�Road To Nowhere� Chapter 2: Be Like That

Courtney picked the gray clay from under her fingernails as she finished her ceramics project. She thought about Dan. He was totally not her type, but then again who was? She hated the way she couldn�t make up her mind about anything.

�Court? Are you coming?� her friend Ashley Angel asked her.

�Whoa. Did the bell ring or something?� Courtney asked him getting up.

�Yeah about two minutes ago. Where were you?� Ashley laughed as they pushed open the door.

�Day dreaming, I guess,� Courtney replied.

�Must be some hot new guy or something,� Ashley joked.

Courtney stopped. �How did you know?�

�Huh? What are you talking about? You�re losing it, Court,� Ashley kept walking.

�Dan! That�s what I�m talking about!� Courtney called after her friend.

Ashley stopped and spun around. �Who is Dan?�

Courtney brushed past him not wanting to explain. �No one.�

�Fine Court, be like that,� Ashley said as Courtney disappeared into a sea of high schoolers.

* * * *

Dan found his next three classes with ease. In each class he was greeted with warm smiles and wandering eyes. �You�d think I was Brad Pitt instead of just plain old Dan Miller,� he thought to himself.

Wondering who he was going to hang with at lunch, Dan wandered toward the cafeteria. Matt and Josh ran up behind him.

�Hey man. You�re eating lunch with us right?� Matt asked. �Courtney will be there.�

�Sure. Sounds good,� Dan said smiling at his new friends. Now, if only he could play football he would fit right in.

Dan, Matt, and Josh joined Courtney, Ashley, Chelsea and some of their other friends at their table.

�Oh come on Chels, just talk to me,� Courtney pleaded with her best friend.

�Court, you know I hate it when you get into your little mood swings,� Chelsea replied.

�I know, but I promise I�ll be nice,� Courtney smiled at her.

�Fine,� Chelsea said giving up. There was no use arguing with Courtney, she always won anyway.

�Hey girls, what�s going on?� Josh asked.

�Not much. Oh hey Dan!� Courtney said cheerfully.

�Hi Courtney,� Dan replied.

�Oh my gosh!� Ashley screeched.

�What?� Courtney asked startled.

�Dan looks exactly like Mi�� Ashley began but Courtney cut him off.

�Ash, don�t go there,� Courtney warned.

�Who does Dan look like?� Chelsea asked.

�No one!� Courtney said quickly. �Just leave it alone.�

�Dude, Court, calm down,� Matt said.

�Matt, you have no idea what you�re messing with,� Courtney got up from the table and walked away. Dan started to get up to follow her.

�Whoa Dan!� Matt said. �You�re not going after the princess are you?�

Dan ignored him and followed Courtney. She stopped in front of the ladies room. She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around. She smacked into Dan, hard.

�Dan!� Courtney cried. �What the hell were you thinking? Sneaking up on me like that!�

�I thought you could use a shoulder to cry on,� Dan replied with sincerity in his voice.

�Do I look like the type who cries? This mascara costs a fortune! Do you think I would smudge it like that?� Courtney was being a drama queen.

�I just thought�� Dan started to say.

�Well you thought wrong, Dan Miller. Just leave me alone,� Courtney turned her back on him and walked on into the girls room.

A stunned Dan turned and walked back into the cafeteria and sat back down next to Matt. Matt noticed the look on his face.

�Aww, poor bastard,� Matt teased Dan. �The Courtney Evans turned him down.�

The table laughed at Matt�s joke. Dan took it all in stride. His first day and he had already been turned down and humiliated. He wasn�t going to do anything else to embarrass himself. At least not today.

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