Popularity Project: In Progress
Chapter 1
Chapter Playlist: Dido- Life for Rent
Nora slammed the front door behind her loud enough for her mother to know that she had left the house. She hadn’t bothered entering the kitchen for breakfast when she had heard her mother sobbing on the phone with her current ‘boyfriend’. Not that she had missed much of the meal, which consisted of a single plain toast. She hoped that he would dump her soon, as selfish as it sounded, because that was the only time her mother ever bothered to cook for the two of them.
She began walking faster now, hoping to get on the bus before the other kids. This way she wouldn’t be picked at as she made her way to her usual seat, at the back of the bus. She watched some of the students get on and pulled the beanie down enough to hide some of her face. As she got on, her eyes instantly dropped to the ground and she began making her way down the aisle.
Her heart hammered as she heard a few kids comment ‘weirdo’ and ‘anorexic bitch’ as she passed them and was glad when none of them tried to hurt her physically. She let out a sigh of relief as she reached the back and slid into the corner, plugged her ear phones in and got lost in her own thoughts.
The reason she took the bus everyday, apart from the fact that she neither had a driver’s license nor a car, was because all the rich kid’s drove to school instead of riding it. That meant that Nora wouldn’t have to start her morning by getting things such as slushies or discarded Starbucks cups thrown at her.
She noticed Gary sliding next to her from the corner of her eyes and waited for him to speak first. He was a very eccentric guy, despite the fact that he was considered the biggest nerd in the entire school. Nora had tried talking to him a few times after Lily had introduced them, but she had learned quickly that he did not like someone engaging him in a conversation unless he spoke to them first.
She felt him tap her shoulder once and turned to look at him with a smile on her face.
“Hey, Nora. How’s it hanging?” He asked in his deep, sulky voice.
“Good! How about you, Gary? Up for the new term?”
“Not really. I’m hoping none of the B&K’s will be in chemistry. Cause I don’t think I’ll be able to take it if they tried setting my hair on fire again or splashed sulphuric acid on my hand.”
By B&K, Gary meant the ‘Barbies and Kens’ of their school, also known as ‘The Populars’.
“I’m sure they won’t be. Wouldn’t go through their thick heads. Would it now?”
Gary chuckled and then stopped instantly as if someone would tell him off if he laughed. “But then they know that I’m taking pure science. They’d need someone in class to bully and do their homework for them.”
Nora genuinely felt bad for him and thanked her lucky stars for not making her a genius. She gave a reassuring smile and said, “Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll find someone else to pick on this year. Although I feel bad for whoever it will be.”
“So do I.” Gary agreed, nodding his head and letting out a sigh of resignation as he whispered almost to himself. “Let’s just hope this year doesn’t turn out to be a living nightmare.”
Nora jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder as she was putting her books away in her locker. She spun quickly and let out a sigh of relief when she realized that it was only Lily and Beth. They frowned at her and asked simultaneously, “What’s got you all worked up?”
“Nothing. Just laying low from the B&K’s.” Nora pulled down her beanie a little more so that it was now hiding her eyebrows.
“Tell us about it!” Beth whispered conspiringly, “They’ve been all over the place. Picking on the new kids and making them do things for them. Horrible things!”
Nora shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her body as though that would give her some sort of protection.
“Anyway, we were planning on heading to Beth’s after school. Wanna join us?” Lily asked, flipping off a guy as he commented on her boyish clothes.
Nora often wondered why these two best friends even bothered to invite her or hung out with her. She always felt like the third wheel in their friendship and while she was grateful that she atleast had a couple of friends to keep her company, she couldn’t help but feel awkward when they started gossiping and she was left to listen to them quietly. She would’ve joined in on their conversations if she had any drama in her life (apart from getting picked on) or if she even got wind of the gossips that travelled the hallways of Cheshire Secondary. It seemed that she was too boring and invisible to the world to be told about the hottest news in school.
“Oh my God! Bethy, he’s here!”
Nora turned her head and realized that the source of the entire hall going all silent and girls’ giggle was none other than the most popular guy of her school: Harry Styles. It was true that this lanky, curly headed boy was gorgeous from head to toe but Nora often thought that he was a little too overrated. She watched him bro hug a few of his friends and then lean against his locker as people began surrounding him, begging for his attention.
