The Bad One or The Nerd One

Chapter 2

Katie's P.O.V

"Hey, Zachy." Were the first words that left my mouth that morning. The cheery tone of my mum is starting to seriously affect me. My mum is always too cheery to even be real. She must have to be a robot; smiling and laughing and never angry all of the time. It is not meant to be possible to be that happy all of the goddamn time.  'Your voice is too high pitched and it makes my ears bleed.' I internally rolled my eyes at that lovely comment that I had to make about myself. Do I secretly hate myself subconsciously as I always make these comments?

"You are far too cheerful for a Monday morning. How do you do it?" My best friend Zac groaned at me. He looks like he needs a coffee desperately. He seemed to be half asleep and his eyelids were drooping. What was he doing last night that has left him like this; the dark circles under his eyes accentuate his paperwhite skin and bloodshot eyes. His slouched over the body and scruffy clothes made him look like he had never heard of a shop or water. He could really use some of my makeup right now to try and disguise how awful he looks. I wonder why he doesn’t tell me what he does every night. He seems to be so secretive and not even care that I am his best and only friend who could leave him lonely so quickly. "Hey Kat. Kat!"

"Oh sorry Zachy. What were you doing last night? You look awful to put it lightly." I had to be blunt to get any answer out of him at this time of day. Or any time of day the lying and avoiding subjects king.

"Wow. You really are my best friend. Only you could go from cheery to so blunt in a few seconds. You make me feel like such a lucky person with your brutal honesty." He replied while laughing to brush away the matter. Don't worry Zac, you have some time before you have to answer and I will get a proper answer instead of avoidance like normal. You are yet to face who I can be and you will answer me. I need an answer. He is my only friend and I want to be a closer friend to him. Not someone who he only talks to at school and nowhere else. Avoiding me at any time of day outside of school. 

I could invite him over tonight as Uncle Cody is coming to stay for a few weeks and Zac loves him. More than me and I do get jealous over it, not that Zac knows or Uncle Cody or anybody. I could corner him and get an answer out of him. If that doesn’t work, threaten the best genre of film and shows. Romance. The genre he hates most in the world.

I was brought out of my scheming after falling to the ground and my books flying out of my hands. I looked up to see Claire. The head cheerleader and the head girl of the school. She has managed to win prom queen even though we haven’t had a proper prom for our year. She always dates the year above us and now in our last year, she has moved to college guys. I actually think she is still dating the same guy from the end of last year. I don’t even know his name. I am the good girl nobody talks to unless they need work being done. I would reject them but who am I to go against them when they have every teacher on their side and I would be able to do nothing. “Watch where you are going, Kitty Kat.” Her little group burst out laughing at the name that I have had since I was 8.

I was waiting for my mum after a school club and a little kitten came up to me meowing. I being the 8-year old I went over to stroke her. She was not happy about my approach and her hackles went up to appear bigger to me. I stopped and started to talk softly to her, she calmed down and I was able to go over to her. She let me stroke her and pet her. The football and cheerleading teams came out of the school to see me there with my glasses stroking an adorable kitten. They frightened her away from me by running at us waving their arms and shouting. I shouted back at them for scaring an innocent kitten.

I saw her crouching behind a wall across the yard so I went over to her and thought she would still let me near to her. She didn’t and she got her claws out and scratched my face. The teams laughed at me, “Never trust an ugly stray animal, Kitty Kat! They are always vicious and they would never learn to trust.” My mum drove up just after the teams had left and I was there by myself with cuts all over my face. I told her everything apart from what the teams had told me before they left. My tears were streaming down my face and making the cuts sting more. 

“Mum, can we call the shelter and tell them that there is a stray kitten around the school so they can rescue her and help her?”

“Of course honey.”

“Kitty Kat you listening? Watch where you are going! I don’t want to have to tell you that again!” She turned away and her group kicked my books further across the corridor away from me. I looked up and I saw the rest of the year looking down at me with smirks on their face. I will be the talk of the school once again. Claire seems to love to pick on me and nobody else. 

After I had managed to collect my books I walked towards my locker where Zac was standing. “Did you see that? It was in the direction that you have been looking.”

“What are you talking about Kat?” He must have seen it. He is avoiding looking at me and I knew that was how he lied. He saw the whole thing and didn’t come to help me. What friend does that? 

I dropped my books at my locker and kept the ones that I needed for my lesson and walked away to the sounds of Zac shouting after me. 

***

"Zac, will you please listen and talk to me! You have ignored me all day!" I cried out in desperation. I needed answers from my best friend and someone to talk to. I had felt so alone the whole day. I had been ignoring him too but I had a much better reason than one unknown to everybody. Zac's body tensed up and he suddenly became very on edge. I knew that he didn’t want to talk but that was not an option for him.

"I'll always talk and listen to you. Just no personal topics today Kat." Great the whole point of this was to get answers and he immediately puts off any topic subjects. At this moment in time, I felt complete hatred towards him. "Kat! I thought you wanted to talk." 

“I do want to talk. About the fact that you ignore me. Don’t let me know what happens in your life. YOu know everything that happens in mine yet I know nothing about yours. How is that fair? How Zac?” I glared at him and for a split second, I could see him shrink back and seem nervous but just as quickly hid it. He knew I was upset and he is a scared cat sometimes.

“Kat I know that I don’t tell you much but I thought that you were okay with it.” Was he actually upset and annoyed that I wanted to know about my best friend? I marched towards him and this time Zac didn't even attempt to hide his scared expression. I made sure that I didn’t spare a single glance for him. For added effect, I made sure to knock his shoulder like those bad bitches in the movies. 

"Kat!" Zac shouted after me in an attempt to get me to stop. 

“You don’t have the privilege to call me Kat at the moment Zac!” I shouted at him without turning to face him. 

***

I sprinted home and the smell of freshly baked cookies hit me as soon as I opened the door. Mum must have a new order from someone in the town. That's her business, bake the goods for the people of the town at a lower price than shops and are custom made. I love her and what she does but at this moment everybody can leave. My bag, shoes and coat were flung to the ground and I sprinted up to my room ignoring my mum's shouts from the kitchen. 

I locked the door to my room as soon as I got there to ensure I had no disturbances. I looked at my bed longingly but decided to head for my closet at the back of my room when I heard my mum knocking on my door asking me to open it and talk to her. Another locked door and the drawers containing my bags and other accessories pulled across in front. There in the centre of the closet was the large luxurious pouffe that was just waiting for me. I flopped onto it and the flood of tears I had held back came and didn't stop. 

I must have been crying for ages when I finally calmed down to busy myself with rearranging my wardrobe. I moved the drawers back into their place and decided to leave through my window for a walk. I was walking around with my music playing down my street. I saw ahead that there were moving trucks so I bent my head and continued to walk forward. I could hear a boy and parents arguing. I seriously hoped that they weren’t our new neighbours. I could feel someone looking at me. I started to lift my head to see them but then I heard my mum calling. “Katie! Katie! You need to come out!”