Gwen woke up on Monday to the realization that she’d forgotten her date yesterday with that blonde guy from school. Not on purpose, it just happened.

Luckily there was a party on Saturday (the guy she texted came through after all) to keep her busy, so she had to spend all Sunday nursing her epic hangover. When her dad got suspicious, she told him she had a cold. Luckily she wasn’t a light weight so she didn’t stumble home blowing chunks everywhere.

Hopping out of bed, she decided to go to school earlier than usual- maybe she could catch the blonde guy and try to make up some excuse about her absence. Then break it to him gently that she didn’t date her flings. Doing that would just be really weird.

Suddenly she wondered if she missed the date on purpose after all- she could barely remember anything she did yesterday because of all the booze in her system.

After showering and putting on some clothes, she made herself toast and left.

Finding the blonde guy amongst the many many blonde heads in the school hallways was near impossible- especially when she still didn’t even know his name.

‘God, where are you blondie?’

Soon she got bored of the search and decided to head off to her locker. Halfway with her combination and a male voice came from behind her.

“Gwen, can we talk?”

It was golden boy, in all his blonde haired glory. He found her. And he didn’t look too happy. At all.

“Why did you ghost me like that?” He frowned. “You never texted me your address. I even tried asking your friend with the blue hair, but she didn’t know where you live.”

‘Clara and I are friends?’

“I don’t get it,” He continued, looking displeased “You seemed pretty into me last Friday. Were you busy yesterday?”

Gwen decided to run with that excuse.

“Yeah, I’m so sorry. I had to go see a friend at the hospital, it was an emergency.”

Almost like clockwork, he looked less tense. Too easy.

“Oh…well, I understand Gwen. But you should have given me some sort of heads up.” Then he laughed. “I mean, I thought you’d forgotten about the date completely,”

Gwen tittered politely. Was he done yet?

“So,” He smirked at her. “You kind of still owe me a date. How about it?”

Jesus Christ. Sighing, she plastered on another smile. How would she break it to him lightly?

“Listen- eh…” Then she paused. She still didn’t know his name.

“What’s up? You good?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Look, I’ve been doing some thinking-“ Gwen pushed on. “I don’t think I’m…fully ready for a relationship right now. I had a really rocky breakup 2 weeks ago and I just feel like…it’s too soon.”

Damn, she was good. That lie deserved some kind of award.

He looked disappointed but somewhere in there, he had sympathy.

“Ah.” He stared at his shoes. “Well, hey- I’m sorry for trying to force a date out of you if you really feel like that. I can be a bit too forward at times. Honestly, I just kinda… like you, you know.”

Then he glanced up at her. “But for what it’s worth, your ex is a moron for letting you go.”

Gwen just stared at him. She hadn’t had a steady boyfriend in ages.

“I’ll…um, go. Leave you alone- for now? See you around then Gwen,” He smiled, winked at her and stalked off with some other guy with dreads who kept calling after him.

“Nick, hey man!”

Nick. That’s his name.

Gwen couldn’t give herself a moment to reflect on what he meant by for now. Instead, she opened up her locker to take out a text book. Something told her that definitely wasn’t the last she would see of him. Shrugging, she headed for her homeroom to properly begin her mundane day.

Sullivan didn’t feel like talking to her today (he kept his head firmly down on his table, even when she pulled out her pack of gum), so Gwen was stuck sitting in silence and just listening to her teacher- all through Biology. Like some sort of good little student.

Or something.

She told herself she didn’t care. They weren’t friends anyway, so why should he have to talk to her every single time they meet.

‘Right. Right.’

Their teacher’s lecturing hummed past her ears as background noise. He barely had her attention when she was too busy thinking about all she promised herself she wouldn’t.

Meanwhile, out the class window, she was too distracted to acknowledge the multiple birds perched on a nearby tree. More and more of them clustered together, all carefully peering in one exact direction.

“Jesus, look at all those birds.”

Gwen was snapped back to earth. God did she hate when people interrupted her thoughts. Her mood soon brightened when she discovered who’d done that.

“What’re you talking about?” She narrowed her eyes at him, biting back a smirk. Was he trolling?

Sullivan lazily nodded at the window right beside her, his head still firmly planted down on his desk.

She did a double take when she turned to it.

“What the hell…”

“Was there a mass migration recently? They do that sometimes,” Sullivan offered while scratching his neck.

