#HateThatBoy

by Yesenia Vargas

  Noah just wanted to make my life difficult.

  I exhaled and began reading, shoving Noah out of my mind.

  “So you’re saying that Daisy is ultimately selfish?” Ms. Holloway asked.

  Tommy nodded. “Yeah. I honestly don’t think that girl is capable of love.”

  Harper glanced at me, and I answered her raised eyebrows in turn. This was a pretty deep analysis for a class clown like Tommy, but lately, all the junior boys were set on impressing our cute, young English teacher.

  “Class, what do you think? Do you agree with Tommy’s assessment of the character? Did she ever really love Jay Gatsby?”

  For classic literature, The Great Gatsby wasn’t boring like most of the stories we had read in my other language arts classes. I found Daisy fascinating.

  Noah raised his hand, and now I aimed my surprised expression at him. I sat up.

  “I have to agree with Tommy,” Noah said, eyes on the teacher.

  “You’ve read the story?” Ms. Holloway asked, clearly impressed.

  Noah nodded. “It was summer reading at my old school.”

  Ms. Holloway looked like her socks might get blown clear across the room at that statement. A male high school student who actually did the summer reading? No one did the summer reading. We all read the Cliffnotes the night before the first day of school.

  Tommy stared daggers at Noah along with most of the boys in the class.

  “Go on,” Ms. Holloway said, clearly intrigued. “Why do you think she isn’t capable of love?”

  Noah rolled his pencil up and down his desk as he talked. “In the beginning of the story, she promised to wait for him, but as soon as a better opportunity came along—you know, a man who came from old money—she forgot about Gatsby like that.” He snapped his fingers.

  Ms. Holloway nodded. “Interesting.”

  She always said that when she hoped someone else would have something to add, but Noah kept going.

  “And the only reason she wanted to be with Gatsby when he came back was because he became a ridiculously rich guy. She didn’t love him. She loved his money. Even in the beginning, she only promised to wait for him because he told her he was wealthy.”

  The class remained silent. No one ever took these discussions so seriously. Usually, the teacher had to either threaten or bribe almost everyone in this class to contribute more than a single sentence, but now everyone was transfixed on the new boy, who clearly wasn’t afraid to speak up on his first day.

  I thought about what he said and opened my mouth without thinking straight. “But there’s more to Daisy than that.”

  Someone dropped a pencil, but no one moved to pick it up. Noah turned to me along with the rest of the class. His slight smirk was back, but I ignored it, focusing on the teacher.

  Ms. Holloway looked like Christmas had come early. “Tori, please elaborate.” She could hardly contain her smile.

  I wanted to kick myself for not staying quiet. Like I didn’t get enough unwanted attention. “I just meant that yes, she cares about money, but only because that’s the only thing she’s ever known. She calls herself a ‘beautiful little fool.’ Isn’t it true that during this time period, a divorce would be a complete scandal? She can’t just leave Tom. Her reputation would be ruined, and she’d be left with nothing. Daisy has to survive and put what she wants aside. It’s like she has everything and nothing at the same time.”

  Even Ms. Holloway didn’t say anything for the longest time. The class remained eerily silent.

  Noah glanced down, then at me. “She could have had everything, love and money, if she’d stuck with Jay.”

  I shrugged. “It’s not that simple. Look at the kind of person Tom was. He wasn’t going to make it easy. All I’m saying is there’s more to her than what’s on the surface.”

  The bell rang, which brought everyone out of their stupor. Including Ms. Holloway.

  The sound of book bags zipping and people shuffling out replaced the silence from the second before.

  Ms. Holloway called out to the class. “Remember, your essay on The Great Gatsby is due next week! We’ll talk more about it tomorrow.”

  I grabbed my books too but found Noah staring back at me, an unreadable expression on his face. “I still think Daisy should have trusted Jay,” he said, standing up.

  I met his eyes. “And I think trusting someone isn’t that easy. Not when your entire life is on the line.”

