Previously on Chapter 3 :
After their first week in middle school, Lucy and Zach finally made new friends. Lucy got a new friend when she helped her from being bullied by the seniors. Meanwhile, Zach got many new friends because he was very talented in playing basketball. At that time, Lucy became jealous of Zach's amazing talent and the many new friends he made. But after listening to what her friend said, Lucy realized that that day she had not been bothered by Zach at all. And she became relieved and felt calmer than usual.
Chapter 4
"I'm home... Woo-hoo!!!" Lucy said when she got home. She entered her house and jumped for joy. Then suddenly... "OWW!" She tripped over the leg of the table and fell down to the floor.
Her little brother who was sitting on the sofa laughed when he saw it. "Hahahahahaha, geez, that's ridiculous. Did something fun happen to you, Lucy?" said Rudy, Lucy's little brother who was 2 years younger than her.
Then Lucy slowly got herself to her feet. "Yeah, guess what! Today I'm very happy and calmer than usual!" She said in a good mood.
Rudy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Hmm... Oh! You got a new friend?" he guessed.
"Correct! And, do you know the other one?" Lucy asked him again.
He thought. "And, hmm... You two have a crush on each other?"
"No, that's wrong. After all, my new friend is a girl," said Lucy.
Rudy guessed again. "Oh, you were treated to a meal by her?"
"Wrong. It's not about my friend," said Lucy.
Rudy became confused. "Huh? Well, I don't know anymore. If it's not about your friend, I give up. What is it?" He immediately wanted to know the answer.
"You give up? Uhh, silly," Lucy rolled her eyes. "You know, I feel happier and calmer because he didn't bother me today. Yeaayyy!" She plopped down on the sofa beside Rudy.
"He? Who's he?" Rudy asked.
"He's Zach. He's my class rival, or you could say he's my enemy. He usually bothers me, but this time he forgot about it! Hahaha," Lucy laughed. "I hope he stays like that forever,"
"I think that's good. But... don't be happy just yet, Lucy. Maybe he'll bother you again tomorrow," Rudy grinned.
"What? No! Don't say that! What if your words come true? I don't want that," Lucy a bit worried.
"Impossible, I think it won't happen. Am I a fortune teller? Oh, so you already believe in such a thing, huh?" He asked.
"No, it's not like that. Argh, never mind! You're just like him. Annoying," Lucy got up from the sofa and went to her room.
The next day, as usual, Lucy came to school on time. She had never been late in her first month of school. After all, the distance from her house to her school was fairly average. Not close enough, but not too far either. That's why she always rode a bike to go to school. And that's the habit that kept her body slim. Because by ride a bike, it means she was also exercising. Even though she didn't regularly do other sports, it seems like ride a bike was enough for her. She didn't really like sports or exercise.
When Lucy was busy with her storage locker, Clara startled her from behind by patting Lucy on both shoulders.
"Hey! Good morning, Lucy!" She greeted Lucy.
"Oh, it's you. Good morning!" Lucy greeted back.
"You know, I've been watching you since yesterday. And it turns out you have a slim and perfect body. Do you exercise often?" Clara asked.
Lucy always blushed when praised. "Oh, thanks. But... I rarely exercise, you know. I just often ride my bike when I go to school," she answered.
"Oh, really? That's great! I thought people who have a perfect body are because they exercise a lot. But it's not always like that, right?"
"Maybe. But I think riding a bike is also an exercise," she explained.
"Oh, I see. Umm, you look busy. Need a help?" Clara offered her help to Lucy.
"No, thanks. Just go to classroom first. I'll follow you later," Lucy said while busy fixing the zipper of her backpack that was jammed.
"Okay," Clara said then left her.
Finally, Lucy finished fixing the zipper of her backpack and was able to close it. She had owned the backpack for a long time since she was in 4th grade in elementary school. But until then she hasn't replaced her backpack with a new one because it's considered not damaged, except its zipper. Actually, Lucy's parents wanted to buy a new backpack for her. However, because the price was quite expensive for them, and Lucy hasn't asked for it, so they decided not to buy it first and the money was used as an additional to pay for Lucy's school. That was the life of the Campbells, they were used to being frugal.
Lucy was about to close her locker door. Then Zach and a bunch of his friends came through the locker. And accidentally, Zach nudged the locker door until Lucy's finger was pinched by it.
"OUCH! MY FINGER!" Lucy screamed in pain. She quickly pulled her hand away and held the pinched finger.
"Whoops, what the heck are you doing here?" Zach's response was guiltless.
"You stupid! I should be the one who asking you. Why are you here?" Lucy was getting angry at him. "And look what you've done to me!” She showed Zach her pinched finger.
"Oh, that's all? Does it hurt? It seems like nothing to me," Zach said without expression.
"Oh my gosh... Have you hurt a girl? That's not cool, bro. You should apologize to her," said one of Zach's friends.
"Apologize? Why should I apologize to this lousy girl? Oh, come on, her finger just got pinched and it didn't hurt too much. I've even felt worse than that. She's just Lucy the lousy girl. And I didn't do anything wrong," Zach said as he crossed his arms.
His friends were surprised to hear that. "What the hell?! Zach, I really can't believe what I'm hearing. I think you're too rough, even to a girl. And you're also arrogant. Ugh, that's bad. Let's just leave him, guys." Then one of his friends asked the others to leave Zach and they went into the classroom.
"No, wait guys! It's not like- Uhh!" Zach was getting annoyed. "Look! It's all your fault! Because of you, they left me," he scolded Lucy.
"My fault? Don't you think? It's your own fault! You've also pinched my finger. And no wonder your friends leave you. That's all because of your bad behavior, Zach Silly-ams!" Lucy got really mad at Zach. She pushed him away and she immediately entered the classroom.
Gosh, Rudy was right. Zach bothered me again today, even worse. Was he really a fortune teller or something? Uhh, I don't know, thought Lucy. Her little brother's words came true. She didn't know why it happened. Is Rudy really a fortune teller? But in the end, Lucy just thought it was just a coincidence.
Since that incident, Lucy and Zach's rivalry has only gotten worse. They really don't want to forgive each other, especially Zach. They always fought every day at school and didn't want to get along. But they are still vying to improve their reputation in school. They each studied hard to get high marks in class, they tried to help their teachers more often, they fought for their turn to answer the quizzes, and because they both have their picket schedule on the same day, they often fought over cleaning tools and bet on who can be better at carrying out their picket duties. So, that's how they were for months at school.
* * *
A few months later, Mr. Wilson announced that there would be several semester exams. He reminded all his students to study hard for it. Lucy and Zach also prepared for it. They really didn't want to lose and both wanted to be ranked first. They spend less time with their friends, so they spend most of their time to study.
To be continued...
| Previous Chapters |
|---|
| Chapter 1 |
| Chapter 2 |
| Chapter 3 |