Alex was staring at himself through the bathroom mirror above the sink as he started to wash his hands while his mind wandered as he thought... 

'I have been promoted to the ninth grade and I am now in high school. My class has even elected me the student council president, yet I still feel out of place. Why is it?'

Alex lathered his hands with soap as he started to let the water rush over them. He sighed, as he turned off the faucet, then flung his hands a few times to remove some of the water from his hands, which did not work as well as he thought it was, so he reached for a napkin to dry his hands. 

He left out of the bathroom with a downtrodden expression as he walked through the almost empty hallways thinking about what is causing him to feel the way that he does. 

As he wandered the halls to the student council room,  he passed by several students and teachers whom he gave brief greetings to as he tried to clear his muddled head. When he finally made it to the student council room, he saw that the large room was almost void of people, except for one person.

He cringed once he saw Lacey sitting at the the student council table with papers, ti-84 calculator, and a blue mechanical pencil in her manicured hand. She seemed to be engrossed in her homework and Alex most certainly did not want to disrupt her attention, however perhaps it was his gaze she felt on her or it was just a plain coincidence, but she glanced upwards and her big gray eyes happened to land right on him, which caused him to nervously gulp as he paused while trying to think of an excuse to get away.

"What's up Alex? You came to calculate the budget or something?"  Lacey asked, eyebrows arched upwards as she put her pencil down.

"Yeah...uhm something like that. Then again, there is really not any reason to go over it. After all, we only have about a three weeks left of school, then it is summer vacation. I will be on my way then. Later." Alex quickly said, then promptly turned around to leave as he heard a creak of one the revolving chairs behind him at the student council table, which caused him to inwardly cringe as felt a sudden breath of air come from behind him along with someone gripping his shoulder to turn him around.

"Wait Alex, I actually was waiting for you to stop bye. I actually need your help with Ms. Bamdu's homework assignment." Lacey said, gazing down at Alex with a smug look on her face.

"That's too bad Lacey. I have to go do something." Alex says, removing her soft, yet firm hand off of his shoulder and started to turn around, but he was once again barred from leaving by a firm grip on his arm as he mentally sighed to turn around.

"What is it Lacey?" Alex agitatedly says, gazing up into her big gray eyes that were peering down at him with a childish glint.

"Oh nothing, I was just hoping you would 'stay'. After all, I am sure what you have to do is not so irksome that you have to go do it now or else you would done so first instead of coming here." Lacey said, as she stepped closer to Alex with her 5'11 frame, which was kind of unnerving for him as he willed himself not to back away from her, but realized it did not matter because she was still gripping his arm.

"I really ought to go, so could you please release 'my arm'." Alex grits his teeth to say,  seeing Lacey amusingly gaze back at him.

"No, shorty. I really do need help with my homework and plus you owe it to me after all, since you embarrassed me so badly in the debate yesterday and then snuck off to avoid me." Lacey said, pulling Alex towards her to make him understand he really did not have a choice in the matter as she gazed down at his cute upset expression.

"That was entirely your fault. You were the opposing party, so of course I had to waylay you with a better constructed argument. It was due to your own incompetency that you loss. You should have done more research." Alex icily said, spitefully staring up at her.

"Whatever, I just did not have time to construct a better argument. If I..." Lacey had started to say, but was interrupted.

"Ugh! You have to be kidding! I get so tired of hearing your pathetic excuses and rants! Admit it Lacey! You loss!" Alex furiously said, gazing up at the gawking now Lacey.

"Why you...why you..." Lacey said, but was interrupted once again.

"Every time I join a school activity or team, you join as well and for the most part, you lose if we are opposing parties. You pop up wherever I go! Are you really that fed up that I came the freshman student council president that you have to make it your personal vendetta to stalk me?" Alex irritably says.

"I should have been student council president instead of you! You did not even have an interest in running. The teacher put your name in the pool! The majority of students for whatever reason elected you! How in what way is a shorty like you better than me!" Lacey angrily exclaimed, wildly shaking Alex by his arm to get an answer.

"Apparently a lot of things, but does it really matter? You obviously hate me anyway. Every since we were in elementary, you looked down on me and picked at me. In your mind, I am just a pathetic lonely orphan and ward of the state." Alex says, avoiding eye contact as the troubling feeling he felt earlier comes over him, but Lacey' s voice stops his mind from wandering.

"You are a orphan, but I never said you were pathetic and that I looked down on you! I just don't like the fact that..." Lacey says, but is interrupted.

