Because I'm a Girl

Chapter 17

My eyes went to Aaron, who sat directly in front of me in our clubroom. He smiled when our eyes met and I smiled back, glad to see he had joined. Although Aaron was our only new member, it was progress and I was happy someone like him had joined.

"Hey," I said. "It's nice to see you here."

"You too," Aaron said, laughing lightly. "Well, I expected to see you here... but you get what I mean."

I smiled at his words and allowed my eyes to roam around the room. Will, Emily, Amy and Aria sat at the desks in the classroom. They all sat together, grouped at the front and centre. I stood in front of them, ready to tell them the next steps.

"Our Welcome Party was a success," I said. "We didn't get a lot of new members to join, but we have one new member and he's a great addition."

Aaron grinned at my words and my eyes softened. It was nice to have someone listen attentively to me. It was nice not to have to fight for someone's attention. At that, I thought about Josh and found myself deflating, but I pushed the idea of him away.

A week had passed and I avoided him, forcing myself to focus on my club. After the way he treated me in front of others, I knew I didn't want to be around someone like him. I knew I deserved better than to let someone who didn't care about me hurt me.

"Do you guys like video games?" I asked.

"Of course," Aaron said. "Who doesn't?"

I shot him a smile and grew relieved when I saw everyone else nod along to his words. Growing excited, I thought of our next event.

"I went to a video game tournament recently," I said. "And I realized there's not a lot of girls there and that... made me sad. Video games are so much fun and I want more girls to give them a chance. That's why I'm thinking our next event should be a video game event."

"I agree," Aaron said. "I never understood why playing video games is seen as something that's meant for boys. Your event sounds perfect."

Aaron sounded so genuine and enthusiastic that my heart grew warm. Although I was thankful for all my members, none of them except Aria showed any enthusiasm towards my club. Aaron was a refreshing change and I was thankful he joined.

"Thank you," I said, smiling. "Okay, let's get planning."

Collectively, we all then began to plan our next event. It left me excited and optimistic, and for once Josh wasn't on my mind. For once, my heart wasn't aching at the thought of how he treated me.

*****

I was at my locker, putting my books away. My mind was on my video game event and I grew excited as I wondered if I could make gamer friends. It was something I dreamt of because video games were always more fun to play with friends, so I hoped my dream would finally come true.

"Sarah."

I jumped at the low voice and whirled around. My eyes widened when I saw Josh standing in front of me, his face expressionless as he stared down at me. We were the only two people in the hallway - everyone else had gone home, which left me growing nervous. I didn't want to be around Josh and I couldn't believe he came to me.

"It's been a week," Josh said when I didn't say anything. "Why aren't you chasing me down in the parking lot?"

I didn't reply. My eyes averted his and I stared off into the distance, hoping he'd take the hint. He was standing right in front of me, only a few inches away, and that only made me feel even more nervous.