Snapshot of the Life of a Dork
folder
1 through F › Faculty, The
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
14
Views:
5,580
Reviews:
6
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Currently Reading:
0
Category:
1 through F › Faculty, The
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
14
Views:
5,580
Reviews:
6
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own The Faculty, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 3
I take a deep breath, clutching the straps of my backpack tightly. It’s after school and time for the yearbook meeting. I’m nervous, but not because of the yearbook. Hell, this is my second year on the staff, it’s a breeze.
No, I’m nervous because I know that Casey is going to be in there. I haven’t seen him or talked to him since this morning.
I’d talked to Zeke. He’d been thrilled by my plan and had given me tips. Wee, now the fun part was following them. Unfortunately my brain tends to shut down when I get near Casey and I’m reduced to a blithering idiot.
I head into the journalism room and groan. Of course, why was I stupid enough to even remotely entertain the possibility that Delilah wouldn’t be present?
I smile at Casey, nodding at him. “Hey Casey.” I say. Whoo, first step completed.
Casey looks up at me momentarily from the photos he’s going through.
“Hey Morgana.” he says, interrupting Delilah’s stupid babbling about something I don’ve ave a shit about. A few of the other yearbook staffers look at me, wondering what the hell a cheerleader is doing at a yearbook meeting.
I shrug, rolling my eyes. For that matter, what the hell is a cheerleader doing as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper?
I sigh. There’s something magical about the way my name sounds coming from Casey’s lips.
“Okay.” I say as I set my backpack down under my desk. Ahh, one of the perks of being the editor of the yearbook. “I hope you all enjoyed the hiatus while I was on vacation, but I’m back now and it’s time to get to work again.”
I glance at Delilah, frowning. “Is there a reason you’re here, Delilah?” I ask. “I was under the impression you were only on the newspaper staff. Or is that something else that changed while I was gone?”
Casey looks down immediately, obviously guilty.
Delilah looks at me smugly.
“We, um. . .that is I. . .needed an extra pair of hands while you were gone.” Casey mumbles. “The graduate layout had to be done, and you know what a pain in the ass that is.”
A few of the others exchange looks. Something’s obviously up.
“Oh.” I say, somehow managing to remain calm. “Well. . .is the layout finished?”
I avoid looking at Delilah, focusing my gaze on Casey. If I look at her, I might just have to slap that smug look off her face and that wouldn’t be conducive to my plan.
Why couldn’t he have asked Stokely or Zeke or even Stan to help him? Noooooooo, it had to be the heinous bitch.
Casey clears his throat, his cheeks burning.
“Almost.” he says. “Don’t worry, whatever’s left, I’ll do it.”
Someone clears their throat pointedly. ‘Do it’ seems to have multiple meanings. Delilah leans against Casey’s shoulder possessively, arching her back to push her chest into his back. Fuck, tacky much?
“Yeah, I bet you will.” I mutter, gripping the sides of my deck hard to keep from slapping Delilah. Or worse, choking her.
Fuck, this wooing thing is not going like I planned at all.
The yearbook is my baby. Mine! And to know that for an entire fucking month, Delilah has been. . .
I can’t even finish the thought. Is there NOTHING sacred to this bitch?! First she steals my man and now my yearbook?! Argh!
“Okay, well, Delilah, thank you ever so much for all your help.” I say, forcing myself to smile sweetly. “But I think we can take it from here. Bye.”
“Casey?” Delilah demands.
“What?” Casey asks, not looking at her.
She responds with an angry, expectant silence.
“What do you want me to do about it?” he mumbles, pushing at the nosepiece of glasses he isn’t wearing. “Morgana’s in charge.”
“Well fine then.” Delilah says huffily, then glares at me and storms out of the yearbook office, knocking over Casey’s open bookbag as she leaves. Binders and textbooks spill out onto the floor, as well as a copy of The Mists of Avalon.
Casey is so cute. Sigh. That gesture of trying to push up his glasses. . .adorable.
I blink in surprise at the book. “Wow, Casey, I didn’t know you were into this kind of stuff.”
I raise my eyebrows, glancing at the other yearbook staffers. Do they know something I don’t? They sure look like they do.
The feeling in the room lightens some as Casey scrambles to pick up his stuff. Things start to feel normal again.
“I’m not sure I am yet.” he insists. “I’m just trying it out. Are we going to do that ‘Most Likely To’ stuff again this year?”
He’s obviously trying to change the subject.
I shake my head, trying to dispel the sudden brain numbness that’s come over me. “Um, yeah. Definitely. We need to make a list and get it out so people can vote on it.”