“Yeah, I think that might be it.” Gwen mumbled absentmindedly, still side eyeing the flock hanging outside. A few fluttered even closer, landing on the window sill; their gazes were still glued on her. “Fucking creepy,”

“That’s birds for you.” Sullivan muttered before covering his face with his arms once again. Gwen noticed and unwillingly sighed in defeat.

She rolled her eyes at how their teacher hadn’t yet caught him sleeping throughout the entire class. Again. Tempted, she nearly put her own head down on her desk when she remembered she actually liked the class. Damn her strange Biology prowess! Damn it all.

Some girl tapped on her arm from across a desk. “Hey, did you write down the note from last week Friday?”

“Yeah,” Gwen plastered on her usual smile. “Here you go.” She pulled out her binder and handed it over to the girl, discreetly inspecting her perfect acrylic neon green nails.

Cute.

“Ah, thanks a lot girl!” The girl whispered, grinning. Her heart shaped hoop earrings jingled prettily. Sunlight caught and glinted against them, Gwen’s eyes swerved towards the window again. The birds were still there.

“Sorry, I never caught your name…?” The girl stared apologetically. Gwen literally couldn’t believe her teacher hadn’t called them out for talking yet.

“Gwen.” Gwen whispered, ignoring the pesky creatures outside.

“Ooh, so you’re the Gwennie my friend told me about!” The girl’s eyes sparkled with realization.

Gwen’s own dimmed instead.

‘Please tell me this friend isn’t who I think it is-‘

“You happen to know Clara by any chance?” Shit.

“Yeah,” Gwen struggled to keep her smile up. Really, what she wanted to do was run as far away from her as possible. God, she hoped this chick wouldn’t try to be friends just because she sat with Clara during lunch a few times. She had boundaries.

“Cool. Also, you kinda have a little party girl rep going round school-“ the girl shrugged. “Are you who they keep talking about?”

Gwen shrugged, feigning nonchalance. The girl swatted her auburn hair away and grinned again. “I’m Ingrid, by the way.”

‘What a shitty name.’ Sorry, she was forward that way.

“Cool name.”

The girl winked, her smile widening. Gwen decided in that moment to go on mentally referring to her as ‘The girl’ anyway.

“Thanks again for the note, you’re a life saver.” The girl whispered. “I’ll see you around, maybe?” With that, the girl turned away.

Dear god please no.

……………………………………..

Lunch was a bore, as expected. She saw Sullivan walk past and they waved at each other. That was cool.

Some girl she talked to in English class waved too. Gwen nearly rolled her eyes, just before thinking better of it and sending a charming smile her way instead.

Clara was nowhere to be found, fortunately. Golden boy was though.

Unfortunately.

She caught his glance once, over where he sat with his friends. She waved politely. He smiled and finally looked away.

Her life was becoming one of those annoying teen-dramas. Which was weird; the drama of her past could last her a life time already.

“Yo!” Someone exclaimed.

She jumped. Jesus fucking Christ-

“Hi?” Gwen fought down the urge to sneer, turning to the rude unfamiliar face behind her. The school was seemingly short on good manners. How lovely.

‘What now? What’s with all these people and their bs recently-’

“Ingrid says you’ve got notes from last Friday,” He stated plainly. “Can I have it?”

She just stared at him.

“Please?” He added after a moment, obnoxiously popping his bubblegum. He looked like the type of guy to vape. He probably did.

‘Idiot.’ Gwen thought.

Sighing, she reached for her bag. “What’s your name?”

“Does it matter?”

Keeping up her smile was a chore. “Well, I’ll need to get your name and your phone number- so you bring it back,”

He frowned. “What, you don’t trust me?”

‘Fucking yes. No shit.’

“No, it’s just I’m very particular about my notes- sorry.“ She let out one of her overly used cheery laughs while putting her binder into his hands. Staying on literally everyone’s good graces took effort. But it was worth it- it all paid off at the times she needed it to.

The guy just eyed her. “I wouldn’t have expected snobiness from a party girl, but whatever.” Just before leaving, he added. “It’s Aaron. Remember that.”

Gwen fantasized about snatching her book right back and swatting him against the head with it- she was snobby huh? She’ll show him just how freaking snobby she could be.

“He probably thinks he’s so cool in that shitty Adidas track suit,” she muttered bitterly. “But with all those stupid freckles on his dumb greasy face, he looks like a pizza slice. Fucking prick.”

She silently prayed for no more unwanted approaches. After all she wouldn’t have chosen to sit alone during lunch if she wanted company today.

Hold on. ‘That moron didn’t give me his phone number.’

Ugh.

