Zac, who was as tall or taller than he was.
"Uh, hi." Brian said.
"Bye Brian." Katie hinted.
"Yeah, yeah, I know when I'm not wanted." Brian said, detaching himself from her locker. He shut his own and sauntered down the hall. The two watched him go, and Zac raised his eyebrows.
"Something I should be worrying about?" He asked.
"Nah." Katie said. "Just weird."
"Tell me if it does."
"Sure thing." Katie closed her locker.
"Hi Katie." Jeremy said.
"Oh, hi Jeremy. How are you?"
"I"m okay. Did you do the extra credit for Biology?"
"Yeah." Katie said. "I got it."
"Oh." Jeremy said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I guess I'll see you in Biology." He said, turning back to his locker. Katie glanced at Zac before heading off down the hall.
"Again, should I be worried?"
"Zac." Katie warned.
"What?" Zac chuckled. "Don't you think that it's just a little strange that whenever I'm standing right beside you, he doesn't even address me?" Zac asked her, switching his backpack to his other shoulder.
"Zac, believe it or not, you are not a God." Katie joked. "Seriously though, I think he's just nice."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah." Katie said as they started up the stairs.
"Well I think he has a crush."
"What?"
"I think he's hot for you. Why else does he act like that?" Zac asked as they reached the top.
"Like what?"
"Aw, I dunno. Just how he acts." Zac said.
"I think you're just jealous."
"Jealous?" Zac snorted. "Of what?"
"Jealous that he likes me."
"Whatever." Zac said. "Even if he wanted you, he couldn't get you."
"Why's that?" Katie playfully challenged.
"Cuz I have you." Zac said.
"Uh huh." Katie said, giving Zac a sideways glance.
"Seriously though. I think he's just...weird. Watch out." He said.
"Zac, you're taking this whole thing waaaay too seriously." Katie said.
"Okay, if you say so." Zac said as they entered the classroom.
Later on that day, Katie was at her locker, getting a few books, when Brian walked up to his locker.
"Hey thereeeeeeee." He said, giving her a smile.
He is soooo cheesy when he does that. Katie thought. "Hi." She said.
"So what's this I hear about you and that boyfriend of yours?" Brian asked nonchalantly, swinging on his locker door.
"Um...I don't know...what did you hear about us?" Katie said with a laugh.
"Just that he's telling everyone you guys have been to third base, and perhaps beyond." Brian said.
"What?" Katie couldn't believe her ears.
"You heard me." Brian said, knowing he had her attention.
"I don't believe you." Katie said, knowing that Brian was just trying to greaten his chances with her.
"He's dissin' his woman." Brian said casually.
"Whatever." Katie said, slamming her locker shut. She glared at Brian one last time, then picked up her bookbag and walked away.
She didn't think much about the incident with Brian until she was at lunch. While she was standing in line for lunch, James, one of Zac's friend was acting weird towards her, and that was just the icing on the cake. She also a group of girls looking at her and talking. That was a definite incentive that they were talking about her.
Katie picked at her lunch a little before getting up and throwing it away.
"What's wrong with you?" Nicole asked.
"Nicole, have you heard anything about me and Zac?" Katie asked her bluntly.
"Noooo..." Nicole said slowly. Katie knew that Nicole wouldn't lie to her, so she let it drop.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I don't feel so well. Call me tonight?" Katie asked.
"Okay. Are you feeling alright?"
"No." Katie said. "No, I'm not." She said, walking out of the cafeteria. She raced to the bathroom, and locked herself in a stall. Her stomach had been bothering her all morning. She was sure it was just cramps from her period at first, but now she felt sick. The whole rumor thing wasn't making it any better.
Katie sat in her fifth hour history class, dreading next hour. She was working with Jeremy on a lab project. Not that she minded lab, but she decided that Zac was right about Jeremy. He was strange. Very strange, in fact. Ever since Zac had brought it up that morning, Katie had been thinking about it. Jeremy did give her weird looks sometimes, and he would just out of the blue tell her strange and bizzarre things.
They were mostly things about animals, which Katie found extrememly unsettling. He once told her that a type of bird mates for life, and when one of them dies, they starve themselves to death. He told her about other things too, and the more Katie thought about it, the more the thoughts unsettled her. She raised her hand suddenly, and her teacher, Mrs. Wilkes, looked up.
"Yes, Katie?"
"May I go see the nurse?" She asked quickly.
"Why, yes, go right ahead." Mrs. Wilkes said. With that, Katie got up and quickly left the room. She felt like the was going to be sick.
Katie walked to her locker, just before seventh hour. The nurse had called Judy, and she was on her way. Katie was getting her books for her homework, then she was going home. She made her way through the crowded hallways to her locker.
"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked her.
"You look like shit." Brian commented.
"Huh?" Katie didn't feel like dealing with either of them.
"Are you sick?" Jeremy asked.
"That, amoung other things." Katie answered, her locker swinging open.
"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked.
"Is your boyfriend getting to ya? I could take him." Brian said, jabbing his fists into the air.
"Ulgh." Katie said, grabbing her books.
"What's going on?" Jeremy asked them.
"Zac's tellin the whole school he's been doing the mattress mambo with Katie here." Brian said to him.
"I heard something of that sort." Jeremy said quietly.
"You what?" The two now had Katie's full attention.
"Zac's telling lies." Jeremy said, looking up at Katie.
"I dont' believe you." She said, looking at them. She had to get out of there fast. "I don't believe either of you." With that she slammed her locker shut and pushed past the people. She went by Zac's locker, and he saw her and stopped her.
"Are you leaving?"
Katie looked at him, the sounds of Jeremy and Brian talking about Zac echoing in her head. Zac's telling lies...I heard that too... She pushed the thoughts out of her head.
"Yeah, I don't feel so well." She said.
"Oh. Well, I hope you feel better soon, and I'll call you later." He said.
"Okay." Katie said. With that, she left the school. She felt so terrible that she didn't even want to think about anything else but her warm bed.