I groan, squeezing my eyes shut. I don’t want to do it, but I know I have to. “Lemme see the graduate layout. I wanna see what you and. . .” I grit my teeth together. God, I hate saying her name. “Delilah did.”
I’m still not happy about that, but I keep my comments to myself.
“Yeah, sure.” Casey admits weakly, moving over to the computer. He trips over the chair in front of it as he tries to move around it.
“She almost got him suspended, is what she did.” Corey, a tall, skinny, freckled junior, pipes up.
I narrow my eyes at Corey. “What?”
I’m not really sure I want to know. . .but I feel obligated to ask.
Just then, Casey starts frantically clicking the mouse and hitting the backspace key.
“Who did that?” asks Stephanie, another junior, with a mouthful of braces, looking over Casey’s shoulder.
“Not me!” Casey insists frantically.
I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. I shoot Corey a look that tells him I’m not through with him.
Then I head over to the computer. “What’s wrong?” I ask wearily.
I REALLY have the feeling I don’t want to know, but again, I feel obligated to ask.
Casey tries to cover the screen with one hand as his deleting becomes more frantic. The word ‘UGLY’ is written on the screen so many times though, it’s impossible to miss. Apparently that’s what I’m most likely to be, since it’s next to my yearbook picture.
I chuckle humorlessly. Okay, that bitch has just declared open war. Fine. I can handle that. No big deal.
“Okay.” I say, sounding strangely calm. “New rule. I don’t care how many fucking extra pairs of hands we need, nobody, I mean NObody, but yearbook staff is to touch these layouts, capisce?”
I’m seriously considering choking the shit out of Delilah. I’m trying not to cry. I don’t have time to fall apart. I can do that later. Zeke will know how to make me laugh and forget all about this.
Casey is really quiet throughout the rest of the meeting. He essentially focuses his entire attention on the computer and finishing the layout, which he’s gradually discovering has more fun tidbits other than the original one I’d seen. Seemingly unaware of the time, he’s still typing away long after all of the others have left.
I watch him as I pack my stuff away, then move over to stand behind him. I brush my hair back out of my eyes, looking over his shoulder at the screen.
“Hey.” I say softly. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you leave that for tomorrow and go on home?”
I think I’ve got even more questions than before to ask him, but I can’t seem to make my mouth work to vocalize any of them.
So instead I just stare at the back of his head.
He looks up suddenly, as if reminded there’s someone else in the room.
“Huh?” he asks, blinking. “Um, are you waiting on me?”
I smile slightly. “Well, yeah.” I say softly. “Unless you were planning to spend the night here. Might be kind of uncomfortable, but I suppose you can sleep on top of my desk.”
“Or any of the desks.” I add hastily.
He blushes again, and coughs nervously.
“If I could, I would. But I can’t.” he admits. “Look, Morgana, I’m really, really sorry about the layout thing. It’s totally my fault. I should have paid more attention. I feel awful about it.”
I shake my head. “It’s not your fault Delilah’s a heinous bitch, C. I. I think she was born that way.”
“Anyway it doesn’t matter.” I say, shrugging. “It’s just words, right? And I shouldn’t let it get to me, because I know I’m not ugly.”
I blush, realizing I’m babbling. “Um, yeah. . .so what say we get out of here, huh?”
“You’re not.” he insists. “Ugly, I mean. You’re really not. It’s my fault I let her in here. She must have done it when I was in the vice-principal’s office. This. . .you’re right. You’re right. She IS a heinous bitch. I’m just being a coward.”
I can’t help but smile. Casey doesn’t think I’m ugly. Wow.
“Casey, I don’t understand why you’re with her.” I say softly. “I mean, is the sex REALLY worth putting up with her?”
I blink, stunned. Oh my god, I can NOT believe I just asked Casey Connor that question. Holy fuck.
“You don’t have to answer that.” I say quickly.
“No, I think I do.” he responds just as quickly. “It’s not the. . .uh. . .it’s not. . .well, okay, that’s part of it. But a small part. The biggest reason is that if I break up with her, the jocks are going to go back to beating me up.”
“Casey, fuck, you can get sex from somebody else.” I say. “And as for the jocks, well, hello, you bonded with Zeke. He can handle a jock or two.”
I sigh, rubbing my eye. “I just. . . I hate to see you so sad, Casey. It makes me sad too, because I liou.”ou.”
Casey squeezes the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut and wrinkling up his nose.
“I’ve been sad for a long time, Morgai. . .Morgana.” he says. “It’s just a different sad now.”