  I didn’t wait for an answer. I joined Harper, who waited for me by the door.

  She came in close and whisper shouted. “What was that about? It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen go down in a language arts class!”

  I rolled my eyes and kept us moving toward our lockers. “Please. It was nothing. I just thought his argument was wrong.”

  Harper’s mouth widened into an amused smile. “You mean his opinion? An opinion can’t be wrong. It’s an opinion.”

  I turned to Harper as I went to open my locker. “Not in my world.”

  Harper laughed just as Rey came up to us. “What so funny?”

  “Nothing,” Harper said. “Just Tori being Tori.”

  Four

  Student council announced prom court nominations, and it quickly became the buzz of the school.

  Courtney scoffed. “I cannot believe Krista got a nomination.” She and Lindsay walked with me to class.

  Of course Krista would see me getting nominated along with her as just one more way I was ruining her life, especially since the squad vowed to help me win.

  “But don’t worry. You’ve totally got this in the bag,” Lindsay said.

  Courtney nodded. “We’re gonna make posters for you this week and hang them up everywhere. I was thinking we could bake some brownies too. Hand them out with a ‘Vote for Tori’ sticker or something.”

  I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s a great idea. Thanks, guys, but it’s also a lot of time and work. We should focus on nationals instead of this.”

  “Nonsense,” Lindsay said, hugging me with one arm. “We’ve got your back. Krista is the last person in this school who deserves that crown.” She said goodbye and took off. She had to cross campus to get to art class.

  Ever since the twins had patched things up with Ella last semester, they’d become a lot friendlier, especially to me.

  Lena found me in the hallway. I had science next and she had literature, but we were headed in the same direction. For now.

  “Congrats on getting nominated for junior prom queen,” she said with a big smile.

  “Thanks.” I held my books close to my chest.

  “Both the guy and girls’ soccer teams voted for you,” she said with a wink. Just getting nominated for prom court was a big deal, but if anything, I wished it was someone else who had been nominated along with Krista. This was just more drama in my life.

  Ella came up to us, Jesse in tow. “Hey, guys.”

  I exhaled. “What are you two lovebirds up to?”

  Jesse gave me a small wave. “Just walking to class. Thought we’d say hi.”

  “We saw your name on the list of nominations for prom queen,” Ella said. “We knew you’d get it.”

  Jesse was handsome as ever, and Ella looked like she could float away from how happy she was. My heart panged for what she had. “Thanks.”

  After a moment of silence, Ella said, “See you later? We should hang out together soon. Maybe we can do a girls’ night.”

  “Sure,” I replied, and they left.

  “Are you okay?” Lena asked as we walked to class. “You don’t seem that excited about being nominated.”

  I tried to smile. “Maybe I’m just tired. Cheer is fun, but right now—wow. I’m stressed to the max with state this weekend. And as for prom queen, honestly, I don’t care about it all that much.”

  She glanced at me then went back to maneuvering her way through the busy hallway. “Does this have anything to do with Gary?”

  I shrugged. “Sorta. But
everyone thinks I care more about being popular than I actually do.”

  She blinked back at me. “Maybe because it seems like it,” she said. “From the outside, I guess. You always hang out with the cheerleaders—”

  “Because I’m a cheerleader,” I say quickly. “And co-captain of the squad.”

  “But you know how a lot of them are.”

  “Not all of them.”

  “Most of them.”

  We stopped in front of my science class.

  Lena went on. “The cheerleaders are…cheerleaders.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  Now Lena shrugged. “I mean, a lot of the girls are kind of stuck-up, I guess.”

  I stopped. “Even me?”

  But I already knew the answer.

  Lena shrugged again. “We know you’re not really, but you didn’t talk to us for a long time, Tori,” she answered softly.

  “Because I was dealing with stuff too,” I said, and I hated how I sounded. Whiny. Like it was an excuse. “Everyone believes I lead this perfect life, but I don’t.”

