Messed Up

Chapter One

Ava played around on her laptop in my AP Computer Science class. She had already finished her work and had nothing to do.

She took out my phone and went on Snapchat, scrolling through her friends' stories. She was struck with an idea and immediately sent a snap to her friend, Cho, and ask her if Mark was in her chemistry class.

Almost immediately, she replied with a picture of him. Her eyes widened. Dammit, dammit, dammit, she thought.

Cho: Does that answer your question?

Ava: What the hell, Cho? I asked if he is in your class and you send a picture of him. Oh my god, what did he say?

Cho: I'll tell you tomorrow. I'll have to be there with you to tell you.

Ava: Why? Tell me!! You're making me nervous.

Cho: Tomorrow.

She knew there was no point in arguing with Cho. She gave up and just went back to browsing stuff on her phone. The bell rang and she packed her bag with trembling hands.

"What's wrong?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as her Samira came up behind her.

"Bloody hell!!! You scared me!!!" She made a face at the bloody hell part as they walked out of the classroom and towards the staircase.

"You should really stop obsessing over Harry Potter?" she says, checking her wrist for the time.

"Hades, no," She rolled her eyes, smiling at my craziness.

"Did you start on your-" Ava crashed into the person walking in front of her. "Oh, sorry I-" she faltered as she stared at the brown-haired boy she crashed into. She blinked several times and frantically pushed past him before he could speak.

"Why do you look so flustered?" she shrieked and turned around to see Cho with Samira frowning behind her.

"I crashed into Mark. It was so embarrassing. What did he say to you when you took his picture?", Ava asked Cho. "What did you say to him?"

"He knows that you like him. When I took a picture of him, he said 'I know she likes me. But tell her I'm sorry and that I like someone else.'". Cho looks sadly at her friend.

"Oh." Tears rise to her eyes but she encouraged herself to be strong and not act like a silly lovestruck girl. But that's what she feels like everytime she looks at him. She remembered the first time she talked to him. It was the best memory of them she had.

She was in her AP world class and was listening to her teacher lecture about Tropical Africa and how the people adapted to their environment.

"Answer the question in SAQ format. Remember, your answer shouldn't be more than 4 sentences. This should be an easy question" Mr. Jones announced before he started grading our Unit 3 tests.

She just rested her head on her hand as she stared off into a distance. She tended to do that a lot when class ended. She didn't realize that a person was looking at her, imitating her posture.

She was shaken from her thoughts when Sadie accidently bumped her with her foot. Then, she realized Mark staring at her and jokingly said, "You can't pull this off Mark." He smiled at her and she internally swooned at his breath-taking smile.

"You're right. I can't pull this off as well as you, Ava."

They both laughed and started conversations with their friends as they really didn't know each other. That conversation marked the time she felt something for him.

But that was the last time they really talked and it has been nothing but awkward glances and smiles between them. She probably made googly eyes at him without knowing because the next day Sadie and her other friend Haley tried to set them up, which was probably the most awkward thing that ever happened in her life.

"Hey Ava. You know what you need in your life? A boyfriend. And you know who would love to date you? Mark." she looked at her with a mischievous smile that. Haley smirked at her phone, typing furiously while glancing slyly at Mark, who was two seats beside her.

Ava's eyes widened, a blush starting to creep up her neck. She cleared her throat when she felt a gaze on her. She looked up from her lap to see Mark staring at her, blushing furiously as well. She instantly knew who Haley was texting from the look Haley gave her.

She kicked Haley under the desk, who gave her a look as to say, What? Ava nodded at her phone and Haley understood her message.

Ava: What are you doing? Are you crazy??

Haley: You guys would make a cute couple.

Ava: Nuh uh. I don't like him like that. Hell, I don't even know him that much.

Haley: You do like him. I know that.

Ava: It's official. You're crazy.

Haley: Lol, I already knew that.

Ava: Ughhh!!!

She got a message saying she got added to a group. Curious, she went to check it out when she saw Haley, Sadie and an unknown number. She was certain that the unknown number was Mark's. Uh oh, she thought.

Sadie named the group chat "Ark".

Ava stared in horror at the horrid ship name they gave her and Mark. She could see Mark's mortified expression too at the corner of her eye. Against her better judgement, she saved Mark's number.

Haley: Y'all wild.

Sadie: Wild beasts y'all are.

Mark left the conversation.

Haley added Mark to the conversation.

Haley snatched her phone away and did something on it. She took it back and saw that Haley added Mark back from her phone. She looked at Mark, embarrassed and he was looking at her too. She blushed like crazy and looked back at the conversation.

Mark left the groupchat.

Sadie: How romantic.

Ava felt like an idiot now, staring at him when she thought he wasn't looking at him when he must've noticed. More than mortification, she felt an aching sadness that made her heart hurt with the fact that Mark basically rejected her.

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All through the year, ever since that groupchat incident, things have been awkward between Ava and Mark. It left her confused and with very conflicted emotions. She felt drawn to him, even though he rejected her but at the same time she felt angry that she still liked him. Of course, the year couldn't end without another heartbreak for her as she found out that Mark liked someone else. It didn't help that the girl he liked was ten times prettier than her. She had always been comfortable about her appearance. But after seeing Bailey, his crush, she felt like a squirrel compared to her. She was thinner, sportier and taller.

Feeling extremely hurt and angry, she vowed to herself. She would work so hard to become as pretty as Bailey or even prettier. She knew she was being irrational but she didn't care. She wanted to prove to herself that she could be just as perfect. Next year, he will be messed up when he sees her.