“You shouldn’t have to be any kind of sad.” I say, trying not to feel giddy. He’d almost called me ‘Morgaine.’ I kind of wished he had. I’d like to hear Casey call me that. I don’t think Zeke would mind too much if he did.
“I just want to see you happy, Casey.” I tell him, licking my lips. “I wish I knew how to make you happy.”
I stare at him for the longest time, wishing I had the courage to tell him how I feel. “Casey. . .I. . .”
I can’t do it. I just can’t do it. I don’t care what Zeke says, it’s not as easy as it would seem.
“Why did you start reading Mists of Avalon?” I ask suddenly.
“Zeke started talking about it a few days ago.” Casey responds, looking baffled. “I was so amazed he’d actually read something that I was curious. He’s really not who everyone thinks. . . well, I guess you know that.”
“Zeke.” I repeat, chuckling softly. “I should’ve known.”
“No, you’re right. Zeke is definitely a conundrum.” I say, nodding. “He calls me Morgaine. Has ever since he read that book the first time.”
I sigh, rubbing my forehead. “You got a ride home? Zeke’s supposed to be picking me up.”
“Oh, um, I don’t know.” Casey stammers shyly.
“No better way to get Delilah to dump you than to get caught with another girl.” Zeke interjects, appearing in the doorway. “Knock knock.”
I jump about a foot into the air and whirl to face Zeke. “Jesus frekkin’ Christ, Zeke!” I hiss, placing one hand to my chest. “How long have you been standing there?!”
Why do I feel guilty? It wasn’t like Casey and I had been kissing or anything. Though I had briefly entertained the notion.
<
“Long enough to hear you guys talking about me.” Zeke responds with a smirk. “What’s a cunum-thingie, anyway? Some new kinky kind of oral?”
Casey goes beet red.
“Oh god.” I say, rolling my eyes. “Very funny, Zeke. Conundrum. It means a mystery. A puzzle.”
I glance at Casey, smiling sympathetically. “Sot dot do you say, Casey?” I say. “It’s pretty late and it looks a bit like rain.”
He is pretty cute when he blushes. . . God! Is there anything about this boy I don’t like?!
Ah yes, his association with the heinous bitch. Which reminds me. I need to tell Zeke about what happened.
I glance at Casey. Not in front of him though. . .he already feels bad enough about the whole thing.
“A paradoxical, insoluble or difficult problem.” Casey says.
“Wha?” Zeke asks, blinking.
“A conundrum.” Casey explains.
“Oh, I thought you were referring to the ride.” Zeke admits.
“That too.” Casey admits. “Will you guys visit me while I’m in traction? ‘Cause if so, sure.”
I smile brightly. “We’ll do our best to keep you out of traction, but yeah.” I say. “We’ll visit.”
I glance at Zeke, waggling my eyebrows. Hey, I’ve gotten him to take a ride with me. I am on my way to wooing him. I just, ya know, have to tell him that I like him. As more than a friend.
“By the way,” Zeke says, “that Brooke is a total slut.”
Casey rolls his eyes.
I laugh. “She’s a cheerleader. It’s a given.” I say. “By the way, do I even want to know how you came to this conclusion?”
Zeke smirks. “I’ll let you decide that for yourself, Morgaine.”
I grin, rolling my eyes. “In that case, I’ll pass. I’ll probably hear about it tomorrow through the Herrington gossip grapevine.”
Zeke grins. “So are we ready to go then?” he asks. “Or do you two have some stuff to do?”
He glances at me pointedly.
“Uh, no.” I say, ignoring his look. “I think we’re done here. Casey?”
He blinks at me, looking a bit like he’s coming out of a trance. “Um. . .yeah, sure, we can go.”
Zeke nudges me, raising his eyebrows.
I stare at him. “What?”
He grins, rolling his eyes. “Never mind.” he says. “I’ll tell you later. C’mon.”
“Shotgun.” Casey mutters, then makes a face. “On second thought, you take the front, Mor. . .um, Morgaine. I’ll brave the cheerleader residue.”
Zeke laughs.
I stare at Casey in shock and then I slowly smile. Dude, he just called me Morgaine.
I look at Zeke, my smile widening. Oh my god, Casey called me Morgaine. It’s sopid,pid, but I really feel like dancing right now.
“Okay. Thanks, Case.” I say, feeling giddy. I’m feeling pretty brave too. I brush my hand against his as I head toward my desk and grab my book bag, then sling it over my shoulder.
Casey manages a weak smile, but he’s pretty quiet during the drive. It could be because he’s a bit car sick. Zeke’s driving could make anyone want to puke, and the back seat’s worse.