Page 17 of The Other Half

Chapter 17

Oakley

I was surprised when Oliver offered to walk me to class today. We haven’t ever talked at school outside of art class until today. It made my heart feel weird and fluttery when he stopped me in the hallway. It was the last thing I expected. Honestly, I had been feeling like maybe he didn’t want us to be seen together at school. Not that I assumed he was ashamed of being friends with me or anything like that, but maybe he didn’t want to have to explain to his friends who I was. His friend group and mine are about as opposite as you can get.

I’m still nowhere near popular, but after joining the history club I became acquainted with one of the girls in it. She invited me to sit at her lunch table. I don’t really feel like I fit in with the group of girls that sit there, but it’s a lot better than sitting alone in the library like I was before.

After the final bell rings I walk through the glass doors of the cafeteria, heading towards the bus stop. I look around for Oliver, hoping I might catch him before he goes home. I don’t know if he rides the bus but I would assume so since he told me he doesn’t drive either.

I see him standing in the senior parking lot with Amber Williams. Her long, shiny brown hair falls down to her waist. She shoves his shoulder playfully and I can hear her trilling laugh from the other side of the lot. I can’t help but notice how perfect her body is, even from a distance it’s obvious. She has a big, round butt and a perfectly tiny waist. So that’s the type of girl he goes for. That figures.

I continue to watch as she slides her manicured hand up his arm suggestively and leans even closer into him. I notice that he gently backs away, but my body seethes with envy anyway. I remind myself that we’re only friends and I have no right to be jealous, but it does little to quell the storm of emotions in my head.

“What are you looking at?” My friend, Blaire, from History club comes up behind me and interrupts my train of thought.

“Huh? Oh, nothing.” I shake my head. “I was just zoning out.”

“Looked like you were staring at Oliver McLeod,” she says with a gentle laugh.

“Oh, nah.” I roll my eyes. I’m sure the blush on my face is giving me away though.

“He is good looking, I guess. He seems kinda weird, though.”

“Weird? How?” I ask, feigning ignorance that I know anything about him.

She shrugs. “He’s just so quiet. And his hair is too long, he’d be cuter if he cut it.”

I can imagine the type of guy Blaire is into. She reminds me a bit of the girls at my old school, she’s very preppy. Right now she’s wearing a short plaid skirt and a beige cardigan. She’d probably go for a guy that’s clean cut and plays football. The type my parents would like for me to go out with.

“I like his hair,” I respond.

“I didn’t expect you to be the type of girl who’s into bad boys,” she giggles and nudges me with her elbow. “I’m heading home, I’ll see you tomorrow!” She says as she waves goodbye to me.

“Bye.” I look back at where Oliver and Amber were standing but they’re gone. I wonder if he rode home with her? The thought makes my stomach turn upside down, even though I know I need to mind my own business. The last thing I need to do is start believing he feels the same way I do and hurt my own feelings in the process.

* * *

Later that night we meet up beside my gate like always, when I spot him coming over the crest of the hill our eyes meet and his face lights up with a smile. I feel relieved. After seeing him with Amber I started to wonder if things would be weird between us tonight, although I don’t know why they would be. I know I’m probably just creating problems for myself where there are none.

We’re friends, I tell myself repeatedly as I continue to stare at his flawless smile.

“Hey,” he says as I walk up to him and we begin to fall in step beside each other.

“Hi,”

“I missed you.” I look up at him in surprise. He missed me? He’s never told me that before. “How’s that history club thing going?” he asks.

“Oh, not bad.” I smile.

Truthfully I wasn’t planning to join any clubs, but my parents kept nagging me about it, telling me that I need more extracurriculars to put on my college apps. The only one that remotely interested me was history. It’s always been my favorite subject, and the one I’m best at.

I can remember dates like it’s nobody’s business, and I can read an entire novel front to back in a day. But when it comes to other subjects, namely math and science, I’m lost by the end of the first class period. I’ve always felt that my brain doesn’t work quite right. Numbers confuse me. Some people talk about having dyslexia, where the letters and words jumble up on the page, for me that’s how numbers are. It makes math extremely difficult, and last year I failed Algebra because of it.

“You stick out like a sore thumb compared to the other girls you hang out with now, you know that?”

“Why?”

He shrugs and looks into the distance thoughtfully, “you just look…different from them, that’s all.”

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