Sighing for what seemed like the 29th time that afternoon, she got up from her bench and stalked after him.

“I swear, I don’t think I can take another second at school. I’m going to drop out,” a friend groaned, walking her to her locker.

“Yeah, you do that Marc.” She rolled her eyes jokingly. But in a way, she wasn’t.

Truth be told, she simply couldn’t care less if he did. God, it was one pointless acquaintance after the other. But she kept telling herself it was good for her- this was good for her. It had to be.

“You’re insensitive.” He pouted at her. Was she?

“You’re too touchy.” She smirked, shoving some books into her locker.

“I literally just told you I’m thinking of throwing my entire future away,” Marcus stared at her. “And you didn’t even try to talk me out of it? Wow, that’s cold.”

He was a friend of a friend. Nothing important. They had like one class together.

“Hey, alright- I’m sorry. Are you happy now?”

“Hmm- maybe. But I might be even happier if you buy me something…a drink, from the Ol’ Tin Can.” He smiled.

Gwen smirked even wider. “Sorry to break it to you bud, I fear the Ol’ Tin Can had its last hoorah last Friday.”

“It’s broken down? Holy shit.” Marcus looked stunned. “I always thought it was immortal or something. Do you think they’ll get it replaced?”

Gwen shrugged. “Don’t worry, you know our school- it’ll be fixed by the end of this week, probably.”

“Ah, that’s true.” he nodded. “Well, I forgive you anyway. I gotta bounce. See you later,”

“Mm-hmm,” Gwen slammed her locker shut.

After she had Math and Economics class, she was free to go. School ended.

‘Is Sabrina still around? Wonder if she’d like to walk home,’ Gwen thought boredly. She was in the mood for some company. Glancing around, she couldn’t see any familiar faces in the usual stampede of her fellow students rushing out their school’s exit.

Figures. Now she wanted someone to bother her, there was no one around. She really didn’t feel like walking back alone to that lifeless void she called home- wasn’t anyone around to keep her company? To be yet another efficient prop for the afternoon?

‘How about Sheldon? Is he doing something?’ She searched.

Feeling bummed, she gave up and lowered her standards. She settled for the lowest of the low. The only person she actually knew for sure where he would be (because he only told her a million times.)

Sometimes she wished she’d gotten more people’s phone numbers.

Gwen looked for Bill where he usually was after school; at the music room for band practice. He was a weird overly clingy guy she talked to once in her Economics class and ever since then he wouldn’t stop trying to make conversation. In normal circumstances, Gwen wished to dear god he would stop being so clingy. But right now, she hoped he would be slightly happy to see her- even though she’d mostly been ignoring him for the entire year so far.

She strolled right in and found him sitting behind a drum kit, talking with the music teacher.

‘He plays drums?’ She was kind of expecting some other lame instrument.

“Hey Bill!” She cried cheerily. He jerked and glanced at her.

“Oh…uh, hey Gwen!” He smiled quickly. He looked slightly uncertain but Gwen ignored that.

“What’s up?” She sat down on a nearby chair, making herself comfy.

“Nothing much- just p-practicing,” Bill gave a weird laugh. Gwen’s eyebrow’s furrowed; he wasn’t this nervous the last time she talked to him.

‘Wait, is he uncomfortable?’ Shit. Maybe she’d ignored him way too long.

“Uh…I just came to say hi,” She cautiously pushed on, tucking her short hair behind her ear. “Plus I wanted to see if you wanted to grab something to eat- or whatever?”

He looked down. The music teacher at that point had walked away.

“I thought you hated me?” He mumbled, the floor still seemed very fascinating to him.

What?

“What?” Gwen did a double take. She didn’t hate him; she just didn’t want anything to do with him. There’s a difference. “No Bill, what gave you that idea?”

He gave her a deadpanned stare.

“Okay,” Gwen sighed. “Sorry I haven’t really been talking to you lately. It’s just…I’ve been dealing with some heavy shit in my family recently,” That was somewhat true. Only it wasn’t just recently.

Bill looked guilty again.

“So…I just don’t wanna walk home alone right now, ok?” She tried her best to look somber.

Bill looked even more guilty. Damn, she was good.

“O-okay Gwen, I’m sorry.” He ran a hand over his bristly scalp. If he grew his hair out, he’d definitely look a lot cuter. “Could you wait around for a bit? Practice goes on for an hour...”

“No problem,” Gwen grinned, put her bag down and crossed her legs in her seat. She almost pitied him- he was so gullible.