I knew that my parents only wanted the best for me, but I would have rather stayed at my old school. This new one was far superior, but I hated the idea of starting over. It didn't help we had moved states as well, and now I was in sunny California. I was used to the east coast with snowy winters, not wearing a t-shirt in November. Our house was considered nice to me, but compared to the mansions in the next neighborhood over, it was pretty small. We only had one floor, but I loved my bedroom. It had a nice view of the trees in our yard, and I could fit all of my clothes into the closet. At our old house I was running out of space for all my garments. It was refreshing to be able to hang up my cardigans rather than keeping them in the laundry basket until I needed them. Of course I wasn't sure how cool the winter months would become, but I had hope I would get a chance to wear some of my cozy pieces. I could barely sleep the night before school, a thousand fears running through my mind. I put on a mustard yellow sleeveless shirt with stripes of white and salmon pink that resembled the one Taylor Swift wore for her video speaking about her album, Midnights before it came out. I paired it with jeans that flattered it and a pair of white sneakers. I had low expectations as my mom pulled up to the high school, me reluctantly stepping out from the passenger side. At first I was just gliding through the hallways on the search for my locker, skidding to a stop as my heart hammered. Leonardo DiCaprio was standing at his locker as he ran his hand through his blonde hair. I hadn't realized this was the same school that he attended. He was a rising star, but I already viewed him as legendary as Tom Hanks. He was laughing and talking with friends as he chewed some gum, my face burning when someone bumped into me. That gave me the cue to keep walking, realizing that somehow my locker was directly next to his.
"So, are you going to the skate park after school," one of the guys asked Leo as I unintentionally listened.
"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it," Leo claimed, his voice sounding even more attractive in person.
I kept my head low as I gently placed my light green backpack into my locker. My heart jumped when I heard someone clear their throat a bit.
"Hey, I don't think I've seen you here before. I'm Leo," he introduced, giving me the most adorable, lopsided smile.
"Rowena," I barely got out, my vocal chords failing me.
"So, are you new here?" He tucked his hands into his pockets and I forced myself to slowly nod. "I like your backpack. Green's my favorite color. Actually, it's dark green, but I like other shades of it too." He flipped his hair from his eye as I managed to almost smile. "Where are you from?"
"I'm from the east coast."
"Oh. Where on the east coast," he curiously wondered.
"West Virginia," I nodded as he smiled.
"I've always lived in California."
"Yeah, I know. I mean... that's cool," I corrected, hoping he didn't catch that first part. I was sure my face was the color of a ripe tomato by now.
"Well, I better get to class. I'll see you around, Row," he spoke, my heart fluttered at how he already gave me a nickname. The popular guys did tend to give me one too at my old school, so it wasn't surprising, except for the fact it was Leo who did it this time.
As expected I went through the whole day not making a single friend. Most people just stared at me or whispered behind my back. I was officially the new girl that everyone was curious about. I had never been a loud person though, so other people typically made the first move. Even though my mom was meant to pick me up after classes, I texted her that I had other plans for after school. I was grateful she didn't question it, and I secretly followed Leo and his friends down to the skate park. I crossed my arms as I watched them pull out their skateboards, a few of his buddies doing warmups as he did the same. When they got to the rink, I tried not to gape at how Leo did a complicated trick on a fairly high edge. I accidentally tripped out from the bushes I was standing in, Leo happening to spot me. I wanted to die of embarrassment and run away, but he was already jogging up to where I stood.
"Hey, you skate too," he positively guessed.
"Um... sure," I hesitantly said.
"Where's your board?" He looked down at my empty hands.
"I forgot it at home."
"They have some you can rent over there. You want me to get you one?"
"No, you don't have to do that. I don't actually know how to ride. I just... I like watching other people skate," I came up with as my dark brown eyes raised to meet with his ocean blue.
"Oh, do you want me to teach you? It's not that hard."
"No, I'm bad at this kind of stuff. I..." I ceased breathing when he helped me onto his dark green board. My knees were wobbly as he held onto my waist, our eyes locking when we both looked up at the same time.
"Alright, so you just put one foot down and use it to propel yourself forward. Once you get enough momentum going, then you put both feet on the board and ride it," he simply explained, my head spinning faster than ever.
"You do what now," I questioned, but he guided me along.
"You're doing alright," he reassured me as my legs shook more. "I've got you. Your legs will get stronger the more you do this. Why don't you practice while I go get a drink of water?"
"Um, okay," I hesitantly agreed. I was still awkward, but my muscles got stronger without being in his orbit. I was starting to feel better as I went a short distance, both my feet planted firmly on the board. My smile gradually fell though when I saw Leo with a girl. She had shoulder length brown hair with light blonde highlights evenly spaced throughout. I was aware there were rumors of him having a girlfriend, but I had hoped they were false. Everything stopped when she touched his arm and he smiled bigger than ever. I didn't even notice him jogging back over to me at first.
"I've gotta go. Callie and I are going out for pizza with the guys. You can hold onto my skateboard if you want if you promise to give it back tomorrow morning."
"Okay," I reacted with the weakest smile. I then realized how foolish I had been, now alone in a neighborhood that I wasn't familiar with. I had no idea how to get back home, even with using a map on my android phone. I didn't even have a clue which direction the school had been in. I just stood there completely lost with Leo's skateboard still resting beside my feet.
Eventually I called my mom and asked her to pick me up, telling her what the closest street sign read. She drove us to McDonald's as I gazed sadly out the window as I listened to my music on Spotify.
"What happened with your friends? I thought they would walk you home, or at least give you a ride," she remarked as we stepped into the busy restaurant.
"They had to go somewhere suddenly. I have to give one of them their skateboard back tomorrow," I answered as we finally got to the head of the line. I went with a small order of chicken tenders with fries, while my mom settled for a Quarter Pounder. "What's Dad going to have for supper," I checked once we found our seats.
"I'm going to order something for him before we leave. He's still at work," she explained as I nodded. "So, how was your first day?"
"It was okay." I wasn't ready to tell her about Leo. She was very aware of my huge crush on him, and I didn't want to draw attention to it right now.
"What are your new friends like?"
"Oh. Well, we're not exactly friends yet," I replied, since Leo and I were still on the line of being acquaintances.
"Well, I bet it won't take long before you are. You're a great girl," she complimented.
"Thanks, but I've always struggled in the friend department."
"Yeah, but you eventually make them. It just takes more time for people to get to know you. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah." I just went along with what she said, even though I didn't exactly feel the same way.
A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. This story isn't going to start off with Christmas, but it will eventually get to the season. It's just an idea I've really been wanting to write. Please remember to comment, vote, and follow. Thank you so much! <3 Also, it's set in modern day but with young Leo. <3 And the title of this book is inspired by Sabrina Carpenter's new Christmas song, "cindy lou who," while the description is lyrics from Taylor Swift's song, "Slut!" <3
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cindy lou who || Leonardo DiCaprio
Fanfiction"Everyone wants him, that was my crime"
