Pathetic

Note from the author: This was just a little something I wrote for an extra credit American Literature vocabulary assignment, hence the strange but legitimate words.

It still is a very good story, however. Any feedback would be appreciated! :)

Leah McGregor awoke with a start. She shook the curly dark locks from her eyes and glanced at the Sony digital clock resting on her bedside table. It read 7:55. Quickly, she readied herself for a day at Dempsey Hall Secondary and kissed her parents goodbye.

A mile from school, Leah’s stomach began growling. She sighed heavily and gnawed on her Robin's Egg-tinted nails. She had no time for breakfast this morning and had forgotten her lunch! It was bound to be a long day.

Leah sulked over to her locker and set her bag down while she spun the dial on her lock. When she reached down to pull a book from her bag, she noticed the crumpled five dollar bill beneath her yellow folder.

So that’s where her change from the Oriole’s game had went! She could use the money to purchase lunch and even a snack before homeroom; how fortuitous!

While skipping to the vending machines, Leah had stumbled into Robby Thompson, the varsity swim team captain by fortuity. Blushing, Leah pardoned herself and to propitiate her long-time crush, offered him a stick of gum. “Sorry about that; I’ve been awful clumsy lately.”

Robby grinned and reached for the gum. “Don’t worry about it,” he replied. He spun around and slipped his arms around the waist of his newest consort, Dorothy Ross, the blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty with the million-dollar daddy, Sheffield Ross. As in the same Mr. Sheffield Ross that owned the consortium of Ross Realty, an infamous real estate agency chain that worked much with celebrity clientele and well-off families.

Leah shrugged and strode to homeroom as if nothing had happened, but inside, her heart was breaking. As she walked past the large floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto the athletic fields, Leah noticed a colorful, new painting. The gold plaque beneath it read: Happy holidays, Dempsey Hall Secondary! With love, The Rosses! in a lacy bold font.

Leah’s face flamed with anger. Mr. Ross was also a well-known auspices of Phoebe Palinowski, a young German artist and sculptor who lived not too far from the propitious Columbia Pier on a beautiful Victorian beach-front condominium. Every year Mr. Ross donated an expensive painting of hers to be put on display in the school. How could she forget? Dorothy mentioned it about eight times in her Junior Class Secretary speech.

Suddenly, a shrilling ring pierced Leah’s ears. Homeroom! She sprinted to the third floor and hooked a sharp right into 302, parking herself in a seat next to Caleb Briggs, the flaky-skinned nose-picker. He attempted to shift closer to her as Yolanda Sanchez proudly read off the day’s announcements.

Leah’s stomach lurched. She couldn’t get Robby’s attention by consorting with social outcasts like Caleb! He was destined to a life of shame after having been completely humiliated in a dance-off with Isaiah Rayford during the Disco Mix-o last spring.

She refused to tolerate him any longer and so she waved to Jennifer Greene. “Switch seats?!” she mouthed and gestured frantically.

Jennifer shook her head, but gave in reluctantly. Only because she owed Leah for allowing herself to copy last week’s American Literature homework.

Leah took her seat at the empty table and sprawled out all over it. Time to catch up on some much-need sleep, she thought. An auspicious event followed Leah’s seat exchange. Robby swaggered in and scanned the room for an open seat. As did Leah. The only one left was next to her.

“How propitious that I moved,” she thought and blushed, ducking behind her table to set her knapsack on the ground in order to make room for him. When she rose, she saw that instead, Robby nodded and handshook with Thomas Edwards. He stood next to his table for the rest of the fifteen minutes, chatting and throwing his head back in laughter.

Leah sighed and breathed deeply, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. Her predestination seemed to be an ugly, untalented, Robby Thompson-less girl with limp, frizzy hair and chubby hands. Not to mention, she would forever be bombarded with foul boys like Caleb drooling all over her.

Well, that’s what she deserved for being so judgmental and pathetic.