6-Crush in disguise

Shawn's pov

Everything has been getting out of hand. Everything is changing so fast that I don't even have time to process it or think about it.

I knew what I did at the bonfire was horrible and I sincerely thought my reputation, thus putting an end to this weird wave of popularity. Oh, how wrong was I? I surely didn't know what I was getting myself into but now I know.

If someone told me a few weeks ago I would be among the most popular at school and eating with the popular gang, I wouldn't have believed them, yet this is exactly what is happening.

Gosh, I still find it hard that this reality and that I'm not a book.

A lot of people would die to get to be where I am and find me lucky that I get to be popular but really I'm not. Being popular is not as cool as people think, instead, I just wish I could back to before. I definitely miss it.

Then if I don't like it, why am not doing anything about it?

Well, I don't have the guts to. The popular gang is way stronger than me and I have no control over my popularity. If only I wouldn't have done what I'd done at the bonfire, I wouldn't have had to sit with the popular gang.

Though, at first, I did try to be a bit unlikeable by not adapting to popularity, so sticking to my usual boring personality.

I thought they would get tired of me and lose interest in me eventually but no it failed. I don't know what I have on me, but it seems like they are more interested in me and I find that quite frustrating. Why did they have to be interested in me?

Even if I've accepted my fate and given up, it
doesn't mean I'm fine with all of this, no, I feel trapped. I feel like I'm being forced into all of this and have no say in it. On top of that, I'm forced to deal with drama I never wished to deal with.

Regardless, what I hate the most about being popular is that it's putting a bridge between Jasper and me. I've always been close to Jasper and we're always together but now that I'm in the spotlight and I eat at the VIP table, it's creating distance between Jasper and I and I hate it.

Already this popularity thing is causing issues for us. Just last week we had our first fight and to my surprise, Jasper took it badly and ignored me the entire day but luckily we made up later at home. We both promised to never fight about minor stuff like that.

It never happened again and Jasper has accepted my new reality but I haven't. Jasper is weirdly so supportive of my new fame and acts as if they were the ones popular when they are not. It annoys me but I let it go because I'm scared of causing conflict again.

Speaking about fame, I already find it odd and confusing how I became popular over nothing but

Regardless, when you're not popular, the top students at school seem unreachable and so cool but now I know them personally, they really are not.

I already felt weirded off by Tessa and hated the fact she was blackmailing me but the others aren't better. The only one that is right is Zayne. He's quite energetic and the talker but then again, I'm not close to him neither do I see getting along with him.

Then there's Grace. She didn't seem to like me at first but now she's all over me. She wants to know everything about me, it's frightening, gosh she's so intense. She also keeps trying to show off with me.

I find it odd that she does that, especially knowing she used to do it with Axel.

Thinking about it makes me realize that they broke up. It was so out of the blue and I don't get why it happened. They really seemed like the hit couple but I guess they didn't work out I'm just glad I no longer have to see them kiss

What I don't understand is Axel. I heard that only the ones that have the highest status get to eat at the VIP table. Even if Axel dated Grace, I heard he wasn't popular before so it's a big surprise that he still eats with us even if it's clear Grace doesn't want him there.

Anyway, Axel is a bit of a mystery to me. He's the only one who rarely talks to me, I fear that he has something against me or that he hates me even. Who knows maybe my status is a plan to prank me and they all hate me.

Still, I wonder why he doesn't seem to like me. All the others warmed up to me but he didn't. Actually, he keeps to himself and if it weren't for the fact Grace's his ex, he doesn't look popular nor does he own it. He seems like a badass or something, but he hasn't done anything wrong.

Yet, even if this popularity thing doesn't matter to me, I still have this want to make him like me. He seems so cold and distant, yet when he speaks he ozzwz of a nonchalant confidence,
and I find it refreshing. Others aren't kidding when they say the cool kids are superfacial but Axel isn't and that weirdly drives me in.

Enough about Axel, he doesn't seem to care about me anyway...and I should really focus on what the teacher's saying it might be important for a future test. Besides, there's no way I can allow myself to slip off, history is my favourite class.

The teacher is currently talking about Ancient Greece and immediately it gets my interest.

The teacher continues going on and on, eventually, she's done teaching the theory and mentions there's an exam coming up next week. I was right, the theory was important.

The teacher surprises us by letting us do groups to study.

