Picture Perfect

Chapter 3

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Wesley South stood at the end of the hallway, scouring the mass of highschoolers rushing along in front of him to get to their classes. He was planning on getting some work done at the library but didn't want a run-in with Gwen. She'd ask him a lot of awkward questions about why he wasn't at the game's after-party from the day before, and he wasn't prepared with an excuse.

He was just hoping he wouldn't be interrogated before he could come up with some sort of plausible and believable explanation.

Lost in his thoughts, possible excuses running through his mind, he didn't even look up when Adam Paulson side-tracked him against one of the walls and clapped his back.

"Nice touchdown yesterday. Really saved the game back there."

Wesley inaudibly muttered a 'thank you,' before ducking his head and continuing down the hall.

Adam stood there looking after him perplexedly before deciding it probably had something to do with the fact that college scouts were looking out for scholarships and he was under the strain.

Which he was. Although he really wished that was the only thing on his mind right now.

Wesley shook his head and gripped his books closer to his body under the elbow. He was almost at the edge of the doorway into the library's novelty section when he bumped into a girl.

He reeled back and exasperatedly picked up his head, fully expecting to see Gwen. Knowing her, she probably tailed him all the way here and crossed down the extra hallways to smack into him.

Wesley raised a hand and rubbed his jaw.

"What do y-"

He stopped and sighed, relieved. It wasn't Gwen.

It was someone else, but he didn't think he'd ever seen her before.

The girl stumbled backward a few steps and regained her balance by holding on to one of the bookcases.

"I'm sorry! Just don't know this place very well."

Wesley smirked. I can tell, he thought.

The girl smiled widely and held out her hand.

"Hi! I'm D-Anna Black."

She grimaced and then just as quickly widened her smile. "I'm new," she explained, although she really didn't need to.

Wesley hesitantly took her hand and shook it once, before clearing his throat and tapping his fingers against his books.

"Cool. I'm Wesley."

"Wesley what?"

"Uh...South."

Anna smiled and rocked back on her heels. "Well, Wesley South, it's nice to meet you."

Wesley nodded and chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"This was nice and all, but I've got to get-"

"Wesley! There you are!"

Wesley closed his eyes and let out a short breath before spinning around and putting on a look of mock delight.

"Gwendoline Goldstorm! If it isn't...My favorite personal cheerleader..."

Gwen smiled as she strode toward him, flanked by her wing woman and best friend, Frida Palet.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! It's just...We missed you at the pizza parlor. I was waiting on your arrival, but...You didn't show up."

Frida vigorously nodded and chirped brightly, "Guess you'll need to make it up!"

Gwen looked to her friend and then back at Wesley. "Make it up?"

Frida nodded before reciting an obviously planned out line. "You know how it goes. He has to take you out on a date. It's only natural."

Gwen put on a thoughtful expression and gracefully lifted a shoulder. "Common courtesy, I suppose."

Wesley forced a smile onto his face, lying right through his teeth.

"Gwen, one day I'm going to take you out to the Honey Bowl. Maybe a day that isn't so filled up. You know the college scouts are coming on this week. Everyone's counting on that right now. Really takes up a majority of my time."

Wesley scratched his neck and shifted his weight to one foot. "For now, I have to focus on my work."

Gwen screwed her face up into a pleasant expression that made her look like she had just swallowed a lemon.

"Oh...That's...Alright. I'm just going to-"

She stopped mid -sentence and peered over Wesley's shoulder. Anna stood there, a small smile shining on her face. She waved at Gwen and started in a small voice.

"Hi. I'm-"

"Lacking fashion sense?"

Anna furrowed her eyebrows, looking flabbergasted. "What?"

Gwen smirked and pointed down at her shoes before laughing and stalking off.

Anna silently fumed and tried to suppress the balloon of irritation blossoming in her chest.

If only she knew I was the one who designed that sweatshirt she's wearing right now.

With that thought, she inwardly smirked and regained her composure. Wesley turned around and smiled apologetically.

"Don't mind her, that's just...How she is."

Anna shrugged and flashed him a bright smile. "It's cool. I was wondering when I'd run into Regina George."

"Huh?"

Anna's smile wavered. "Oh...Uh...It's just...Doesn't every school have one of her?"

Wesley shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Anna tilted her head and frowned. "Oh. Guess you've never watched Mean Girls, then. It's fine."

She pressed her mouth into a thin line. "Those were some killer acting skills though!"

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "Acting skills?"

Anna nodded as she slowly began to back away, electric blue eyes sparkling in the light.

"I'd know. I'm-"

She stopped, her cheeks turning red. "I mean, it's just...I used to take Drama. I can see through people like that."

She snapped her fingers to enunciate her point, slinking further down the row of bookcases.

Wesley's eyebrow rose higher as he crossed his arms. "Oh, really?"

She nodded, stepping out of his line of vision.

Somehow, her words rubbed him the wrong way.

Anyone who could see through his happy and blissful facade was someone he could not afford to associate with.

His body gave an involuntary jerk and he shuddered as he grabbed his book off the case and made for the nearest table, burying his troubles behind the thick sheaf of words on the paper.