infatuated ↝ cory gruter

❀new girl❀

maddie's pov

los angeles. for as long as i can remember i've always wanted to live in los angeles. it had been my dream since i was six years old. but now that my dream is coming true, i'm not sure i want it that much anymore.

don't get me wrong, when my mom told me that she was getting a promotion, i was thrilled. but then i learned i would have to leave all my friends behind. it took me sixteen years to make these friends, and there's no way my awkward ass is going to flourish in la. but hey, imagine walking to taco bell and seeing shane dawson. now that's a dream i want fulfilled.

let me back up a little. hi, my name's maddie and i'm sixteen years old. for my entire life i've lived in sunny florida. my mom and dad split up when i was only three years old, leaving my mom to raise her only daughter on her own. but hey, she did a pretty damn good job. i'm a straight a student with a gpa of 5.23, which, not to brag, is the 6th highest gpa in my entire school district.

flash forward to now. currently i'm throwing the last of my necessities into my suitcase, preparing to hop into the car and drive to the airport. i pick up my phone to see that it's fully charged and toss the charger into my suitcase, zipping it up and carrying it out to the car.

"you ready sweetpea?" my mom asks as i climb into the passenger seat.

"as i'll ever be" i reply offering her a smile.

and with that we take off towards the airport.

❀time jump❀

my eyes open weakly as i feel my mom shaking my shoulder.

"sweetie wake up, we're here!" she exclaims.

i automatically jolt awake, greeted with fresh excitement at the possibilities that await me. i grab my bag from the overhead and practically skip off the plane. me and mom find our luggage off the carousel and head outside. where mom has already payed for an uber to take us to our new home. but on the car ride, my excitement fades.

school's been let out here already. what if i make no friends in the next two months? what if i embarrass myself in front of a cute boy or girl? what if everyone's weirded out by my bisexuality? what if they think i'm a freak? what if i'm treated as an outsider?

these thoughts swim around my head so much that i don't even realize when we pull into the driveway. i see a movers truck sitting on the opposite side of the street, carrying all our belongings. i step out of the car and breathe in the fresh california air. maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. i take in the house, which is a fairly good sized white house, looking like basically all the other one's on the street. there's a large oak tree in the backyard that looks like it was practically designed for a treehouse. i turn to my left to see if any of my new neighbors are outside. to my surprise, i spot a boy who looks about my age sitting on his front steps.

oh damn. he's hot.

i blink a few times to snap myself back into reality before he realizes i'm staring. too late. oh god he's walking over oh god oh god what do i do oh god.

"oh my god you have got to tell me where you got that shirt!" i blurt out, noticing his blackbear shirt. he chuckles as he looks down at it. oh my god he's so cute.

"this old thing? oh it's just a little something i picked up when i met him backstage" he says with a slight smirk.

"holy mother of god i'm so jealous"

"oh, by the way, i'm cory" he says, stretching his hand out for me to shake. i don't do handshakes so i awkwardly reach out my hand towards his. i guess he notices how awkward i am so he laughs and lowers his hand.

"not a handshake person? me neither." he chuckles.

"oh thank god i thought that was going to ruin my newfound reputation. oh, and by the way, i'm maddie" i say.

"oooooh who's this?" i hear my mom taunt from behind me. my face heats up as i turn to her.

"mom-"

"good afternoon miss...?"

"jenson, but you can call me melissa" she says as she sticks out her hand for him to shake. he awkwardly shakes it as i try to hold in a laugh. i fail and he shoots me a death glare. i laugh harder.

"i'm cory. cory gruter. i was just asking maddie if she would like to go walk around town with me, get used to it here in la. if that's alright with you, of course?"

"you were?-" i begin to ask, but i'm cut off by my mom again.

"oh if course that's alright! just have her back by eight. we have lots of unpacking to do" she says, turning to me.

"will do." cory says, looping his arm with mine. and with that, we head off into the city.