Be Yourself, or be Nobody- Part 1

Posted on Mon May 10th, 2021 @ 12:13am by Unawakened Zosia Galantis

Mission: The Factions
Location: North Syracuse high School
Timeline: Present

The history teacher was droning on about an old war and some spoiled rotten prince that was placed into power at too young an age. The prince failed to meet his countries expectations when his cities were ransacked by Vikings, their crops seized or burnt to ashes. The people starved, some slaughtered, children taken as slaves and history felt it was all due to the misfortune brought on them by this prince. A seventeen year old who desired a different life. Did anyone bother to ask him what HE wanted? Or did they all just assume he was 'lucky' to be a prince sitting on the throne surrounded by riches and bowing courts and peasants.

Zo kept her opinions to herself. Like she always did. But in all honesty she related more to the spoiled prince then anyone currently in her miserable ordinary life. Did anyone know how the prince truly felt? If they did, it sure as hell wasn't recorded because goddess above, anyone not appreciate all the luxuries life had given them or being anything but grateful and indebted to the cards life dealt in their favor. It caused Zo to sag in her seat. She was currently doodling in the margin lines of her notebook. Tiny pencil drawings of crowns and daggers littered up and down the page. Suddenly a folded piece of paper dropped onto her desk. She wasn't paying enough attention to where the note had come from to know its origin. For a minute she stared at it with a deadpan expression. Then there was a cough that snapped her out of it. She looked up to see Hayden, her boyfriend of two years, nodding towards the note.

Keeping an eye on the teacher Zo pulled the note to her lap and opened it. Written in Hayden's horrible handwriting was Your hair looks really pretty 2day. Zo slid the piece of paper under her notebook and made eye contact with Hayden across the room, giving him a small smile. But her attention was adverted when Lexi looked over to Zo as well, and smiled. There was no stopping the slight blush that tinted her cheeks or how the small smile she had given Hayden turned into a much bigger and brighter grin. Hayden was clueless. Lexi was just being friendly. Zo was silently wishing she could jump off a cliff rather then sit there for another moment.

Lexi just transferred in at the beginning of this school year, and already she was known school wide as the nice southern girl who always said 'Yes ma'am' and talked with a slight southern draw. Mostly when she was excited about something from her hometown back in Dallas, Texas. Zo and Lexi had four out of six classes together, which meant Zo saw her just about all day. More so then she did Hayden, which oddly, Zo enjoyed. It was one of the very few reasons she liked coming to school these days. Not that she didn't like seeing her boyfriend, it just, wasn't the same.

By the time Zo dared another glance in Lexi's direction all she saw was that golden hair glistening in the sunlight that poured into the classroom from the windows. Zo probably shouldn't have admired it as long as she did, well hell, there was a whole list of things Zo shouldn't do that she did. The biggest was harboring her feelings about this southern beauty with the perfect shade of cerulean eyes that resembled tiny oceans. Something was wrong with the way Zo's head worked. She shouldn't find Lexi as attractive as she did, nor should she wish the girl would turn around and smile at her again. The feelings that Lexi stirred within Zo confused the living crap out of her, but were so much stronger then any feeling Hayden had given her in the two years they've been together. It was Lexi that Zo thought about when she painted, it was Lexi that made her stomach tumble and flutter, and it was Lexi that she looked forward to seeing. The realization that it wasn't her boyfriend that caused her to feel this way was just another reason Zo was a horrible mentally messed up person.

The bell rang and the teacher started shouting over the sound, "Finish chapters 21 through 25 before the next class. There may or may not be a quiz." Quickly packing up her things Zo headed for the door. She was a mere ten steps from the exit when she heard that southern voice say her name, "Zosia!" No one called her by her full name, ever, but hearing Lexi say it turned her insides to melted butter. Zo halted immediately and turned her head towards her class mate. Lexi was giving her a toothy grin-god her teeth were perfect-and beyond bright. There was no stopping the matching smile she gave her in response, her bodies traitorous response. "Just Zo, I mean you can call me Zosia but everyone calls me Zo." Why was she so nervous?

"I know, I just think Zosia is really pretty, and unique."

"Oh, uh, thank you..." Zo started to fidget with the strap of her backpack. "What's up?"

"I was hoping we could study together, I'm still catching up but I think maybe a study partner would help me." Lexi smiled and tilted her head slightly.

Damn. She knew she should tell her no. That she should avoid spending any alone time with Lexi, but did she have that kind of will power?

Nope. Not when this beautiful enchantress flashed those pearly whites and twinkled those ocean eyes at her.

"Sure, are you free after school? The library is open for a few hours."

"I have somewhere to be right after school, but maybe I could come over? I would invite you to my house but we're still in the process of renovations and its just a mess."

Double damn. The only way out of this would be to lie. Zo lied constantly, her entire life was a lie, she could lie to Lexi.

"Sure, I'll text you my address."

Okay so maybe she couldn't lie to her.

Before she could agree to whatever else this devil in disguise would ask of her Zo turned and exited the classroom. Hayden was waiting across the hall chatting with a few friends. When he caught sight of Zo he immediately excused himself from the group and joined her as she headed towards her next class. He draped hi arm across her shoulders leaning in to kiss her temple. The action wasnt unusual at all, but the uncomfortable awkward feeling it gave Zo was.