Paperclips and Final Exams (Legend High AU)

Chapter 10: My Story

Day

Hey can we meet at the beach? It's important.

I read June's text a few times and think through the possibilities of what she needs.

Hey, yeah what's wrong?

I don't know what to say.

Not yet. At the beach. Meet me in twenty minutes

Okay

I get dressed and walk into the kitchen. My parents are sitting at the table with some friends from work.

"Daniel, come here for a second." My Mom says. I walk over to the table after grabbing a box of cereal. My parents hate that Eden and I eat like this and make us keep the food in the hall closet with the linens. It's weird.

"What?" I ask. I sit on the stool by the kitchen counter and scoot it toward them.

"We want you to stay and have breakfast with us. The Miller's daughter is coming over and I'm sure she'd be delighted to see you." She says. I'm sure she would but I don't want to see her. She's annoying, snobby, and everything else I despise about rich people.

"Thanks for the offer and all but I have plans to meet up with June." I say.

"Then take Carrie with you." Mrs. Miller says. My mother nods.

"That's a grand idea." Dr. Miller says. "Maybe Carrie and June could become friends. Carrie is tutored from home and always could use a friend."

Carrie barges through the front door as if she owns my home.

"Daniel." She says. "What a pleasure." Her clothes look like they cost a million bucks.

"Listen Carrie I'm going to the beach so sorry but I can't hang out with you."

"That sounds great actually. I'd love to go to the beach." I look down at her shoes skeptically. If those touched water she'd cry.

Carrie begins walking out the door with me close behind. I walk after her.

We get to the beach quickly and I see June. She's wearing a basic tee shirt and cutoffs. I can't believe her brother let her leave the house in that, but she looks hot.

June looks like she's just finished crying. She also looks confused as to who this other girl is. I quickly pull her into a hug to comfort her. I don't know what caused her to cry but I know I want to make her feel better.

"Thanks Day." She says.

"You call him Day? His name's Daniel." Carrie says.

"June this is Carrie." I say. "My parents made me she's their friend's kid." I whisper in her ear. She nods.

"So what are we doing here?" Carrie asks.

"Well you were just going to leave so I can talk to my best friend." June says. She pushes Carrie away.

Carrie scoffs and mutters something along the lines of: "My parents are going to hear about this."

June pulls me with her to a spot on the sand and we sit down looking out at the ocean.

"I needed to tell you something important. I wish she hadn't come because it really threw me off." June says.

"You want me to apologize?"

"No. No. I know it wasn't your fault it's just. This is serious."

"Okay I'm all ears June."

"Well you know how my brother works a lot?" June asks taking handfuls of sand and sifting them through her fingers.

"Yeah."

"He does it for a reason. My old school was really bad Day. Really really bad." What is she trying to say?

"I was rather viciously bullied throughout my time there, and I was borderline depressed. My brother found out what was happening and immediately switched me." I don't have any words to say to this. I wrap an arm around her waist with the goal of comforting her.

"As soon as I switched it was like a night and day difference. I was suddenly not depressed or nervous to go to school. I was happy. I am happy. I can't go back there."

"I'm sorry that happened to you June." She nods.

"Me too." A single year rolls down her face and I wipe it away with my thumb. "Sorry." She says standing up. "I'm being kind of weak."

"June that's not a bad thing, you know. I'm your best friend and if we can't be weak in front of each other what's the point? We aren't just together at our best, we're together at our worst." I am definitely falling for this girl.

I have got to stop obsessively trying to gain my parents attention through being a bad kid. All that matters now is that June notices me.

June and I walk back to my house.

Carrie is sitting at the table with my and her parents.

"There you are." She says. "I can't believe you made me walk home alone."

"Carrie my best friend needed me and I didn't invite you to come with me in the first place. It's a two block walk. Get over yourself." I say. June holds back a laugh.

"Yeah I guess it wasn't your fault completely. That girl forced me to leave."

"If you can be forced to do something from I light shove and a sentence in a rude tone that's not my problem." June says quietly. Carrie didn't hear her but I let a laugh escape my lips. Bad move. My parents are glaring at me.

"Apologize to Carrie." My Mom says.

"For what?"

"For making her walk home."

"She walked to the beach, did she think a car was going to come pick her up?"

"Daniel." My father warns.

"Sorry Carrie." I say. June and I go outside after all that.

Carrie runs after us.

June and I are sitting on opposite ends of the couch with out feet touching. Carrie sits on the chair across from it

"I don't want you guys to think I'm annoying or a bad person."

We already think she's both those things.

"I didn't tell my parents. They asked and I couldn't lie to them. I'm a terrible liar."

"Whatever." Whether Carrie is telling the truth or not I really don't care. She got in the way of me talking to June. No one does that.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Vote and comment!
-Ava