The next week, we were all in PE class when the gymnasium doors loudly opened, garnering much attention.
I'd been sitting on the ground, stretching with Elias, Malcolm, Andre, and Chelsea. After getting closer with Chelsea and introducing her to the guys, the five of us had become a friend group of sorts. Speaking of, Chelsea was in the middle of explaining the important difference between leggings and tights, when her mouth suddenly dropped open.
"Woah, who's the new guy?" she dramatically gasped, sitting up straighter.
She wasn't the only one who seemed phased. A number of people in our class began to whisper and gaze in interest at whoever had just arrived in the gymnasium. Confused, I turned around. Although, a smile of realization quickly dawned on my face.
"Ben, over here," I raised my arm, beckoning him over.
"You know him?" Chelsea squealed in bewilderment.
"Ben?" Andre repeated in confusion.
"Who's Ben?" Elias darkly spat.
"I don't like him," Malcolm promptly decided.
I ignored their remarks as Ben made his way over.
"Daisy, hey," he warmly greeted me.
"Hey, I didn't know you were in this class," I cocked my head to the side.
"I had issues with my timetable, so I had to move some classes around," he grinned.
"Cool," I glanced at everyone, waiting for them to introduce themselves.
Chelsea's mouth was slightly agape, still reeling at how attractive Ben was. Meanwhile, Elias, Malcolm, and Andre stared at him with unfriendly looks. I was quite dismayed by their hostility.
"These are my friends, Malcolm, Andre, Chels, and Ellie," I decided to speak up.
"Nice to meet you guys, I'm Ben," he stuck out his hand, though awkwardly put it back down when no one grabbed it. In an attempt to make conversation, he glanced up at Elias. "Wow, Ellie, you're the first person I've ever met that's taller than me."
"It's Elias."
"What?" Ben faltered.
"My name is Elias," he repeated, eyes boring into Ben's soul.
"But Daisy just said—"
"I know what she said," Elias coldly interrupted.
A knowing look dawned on Ben's face, and I wasn't quite sure why. Suddenly, the PE teacher blew his whistle.
"Alright folks," Mr. Martins barked, "we're gonna be playing badminton today, so everybody partner up! New guy, come with me—I'll fetch you a uniform."
Ben cleared his throat before following after Mr. Martins. Meanwhile, I rounded on the others.
"What was that?" I demanded.
"What?" Andre frowned.
"You guys could've been a little nicer to the poor guy—he's new!"
YOU ARE READING
Daisy in a Meadow
Teen FictionDaisy Johnson has never had it easy. Whether it be at home where her mother hardly notices her, or at school where her peers bully her, Daisy can't quite seem to catch a break. She is certain that her last year of high school will be the same as eve...
