I'm in LOVE with Evangeline: Chapter One

“Stacy, over here!” called Evangeline who was waving frantically. She looked very excited.
I smiled and cheerfully waved back. “Coming!” I started walking over, but before I made it, Genie, an annoying popular girl, grabbed my arm and started pulling me over to her group. “Hey, what gives, Genie?”
“Stacy, babe, if you want to remain cool, you have to be with us and hang out with us, not with that NERD. Come on, why are you friends with her anyway?”
“I am because…”
“Yeah, don’t care. Hey listen, I’m having a party at my house this weekend, it’s gonna be super cool. Do you wanna come? You can bring anyone.”
“Really? Sweet!”
“Except Evangeline.”
“Why are you so mean to her? Have you even taken the time to get to know her?”
“I know enough to know she is a super nerd. And I’ve heard from you that she likes nerdy things.”
“She’s not nerdy, Genie, she’s different.” I pulled my arm away from hers. “And she happens to be my best friend, and believe it or not I am happy to tell her about the things you’ve said about her.”
“Well go ahead, she won’t believe you.”
“Fine, I will.” I turned around, flicked my hair, and walked back and sat down next to Evangeline. “Sorry about that, guys. Genie is such an annoying person.”
“I agree,” William said with a mouthful of peanuts. “You should tell her to stop bugging you.”
“And if I do that, William, I will become unpopular.”
“What’s wrong with that?” William asked. “I mean, Eugene and I are sort of unpopular, but we don’t care.”
“Eugene is much more popular than you will ever be.”
“But he’s not the most popular dude around.”
I sighed. “Your point being?”
“Why are you sticking up for him?” William wondered out loud. “You usually are fighting with him and being mean to him and everything, and now it seems like you love him…”
“I do not love Eugene, William. I never will. We are just friends.”
Evangeline nodded. “If she liked him, we’d be the first to know, right, Stacy?”
“Sure, I mean, you guys are my best friends!”
“Hey all,” Eugene exclaimed, sitting down beside William. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing much,” I replied.
“Want some nuts?” William asked, shoving the packet of peanuts close to Eugene.
“No thanks, I’m full already.”
“What have you been doing?” Evangeline asked.
“Oh, you know, eating, drinking, eating some more… that sort of stuff.”
“Sounds like fun, but you should really eat some nuts.”
“William, shut up.” I hated when he bugged people about eating nuts.
William gave me an evil stare. “Just cause you hate nuts.”
“I do not hate them! I never said I did!”
“Then let him have nuts.”
“He just said he didn’t want any!”
“Why are you standing up for him again?”
“I am not standing up for him! You’re just being annoying, so shut up!” I looked at Evangeline, and she smiled and patted my back. “William, stop saying that, you know we’re all just friends, and that’s the way it always is going to be.”
“Besides, if she liked me, you’d like Evangeline,” Eugene joked. William laugh, but Evangeline gave him a funny look, which made him stop. That showed him! “I didn’t mean that in a mean way, Evangeline, I was just saying it as an example.”
“I understand, I knew it was a joke anyway. Who would love a girl like me?”
Silence was Evangeline’s answer. Everyone just looked at each other awkwardly without saying a word. I broke the silence. “I’m sure there’s someone out there for you, Eva. Maybe you just haven’t found them yet.”
“Maybe I never will.” Evangeline got up and walked away. We all watched her as she sadly made her way out of our views.
“Good one, William, this is all your fault.”
“My fault? Eugene is the one who said I’d like her if you liked him!”
“Yes but I meant that in a joking way, and she said so herself she knew it was.”
“Eugene?”
“Yes, Stacy?”
“Shut up.” I love telling him to shut up because he actually listens, unlike William. Well, what isn’t there to love about Eugene? Perfect, natural tan, perfect black-brown hair, the friendliest brown eyes, perfect muscles, and who could not forget his totally amazing abs. Oh, they are to die for! “I better go get her, you know, to check up on her.” I stood up and looked the boys dead in their eyes. “Don’t ever say anything about people not liking Evangeline again. You know she gets very upset when that happens. Promise me you never will again.”
“Sorry, Stacy,” Eugene replied innocently. “I won’t say that again.”
“I promise I will try not to.”
“Try?” I laughed and leaned forward and put my hands on the table, face close (but not too close) to William’s face. “You will.” And with one more look of their pathetic faces, I walked off. I couldn’t help but over hear William and Eugene talking as I walked further away. I mean, when it’s just them two together, they are comedians.
“Yo, have some nuts, fool!”
“I got some, bro!”
“I didn’t see you chewing any…”
“Ew, gross bro…”
“…Come on, bro, have some peanuts. They’re good for you.”
“Nah I think my nuts are fine the way they are. They don’t need peas to be special.”
“Oh you are sick minded.” And the last thing I heard was them chuckling until their hearts content.

I finally found Evangeline in the most far away empty toilet block, crying in front of her favourite mirror. She was looking down at the sink, whispering something that was spoken too soft for me to understand. “Hello, Evangeline.” Evangeline stopped what she was saying, but she didn’t look up from the sink. After a while, she continued again. “Evangeline, are you okay? It’s me, Stacy.” No reply. She just kept moving her mouth and staring at the sink. I leaned on the entrance and waited for her to speak to me. I wasn’t leaving without some form of communication, even if it wasn’t a hello. I just needed to know she was alright.
After 7 or so minutes, she finally spoke loudly. “You shouldn’t be here, Stacy.”
I frowned. “What?”
“I said you shouldn’t be here. I don’t want you here and I don’t need you here, so in other words, you shouldn’t be here.”
“I just came to check if you were alright. The boys didn’t mean anything they said, and they truly apologise…”
“Just look at me!” Evangeline turned around with such force I couldn’t help but jump. “I am the most hideous human being ever to step foot on earth and I know they did mean it because it is true and everyone knows it – even you, Stacy. So when you come telling me they don’t mean anything they said, I know you’re lying.” She sniffled and wiped more tears away. “I don’t want you here, I just want to be alone in peace and quiet, is that too much to ask?!”
We stayed looking at each other for about a minute, but after that she went down to the position she was in when I arrived. I came closer and stood beside her. “Evangeline, you’re not the ugliest person on earth, I am sure. You are perfect weight, not under, not over, just right. Your eyes might be two completely different colours, but that’s unique! Who else do you see with two different colour eyes in the school? Exactly, no one. Your hair is messy, but it makes you look like you styled it that way. It’s meant to look like you like messy hair. And let’s not forget about everything else – your glasses, your big lips, your rosy face, your big ears… Evangeline, why are you telling me you think you’re ugly when you’re everything but? So what if you’re different to what everyday people are like? I’m sure out there somewhere there is a person waiting to meet someone like you, who is exactly like you, who isn’t perfect, who might think they’re ugly. But Evangeline, please, don’t give up yet. You’re still only a duckling, you have your whole life ahead of you, and you shouldn’t let yourself down.” By now Evangeline was in full tears, and I know she said she didn’t want me there, but I could sense deep down she did and she was glad I was refusing to go away. I hugged her. “Your life just hasn’t come to the good part yet. Maybe it will come in a few years.” Evangeline hugged me back and cried in my shoulder. I didn’t mind – she needed to let it out. Every single last tear needed to come out until her eyes were almost completely dry. Her life has been tough so far, but I guess it’s time for her to let go of the past and look forward to the future that’s ahead of her. That’s all she needs to focus on – herself, her future, and never turn her back and look to the past. Starting from now.