Choosing Fate

Chapter One

Every high school had popular kids, teenagers who got that extra bit of extra beauty, charisma, confidence, strength or at the very least the illusion of that extra. Either way, this extra was the base for popularity. Whether head cheerleader, lead role in all the class plays, student body president or star quarterback, those with a little bit of extra had places to shine bright. And people who flocked to that light.

I did not shine bright and I didn't enjoy even being near the light. This was one of the many reasons I needed Mr. Star Quarterback to leave me alone. I just couldn't convince anyone to agree with me besides my best friend. He was just as scared of the big guy as I was. Not that either of us talked about that.

Mr. Star Quarterback, other wise known as, The Most Popular Guy, aka, Blake Knox is my own personal stalker. Not kidding. And not funny or romantic or "just kids being kids". That last one is what the principal said when I went to him to complain that my locker with full of roses and cards. Again. Even though I added new locks which had been broken in pieces on the floor that morning. And the locker itself bent in a way that kept me from adding an extra lock again. He had to have had a flame thrower or something to pull that off. The determination and violence implied in my ruined locker combined with the flowers and cards had scared the hell out of me. After the principal, I had gone to the school councilor. He had been even more worthless.

That had been weeks ago. I was on my own. And he might have just crossed my final line.

He had added his contact to my phone. Again. I know I had that thing locked down. I have no idea how the creep could add himself. But there was the contact: Your One and Only. The picture of was of himself. In my bedroom. On my bed.

Earlier in the year, he had messed with my phone I had deleted everything each time he did it. We had a battle of wills on everything then. He pushed. I got annoyed. He responded with charm and pushed again. I got mad and refused to fall into his plans. He got seriously angry. I withdrew, mad at myself for being afraid. For some reason, when I was truly afraid he backed up - after he calmed down. Then, I had some peace and quiet until he decided to woo me again for whatever hell reason. And this was our pattern. He had gotten truly enraged when she had deleted everything of his on her phone over and over. I think even he was surprised at the rage and he hadn't touched my phone in weeks until now. I was afraid to delete the contact, so I changed the contact to Stalker, sure he would somehow see it. And wrote one sincere line: Please, leave me alone. I shoved the phone into my bag angry that I dreaded his response.

I had a feeling he was trying to claim me after hearing my conversation with my best friend about my virginity. This boy had to have super hearing to have understood my conversation. But he had been even more "attentive" ever since I confessed to my best friend that Iwas considering loosing my virginity before college.

The thing is, I have a crush on my nerdy best friend. He is the only one who has stood by me through all the stalking. He is handsome, but not intimidatingly so. We match. I thought if I hinted a bit I could see his reaction. I really wanted to have something special with him. But before I could really get a reaction he went still which I knew meant Blake was coming near our area again. We kept eating lunch in areas that couldn't fit anyone other than the two of us and he kept moving his entourage to be as close as possible to us. The tables were rearranged every day so that whatever spot we had previously was no longer so private, but we had our ways, too.

A certain loner with ridiculous biceps I sometimes secretly sigh over finds it hilarious to help me move tables around in the morning. It is the only time he interacts with me. He saw me trying to do it myself one morning and started helping grinning. Then started coming in every morning after it had been changed again. The staff ignores us.

Today, we wouldn't be eating in the lunch room, we were going on a field trip and I was late for the bus. As I rushed past the counselor's office I flipped off the door as I did every time. Never too busy to express a bit of rage. I rushed out and got in line for the bus. It was a boring hike through a canyon for science class. I couldn't care less about rock formations and I was far from an outdoors type, but school was our own private hell and I had to do what they said until I graduated next year. I sat next to my best friend, trying not to react to his yummy scent, and act casual. I managed it. Until my phone buzzed, I dug it out of my purse with dread and saw a message.

"One day soon, you'll be sitting next to me on the bus." I looked up from the message and meet the eyes of my nemesis just a few rows away. He sent me a crooked grin that other girls swooned over. I flipped him off and turned my head, keeping my chin up.

"Fucking Stalker Boy is at it again." I muttered to my best friend. He was quiet, as he always was on the subject, and I swallowed my disappointment. A part of me wanted him to stand up for me, beat up the guy who was messing with his girl. Ironically, I knew Stalker Boy would do exactly that. But I wasn't anyone's girl and anyway even if I was his girl, if my best friend tried to fight, he would lose and probably have some broken bones. I didn't want that. I just didn't want to feel so alone.