Awkward

Chapter 1

"Ava!" My mother yelled from downstairs, I groaned loudly and covered my face with my blanket. "You'll be late for school!" she said as she knocked on my bedroom door and threw the covers off of me "Come on! Up, up, up!" she said as she slapped my leg, I groaned into my pillow and curled up in a fatal position "Either you get up in five or I'll get the bucket." I gasped and scrambled to get up, tripping over my own feet, falling face-flat on the floor, I groaned as I rubbed the side of my face, slightly wincing as I stood up and walked to the bathroom as I dragged my feet towards my shower. I turned it on and stripped off my clothes, I hopped into the shower and squealed because it was so hot, I bumped my head on the shower-head and winced loudly as I slowly turned the temperature down. Today would not be my day, as always. "I made you pancakes, sweetheart." My mom said as I stumbled into the kitchen, smiling softly "Your favourite." she beamed

"I'm not five, mom." I mumbled as I grabbed milk from the fridge and then a glass from the cupboard "But thanks anyway." I said as I kissed her cheek and she slipped two pancakes on my plate and slid them over to me "When's dad coming back?" I asked as I sliced a piece and bit into it. Mom made the best pancakes, they were so delicious it was unreal.

"He said probably next week, but he's not really sure." I pouted and then too a sip of my milk, licking the moustache off my lip. After I had finished eating, I grabbed my bag and then my phone, walking out the door as I went in direction of the school, I lived probably ten minutes away it, so it wasn't really a long walk. Once I made my way into school, unnoticed, as always and made my way in direction of my locker, but my plan was soon put to a halt due to me and my clumsiness bumping into the one and only Bianca Thompson, head cheerleader. You can kind of guess where this went...

"Oh My God! What, are you blind?!" she screeched, causing heads to turn in our direction "Pick all my stuff up, you dumb klutz!" she demanded, glaring daggers at me, I stared at her, frozen in place, eyes as wide as headlights, she groaned loudly and snapped her fingers at some poor freshman who sadly was at the wrong place at the wrong time "You!" she snapped "Pick all of my stuff up!" the boy stuttered and nodded softly as he picked her books up, she glared at me once again before flipping her hair and walking away from me "Think twice when you bump into people like some stupid little girl!" she snapped and my gaze went to my feet as I bit my lip and tightened my grip on my books.

Once Bianca had left the hallway, people started snickering as I made my way towards my English class, I slipped into my usual seat which was towards the right side of the classroom where the window was, I set my books on the desk and sighed deeply. Our teacher Mr. James walked into the classroom and smiled brightly at all of us, he was always in a good mood. He greeted everyone, to which some returned and others just muttered in response, he proceeded to telling us that we had an assignment to present at the end of the year. In pairs. Ah, teamwork. It seemed as if I was always destined to work on my own, or I preferred it that way a lot more, because either I made the work on my own, or I made the work on my own. So, either way I was always screwed by my teammate and he/she always got a good score thanks to me.

"So, I'll give you your pairs and then I'll proceed to tell you what it's about once you're all settled." I crossed my fingers and mentally prayed that I would finally be paired with someone I could work fine with. "And be warned, I picked these out specifically because of the assignment." he smiled "And there will be no switching or doing it alone." he said, glancing quickly at me. I always begged him, and all my teachers to let me do it alone, it never worked. He started calling out the pairs and I sometime breathed a sigh of relief when someone I was previously paired with is already called. "Ava Williams and Chase Harper." What. Was he being serious? He paired me with the football captain?! This has to be a joke. He eventually continued calling out the teams until he was finished. "So, I can imagine some of you are pretty sceptical about your partner." Ain't that the truth. "But don't you worry, this is all with purpose and it'll count for twenty percent of your final grade. So, please try to do your best, you have six months to do it, so that's plenty of time." he smiled as some of my classmates groaned and complained in response. So this means I had to deal with Chase Harper for six months. SIX MONTHS! "Your assignment will be about your partner. You will have to really get to know your partner in order to get a good grade, and this is because you will have to write about your partner and the similarities you see in each other that society doesn't necessarily pick up on, like for example a jock and a tech student." he said and I frowned in response. "You will have to write facts about your partner and then compare them to yourself, and make your writing creative, because it is what will count the most." he clapped his hands and sighed "Okay, join with your partners, so you can start on your project." he said and everyone scrambled to their places, I stayed put until I felt a presence beside me.

"So, you're Ava?" he said as he turned the chair around and sat on it as he stared at me with a curious expression on his face, like he was studying me. I nodded softly, trying to avert his intense gaze. It was very distracting. "I'm Chase. Chase Harper." he said as he extended his hand out to me, I stared at it, like it was an alien or something, took it and shook it awkwardly.

"Ava." I murmured, he stared at me again and cleared his throat before speaking.

"So, I have football practice on Mondays and Thursdays, but any other day, I'm free. What about you?" I stared at him in shock, was he actually implying that he wanted to work with me?

"Y-You want to work?" he stared at me weirdly before laughing

"Of course I do." he chuckled "Why would you think otherwise?"

"B-Because I always d-did the work on my own." I muttered, he looked at me and smiled softly

"I know looks can be deceiving, sweetheart, but I have a high GPA." He winked "I have to if I want a football scholarship." I nodded and mentally sighed. Finally someone who actually wanted to do something with their lives. "I'll give you my number so we can organise our schedule." he said as he extended his hand out to me, I reached into my pocket as I handed him my phone and he handed me his, I was instantly embarrassed when I noticed he had over 250 contacts. I had my parents and my house number. I typed in my phone number and handed it back to him. "Is this your emergency phone or something?"

"Emergency phone?" I muttered as I tucked a strand of hair behind my face

"You know, a phone you have in case of an emergency, I noticed because you only have your parents as your contacts." he shrugged as he put his phone in his pocket, I looked down and bit my lip

"I-I don't have any friends." I whispered, he looked at me for a moment, like he was studying me again, and then he cracked a soft smile.

"Well, you're wrong about that, because you do have a friend." he chuckled "Me." he said, the bell rang so he stood up and grabbed his stuff before turning back at me and smiling "See you later, Ava." he winked before walking off with his football buddies. Wha the hell just happened? Had Chase Harper just been nice to me?

*****

"How was school, sweetheart?" My mom said as I walked into the kitchen, I smell spaghetti bolognese! "Did you have fun?" she said with a smile, I rolled my eyes as I giggled

"I got another team project again." I said with a scowl "With the school's most popular guy, a football jock." I muttered and she smiled "I have to 'get to know' him for my English project, we have to write about how we are similar to each other. That'll be the day." I muttered

"He might surprise you." she shrugged "Just because he's a jock doesn't mean you aren't similar." she said as she kissed my head "Is he willing to help you with the project?"

"Yeah, he was actually... nice to me." I said as I scrunched my nose, I was still confused as to how that was humanly possible.

"See? That's a start!" she said encouragingly

"I'm not going to get my hopes up." I muttered "It's only because it counts for twenty percent of my grade that I'm doing this." I said as I angrily stabbed my spaghetti. Damn spaghetti, why'd it have to be so damn yummy? "I'm going to go practice." I said as I grabbed my spaghetti and walked outside to my music room. I set the music sheets in front of my piano and sighed before I started practicing the song I was currently working on (Play song on the side). I sighed once I was finished and cracked the knuckles on my hands. Music had always been a part of me, it was my escape, a way to express myself, something that was mine. I was quiet around people, but when it came to music I couldn't stop, it was like a second skin, something that made me, well, me.