The Nerdy Girl

Then Tyson left me breaking my heart all over again.

Chapter 4

Mom wouldn’t let me stay home on the second day. She took Tyson and I to school since she didn’t have tennis lessons or a tennis game. She also didn’t have any kind of charity event to attend. It hadn’t taken her long to find a new life in White Oak Creek.

Dad was working late tonight because he had to come to school to get me yesterday. My father was important. He took over as CEO of a manufacturing firm in this small town that made special parts for imaging equipment. My father was smart.

Mom always said I got my intelligence from him but don’t let her fool you. She graduated college with a degree in English and Political Science. If she hadn’t met my dad who had interned at one of the major manufacturers his senior year and was planning on returning after graduation making six digits at twenty-two, she would have gone to law school.

Suddenly, all the reading required for law school wasn’t so appealing to Mom. She played and had fun living with Dad after she graduated from college. Mom is two years younger than my Dad, so she just wanted to have some fun before settling down. Then they got married and traveled for a while. Mom has albums and albums of their trips together that I have looked at wanting something similar myself when I grow up.

At thirty, Dad wanted a baby. He got two. Me and Tyson. Mom got her figure back and still talks about how hard her pregnancy was. She also talks about how hard it was raising us those first few years until we turned about three.

Now, seemed harder to me. Three years ago, was the hardest time of my life. Ty was my best friend. If I had trouble talking to people because of my shyness my brother spoke for me. I’ve gotten better with each year that I’ve gotten older, matured. I’ve had to come out of my shell a lot since Ty turned his back on me.

So, we did what Tyson requested last night we got out of Mom’s car and walked into school like we didn’t know each other. It wasn’t hard. I didn’t walk fast, and Tyson walked as fast as he could to get away from me.

That was fine. He could just leave me. I hobbled with my backpack hanging on my shoulders. Today I wore my hair down hoping it would take the attention away from the white patch on my chin. I had nice thick hair that hung in waves down the middle of my back. So maybe people would notice it and not the chin injury.

“Abby,” I heard my name. Didn’t recognize the voice so I didn’t stop at first. “Abby,” I heard it again and turned and saw Cal jogging to catch up to me.

“Let me take that backpack, beautiful. I’ll carry it to English for you,” he said removing my backpack before I could even protest.

I know my eyes got big in my head. “I can carry it,” I said.

“No need with me around.” He smiled. Deep dimples creased his cheeks. I looked down to avoid him seeing the emotion that I was feeling. “I like your hair down. You should wear it like that all the time.” His compliments embarrassed me.

“Thanks,” I replied.

He opened the door and held it for me. “I guess no gym class for you for a couple of weeks huh?”

“Nope,” I replied feeling relieved about that part of my fall. I hated gym class.

Cal walked down the hall with me jabbering about doing yesterday’s assignment in English class. “I mean who knows who they are at seventeen.” I stopped walking for a moment and stared at Cal. He was a whole year older than me. Cal stopped and looked at me then he explained, “My Mom held me back a year. She thought I was too immature to start kindergarten at five. I’m the baby of the family so I actually think that she just didn’t want to let me go.”

I smiled at Cal. Again, I got a glimpse of the dimples in his cheeks. His warm brown hair was tousled like it was yesterday. I was beginning to think that he rolled out of bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Do you own a brush?” I gasped because the words had tumbled out of my mouth without thinking.

He frowned at me like someone had run over his puppy. “I thought girls liked the messy look.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Then Cal laughed at me. “I’m just messing with you. I have five sisters. My skin is thicker than that, Abby. They tease me constantly.”

“I am really sorry,” I repeated.

He put his arm around me. His warm, brown eyes were focused on me. Cal smiled. Those dimples of his made me sigh. He chuckled again. “It’s fine,” he said.

Then he stopped at the door to our English class where he removed his arm and held the door open for me so I could hobble into class.

We took our seats and waited for Miss Hillard to call attention for class to begin.

Call leaned over and whispered, “Going to the game Friday night?” He asked.

“I highly doubt it with this boot on,” I said. I thought I would sit home and read a good book.

“Come on. Go to the game. I’m on varsity even though I’m only a sophomore.”