I Never Meant to Fall in Love

1.3

The next day at school was alright... Aside from starting a new week of waking up early. Monday's were always tough.

Brooklyn and I talked a little, but I didn't mention that my mom called him a girl, oops. We took our test on Monday and now that it was Wednesday, we were going to get out tests back, like our teacher promised.

I was anxious when she was handing the tests back. She went row by row. I sat next to Brooklyn while waiting very patiently. I just wanted to see my mark!  The others kids who had received their graded tests had mixed facial expressions. Some grinning with happiness, others folding the paper to hide what they got.

When my test was finally placed face down in my test, I quickly turned it over. I couldn't wait any longer. I was satisfied with my mark of 87%. I had made some stupid mistakes on the questions I got wrong, that only showed that I needed to go slower and check over my work for next time.

I looked over and saw that Brooklyn was one of the people who were trying to hide something. I knew that it must not be too good.

"How'd you do?" I asked him.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Well, let's see so next time we know what we need to improve on."
"Why do you keep saying 'we'? It's my grades, why do you care."
"What's wrong? Why all of a sudden are you showing this attitude towards me? I'm trying to help, Brook."
"You really want to know what I got?"

I nodded. He flipped the test around to reveal his mark. 61%.

"I barely passed."
"I told you to study!"
"And I couldn't!"
"Why not? I left early, you still had the rest of Saturday and Sunday! Not to mention when you were studying after school on Friday!"
"I didn't study on the weekend. Just a bit on Friday."
"Why?" I was upset that he didn't prepare himself for the test, "You knew that this was important."
"But keeping one of my closest friends is even more important."

He stood up and left the classroom. By then, Ms. Morgan had finished handed back all the tests and had dismissed us a bit early. I ran down the hall and chased after Brooklyn.

"Brooklyn! Brooklyn, wait!"
He turned, "Yes?"
"What do you mean?"
"I spent my weekend explaining the whole situation. I'm lucky to still be able to talk and hang out with you."
"Your parents are strict, huh."
"Not that their strict, just a tad protective. They don't want fake people getting into our lives just to stir things up. The media does enough of that."

I almost felt bad for Brooklyn and the Beckham family. For all their lives, they've been constantly chased by the paparazzi. It'd get bothersome after a while and then just simply annoying.

"I don't want to cause trouble or anything and if your parents think that, then tell them otherwise."
"I have."
"And?"
"They're willing to give you a second chance."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"It's more so my mum, just saying."
"I figured. I would be like that too if I just returned home to find some stranger in my house."
He laughed, "Yeah."
"How about your dad? What's he think of me?"
"He's cool. He was trying to convince my mum that you were just hanging out with me as friends, nothing else."
"Did she listen?"
"Sort of."
"What's that supposed to mean?"

The bell rung, signalling us to get to our classes before we were late.

"Talk to you at lunch or whatever."
"Ok."

We went our separate ways.

I had my next class with Sabrina, Will, and Isaac. I sat near the boys, since Sabrina went into her group of girls who were like her. Obsessive over Brooklyn Beckham.

"What the fuck is this shit," Will muttered to himself.
"School work."
"Fuck off, Isaac."
"Guys, chill."
"I don't understand anything!" Will ran his fingers through his hair.
"Maybe if you quit staring at Marie and listening to the lesson, then maybe you would."

Will glared at Isaac. He gave him a shove.

"Dude!"
"You basically just told Izzy my crush!"
"So what, you like a new girl every week."
"Shut up! I do not!"
"William!" The teacher raised her voice, "No talking! Go in the hall and take a minute before you're ready to come back in here and learn like the rest of us."

Will pouted and stormed off and into the hall. I wasn't quite sure where he was going.

She continued to give us the instructions of the lesson, when I raised my hand.

"May I be excused? I need to use the washroom."
"Go ahead."

She smiled and then went back to teaching. I exited the classroom full of students to see Will walking down the hall.

"Hey," I said, jogging to catch up to him.
"What are you here for, to make fun of me?"

He walked with his hands in his pockets and his head down low, avoiding all eye contact.

"No, what the hell."
"Then why are you here?"
"To make sure you're ok," I smiled at him.
"That's something new to me, someone actually caring about my feelings."
"Just trying to keep the few friends I have here."
"I'm your friend?" He looked up at me for the first time.
"I mean, yeah. You're Brooklyn's friend, but you can be mine too. We all hang out together anyways."
"Yeah."
"So, you alright?"
"Just pissed at Isaac for saying that out loud. You won't tell anyone though?"
"Of course not!"
"And what Isaac said about me liking a new girl each week, that's not true."
"I thought so."

I listened to Will talk for a little bit about Marie. It was interesting just to listen to his feelings towards her.

"You really like her, don't you?"
He nodded, "I like her a lot."
"Ask her out."
"I can't."
"Come on! Be brave!"
"No, I mean, I actually can't. She has a boyfriend."
"Oh..."
"Exactly."
"Sorry to hear that, but it's ok," I wrapped my arm around his shoulder as we walked back to class, "you'll find 'the one' soon enough."

✱✱✱

I met Brooklyn at his locker after school before he left.

"Hey, I was actually going to come talk to you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"What about?" I asked.
"No, you go first."
"You never really had the chance to explain what you meant earlier."
He laughed, "I was actually going to talk to you about that."
"Things are sort of figured out."
"I need to apologize to your mum."
"Let me finish. She's invited you over for dinner to discuss what happened."
"Shit."
"Don't worry, it's not that big of a deal and if you were thinking that you were going to have to dress up like one of my mum's models, you won't. It's just a little bit of a fancy dinner."
"How much is a bit? What do I even wear?"
"Something formal, I don't know what you girls wear. All I know is that my mum wants me dressed in a suit or something."
"Well then... Now I know this is a huge deal."
"I said it wasn't."
"From the looks of it, it is."

Oh my, Victoria Beckham is inviting me over for a formal dinner to have a talk with me. This can't end up good.