"Whatever. Action speaks louder than words." Alex says, feeling  that her grip on his arm was becoming a little loose, so he hurriedly shakes it off while using his free hand to help in assisting him to remove her hand, but her grip suddenly tightens.

"You know, I only picked on you and participated in things you were in because I liked you and later found out that it was something more. I love you. I really did not try to make you feel that negative way about me. It's just that over the years, in school, you have become more and more popular. I just did not want you to end up being with someone else." Lacey exasperatedly said, smiling bleakly while loosely looking at Alex, then let his arm go.

Alex gawked at her for a few seconds, then hurriedly turned around to leave, but stopped as he begrudgingly turned back around to see Lacey gazing at him with a bleak expression on her face. He started to feel bad for leaving and wanting to get away from her and the apologetic smile she is giving him is definitely not helping. His mind started to wander as he thought about the several instances prior to this that a few of his friends had suggested the reason for Lacy picking on him was probably because she liked him and he told them that they must be mentally inept, but it turned out they were right. 

The thing is, he needed to ask himself does he like her or have feelings for her in return. He inwardly thought for a bit, but scenes of her shoving him, being forced to smell her armpit or dirty clothes, getting things knocked out of his hand and seeing her step on it, opening his locker to see her dirty field hockey uniform or her other belongings, and not including the several other things she has done. The image of her gazing down at him, causing him to feel small and helpless suddenly appears in his mind. He sighs aloud, for the only thing feeling he has for her is utter repulsion, anger, and a little fear, but definitely not love or anything remotely resembling it.

"Look...Lacey, I really feel touched that you li...love me. After all, you are a beautiful girl and blossoming into a gorgeous young lady, but you have tormented me so much, that I cannot even appreciate your beauty nor except your love. And...I think it is for the best after all, you have so many seniors infatuated and trying to pursue you. I am definitely not a good fit for you either. I am a short nerd, who happens to be good at attracting people and making friends. You are the captain of the JV field hockey team as a freshman,  not including the the fact you are highly intelligent as well, so...so let's just forget this ever happened and hopefully you will not torment me anymore." Alex nervously says, seeing Lacey silently sob as tears start to roll down her face.

Alex turns around to hurriedly leave to remove the sight of her crying from his mind and sight, but his conscious weighs heavy on him and causes him to reluctantly turn back around. He sees her silent sobbing has turned rather noisy while her face is burried in her hands. He watches as tears stream out the cracks between her fingers to run along her ivory skin as she sniffles and sobs. He sighs as he walks over to the corner to get several Kleenex, then walk back over to her. He pauses, seeing her breast heave up and down as she cries and her flush red face through the cracks of her fingers.

He sighed, then placed his hands on top of hers to remove her hands from her distraught face as he felt her body tremble as soon as he touched her and saw her puzzling remove her hands from her face to confusingly and shockingly gaze at him.

"Why are you still here?" I thought you..." Lacey said, however interrupted by Alex using Kleenex to wipe her face with a serious expression plastered on his face, which made her want to laugh because he looks kind of cute with his serious face.

"Lacey, I did not mean to make you cry at all. I am sorry. I really did not expect to see this emotional side of you. Over the years, you have pummeled and bullied me, yet I always go home to cry and vent. Yet, you get to cry in front of me. The funny thing is,  seeing you crying actually makes me feel as if I did something wrong, when I know I haven't. Probably, it is because you are a beautiful girl or whatever. Anyway, I still totally dislike you, however seeing you like this doesn't make me feel good at all." Alex says, changing Kleenex several times as he cleaned the tears and snot from Lacey's beautiful face.

The only response was Lacey's silent sobs as he continued to clean her face and her hands, which made him feel kind of emasculated, since he was so close to her and she was taller than him. He ignored his inner feelings to begrudgingly finish, then Lacey gawked at him as he walked over to her homework to pick up her mechanical pencil to hurriedly write something down on her homework, then quickly leave without a remote goodbye.

Lacey was debating whether to chase after him or not, but eventually gave up the notion. She depressingly walked over to her homework to sit in her seat she was sitting prior to Alex's arrival as her hands were cupped over her face to remember the warmth from his hands as he gently cleaned her face.

'I did not know I was that horrible to him. I...I really liked, no I actually think I love him. Funny, all he sees me as is a big bully who tormented him since elementary.  Huh? What is that?'

