Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Three
Fake Attitude
"So you're pretty new here too, aren't you?" I looked up from my history textbook when I realized Amy was talking to me.
Amy turned out to be in my History class along with Jade and Ezra.
Ezra sat in the desk beside mine and Jade sat in the one in front of mine. She would usually turn around and work or talk to Ezra and I during class.
Now that Amy was sitting in the seat beside Jade's, she found it to be a good idea to turn around and make conversation with me because we hadn't gotten much chance to talk yesterday.
I forced a smile, "Yup. Haven't been here long." Please go talk to someone else.
"Yeah, Noah told me you're pretty new here so I wasn't the only one." I wanted to smack the friendly and darling smile off her face. Why the hell did she have to be so likeable?
"I wouldn't say I'm new here, anymore." I muttered, looking away from her and back to the history textbook. I hoped she would get the memo and leave me alone.
I could feel Ezra's gaze on me. His eyes were narrowed, a small smirk on his face. After our little argument yesterday, we were fine. Ezra and I didn't stay hung over conversations like that although I knew very well that Ezra had more he wanted to say about the topic but didn't because he knew I would get more annoyed than I have been all day and it's only second period.
"So, how are you liking it here, anyways?" Amy kept trying to make conversation. I couldn't blame her because she was only trying to be friendly and get to know me since I was part o the group or something.
I sighed as I looked up, "It's great, Amy."
She nodded, smiling at me still. "That's good. I like it here, too. It's a lot different than Aussie but the group is very nice. They've all been very welcoming."
I forced a tight lipped smile, clenching my jaw, "It's great you feel that way." Then I looked back at my textbook, ignoring Ezra who was trying not to laugh at my very fake attitude.
I walked out to my car at the end of the day, stopping and narrowing my eyes down at Amy who was walking in the parking lot with Noah, getting in his car.
Wow.
He was bugging me since the day I got here, always wanting to hang out and never leaving me alone. As soon as someone new comes along, he's off and found a new comrade.
Whatever, I don't care.
"Are you sure?"
My head snapped over. "Madison, what a pleasant surprise." I gave her a tight lipped smile, my words very obviously not genuine.
Madison rolled her eyes, returning the fake smile. "You sure you don't care, Tiffany?"
I crossed my arms over my chest, ignoring the fact that I had muttered my thoughts aloud, "Yup. Noah and I were hardly friends, why should I care?"
I mean, really, why should I? I was the one who distanced myself from him so I wouldn't care in a situation like this.
And I didn't - I didn't care.
Madison snorted, "Maybe I was wrong for going after you although I have to admit, I didn't think Noah would replace you this quickly."
I looked at Madison, an amused grin resting on my face. I wasn't fazed by her words, "Your acknowledgement to the situation is appreciated however, I'm not sure why you care so much."
Madison exhaled a long breath as she looked away from me and looked at Noah's car leaving the parking lot, "See, I got over Noah after I saw realized he really wasn't going to let anyone mess with you." Madison turned to look at me again, smirking in pure amusement, "Guess I was wrong to assume he wouldn't move onto the next best thing that came along."
I blinked, a blank face on. "You're clearly affected and jealous right now, Madison. I don't know who you're trying to convince you're over him but frankly, I don't care."
Madison laughed, "Whatever. I'm not blind. Noah's got a new girl he's interested in and you're jealous. You want to punch Amanda or whatever her name is every-time you see her. You hate seeing her with Noah so much that you skipped lunch and stayed in the English room instead. Right now, your fists aren't clenched because you're looking at me, they're clenched because you saw her getting into Noah's car."
"Very thorough analysis but unfortunately it's done nothing but prove you're a stalker." I raised my eyebrows, not sure where she was trying to get with this because she was wrong about everything she was saying.
Madison shrugged nonchalantly, "Not a stalker, just in your English class. Ignore it all you want, Tiffany, but seems like you're more hung over him than I am now." She shot me a smile, proud of her analyzation.
Then she walked away, leaving me standing there with thoughts whirling around my head.
"Hey, princess," Luke coming up to me with a bright smile pulled me back into reality. I realized I hadn't moved since Madison walked away three minutes ago. "I feel like I haven't talk to you all day."
That would be because he hadn't. In Functions he was too busy being taught something he didn't understand by Noah while I stuck to shoving my headphones in my ears and ignoring everyone.
"Hi," I exhaled, looking at him with a blank face for a moment before walking to my car.
Luke followed me, "Where you headed?"
"Out," I stated dully as I pressed the unlock button on my car keys.
"Want company?" Luke asked eagerly, smiling at me.
I turned and gave him a dull look, eyes slightly narrowed, "No."
"Princess, what's wrong?" Luke asked as his eyebrows pulled together in confusion, a concerned look taking over his features.
I opened my car door and was about to get in but stopped. I looked at Luke, briefly wondering if I should take my annoyance out on him because if I did that, I would definitely feel bad.
"Nothing, sorry." I paused and then shook my head, "Don't call me that."
"Princess? What, why? It's our thing," Luke frowned, looking slightly confused but still worried.
I thought Princess was our thing and because it was Luke, I never told him to stop before. Now I learnt it wasn't our thing, it was his thing that he did with anyone he felt like so the significance was lost and it was now simply annoying and meaningless.
I licked my lips, "I have to go, Luke. I'll see you tomorrow."
I didn't wait for a response as I got into my car and shut the door, no longer able to look at Luke without feeling sick to my stomach.
I don't know what was wrong with me.
Just like I told myself I wouldn't, I ended up well in-fact getting attached and that led me to feeling pathetic and useless because of fucking Amy.
Noah had barley spoken to me because he was caught up with her. Even Jade and Joy didn't notice me gone at lunch because they were busy getting to know her. Luke hadn't talked to me until now so really, I was now seeing this as a blessing.
Amy was a reminder sent from God himself, telling me that distance was needed and there was no point getting close to anyone in this group because after all, they were Charlie's friends and I was only here in Long Grove because I had to be.
As I drove to the lake, I realized I really wasn't fazed. I hadn't known any of these guys for long and they didn't know the first thing about me.
I was fine being dull and off to myself like I was when I first got here.
I was okay the way I was and I didn't care about not letting people in because I remembered all the reasons why I did that in the first place.