Sunday

My life sucks! It’s official, no one has it worse than me. I saw Cross today. We were at Wal-Mart and I saw him in the men’s section. I was there with Alyson trying on boxers in the middle of the aisle and making a total fool of myself. Dear God, Cross saw me in boxers singing some song by N*SYNC in the middle of Wal-Mart. Not exactly the best way to make your first impression, right? Wrong! Cross started laughing hysterically, which by the way only added to my humiliation, and then he said, and I quote:

“You know Autumn, you’re really funny.”

First of all, Cross Taylor knows my name. Hold on a minute while I bask in my euphoria.

-Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala-

Ok, I’m done.

So, after all that we (and by we I mean me, Alyson was still laughing) were just standing there wide eyed in shock. I mean seriously, I was like a deer in head lights. Actually I wish I was a deer in head lights, then I would not have been able to further humiliate myself.

“Hey Craig, I um, I mean Cross. Sorry my dog’s name is Craig, sorry. I have no idea why I did that. Call you Craig I mean, cause I know your name. It’s not that I don’t know your name or anything, because I do. I mean you’re in some of my classes, and we’ve spoken before y’know?”

Can you believe I was rambling on like that? It was like rapid fire! I was literally talking a mile a minute. And Craig! Craig died when I was NINE! Why on God’s green earth would I call Cross Taylor, Craig?!?

Someone please shoot me!

Eventually, Ally wound up saving me by calling me a spaz and asking Cross to forgive me for my stupidity, if you can call that help. He smiled and said “sure”. This was when my tongue started to work properly again.

“What the hell are you doing here?” was the first thing I that came out of my mouth.

Cross looked a bit taken aback, but smiled at my outburst, but he got over it quickly enough. I hadn’t meant to get at him like that, but I was a bit flustered at the fact that I had embarrassed myself so thoroughly in front of him.

“I just got a job working here. I need some extra cash so… here I am.” was his response.

Oh my God! Cross Taylor is going to be working at my Wal-Mart! The one I work at! Yay! Yay! Yay!

So Cross works in the sports department and I work in the gaming department, which are right next to each other. Bliss, bliss, bliss! Maybe my life isn’t such total crap after all.

Monday

Ok. So today I’m rushing to homeroom because, once again, I have missed the bus, and some girl going the other way knocks my shoulder and just keeps walking! Despite the fact that all my books, pencils, papers, etc. were all over the hall floor and I had cursed at the top of my voice when it happened.

Now, I’m on my hands and knees trying to salvage my stuff, when I notice some guy bending down in front of me. I’m about to yell at him (people at this school tend to steal your stuff when you drop ‘em) when I noticed that it’s not just “some guy” that was bending down in front of me, it was Nate Wright, Cross’ best friend! And he wasn’t stealing my stuff; he was helping me to pick them up!

After about a century of gawking at him (he is very gorgeous!) I smiled and said thank you. Then he smiled “The pleasure was all mine. It’s not every day you get to play knight in shining armor to such a beautiful maiden in distress.”

Can you believe he used a line like that?! I mean seriously, “knight in shining armor?” That is soo cheesy! But it still was really cute and romantic, so needless to say, I immediately went red. I felt my face and ears begin to burn, and I cursed my red hair and Irish heritage.

“Some people can be so rude.” He said, looking where the girl had walked off, looking offended on my behalf.

“And some people can be so sweet” I said looking at him pointedly,

“It’s the world we live in. Give and take, sweet and sour. It’s the sweet part that makes getting up in the morning a little easier.”

An alarm went off in my head. I wasn’t flirting was I?

He blushed. Oh my gosh, that is soo cute! I mean you’ve got to understand, this guy is like 6`3``, and buff in just the right way. He’s not like those jocks that are so big you can’t tell which body part is which. He’s like Brad Pitt only 17 and slightly more attainable. Slightly, only because he’s in high school, otherwise forget it. Nate Wright is popular. Extremely popular. Nate Wright and Cross Taylor are two of the most coveted guys in all of Colonial High. In short I had no chance with either of them.

Nate looked at me, “Cross was right. You are pretty cool.”

My mouth literally dropped open. Had I heard correctly? Had Nate just said that Cross Taylor had called me cool? Cross Taylor talks about me? Cross Taylor talks about me with his friends? Nate Wright and Cross Taylor talk about me together? Nate Wright and Cross Taylor think I’m cool? I need to get outta here before I have a spaz attack in front of Nate. That would so ruin my new “cool” status.

“Thanks, I never thought I’d be one of the few people the royalty of Colonial High would smile on.” I was starting to get up off the floor when I noticed he was looking at me a bit strangely.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

My heart was starting to beat a little faster. I had never noticed that his eyes were so green. They were like little mini forests. It’s surreal. We stared like that for what seemed like hours but were probably more like 30 seconds. Even so 30 seconds is a long time to be looking into someone’s eyes whom you barely know. When he finally spoke he said,

“Do you really think Cross and I are as cold and distant as everyone else thinks?”

He had a look of concern and distress on his face that made you want to do everything right for him so nothing bad could ever happen to him.

I guess he was kind of upset with the nickname the school had given the popular kids; or rather he was upset with the reputation it came with. Basically, they hated anyone who was not them and every once in a while they would bestow upon some nobody the privilege of hanging out with them for a while then dumping them when they became lame again.

I guess I had been wrong in thinking that that was what Nate was about to do with me.

“I think that you guys are popular and I am but a painfully awkward and unpopular little girl here to revere and adore you at every spare moment… or whatever. Don’t listen to me. It is quite possible I’m on crack and just don’t know it yet. I have absolutely no idea what the hell just came out of my mouth. Ignore me while I climb in a locker and die.”

What the hell was that?!? Can you say spaz?!

All of a sudden I hear an unexpected burst of laughter come from behind me, and I turn to see Nate laughing at me.

“Wow. Cross never mentioned how funny you are.” he said.

Did he actually think that my outburst was some kind of joke? He thought I was trying to make him laugh?

“Thanks but…, Oh my god! Look at the time, its ten minutes into class I have to go! Thanks a lot for helping me to pick my stuff up. I’ll tell Cross you said hi, ok? Bye!"