Sorry Lacey, I really did not mean to cause you to cry or childishly abruptly leave, but being around you is kind uncomfortable and nerve wracking for me. I glanced over a few of your answers and saw that a few of them are wrong, so you can call me at (385) 643-#### in case you need help or want to talk as...friends.

'Oh my gosh! He...I...I still can salvage my relationship with him!'

------

Alex was still a little shaken as he hurried through the halls and gave quick greetings to everyone he passed. He was glad when he finally left out of the building as the breath of fresh air comforted him and he let out a sigh while thinking about the previous events that just occurred between Lacey and him with her confessing her love and the reason why she made his life a living hell. He heard the sound of a car beeping it's horn, which made him stumble from his thoughts. 

He glanced up to see one of the senior jocks in a yellow sports car, who he believed to be named Andy, beeping at this tall and slightly pudgy pale white girl with auburn red hair who was reading a book, but glanced up to look at the senior jock's car. He recognized her, she was his social outcast neighbor, Barrie Clark. He watched as the senior kept beeping at her as she moved out of the way while all the other jocks in the car was laughing and jeering at her.

She almost made it to the sidewalk when all of the sudden, Andy's car engine roared to life as his car quickly moved forward almost hitting Barrie, who luckily hurriedly jumped onto the sidewalk to brokenly fall and also drop her book she was reading as well as the items, which spilled out of her book bag when she fell. Andy stopped his car to jeer at her, voraciously laughing with his friends, saying they forgot to yell "timber". They pointed and jeered  at her for a few minutes, then drove off laughing.

Alex mockingly shook his head as he walked across the crosswalk toward her. He kind of inwardly felt bad as he looked at the large figure laying on the sidewalk shakily picking up her belongings on the ground. He sighed as he bent down to pick up the books, pencils, loose leaf paper, and other items to mistakenly bump into her soft big pale white hand, which certainly dwarfed his. He hurriedly took his hand back as he glanced upwards to shockingly see her sad hazel eyes firmly looking right back at him.

"Sorry..." Alex murmured, because he felt bad seeing her like this. He was rewarded with a grimace and her eyes darting to the side to avoid his, which made him feel kind of bad. He was just about to stretch out his hand to comfort her, but one of the other athlete seniors and his girlfriend pulled up at the crosswalk.

"What's up Alex! Looks like you're helping out the Red Yeti again." The senior jock said, giving Alex, who took a quick glimpse at Barrie, a teasing look as Barrie was depressingly looking down while her pale white face turned a little red.

"Very funny Jay. You know I always help people out. Anyway, what's up. I see football practice is over. Had a good work out?" Alex said, trying to ignore Barrie's bleak expression as he diverted his attention to Jay and his girlfriend in the car.

"Lol! We all know you are everyone's little angel at school, but like you really shouldn't hang around or help out Big Foot. You might get fleas or something lol!" Jay's girlfriend said, giggling with her boyfriend Jay laughing with her.

"Lol! Big Foot! That's a good one! Anyway, later Alex. See you tomorrow!"  Jay said.

"Later Alex." Jay's girlfriend said.

Then, they sped off into the distance leaving a depressed Barrie still sprawled on the ground and Alex feeling kind of bad as he stifled his laughter inside. He took a quick glance at Barrie seeing the sore sight of her fumbling around the ground for her things. He could see the tears building up in her hazel eyes as they both made contact.

"Why are you still here?" Barrie spitefully asked, seeing Alex cringe a little from her leaning upwards to bear down on him, which made her feel kind of good.

"I...I was just trying..." Alex stammered, but was interrupted by Barrie snatching her belongings from his hand, causing him to loose his balance to fall on the ground beneath her. He tried to catch hisself, but he mistakenly had grabbed onto her black tights clad warm thighs instead, so he hurriedly took his hands back, which made him fall even more awkward to make his head crash into her lap.  

His vision was blurred dark and all he could smell was a slightly musky womanly scent along with a honeysuckle fragrance. He grunted as he groggily sat up, then realized where his face just was as he stared at her crotch. He gawked for a brief second, then  hurriedly backpedaled away with his hands as he reluctantly gazed up at her seeing one of her eyebrows agitatedly raised while she icily gazed down at him.

"M...my bad Barrie! Honest! I did not do it on purpose! When you snatched your belongings from me, I lost my balance! Honest! I am really sorry! Please don't look at me like that..." Alex stammered, holding his hands up to convey his sincerity and mistake, but it seemed not to be working because Barrie was still icily staring down at him.