  “Then let us in.” Lena touched my shoulder. “We’re your friends. We care about you. It feels like you’ve opened up an inch, but you’re ready to slam the door closed in case our friendship explodes or something.” She paused a moment. “Tell us how you really feel.”

  The bell rang, ending our conversation. She was already walking away, giving me one last look of concern before dashing into literature class.

  As soon as I found my seat in science, I got out my phone and opened up a new message to Lena. There was something I had to say.

  Tori: Sorry. I guess I just have a lot on my plate. I didn’t realize you guys felt that way.

  My phone buzzed a few minutes later as I wrote down notes from the board.

  Lena: We’re here for you :) Remember, that’s what friends are for. I’ve played soccer all my life, and I couldn’t live without playing, but I make sure there’s room left for family…and friends, you know?

  Tori: Yeah, you’re right. This year, though, it’s been tough. Not just physically. I love cheer, but it means so much more to my mom than it does to me.

  Lena: Do you ever wonder if you’d be better off without all that extra pressure, though?

  I didn’t respond after that, mostly because I didn’t know how, but also because the teacher handed out a pop quiz. Cheer had never been a choice. It was something I had to do. And part of who I was. I loved cheer.

  But would I be better off without it?

  I could never just quit the squad, though. They were my friends. And they were counting on me. Maybe next year…but no. I only had one more year to go. I couldn’t give it up now. Even if cheering in college was something I had never really seriously considered—unlike my mom—I wanted to keep my options open.

  After school, I grabbed my red cheer duffel bag from my locker and began walking toward the gym for our first extended afternoon practice.

  Sometimes the cheer girls liked to hang out in the bathroom near the library for a few minutes to catch up on gossip, but I wasn’t in the mood today.

  Instead, I found one of the benches outside the main building and sat down. It was empty unlike the ones near the front of the building, where students waited to be picked up.

  The buses had left a few minutes ago, though, so overall, the campus felt quiet. Serene, almost. The parking lot was getting emptier by the minute.

  I’d head up to the gym, just not yet. According to my phone, I had about five minutes to relax before I had to leave. My eyelids closed on their own, and I leaned back and soaked in some sun. It was a little chilly already, but the sun had actually felt warm today.

  The sound of a familiar voice reached my ears, and I opened my eyes to find the source.

  There she was. Krista.

  Near the pickup lane. She drove to school like most of the kids in our grade, so I wondered what she was still doing here. Most people peeled away as fast as they could when the final bell went off.

  But she stood in front of someone. Someone with wavy chestnut hair and a familiar gray messenger bag.

  Noah.

  He had his back to me, but I could see the adoring expression on Krista’s face. She laughed again.

  Ugh. Just hearing her irked me. According to several cheerleaders and some of the #BFFs, she was already hard at work on a smear campaign against me. Whatever she had to do to win junior prom queen. I tried to go back to relaxing in the sun’s rays, but it was useless. I stood up.

  I had half a mind to just leave and get to practice, but then she waved to Noah and walked off toward her car.

  Finally.

  I sat back down and shut my eyes again, determined to enjoy the three minutes I had left.

  “Soaking up some sun?” I heard. “I thought cheerleaders were deathly afraid of tan lines.”

  I looked up, covering the bright light with my hand.

  Noah smirked down at me.

  I didn’t respond, mainly because I was still peeved at him for talking to Krista. Of all the girls he could have been talking to…why her?

  Then again, why did I care? That thought irked me even more.

  He sat down next to me.

  I got up. “I should get going. Cheer practice.” I began walking away.

  “And there’s the cold cheerleader treatment I’d been waiting for.”

  I spun around. “Why were you talking to Krista?”

  He raised his eyebrows before composing himself. “Why does it matter?” He stood up. “And why do you care?”

  I crossed my arms. “Answer the question.”