I expect to do it alone, especially as I'm not a fan of grouping but of course, I should've known that would no longer be the case.

"Hey, wanna group?" Of course, Grace sitting behind me asks and here I thought she'd group with Axel but then again they broke up...so of course Axel's with Zayne...As for Jasper and Tessa, they aren't in this class.

Yet, he's oddly looking at me even if he's no longer sitting behind me. I wonder why he was looking at me...Did he want to team up with me or something? No, get that idea out of your mind!

"Oh um..." Though I don't know if I should say yes, it's weird that she's talking to me in class, she only talks to me at lunch. Besides, it's also still weird that Grace Grace would rather team up with me than anyone else.

"Come on, I need some of your help. I don't get a thing in this and you do." She complains and I don't find the heart to say no.

"Ok, I'll help you." I smile faintly and her eyes light up.

"I knew you'd help me."

I turn around my chair so I'm sitting right in front of her.

"Ok, what do you not understand?"

"Everything gosh, like what's so important with the Greeks?!" She complains and my heart drops a bit as I disagree.

"The Greeks are quite important, they are a part of our history." I try to explain.

"But why?" She complains yet again.

"Did you know Greeks were the first ones to come up with some ideas of today?"

"Like what?" She asks curious and I smile like the feeling of someone interested in what I'm saying, it's so rare that people are interested in history.

"Like for example, democracy. Our democracy is based on them."

"Really? Wow and here I thought it wasn't useful knowledge."

"It really is, they really did question things that we today figured out."

"That's so cool. I didn't know. Gosh, where did you learn that?"

"I guess I just know." I smile confidently and she smiles back.

"You're really smart, thanks maybe I could pass this exam after all."

"Well maybe but that's just the beginning," I say and her smile vanishes.

"Ugh, I should've known it wouldn't be that easy."

"It's fine, I'll help you. Now look at the document. Who are those people?"

I began to ask her questions and continued until the bell eventually rang.

"Hey, that really did help. We should do this again." She bumps my shoulder and smiles brightly as she says in a suggestive tone. I shrug it off as nothing and smile back proud that I could be of use.

"Sure, I'm glad it helped."

"Me too" She looks at me as she smiles brightly.

While we do, we take our things and leave but despite being in a good mood I feel like someone is glaring down my neck.

I look behind me and notice Axel, is it him? Wait, why is he glaring at me? Oh...I was too close to his ex but then again they broke up...No, it's probably just my imagination.

———————

Finally, after another long day being the new sensation at school, classes come to an end.

As much as I wish I could go back home and be alone in the world of my room, I still have my music club meeting, at least that's fun. I get to be with Jasper, the only time it feels like I can be with them.

I mean we still hang out together all the time except for lunchtime but still, lunchtime is the longest.

We go to our lockers and yet again I get reminded that the popular gang all have lockers next to ours as they are all there.

Already it's a pain but having them all there at the same time? And here I thought it was over between Grace and Axel.

I don't have time to open my locker so that they notice me.

"Hey, Shawn. Heading to your music club meeting?" Tessa asks and I look at Axel but he doesn't look at me.

"Yeah, I am."

"Same for me." Jasper tries to gain their attention but it fails, Tessa and Grace only seem to glare at Jasper.

"Anyways, I'd love to go see you practice the piano but I can't, since Tessa and I have cheer practice today," Grace says and honestly I'm glad they can't come.

"It's fine, I'm not that good anyways."

"That's not true." Jasper disagrees and I glare back at Jasper embarrassed they dared to say that.

"See even your sister agrees," Tessa says and I disagree.

"I'm sure you're better at playing piano than Axel plays the guitar," Grace says. Right...they used to date. Why does that bother me?

"No, I'm sure he's better than me."

"Just the fact that Axel never played guitar to me or even Tessa, says a lot about his skills while I do not doubt that you're good at piano," Zayne says smiling.

"I'm not that good..." I look behind and beg with eyes to Jasper to say something but they just chuckle finding this all funny.

"Keep telling yourself that. Anyways, I have to go to football practice, are you coming the girls?" Zayne asks and the girl's eyes light up.

"Right, we have to leave, good luck." Grace cheers me a little and starts to leave alongside Zayne but Tessa sticks.

"Hey, the history exam is coming soon and I heard you're a good study partner, wanna be my study partner?" Tessa asks me and I begin to feel uncomfortable with the idea.

