Damn, You're Cute (Michael Clifford)

Chapter 4

Returning home from school was the best part of my day since I could finally breathe and feel comfortable for the first time in several hours. I didn’t know how I would face the next day, but that was something I could worry about tonight while lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling in the dark.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" my dad asked as soon as I walked in the door. I scowled and pushed past him into the kitchen because I needed space and silence. I was in that awful mood where I really just didn't want to talk to anyone. "Leah, tell me about your day."

"It sucked," I told him, grabbing a water bottle and unscrewing the cap. I took a sip before placing it back in the fridge. "I made one friend but he's not even in my grade."

"He?" my father repeated with a smile which made me roll my eyes. That was why I did not want to talk with him at the moment. Whenever I mentioned a boy to either of my parents, they instantly thought I was in love with him or the boy was desperately in love with me. There was no convincing them otherwise, especially since they didn’t understand that guys don’t usually go for me.

"Not like that, dad." I sighed, and escaped upstairs into my room without any more questions. Much with to my delight, when I shut my bedroom door behind me, I found all of my belongings unpacked, thanks to my mother no doubt. I knew I’d have to rearrange a few things here and there but I made a mental note to thank her.

With nothing better to do, I climbed onto my bed and pulled out my laptop. I decided to log onto Twitter and follow Luke, Andrew, and Jack. I considered Michael, Ashton, or mostly Calum, but I didn't want to give them the wrong idea. It would be mainly for stalking purposes but I could see Calum questioning me about it openly with his flirtatious comments, and I definitely did not want that.

Sitting back against my soft pillows and closing my eyes, I let my mind wander. School was not as terrifying as I thought, but it was more nerve-wracking than I ever imagined. Hoping that it would get better, I planned to make more friends, not that I didn't like Luke and his two friends, but I needed someone in my grade. The good thing is that I liked my teachers and the subject themselves weren't too bad. I had a feeling I could get through history without being bothered by that Sabrina girl, but English and biology were another question. Maybe Calum and Michael would leave me alone, but for some reason, I seriously doubted that would happen. I decided the best way to confront the possible problem was to not speak to them first, even though Calum seemed alright. I was more worried about him poking fun at me than anything else, and also paranoid or slightly frightened by the two boys’ popularity.

There was then a light knock on my door, and said nothing knowing that whoever it was would come in anyway. True to my thoughts, my mother pushed open the door and slinked inside. She smiled at me, as if she knew I was not in the best mood.

"Do you want to talk about today?" my mother asked quietly and I shook my head, being a bit dramatic. "It couldn't have been that bad, Leah."

I groaned and watched her for a few seconds, knowing I would be a better daughter if I made her happy. Taking a breath, I said, “It wasn’t awful, I’m just tired.”

I picked my nails as my mom responded, "Did you have a favorite class?"

"Math," I replied immediately since it was the only normal class of the day with no one to bother me. I realized how pathetic I sounded, acting like being a recluse was good for me. For some reason, I was content thinking myself into a bad mood as I so often do. “I sat alone.”

She grimaced and sat on the edge of my bed. "Did you sit alone at lunch too?"

I laughed, pulling my hair up into a messy bun with the band on my wrist. "No, I sat with my only friends. They're sophomores."