  He stepped in close. “What’s wrong with Krista?”

  I stared him down, not budging. “You can’t be the only person in this school who hasn’t heard the stuff she’s saying about me. That’s the kind of person you want to be friends with?”

  Noah’s face changed, but I wasn’t sure why. He glanced away. “Maybe there’s more to her than you think.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re wrong. She’s not who you think she is. I’m sure she makes herself out to be a victim, but she’s not.”

  His voice was quiet. “So the stuff the cheerleaders have done to her since ninth grade isn’t true?”

  I hesitated and tried to recover, but it was too late.

  “I thought so,” he said, taking a couple steps back.

  Coming back to my senses, I made sure he heard me. “If you think Krista’s innocent in all of this, you’re a fool.”

  He stopped and faced me. He eyed me up and down, like he was seeing me for the evil cheerleader he thought I really was. “You’re right. I have been a fool.”

  I watched him walk away, wondering what had just happened between us. I wasn’t sure we had even been friends before, but the uneasy way I felt made it seem like maybe we could have been.

  But no. It had been a silly English debate. Nothing more. Noah Thomas was not my friend.

  I checked the time on my phone and grabbed my stuff, running toward the gym.

  No way would I be late to practice for the first time ever thanks to a boy, especially one who wasn’t even remotely worth it.

  Five

  After our spat, Noah and I didn’t talk anymore. No more snarky comments back and forth. We hardly looked at each other, either, which was fine with me.

  If he wanted to be Krista’s new best friend, that was his problem.

  And if he thought I was just a stereotypical mean girl, then I wasn’t interested in talking to him.

  So I was not surprised when he made a habit of sitting with Krista at lunch.

  I stopped at the #BFFs’ table for a few minutes. I tried to follow the conversation, but my eyes were on Noah. And how Krista put her hand on his arm.

  “Earth to Tori.”

  The sound of my name made me blink. “What’s up?”

  Ella, Lena, and Harper glanced in Noah’s direction. Rey looked up after the silence and di
d the same.

  “I see,” Ella said with a knowing smile.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said quickly, but I hated the way my voice sounded. Like a desperate lie.

  Fortunately, they didn’t say another word.

  “So when is your state competition?” Harper asked.

  I crossed my arms in front of me. “Saturday morning. Our practice performance is tomorrow at the pep rally.”

  “State’s on a Saturday morning?” Lena said. “Not getting to sleep in is the worst.” She bit into an apple.

  I nodded. “I know. We have to be here at six o’clock in the morning.”

  Ella looked at me. “Maybe you can nap on the bus.”

  Harper nibbled on an apple. “That’s a good idea. Let us know how it goes?”

  I got up. “Sure. I’ll text you guys on the way home.”

  Without another glance in Noah’s direction, I made my way back to my usual table. When I sat down, I joined the conversation the girls were having about makeup for Saturday.

  In the distance, Noah’s tall, lean frame caught my eye. He was on his way out of the cafeteria. As soon as he started to turn in my direction, I focused on Julie and asked her a question. When I looked toward where Noah had been a few seconds later, he was gone.

  The day of the pep rally, the entire squad wore our new uniforms to school.

  The one-piece, curve-hugging outfits turned heads everywhere we went. Lindsay, Courtney, and everyone else basked in the attention. I didn’t enjoy the spotlight nearly as much. At lunch, the football team and cheer squad laughed and talked louder than usual, and in class, hardly anyone could stay quiet long enough for the teacher to get through the lesson.

  Meanwhile, I was nervous for the first time in a long time, and I couldn’t think of why. I couldn’t remember how many times I’d performed in front of crowds. I was used to it, but the closer the hour hands on the clock got to two, the more my stomach sank. And for some reason, Noah and his annoying grin kept coming to mind.

  When one-thirty rolled around, Coach Davis called the squad to the gym through the intercom. It wouldn’t be a long pep rally. Our practice performance would be the main event.