The Phone Swap

chapter two

I was leaning against the window that ran from the ceiling to the floor when I heard another person talk about Alec Westbrook.

I took out my phone amd pretended to be occupied on Instagram or Twitter as I waited for the tree
exhibit to begin.

I live in Los Angeles, and I like to go to museums by myself and explore art.

I was listening to other people's conversations when I heard someone else talk about Alec Westbrook.

I remembered hearing his name but I couldn't remember what he looked like so I Googled him.

He was really tan, had a 6-pack, and messy dirty blonde hair with electric blue eyes.

Considering he was the same age as me, he was hot.

But even if I saw him, I'd never be able to talk to him, or look at him, or even breathe.

All of a sudden, a bunch of teenage girls huddled in the corner started screaming and freaking out.

"Alec Westbrook!"

"He's coming here!"

"He looked at me!"

"OMG!"

I never really had a clique or squad of friends, so I didn't understand why they got so excited for nothing.

I'm not weird, like creepy.

People say that I'm pretty, but they just don't talk to me.

I have long straight brown hair with caramel highlights (I did them myself) and green eyes that my mom refers to as
"emerald wonders".

I'm thin and tan, my mom's Italian side, and 5'8, so tall.

In Brookfield High, I was kind of a loner, but the good kind. I had great grades, and everyone would want to be my partner, but I usually declined.

I spent most of my lunches in the library, researching random things or watching documentaries, but I
didn't mind.

I just wanted to get out of high school, leave the party scene, the ongoing judgements, and live my life.

I only had one best friend. Her name was Sage Brennan. We did everything together; had sleepovers, ate ice cream, hung out on Friday nights, swam in our pools, went on vacation together...

Until the summer of 9th grade. She told me that she had to go to sleepaway for the first three weeks of July and we could hang out after.

I asked her why she hadn't asked me to sign up with her and she said her parents signed her up with her cousin.

That was the first sign.

That was around the time Instagram was created, so of course Sage had one.

I didn't really want one, but I quickly realized if you were public you could just type their username online and look at their pictures and they wouldn't know.

Of course that's what I did.

I expected to see pictures of her and her cousin making tye dye t-shirts, riding horses, or kayaking.