Chapter 2
I tried to ignore the smirks I was getting as I stood in the canteen queue at break time, I managed to buy my lunch and stumbled to the table at the window that was currently occupied by Vanessa. I threw my roll on the table and sat down. She looked up, putting away her phone, and grabbed a bottle of orange juice.
“I hate that cow,” I muttered darkly.
“It wasn’t April that made you trip over yourself,” pointed out Vanessa for like the tenth time today.
I shrugged moodily, ugh…if only I wasn’t so caught up in the speech, and the fact that the hottest guy in school had to come up and peel me off the floor did nothing to help my self esteem.
Erik Carter is the hottest guy in school and there was no doubt about it. He was a senior, muscular, tall with a mop of stylishly messy fair hair, and emerald green eyes that sparkled with mischief and interest.
He had a heart breaking perfect smile and the most perfect tanned face. He was talented and sporty, being the school tennis champion, captain of the school rugby team, captain of the school basketball team and of course the school soccer team, he was also a regular star in the local theatre. There just wasn’t anything he couldn’t do and I guess that’s what I liked about him…the fact that he was so confident and spoke with such certainty and influence, anyone felt like they could just get up and follow him.
“You know what?” exploded Vanessa angrily, “I’m so sick and tired of her just getting away with everything!
She treats you like you’re a nobody and I just can’t believe that you let her do that to you for so long!”
“I can’t defeat her,” I replied trying to hide my surprise at her sudden mood change, “and I don’t see why you’re so worried…you don’t have to worry about anything like that…both of you are so pretty.”
“Ah, Michelle,” muttered Vanessa.
“How are you feeling?” asked Derrick, ruffling my hair as he sat down at our table, a harmonica in his hands.
“Aren’t you meant to be with your band?” I grumbled, looking at his usual table in the corner of the canteen, it was surrounded by girls and I could see the lead singer, Mike, the dark haired one with blond highlights, flirt with one of them.
Derrick grinned and played a note on his harmonica, “Not today,” he replied, “I know someone better that needs me.”
“Ugh…” I groaned. “Just three more classes and then it’s the weekend.”
“Cheer up child,” grinned Derrick then raised the harmonica to his lips and played a note.
“I can’t,” I muttered, “I can’t stand April! She’s being such a cow to me! I mean, what the hell? She humiliated me in front of our year! Do you know how embarrassing that is?!”
“You know what you should do…” suggested Derrick, slumping back in his seat and grabbing Vanessa’s orange juice and taking a sip, “write a song. Don’t bottle up your anger…let it all out with something more productive.”
“Oh my God!” exclaimed Vanessa, “That’s it!”
“Excuse me?” asked Derrick, raising an eyebrow.
“I figured it all out,” replied Vanessa looking delighted, “You said something about being her equal with looks and all, well you’re really nice, many people like nice people right? Well how about we make you more popular than little miss horny pants?”
“How are you going to do that?” asked Derrick.
“Yeah, how are you going to do that?” I repeated.
“A makeover,” thrilled Vanessa, “I could like completely change you, fix everything…I mean you have everything April doesn’t! And then we could work from there…take away the one thing she wants. It’ll hurt her so bad.”
“Is that how girls solve their problems?” snorted Derrick, “A makeover? You have it so easy!”
“I don’t think it’ll work,” I said, “I’m ugly remember? And she has everything I don't think there's anything we can take away.”
“You always say that about yourself," said Derrick rolling his eyes, "It drives me crazy."
I shrugged “But everyone says it…I mean name one person who likes me.”
Derrick had the decency to look sheepish, “Well…you’re not ugly,” he looked at me and his eyes softened, “You’re…”
“Different,” said Vanessa.
Derrick rolled his eyes again and looked away, “Vanessa? I think you should work on that making people feel better about themselves part because your niceness isn’t functioning.”
I sighed, “What’s your big plan?” I asked Vanessa as she opened her mouth to argue with Derrick.
It was at that moment that the doors of the canteen burst open and Erik ran in followed by his usual group of friends. He tied up the bottom of his shirt to make a belly button and wore a pink hair band on his head.
“Hey babes,” he purred sitting down at a table filled with first year boys, his group of friends burst out laughing.
Vanessa waggled her eyebrows and my mouth dropped open as I looked at her as if she was mental,
“What? Are you serious?” I hissed, “I’m not going to even try!”
“Oh come on Michelle you already got saved by him, shouldn’t that like forge some type of connection with you two!”
“NO!”
“Why not?” asked Vanessa desperately, “Come on!”
“I’m not good with boys and you well know that!”
“Well, you were brilliant on that stage,” pointed out Vanessa, “I mean, you didn’t even seem shy. A part of you is trying to get out and you’re too scared to let it out!”
“So you think getting with Erik Carter would solve that?”
“It’ll make you more popular then April,” replied Vanessa smiling, “I heard that April has a bit of a crush on him! Imagine how devastated she will be if you just end up going out with the guy of her dreams?”
“No!”
“Derrick tell her!”
Derrick shrugged, he seemed moody all of a sudden; “Well if she doesn’t want to…I can’t see why you should force her into it!”
“Oh my God!” snapped Vanessa sighing. “Well ok…do whatever you want.”
I looked at him gratefully and sighed,”The rest of the classes are going to be a nightmare.”
Derrick cracked a smile and then played a note on his harmonica, “Write a song, Michelle, do something productive with your anger.”
I sighed; well if that was the case I had a lot of anger to deal with.
I'll look over the chapter and edit some stuff out. 