“Let’s go! We’ll be late.” Nora turned away from him, grabbing her books.
“Oh, but can we do a double take, Nor? You know, pass him once before we turn around and head to class?” Beth asked excitedly, standing on her tiptoes. Beth had been infatuated with Harry since she had joined Cheshire Secondary and her feelings seemed to be fueling as days passed by.
“Sure!” Nora let out a sigh and began stalking her way towards the other side, without watching to see if the two were following. Just as she was passing the huge crowd, her eyes fell on another guy. He was leaning beside Harry, an unlit cigarette held between his lips as he scrunched up his eyes at a joke one of the girls there were saying. Nora’s heart did a somersault as she walked slower now to get another glimpse of the guy she had been crushing on since she could remember: Zayn Malik.
Nora was so engrossed by the beautiful hazel eyed boy that she felt the breath being knocked out of her when she accidentally bumped into a girl and fell right on her butt. Her notebook and books slipped out of her hands and scattered all around her. She heard everyone burst out laughing before she looked up to see who she had bumped into.
“Watch it, loser!”
Nora’s eyes traveled up the length of the girl’s body and she recognized the face instantly. It was Cassie, the queen of the B&K clique and the head cheerleader. Cassie began walking again, stepping on some of Nora’s books as she headed towards Harry. Nora watched in disbelief as people stood there laughing even harder, not even bothering to help her pick up her stuff. She quickly began picking up her things as tears began stinging behind her eyes.
Despite knowing what she’d see, Nora glimpsed towards Zayn to see his reaction. Her heart sank as she watched him laugh along with the others, pointing a finger towards her and shaking his head in disbelief. She tried to give him an embarrassed chuckle, but knew she was making a fool out of herself. She turned away and continued picking her things as fast as she could, noticing that Lily was on her knees helping her out while Beth watched from a distance.
Having collected everything, Nora stood up in haste and was about to sprint. Just as she crossed the B&K’s and just as the laughter began to die down, she heard someone call her back and she halted. It looked like the entire hallway had gotten quite all of a sudden.
“Umm…Excuse me! I think you may’ve dropped this.” Nora heard a deep, slow voice state behind her.
Nora slammed the front door behind her loud enough for her mother to know that she had left the house. She hadn’t bothered entering the kitchen for breakfast when she had heard her mother sobbing on the phone with her current ‘boyfriend’. Not that she had missed much of the meal, which consisted of a single plain toast. She hoped that he would dump her soon, as selfish as it sounded, because that was the only time her mother ever bothered to cook for the two of them.
She began walking faster now, hoping to get on the bus before the other kids. This way she wouldn’t be picked at as she made her way to her usual seat, at the back of the bus. She watched some of the students get on and pulled the beanie down enough to hide some of her face. As she got on, her eyes instantly dropped to the ground and she began making her way down the aisle.
Her heart hammered as she heard a few kids comment ‘weirdo’ and ‘anorexic bitch’ as she passed them and was glad when none of them tried to hurt her physically. She let out a sigh of relief as she reached the back and slid into the corner, plugged her ear phones in and got lost in her own thoughts.
The reason she took the bus everyday, apart from the fact that she neither had a driver’s license nor a car, was because all the rich kid’s drove to school instead of riding it. That meant that Nora wouldn’t have to start her morning by getting things such as slushies or discarded Starbucks cups thrown at her.
She noticed Gary sliding next to her from the corner of her eyes and waited for him to speak first. He was a very eccentric guy, despite the fact that he was considered the biggest nerd in the entire school. Nora had tried talking to him a few times after Lily had introduced them, but she had learned quickly that he did not like someone engaging him in a conversation unless he spoke to them first.
She felt him tap her shoulder once and turned to look at him with a smile on her face.
“Hey, Nora. How’s it hanging?” He asked in his deep, sulky voice.
“Good! How about you, Gary? Up for the new term?”
“Not really. I’m hoping none of the B&K’s will be in chemistry. Cause I don’t think I’ll be able to take it if they tried setting my hair on fire again or splashed sulphuric acid on my hand.”
By B&K, Gary meant the ‘Barbies and Kens’ of their school, also known as ‘The Populars’.
“I’m sure they won’t be. Wouldn’t go through their thick heads. Would it now?”
