Misfits

fifteen

There were three things I knew for sure the next day.

First, there was a whole lot of credit to give these people that I had so recklessly labelled as hillbillies as soon as I got here. They sure where a lot more interesting than I had thought at first.

Secondly, there was no way I would let Michael hide from Anna anymore. She was a beautiful woman, he was a harmless man, and they obviously had a thing for each other. So, instead of watching him run from love, I would force him to at least look it in the eyes – see if that would get a reaction out of him.

And, last but not least and as much as I disliked the thought of it, I wanted to spend time with Asher's group. They were quite funny in their own ways, and there was so much more to them than I had thought – which brought me back to my first point.

So when Gill dragged me to their table at lunch the next day, I wasn't complaining.

Tyler and Asher were both leaning over a phone when we got there, while Sam was distracting herself with her sketchbook. I had seen her draw in it several times, yet she had never let anyone see what exactly she was working on.

Asher leant back with a groan and Tyler shot him a triumphant smile – it was the first time I had seen him show actual joy.

"Pay day, sucker," he said and watched Asher with satisfaction in his eyes as he took out his wallet.

The brown haired boy took a banknote out and tossed it at his friend without saying anything about it.

"Which class is it this time?" Gill asked, not too amazed by the whole situation. "Chemistry?"

"Math," Asher replied, turning his attention back to his food. Tyler reached for the phone and tossed it back into his school bag.

"He wasn't even close this time. You're slacking off, Ash."

"I'm confused," I stated, my brows furrowed.

"We're placing bets on who scores the better grades," Asher explained without looking up from his meal.

I sighed. "Oh, shit. I totally screwed up that last test," I said, thinking back to the math exam we had had just a few days ago.

"It's fine," Gill said, patting my shoulder sympathetically. "Considering your other grades that are just as low, you should get used to it pretty quickly."

Asher eyed her, annoyance written all over her face. "Gill. That's not helping. Just be quiet."

"Yeah. Be quiet and let my cry in peace," I mumbled. Way to make me feel bad about being dumb.

"Oh no. I did it again," she said with a sigh, letting her hand drop from my shoulder. "I need to work on this. Sorry."

"Being smart won't get you anywhere," Sam murmured without taking her eyes off of her sketchbook. "It's all about what you can take, not what you think."

Silence fell over the table, everyone lost in their own thoughts. I looked around impatiently, feeling myself growing more restless with every passing second.

"So, what's the plan?" I blurted out. "When's the next soccer game?"

Asher eyed me. "Next Wednesday. It's in another town, so we get to miss school."

"I'm so not looking forward to that bus ride," Gill complained, her voice almost whiny. "It makes me tired but I never actually get to fall asleep, so I'm just groggy and angry when we get there."

"You'll be fine," Sam said nonchalantly.

"What are you drawing?" I asked curiously.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Nothing."