• Talking and joking with my friends came as easy to me as breathing, but when I saw him starting to walk down the hall my throat caught, just for a second. My eyes flicked toward him and then back to my friends. No need to taunt myself.

    Sara dragged him by the hand. Her long blonde ponytail swished as she shook her head and laughed. He smiled a little. She turned at her locker and wiped some of her lip gloss off his lips with her thumb. They’d probably been making out in his car. His dark hair was mussed as if Sara had been running her fingers through it. Actually, she probably had.

    …God, I loved his hair like that.

    They walked over to us, still holding hands. I felt deep longing in the pit of my heart, but smiled anyways.

    “Hey Abby,” Sara said. “You look nice today. Is that a new shirt?” I blushed and nodded. My eyes flicked to him again. He was looking at Sara. My blush faded. Couldn’t he tell that it was all for him? That after I got dressed each morning, I would look in the mirror and wonder if he would think I was pretty?

    “Where did you get it?”

    “Um..” Garage sale. “I don’t remember. I think my mom bought it for me.”

    “Hm. Maybe me and David will go shopping this weekend.”

    I almost whimper. David, David, David, David. The name echoed in my head, like Sara had flipped a switch in my mind by speaking it. She flaunts him without even realizing how it kills me inside.

    The bell rang and we split, David and Sara heading to English and me to Chemistry. I couldn’t hate Sara—she was perfect for David. He was sweet, funny, and incredibly confident. She was loud, outgoing, and unbearably nice. And they were completely in love.

    I was no competition. I was too shy, too uncomfortable with boys, too random and babbly. I was too much myself.

    The End