The Fall For You (Completed)

Chapter 1:

There he goes again. Joshua Princeton: captain of the football team, lead pitcher on the baseball team, advanced swimmer on the swim team, and absolute hunk at West Memorial High School. I have been going to school with Josh all my life and we were the best of friends...until freshman year when the popular gang welcomed him in. He left me with the band geeks and math geniuses. Don't get me wrong...I'm happy for him. But, I have a deep secret about Josh: I've liked him since the 5th grade.

"Hey Nicole! We saved you spot." My table is in the corner of the cafeteria with the band members and academic club members. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it," I replied. I don't know why I always gave these guys the cold shoulder. They were my best friends...my only friends. I looked over at the football player's table and saw Josh right off. He was beautiful with sun-kissed hair and bright, ivory green eyes. Today, he was wearing his letterman jacket and faded jeans...gorgeous! He noticed me staring at him and gave me a friendly wink. That was it, though...I never get a wave, a hug...nothing. All that belongs to his girlfriend, Chloee. She moved to California all the way from Puerto Rico. Why? I have no idea. She had hair the color of coal and eyes the color of cocoa. Her skin was super tan and I was super jealous. Every guy wanted to date her and Josh was the "lucky" one.

I don't understand why he would want to date her. She talks about him behind his back and she flirts with all his football buddies. What does he see in her?! "Hey, Nicole don't leave us again!," Milo-the tuba player-has always had a crush on me. He always makes fun of me because I don't talk during lunch. Usually, I just roll my eyes and let his little comments slide but this time, I said, "Milo, I'm not going anywhere but away from here." I stood up grabbed my lunchbag and walked away. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria watching me, including Josh.

It was weird for me to get up, obviously, because I'm the quiet, defenseless girl who once she sits down she doesn't get up until lunch is over. Or maybe they were staring at me because they were wondering where I was planning on sitting. The lunchroom was packed today and the only seat left was with Flash Michaels, aka the weirdo. I didn't want to sit there-not because Flash creeped me out or anything (we talk to each other in english), but because I would be sitting right behind Josh. But, I would rather sit there than with Milo so I walked over to Flash and asked, "Can I sit over here, today?" He looked up from his book and said, "Yeah...sure." I was wearing a skirt today because it was spring picture day, so before I sat I made sure that my skirt was tucked and my bare legs couldn't feel the coldness of the seat.

Flash and I sat there and had a few conversations here and there, but mostly it was silence. Not like the awkward silence, but the kind where there really isn't anything else to say. Before I finished my lunch, I felt someone poke me in the side. I barely turned my head to see Josh looking over at me with a goofy grin on his face. "How you been, Button?" He hasn't called me that since 2nd grade! That was the nickname he gave me because in class, one day, a button fell off one of the pockets on my jeans. I didn't realize it and Josh chased me all over the playground trying to give it back to me. We were bestfriends all because of that. I smiled and replied, "Good. How have you been yourself?" But, he had moved on to another person to talk to. I sighed and got up to throw away my trash. I had next period with him and I was hoping maybe then I could talk to him. Tomorrow was the last day of school and, right now, I was not looking forward to the summer...if summer comes, this might be the last time I will be seeing him again.