While Jasper tries to push me to say yes, Axel seems to notice my indecisiveness.

He comes closer to me and puts an end to it.

"It can wait, right? We'll be late for our music club meeting and I doubt you'd want to be late." Tessa's smile drops as she grows irritated.

"Yeah, yeah."

She leaves pissed but I release a breath I didn't know I was keeping in.

"Hey, why didn't you say yes?" Jasper asks me.

"Well..."

"He doesn't have to say yes if he doesn't want to." Axel suddenly says coldly and surprises both of us.

"I guess Axel's right." Jasper chuckled and it made things more awkward.

We start to walk to the music club classroom and everything becomes dead silence between us.

Gosh, it feels so u for a table but now that I get to look at Axel up close, he's quite handsome, despite his bad mood isn't. He's got a nice face and even if he has the Selcan High uniform
he does give off badass energy but still, I doubt he is. I'll never know if he does dress up as one due to his uniform.

I don't know what it is but he has a charm that I can't pin point and then there's his small fiery brown eyes. I didn't notice at first but up close he does seem to have Asian genes, yet his last name seems German. I mean he does look German but...does he have Asian ascendents too?

"Earth to Shawn, we're here." I looked around and almost forgot where we were as I noticed the classroom. Jasper is looking at me confused and Axel is staring at me intensely, it gives me the shivers.

"Yeah, sorry I was off track."

"It's fine."

We get in and we sit down at our places.

———————

The music club meeting ended up being fun, we got to explore other instruments and play our instruments.

Axel wasn't kidding when he said he plays the guitar, he knew how to do an entire song but when he got to test out the electrical guitar, it was as if it was meant for him, why does he never play the guitar?

Gosh, he's so good at it and he looks in his element when he plays too. He's definitely way better than me, I don't know what the others were talking about. They clearly never saw him play.

Regardless, the meeting is over and it's time to leave. We go to our lockers to take out stuff and not long after Axel leaves without saying a word, rude but ok.

It doesn't take long to be done and we go outside to go wait for our dad but as we do, I can't help but notice Axel leaving with his skateboard. Wait...he really does the skateboard? Again...he looks so cool and handsome...

"Ohhhh seems like someone has a crush." Jasper teases me and it snaps me out of my thoughts.

"No? What are you talking about?" I say embarrassed.

"I saw you looking at Axel. I thought you were interested in the girls but now I get it, it's not girls you like, you like guys." Jasper smirks and I get even more embarrassed.

"What? No! I was just surprised!"

"Yeah, yeah keep telling yourself that." Despite being embarrassed something else grabs my attention.

"What did you mean about the girls?"

"I'll tell you later, I see Dad."

That only gets me more curious but Jasper's right, our dad Brandon is here.

We get in the car, Jasper in front and me behind as usual.

"So was the music thing fun?" My dad Brandon asks smiling while he leaves the school.

"Yeah, it was, we got to play our instruments," Jasper says excitedly.

"Nice, it does seem like fun. What about school was that fun?" He chuckles.

"Yeah, I think Shawn's got a crush." Immediately I get embarrassed.

"Oh? And here I thought the day would never come." My dad Brandon smirks while he drives.

"It's not a crush. I was just surprised that's all." I try to deny it.

"Sure, sure you were so lovestruck, it so was so funny.'' Jasper smirks while laughing.

"So, is it a girl or a guy?"

"Dad!" I whine embarrassed.

"Fine, fine I won't ask. But tell me all the details when you get with that crush of yours." He smirks and I roll my eyes annoyed.

The drive back home continues and eventually, we arrive.

Throughout the entire drive, I couldn't stop thinking about earlier, what did Jasper have to tell me?

We get out of the car and once we go up to our room, I decide that I had enough with my curiosity.

"Jasper?"

"Yeah?"

"What were you about to say before Dad arrived?"

"Oh...Right, that. Did you notice anything about the girls?"

"Not really? The only thing I've noticed is that they keep trying to befriend me."

"No dumbass! Those girls are interested in you! They have been flirting with you!" Jasper yells frustrated and I get caught off guard.

"They are?"

"Yeah, but I guess you're too busy fixating on Axel." That brings me back to Jasper's smile and I blush.

I know it's a big deal but...why do I keep thinking about Axel instead?