Gary chuckled and then stopped instantly as if someone would tell him off if he laughed. “But then they know that I’m taking pure science. They’d need someone in class to bully and do their homework for them.”
Nora genuinely felt bad for him and thanked her lucky stars for not making her a genius. She gave a reassuring smile and said, “Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll find someone else to pick on this year. Although I feel bad for whoever it will be.”
“So do I.” Gary agreed, nodding his head and letting out a sigh of resignation as he whispered almost to himself. “Let’s just hope this year doesn’t turn out to be a living nightmare.”
Nora jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder as she was putting her books away in her locker. She spun quickly and let out a sigh of relief when she realized that it was only Lily and Beth. They frowned at her and asked simultaneously, “What’s got you all worked up?”
“Nothing. Just laying low from the B&K’s.” Nora pulled down her beanie a little more so that it was now hiding her eyebrows.
“Tell us about it!” Beth whispered conspiringly, “They’ve been all over the place. Picking on the new kids and making them do things for them. Horrible things!”
Nora shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her body as though that would give her some sort of protection.
“Anyway, we were planning on heading to Beth’s after school. Wanna join us?” Lily asked, flipping off a guy as he commented on her boyish clothes.
Nora often wondered why these two best friends even bothered to invite her or hung out with her. She always felt like the third wheel in their friendship and while she was grateful that she atleast had a couple of friends to keep her company, she couldn’t help but feel awkward when they started gossiping and she was left to listen to them quietly. She would’ve joined in on their conversations if she had any drama in her life (apart from getting picked on) or if she even got wind of the gossips that travelled the hallways of Cheshire Secondary. It seemed that she was too boring and invisible to the world to be told about the hottest news in school.
“Oh my God! Bethy, he’s here!”
Nora turned her head and realized that the source of the entire hall going all silent and girls’ giggle was none other than the most popular guy of her school: Harry Styles. It was true that this lanky, curly headed boy was gorgeous from head to toe but Nora often thought that he was a little too overrated. She watched him bro hug a few of his friends and then lean against his locker as people began surrounding him, begging for his attention.
“Let’s go! We’ll be late.” Nora turned away from him, grabbing her books.
“Oh, but can we do a double take, Nor? You know, pass him once before we turn around and head to class?” Beth asked excitedly, standing on her tiptoes. Beth had been infatuated with Harry since she had joined Cheshire Secondary and her feelings seemed to be fueling as days passed by.
“Sure!” Nora let out a sigh and began stalking her way towards the other side, without watching to see if the two were following. Just as she was passing the huge crowd, her eyes fell on another guy. He was leaning beside Harry, an unlit cigarette held between his lips as he scrunched up his eyes at a joke one of the girls there were saying. Nora’s heart did a somersault as she walked slower now to get another glimpse of the guy she had been crushing on since she could remember: Zayn Malik.
Nora was so engrossed by the beautiful hazel eyed boy that she felt the breath being knocked out of her when she accidentally bumped into a girl and fell right on her butt. Her notebook and books slipped out of her hands and scattered all around her. She heard everyone burst out laughing before she looked up to see who she had bumped into.
“Watch it, loser!”
Nora’s eyes traveled up the length of the girl’s body and she recognized the face instantly. It was Cassie, the queen of the B&K clique and the head cheerleader. Cassie began walking again, stepping on some of Nora’s books as she headed towards Harry. Nora watched in disbelief as people stood there laughing even harder, not even bothering to help her pick up her stuff. She quickly began picking up her things as tears began stinging behind her eyes.
Despite knowing what she’d see, Nora glimpsed towards Zayn to see his reaction. Her heart sank as she watched him laugh along with the others, pointing a finger towards her and shaking his head in disbelief. She tried to give him an embarrassed chuckle, but knew she was making a fool out of herself. She turned away and continued picking her things as fast as she could, noticing that Lily was on her knees helping her out while Beth watched from a distance.
Having collected everything, Nora stood up in haste and was about to sprint. Just as she crossed the B&K’s and just as the laughter began to die down, she heard someone call her back and she halted. It looked like the entire hallway had gotten quite all of a sudden.
“Umm…Excuse me! I think you may’ve dropped this.” Nora heard a deep, slow voice state behind her.
This is gold!!! I need more of thisssss!! YUS
4/17/15